Do cyclists in France have priority when crossing a road?
Specifically when the road they are crossing has bicycle signs on it, such as this crossing in Versailles:
The road going horizontally (left-right) on the picture is a normal road (for cars) and the one vertical (with the people walking) is a bike path (yes, despite people walking on it - it is better than the parallel one for pedestrians, on the left, on the other side of the green band).
While this picture depicts a specific crossing, the question is general for crossing of road/bike roads where there are bicycle markings (bike logos) on the crossing.
Best Answer
France has best traffic signs for vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians. Usually when there is no traffic sign then the general rule is slower moving object has priority. So pedestrians always have priority over cyclists, and cyclists over vehicles...BUT only when there is no traffic sign yet installed at a location or in less crowded areas like rural roads. In your picture the path going up the pic is only for pedestrians as the sign partially hidden behind tree shows NO CYCLISTS. However, in France due to narrow streets and congested traffic, usually drivers ignore pedestrians standing by on sidewalk to cross street even on marked crosswalks and do not stop at all and more amazing is while pedestrians have priority they hesitate for a long period avoiding stepping on marked crosswalk to cross. Drivers explain their action: if I stop suddenly the car behind me hit my car and I hit the pedestrian so it is safe to pass until it is clear for pedestrian to cross!!! What a stupid reasoning. In Canada drivers stop way back the marked crossing even when 1 or 2 pedestrians standing on sidewalk at marked crosswalks but not intend to cross the street!
Pictures about "Do cyclists in France have priority when crossing a road?"
Do cyclists have priority over cars?
Cars overtaking cyclists They should leave more space at higher speeds. When cyclists are going straight ahead at a junction, they have priority over traffic waiting to turn into or out of a side road, unless road signs or markings indicate otherwise.Do cyclists have priority over pedestrians?
Within the hierarchy, pedestrians have priority over cyclists, who in turn have priority over horse riders.Do pedestrians have the right of way in France?
The law says that pedestrians always have the priority, the problem is, in France, it is not always the way it happens. The Police are now quite careful that motor vehicles yield to pedestrians on crosswalks, and fines for not respecting this are quite high.Do cyclists have priority at junctions?
The second rule is to give priority to people crossing the road at junctions, and this applies to drivers, motorcyclists, horse drawn vehicles, horse riders and cyclists. The rule states: "At a junction you should give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross a road into which or from which you are turning.Do Riders At The Tour de France Change Their Tyres Every Day? | GCN Tech Clinic #AskGCNTech
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Flora Westbrook, Darya Sannikova, Kamaji Ogino, Skitterphoto