You are riding through Los Angeles when orange cones block your bike lane. No sign points you around the roadwork, so you enter the next lane and a driver hits you. While you recover, you want to know why the street offered no safe way through. The driver, the road crew or the public agency that manages the road could bear responsibility.
When a bike lane closes without a safe route
Road crews use a traffic plan to guide people past construction. California’s rules cover bicycles as well as cars, and crews usually use signs to show where people should go. When they close your bike lane, the temporary route affects how close you ride to moving vehicles.
A warning about roadwork does not tell you where to ride when the bike lane ends. You might reach a row of cones with cars passing beside you and find no marked path ahead. A barrier that blocks the remaining space makes it even harder to get through safely.
Who controlled the roadwork?
After the crash, you want to know who planned the work zone. A contractor may have placed the cones, while a city or state agency oversaw the project. The driver also had to watch for cyclists and pass safely. What each one did helps explain why you got hurt.
The traffic plan could show how the crew intended to guide cyclists through the area. Photos let you compare that plan with the cones you faced. Witnesses also help explain what the driver did before the crash.
To support your claim, you have to show how the unsafe route or the driver’s actions caused your injury. If you pursue a claim against a public agency, California requires filing with the agency first.
Why your records matter
You deserve a safe route through construction, even when crews close your usual lane. You may want to save photos of the work area and records of your care while the details are still easy to find. Those records help you assess a bicycle injury claim and give local officials a specific safety problem to address.
