No. Per the City’s Municipal Code Section 10.72.100, bicycle riding on sidewalks is prohibited. This law is in place for the safety of the bicyclists, pedestrians, community members in wheelchairs, and motorists.

Pedestrians, trash cans, benches, utility boxes, fire hydrants, sign posts, and cars coming in and out of driveways become obstacles to bicycle riding on the sidewalk and can be damaging to property, the bicycle rider or a pedestrian if hit. Sidewalks are designed for walking speeds, which are slower than a bicycle pace and are often not designed to share with other travelers. When faster speeds are introduced the situation can become hazardous. 

It is also intended to prevent conflict between bicyclists and motorists continuing in different directions. For example, a bicyclist traveling straight through an intersection should be centered in the traffic lane giving a right turning motorist room to turn safely next to them. Likewise, a bicyclist turning left from a lane that can either turn left or go straight should be position in the center of the traffic lane in front of motor vehicles intending to travel straight so that their paths do not cross.

Yes! SLO Transit buses are equipped with bicycle storage racks on the front of their buses. SLORTA buses (county-wide buses) are also equipped with bicycle racks on both the front and rear of their buses.  

When transporting your bicycle on the bus, as a courtesy, please exit the bus from the front door and remind the bus driver that you will be retrieving your bicycle. 

The move-to-the-right rule is part of the California Vehicle Code (CVC) Section 21202. But it also allows a number of exceptions to the rule. One of those exceptions allows bicyclists to avoid conditions that make it unsafe to continue along the right side. It also provides the following list of examples for those conditions: "including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes." It then goes on to define a substandard width lane as "a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane."

You may have seen some green bike lanes popping up around the city. Colored pavement when applied to bicycle facilities can act as a tool to alert motorists to the presence of bicyclists in known high conflict zones. The first green bike lanes were installed at the intersection of California and Monterey in 2012 following several bicycle/motor vehicle “right hook” collisions. A “right hook” collision is when a motorist turns right into the path of a bicyclist who is continuing straight. This type of collision is more likely to occur at intersections where a bike lane is on the right side of a traffic lane that vehicles can turn right from. Since the green bike lane was installed at California and Monterey in 2012 there have been no “right hook” bicycle collisions reported at this location.

Sharrows, or Shared Roadway Bicycle Markings, are intended to show both motorists and bicyclists the minimum distance that cyclists should ride from parked cars to avoid being hit by a suddenly opened car door. Riding too close to parked cars, in the "door zone," is a common mistake by bicyclists and can lead to serious injury. The markings are only used on streets where there isn't room for a striped bike lane.

This bicycle symbol in the center of the traffic lane is a loop detector for bicycles. When a bicycle is positioned above this symbol it will trigger the traffic signal using an induction “loop” buried in the street pavement. This will “trip” the traffic signal to give a green to the bicyclists.

Please remember that bicyclists must abide by the California Vehicle Code and are required to obey all traffic signs and signals.

Locking and securing your bike is easy with over 150 bike parking spaces throughout the City. Click here for the City's Bicycle Parking Map.