DRAFT

Traffic Safety Program - Bicycle Safety Policy

The Berkeley Lab presents unique challenges for motor vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian safety. The roadways are narrow, can be crowded, traverse steep terrain, and intersect in many different ways. It is critically important for all individuals who share the roadways at the Laboratory to exercise caution at all times for their own safety and the safety of others. Bicyclists, drivers, and pedestrians must be especially aware of safety considerations and be more vigilant when in close proximity to one another. The following policy outlines measures that bicyclists will need to address, but underscores the essential role that all individuals who use roadways on Laboratory property play toward ensuring the safety and well-being of bicyclists. Additional policy elements governing motor vehicle and pedestrian safety will be incorporated shortly.

•  All individuals who wish to ride a bicycle on Laboratory property must register with Site Access. Bicyclists who wish to ride on Laboratory property on a routine basis (more than once per month) will be encouraged to obtain an LBNL Bicycle Permit.

•  Once obtained, the Bicycle Permit must be visible at all times when operating a bicycle at the Laboratory. The permit is designed to make it easier for bicyclists who regularly ride to the Laboratory to pass through the entry gates without stopping, and to confirm a basic understanding of safe bicycle operating measures and the LBNL Bicycle Safety Policy.

•  All bicycle riders on Laboratory property must wear helmets that have been approved by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC sticker), Snell, or the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

•  Bicyclists, like drivers of motor vehicles and motorcycles, must obey all California Vehicle Code (CVC) and Berkeley Lab traffic and parking regulations when riding on Laboratory property. This includes:

a)   Obeying all posted speed limits or the basic speed law, whichever is slower.

b)   Ensuring bicycles used on-site are equipped with front and rear brakes.   Bicyclists should check to ensure brakes are in working order before riding.

c)   Ensuring bicycles on-site are equipped with a headlamp (white lamp) for use during dusk/dark.   The use of blinking rear lights and reflective devices or clothing is strongly encouraged to improve the visibility of riders on the roadways.

• Bicycles (or motorcycles or cars) may not be parked in areas that could compromise the access to or use of life safety or emergency equipment (e.g., fire hydrants, fire alarms, fire extinguishers, emergency rescue boxes).   Bicycles are also prohibited from being parked in building corridors, stairwells, entrances or exits or other areas that could interfere with proper access and egress from Laboratory buildings.