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Old 11-07-02, 03:13 PM
  #19  
norelec
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: St. John's NF, Canada
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Where I live 99% of the drivers feel they should run all bikers off the road. I will ride the sidewalk if I at all feel i'm safer there than on the road. In residential I always ride the road because people don't look at the sidewalk when pulling out of there drive ways. Of course i've still nearly been hit by dumb idiots pulling out without looking. I try to stay on the road at all times but sometimes the road is just to busy and to narrow and I don't feel safe so I take to the sidewalk.

Now I don't like riding on the sidewalk. It's not smooth like the road and usually full of glass etc. I am also at risk of people turning in and out of houses,stores etc and not looking at the sidewalk but it's better than getting run over by some truck driver who will probably come as close to hitting me as possible (you know just to scare me ). I always give right of way to people walking on the sidewalk.


One example i'd like to share is when I bike to a friends house I have to take a route that involes a few Km section that is a 2 lane each way divided highway (that goes right through the center of my city). Now there is no shoulder the speed limit is 70Km/h but most people do like 80-90 on it. The side walk is about 1-2 feet from the road depending on the section. It also gets very little use, I may see or have to go around only a handful of people the whole trip. IMHO it is much safer for me to use the sidewalk in this situation than ride the road and can be done with out endangering people walking on the sidewalk.
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