Bicycle Laws & Ordinances

There are very specific laws in the Wisconsin State Statues that govern the operation of bcycles on roadways and even on bike paths or bike lanes. The following answers are to the most frequently asked questions or concerns.

1. §346.80 addresses riding a bicycle on a roadway, every person driving a bicycle upon a roadway shall be granted all the rights and shall be subject to all the duties applicable to the driver of a motor vehicle, except to those provisions of laws and ordinances which by their nature can have no application.
1. When riding on a roadway, a bicyclist must travel on the right side of the roadway, traveling the same direction as cars and shall ride as close as possible to the right-hand edge or curb of the roadway, except when preparing to made a left hand turn at an intersection or private drive or alley.
2. Bicyclists must obey all traffic laws just like motor vehicle, such as yielding right-of-way, stop/yield signs, and traffic control signals.
3. Bicyclists are also required to signal turns and stops when operating on the roadway. §346.35 describe the method of giving signals on turning and stopping.
2. The City of Oak Creek does not have an ordinance permitting riding a bicycle on a sidewalk; therefore riding a bicycle on a sidewalk in Oak Creek is illegal.
3. The City of Oak Creek has adapted all the state laws onto our ordinances and has even made some regulations stricter.
1. City ordinance sec. 10.101 requires all bicycles to be properly licensed before they can be operated upon any street, alley, sidewalk, or parking lot open to the public. Bicycle licenses are available at the police department and have a one time fee of $3.50.
2. City ordinance sec. 10.102 governs equipment required.
• All bicycles operated on roadways are required to have properly working brakes.
• Bicycles operated during the hours of darkness are required to have a working headlamp visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the front and a red reflector that has a diameter of at least 2 ½ inches of surface area mounted and maintained on the rear of the bicycle, which is visible at all distances from 50 to 500 feet to the rear of the bicycle when directly in front of lawful upper beams or motor vehicle headlamps.
• Section (b) of this ordinance governs parking of a bicycle; no person shall leave a bicycle at such a place or in such a way as to create a hazard to pedestrians, automobile operators, or anyone else.
• Section (d) addresses speed, no bicycle shall be operated upon any public street at a speed faster than is reasonable and proper under traffic conditions at the time, and every bicycle shall be operated with due regard to the safety of the operator and other persons upon the streets and sidewalks.
• Section (e) addresses bicycle operation while hearing obstructed; no person may operate a bicycle upon a highway while such operator is using any audio device attached directly to ear or ears of such operator that materially impairs the ability of such operator to hear audio signals or warnings.
3. City ordinance sec. 10.106 covers general bicycle regulations, some of which are;
• Riding in single file on the roadway.
• Prohibitions against clinging or attaching the rider or bicycle to any other moving vehicle.
• Riding double, no bicycle can carry more people than it was designed to carry.
• No person operating a bicycle shall carry any package, bundle, or article which prevents the safe operation of the bicycle with at least one hand on the handlebars at all times.
• No rider of a bicycle shall remove both hands from the handlebars or feet from the pedals, or practice any acrobatic or dangerous riding on any street.
• When ever a usable path for bicycles has been provided adjacent to a highway, bicycle riders shall use such path and shall not use the roadway.

Last, but not least, a person violating any of the above State Laws or City Ordinances are subject to receiving a citation. Parents or legal guardians of children who violate these laws can also be held accountable and they too can receive citations and fines.

Although it is not legally required, bicycle helmets and other safety equipment are strongly recommended for anyone who rides a bicycle on the roadway.

BE SAFE, RIDE SMART!