On a bike you are the driver of a vehicle in your own right and, as such, must obey the Highway Code. It is a question of safety – for yourself and for other road users.
It is prohibited to
•Ride through a red light (an offence responsible for 50 accidents involving injury to cyclists in Paris in 2014
•Ride on pavements
•Hold your mobile phone in your hand when riding your bike
•Be towed by another vehicle or ride two-up when the bike is not equipped for this
•Ride the wrong way down one-way streets unless there are specific road signs or markings
•Attach your bike to urban furniture apart from equipment specially designed for this use
Remember the most vulnerable pedestrians (children, seniors and the disabled) when parking your bike!
Safety tips
•Obey the right-of-way when crossing intersections
•Give pedestrians right-of-way when they are crossing the road
•Give hand signals whenever changing direction
•Be aware that doors of parked vehicles may open suddenly (cause of 103 accidents causing injury in Paris in 2014)
•Be careful of pedestrians emerging from between parked vehicles
•Be visible at night! Have a front and rear light, reflectors and wear light-coloured or reflective clothing
•Never overtake a lorry or bus on the right
•Never overtake a lorry when it is manoeuvring
Special roads and signage for cyclists
Cycle path: a road reserved solely for bikes. If it is two-way, you must ride in the right-hand lane (Art R. 431-9)
Cycle lane: this is a one-way lane on a road with several lanes reserved solely for the use of bikes
“Bike boxes”: these boxes (two stop lines set back from the pedestrian crossing point at traffic light intersections) were created to enable cyclists to be in a leading position to cross the intersection or be on the left to turn. In Paris, only cyclists are authorised to ride through these “bike boxes” when a traffic light is on red.
You must not ride on pavements, which are reserved for pedestrians .
Bonne balade, Catherine
