Charlottesville, VA Mobility & Curb Rules: Bike Lane Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Default rule
- Ride close to right curb
- Bike lane use
- Permitted in intended travel direction
- Also covers
- E-bikes, scooters, motorized skateboards
- Shared-use paths
- Riders may use any in the city
- Amended
- Dec. 2, 2019
Summary
In the City of Charlottesville, Virginia, City Code § 15-243 requires cyclists, e-bike riders, and motorized scooter or skateboard users to ride as close as practicable to the right curb, but expressly lets them use a marked bicycle lane when traveling in the intended direction, or any shared-use path in the city.
Sec. 15-243. - Riding on roadways generally. (a)Any person operating a bicycle, electric power-assisted bicycle, motorized skateboard or scooter, or moped on a roadway must ride as close as practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway, except under any of the following circumstances:(1)When overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction;(2)When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway; and(3)When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes that make it unsafe to continue along the right curb or edge. ... (c)Bicycles, electric power-assisted bicycles, and motorized skateboards or scooters may use bicycle lanes when operating in the intended direction of travel, and may use any shared use path in the city.
Full Breakdown
Section 15-243, last amended December 2, 2019, sets the general keep-right rule for bicycles, electric power-assisted bicycles, motorized skateboards or scooters, and mopeds operating on a roadway, while carving out three situations where riding away from the curb is lawful: passing another vehicle going the same direction, preparing for a left turn into a street or driveway, and avoiding hazards such as parked cars, pedestrians, animals, surface defects, or a lane too narrow to share safely with another vehicle side by side, defined in subsection (b) as a substandard width lane.
Subsection (c) is the operative bike-lane rule: it affirmatively authorizes bicycles, electric power-assisted bicycles, and motorized skateboards or scooters to use a bicycle lane when moving in the intended direction of travel, and to use any shared-use path in the city, rather than treating a bike lane as merely optional. Riders remain subject to the state rules of the road under Va. 2, Chapter 8, per § 15-240, and must still equip their bicycle with a front lamp and rear reflector or taillight visible from five hundred feet when riding between sunset and sunrise under § 15-241.
1 separately governs where a bicycle or scooter may be parked once off the roadway, requiring it be upright and clear of curb ramps, bus stop access, and fire lanes.
Violations & Fines
Riding away from the right curb or a permitted bicycle lane outside the exceptions listed in § 15-243(a) is a traffic offense enforceable like other rules of the road under § 15-240, since Chapter 15 does not set a separate fine schedule for this section; a moving violation is processed like other rider infractions under Va. Code Title 46.2.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to ride in the bike lane if one exists in Charlottesville?
When can I legally ride outside the bike lane or away from the curb?
Can I ride an e-bike in a Charlottesville bike lane?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Charlottesville
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