Milpitas, CA Mobility & Curb Rules: Bike Lane Rules (2026)

Milpitas Municipal Code § V-100-16.14-1 sets the baseline riding position for any bicyclist on a Milpitas roadway who is moving slower than the surrounding traffic: that rider must stay as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway. The section lists the situations where a cyclist may leave that position: overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle going the same direction, preparing for a left turn into an intersection or a private road or driveway, or reasonably avoiding a hazard such as a fixed or moving object, another road user, a surface defect, or a 'substandard width lane,' one too narrow for a bicycle and a car to share safely side by side, consistent with California Vehicle Code Section 21656.

On a one-way roadway with two or more marked travel lanes, a cyclist may instead ride as near the left-hand curb or edge as practicable. Where the City has actually striped a bicycle lane, § V-100-16.16-3 flips the obligation onto drivers of motor vehicles: once a bicycle lane is established on a roadway, a motorist may not drive in it except to park where parking is permitted in that lane, to enter or leave the roadway, or to get into position for a turn. Together, the two sections mean a driver blocking or driving down a marked Milpitas bike lane for any other reason, such as passing slow traffic, is violating § V-100-16.16-3, while a cyclist riding well out from the curb without one of the listed justifications is violating § V-100-16.14-1.

A related subsection in the same chapter, § V-100-16.16-4, also lets a cyclist leave the bike lane to pass, to turn left, or to dodge debris, after giving the signal required by the California Vehicle Code.