Tuscaloosa, AL Mobility & Curb Rules: Bike Lane Rules (2026)

City Code Sec. 22-61 governs how motor vehicles interact with bicycles sharing a roadway or bike lane. Subsection (a) requires a driver overtaking and passing a bicycle traveling in the same direction to pass at a safe distance of not less than three (3) feet between the vehicle and the bicycle, and to maintain that clearance until safely past the cyclist, meaning the three-foot buffer cannot close as the vehicle finishes the pass. Subsection (b) addresses the immediate aftermath of a pass: a driver who has just passed a bicycle may not make a right turn at an intersection, or into any roadway or driveway, unless the turn can be made with reasonable safety, preventing the common "right hook" maneuver that cuts off a cyclist who was just overtaken.

The ordinance was adopted by Ord. No. 7775 on January 3, 2012, as part of the city's traffic code (Chapter 22, Article III, Miscellaneous Driving Rules and Offenses), placing cyclist protection alongside other roadway conduct rules like the ban on cutting through private property and the restriction on skateboards on roadways.