According to California Vehicle Codes and a Hollister Municipal Code, a person operating a bicycle slower than the speed of traffic must stay to the right-hand side, travel in the same direction as vehicles (if under 18 years old), wear a bicycle helmet, not ride on the sidewalk in downtown traffic, and yield to pedestrians on sidewalk if outside of downtown.
Violators can only be cited when police are present or if a witness signs a citation, according to HPD Chief Carlos Reynoso.
Hollister does not have an ordinance with a harsher penalty.
In February 2026, Manteca, California adopted a city ordinance making it unlawful for a person to operate a bicycle with willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property. Violators face up to $1,000 in violation fees, bicycle impoundment for 30 days, and need to pay $200 for the bicycle release along with a storage fee.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by newsrooms in the Gigafact network.
