Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes 32:203

  • Bicycle: means every device upon which any person or persons, if the design accommodates passengers, may ride, propelled exclusively by human power, or an electric-assisted bicycle as defined in this Section, having a saddle or seat for each rider, and having two tandem wheels, either of which is sixteen inches or more in diameter, or three wheels, any one of which is twenty inches or more in diameter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 32:1
  • Bicycle lane: means the part of the roadway adjacent to the travel lane, designated by official signs or markings for the preferential or exclusive use by bicycles and electric mobility aid users. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 32:1
  • Driver: means every person who drives or is in actual physical control of a vehicle. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 32:1
  • Electric-assisted bicycle: means every bicycle upon which any person or persons, if the design accommodates passengers, may ride, having a saddle or seat for each rider, and having two tandem wheels, either of which is sixteen inches or more in diameter, or three wheels, any one of which is twenty inches or more in diameter, equipped with fully operable pedals, and an electric motor of less than seven hundred fifty watts that meets the requirement of one of the following classes:

                (a) "Class one electric-assisted bicycle" means an electric-assisted bicycle equipped with a motor, which provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling and ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of twenty miles per hour. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 32:1

  • Intersection: means : The area embraced within the prolongation or connection of the lateral curb lines, or, if none, then the lateral boundary lines of the roadways of two highways which join one another at, or approximately at, right angles, or the area within which vehicles traveling upon different highways joining at any other angle may come in conflict. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 32:1
  • Motor vehicle: means every vehicle which is self-propelled, and every vehicle which is propelled by electric power obtained from overhead trolley wires, but not operated upon rails, but excluding a motorized bicycle and an electric-assisted bicycle. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 32:1
  • Motorized bicycle: means a pedal bicycle which may be propelled by human power or helper motor, or by both, but excluding an electric-assisted bicycle, with a motor rated no more than one and one-half brake horsepower, a cylinder capacity not exceeding fifty cubic centimeters, an automatic transmission, and which produces a maximum design speed of no more than twenty-five miles per hour on a flat surface. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 32:1
  • Operator: means every person, other than a chauffeur, who drives or is in actual physical control of a motor vehicle upon a highway or who is exercising control over or steering a vehicle being towed by a motor vehicle. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 32:1
  • parking: means the standing of a vehicle, whether occupied or not, otherwise than temporarily for the purpose of and while actually engaged in loading or unloading merchandise or passengers. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 32:1
  • person: includes a body of persons, whether incorporated or not. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 1:10
  • Roadway: means that portion of a highway improved, designed, or ordinarily used for vehicular traffic, exclusive of the berm or shoulder. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 32:1
  • Traffic: means pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, and other conveyances either singly or together while using any highway for purposes of travel. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 32:1
  • Vehicle: means every device by which persons or things may be transported upon a public highway or bridge, except devices moved by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 32:1

            A. No person shall operate a motor vehicle in a bicycle lane except as follows:

            (1) To prepare for a turn within a distance of two hundred feet from the intersection.

            (2) To enter or leave the roadway onto an alley, private road, or driveway.

            (3) To enter or leave a parking space when parking is permitted adjacent to the bicycle lane.

            B. Any person operating a motor vehicle upon a bicycle lane in accordance with Subsection A of this Section shall yield the right-of-way to all bicycles and electric mobility aids within the bicycle lane.

            C. This Section shall not prohibit the use of a motorized bicycle or an electric-assisted bicycle in a bicycle lane when the operator travels at no speed greater than what is reasonable or prudent, has due regard for visibility, traffic conditions, and the condition of the roadway surface of the bicycle lane and in a manner which does not endanger the safety of bicyclists.

            D. In case of an emergency, the driver of a motor vehicle may lawfully operate the vehicle in a bicycle lane in accordance with the normal standards of prudent conduct to protect himself and others from harm. When the emergency ends, the motor vehicle shall not be operated in the bicycle lane.

            Acts 2010, No. 618, §2; Acts 2020, No. 152, §1.