Rules of the Road

When driving your bike, you are a vehicle and you are expected to follow the rules of
the road. The main rules for bicycles are listed below:

Obey ALL traffic lights and signs.
Use the correct signals for turning left or right and for stopping.
A bicycle is designed to carry only one person; YOU! Do not ride double or carry large packages on your bike.
Be Visible – cyclists must be seen by other drivers to be safe. Wear bright clothing. Use proper lights and reflectors at night. Drive where you can easily be seen by other drivers.
Be Predictable – other traffic must know what you will do next. Cyclists need to know what other traffic around them will do next as well. This way we can all share the road safely. Smart cyclists signal their intentions to other drivers BEFORE they make turns or stops. They also check behind themselves (shoulder check) before moving across a road.
Plan Ahead – Anticipate your turns in advance and practice “Look, Signal, Look.”
Look and signal before entering a road. (Cyclists must stop, signal their intentions, then wait for pedestrians and road traffic to clear. Cyclists should go only when it is safe to do so.)
Pedestrians have the right of way over all vehicles including bicycles. You must let pedestrians cross before you move through an intersection or a crosswalk.
Cyclists riding together in a group should always ride in single file on the streets. At intersections, each rider must decide what is safe for him/her. Do not blindly follow someone else through an intersection. Call out stops and turns to the cyclists behind you.
Drive approximately one metre from the curb to be clearly visible to other traffic. Always stay at least half a metre from the curb to avoid holes, debris and hazardous grates.
Drive to the right of traffic. Cyclists must also ride where it is safe. This means that, when necessary, to avoid hazards, turn left or pass slower vehicles, cyclists can move from the curb.
Always ride at least one metre away form parked cars to avoid opening doors or sudden car pull-outs. Ride in a straight line from parked car to parked car. This keeps you visible to other traffic and predictable in your movements.
When moving across a lane, plan the move well ahead. About 50 metres before moving, look over the shoulder on the side you will move to, check for overtaking traffic. Make a hand signal to tell traffic what you are going to do. Shoulder check again until the way is clear. Quickly move to the new line of travel.
When running right, signal the move while approaching the intersection or after stopping at the corner. Stop if lights or stop signs tell you to do so. Start your turn from a path close to the curb and enter a path on the new street also close to the curb. Cyclists must stop and wait for any pedestrians in the crosswalk or intersection to clear before the cyclist makes their turn.
When turning left, use the procedure for moving across lanes (see rule 13 above) to get to the left turn position beside the centre line. Start about 50 metres from the intersection with move -across sequence: shoulder check left, signal left, shoulder check left again. Move into the centre of the road when it is clear to do so and again signal for a left turn. You must turn into the new lane and return to the curb position as soon as it is safe to do so.
Make a left turn only when the intersection is clear and when signs or lights allow you to go. Remember that you are crossing in front of incoming traffic and vehicles travelling from the other direction have the right of way. Wait for oncoming traffic to clear!

NOTE: If an intersection looks difficult, you can always dismount and walk your bicycle across the crosswalks to make left turns.