Biker Rules

Instead of those bearded, tattooed guys of yesterday, wearing leather and riding Harleys, the typical ’90s biker is probably female and riding a Schwinn. But the new breed still gets hassled by the authorities.

In Texas, bikes are subject to most of the same regulations as cars, trucks and motorcycles. “Bicycles are vehicles,” according to (he signs recently posted at White Rock Lake, where hordes of bicyclists gather during evenings and weekends like lemmings with Day-Timers. The city hopes the signs will cut down on the number of accidents, as well as on the tickets issued to I bikers for running stop signs, speeding and failing to yield to pedestrians.

“The signs were a response to two things,” says P.M. Summer, bike coordinator for the city of Dallas. “One, cyclists disobeying laws. Two, to show motorists that [the bicyclists] have as much right to be there as they do.”

Michael Carr, a board member of the Greater Dallas Bicyclists, says the real problem is harassment by overzealous bike patrols, not uncaring bicyclists.

“They’re not ticketing for life-threatening violations, like riding at night without lights or flying through red lights,” Carr says. “They’re ticketing for rolling [through] a stop sign.”