On A Bicycle
G.L. c. 85, § 11B — every public way but posted expressways, and a helmet through 16
In Massachusetts, a person operating a bicycle has the right to use all public ways except limited access or express state highways posted against bicycles, and is subject to the traffic laws with special rules: the rider may keep to the right when passing a moving motor vehicle, signals stops and turns by hand when it is safe to, and may ride on sidewalks outside business districts when necessary for safety unless an ordinance says otherwise.
- No more than 2 abreast, and within a single lane on a roadway with more than 1 lane in the direction of travel.
- A rider or passenger 16 years of age or younger wears a fitted, strapped helmet meeting the federal standard, and a violation is not evidence of contributory negligence.
- From one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise, a white front lamp visible from at least five hundred feet, and a red rear lamp and reflector visible for not less than six hundred feet.
- A braking system that brings the bicycle from fifteen miles per hour to a safe stop within thirty feet.
Lights, and when they are enforced. The front and rear lighting rules are enforced only when a rider has been stopped for some other offense, and a rear lighting violation is not conclusive evidence of contributory negligence in a civil action.
Children as passengers. No one under the age of one year rides on a bicycle, and a child between the ages of one to four years, or weighing forty pounds or less, rides in a harnessed baby seat protected from the spokes.
| The assumption | What the law actually does |
|---|---|
| The assumptionA cyclist may never pass cars on the right | What the law actually doesThe rider may keep to the right when passing a moving motor vehicle |
| The assumptionBicycles are barred from every highway | What the law actually doesOnly from limited access or express state highways posted against them |
Local ordinances on sidewalks, paths and bicycle registration are not all on this page. How these rules apply to a particular crash or ticket is a question for a licensed Massachusetts attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- G.L. c. 85, § 11B — Bicycles; operation and equipment; regulations
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Massachusetts attorney.