Shadowex3

You should see what happens when you get the right bike up to 88...

Ron in Regina

Here's a question for whomever wishes to try and answer it. In Canada,
bicycles are considered vehicles. I'm not sure if that is also true in the
U.S.A. or not....but it is up here, so....

A vehicle can legally traverse (= cross) a crosswalk while crossing an
intersection, and a pedestrian can traverse an intersection while staying
in a crosswalk....but can a vehicle traverse an intersection while staying
in a crosswalk?

Now that these E-Bikes are becoming more common, has anyone else
had one of these Electric Bikes blow past you from behind on a sidewalk
that's only 48" wide, without any warning (...and they're quiet!) at 30km/h?
I'll tell you that is enough to have my dogs (the three that I walk, all licensed
and leashed) totally freak out.





The city that I live in, it's illegal to ride a bicycle on a sidewalk with a wheel
diameter in excess of 400mm (= about 16"), which allows only small children
still learning to ride to be on the sidewalks, but the E-Bikes slip into this with
their small wheels, and though governed (when sold and before any alteration)
to a maximum speed of 32km/h....that's a lot of mass to clip a pedestrian on a
sidewalk. Legally, up here in Canada anyway, these things are bicycles:

Ron in Regina

Weird question, but are the Pedestrians (who are suppose to be on the
sidewalks) safer with the novice bikers who aren't comfortable or competent
enough to be on a roadway, being up on the sidewalks? I can't picture this
behavior creating a predictable situation for cyclists, motorists, or
pedestrians.

Kids with small bikes (& in turn small speeds) who are learning I can
understand. Adults learning to ride bicycles on the sidewalks I just don't get.
Way back in the day when I had my first motorcycle ('81 CB750K), I didn't
practice on the sidewalks until I was comfortable on the roadways. Maybe it's
just me, but I'm not seeing the difference, as both motorcycles & bicycles are
considered vehicles where I live. That may not be the same elsewhere, I
guess.





OK...this one confuses me. How on Earth does anyone ride "like a
pedestrian?" Trippy...To ride "like a pedestrian" would be akin to dancing
"like a quadriplegic," wouldn't it?

The only way that riding "like a pedestrian" on a sidewalk even makes sense
is if you are actually walking your bicycle. I'm not trying to be a Jerk, but the
definition of pedestrian just doesn't include the words "ride" or "riding."

Covalent Jello

sidewalking is FINE, just dont be a ****** and hit a pedestrian/move out of their way and don't inconvenience them. not everyone is on some crusade to hog the roads in a feeble attempt to gain bicycle clout on the road

blankcarbon_ian

The road should be preferred, but sometimes a little side-walking can be necessary.... but not preferred!

danarnold

Yesterday I was finishing my ride in the usual place. I like to close with a sprint. There is a very slight downhill where pickup speed before it levels and goes uphill to my home. As I reached my peak speed, about 47 km/hr and was almost keeping up with traffic, pickup pulled out in front of me. He didn't slow me, but he then took the first right hand turn he could. I had slowed to around 40 km and had to put on the brakes. I shouted some expletive and called him a moron as I continued up the hill.

I was close to home and passing a vacant lot and decided that if I'd pissed him off, maybe the sidewalk was the safer course for the last 100 meters. Yes, ladies and germs, I took the [gasp!] sidewalk.

I survived the subsequent lightning strike.

High Roller

Oh, no, tell us it ain't so! Next thing you're going to tell us is that hades has frozen over.

Your Chainguard membership has been revoked, effective immediately.

danarnold

May I keep my bell and horn? I admit I am ashamed of myself, but the fact I knocked over two old ladies using canes consoles me.

Ron in Regina

If someone is going to utilize the sidewalks with their vehicles, regardless
of the local laws (legal to do so or not, etc...), I love the idea of some kind
of warning when passing a pedestrian (especially from behind) like a
bell or a horn or even a shout from a distance, so that a pedestrian
can bail up onto a lawn or out into the street if the situation warrants it,
in trying to maintain a safe environment for myself and anyone around
me, including the cyclist.



Though it's illegal to operate a bicycle on a sidewalk where I live, I'm very
grateful for any warning (which seems to be the exception and not the
rule here) when a cyclist passes me (as a pedestrian) on a sidewalk.
The more advance warning, the better.

Scrockern8r

LOL!
You may appeal to the board and retain your membership if you can provide empirical proof that you exceeded "elder-librium" while aforementioned elder was engaged in, or otherwise making use of a walker!
Good job though. They usually hold each other up.

Stig O'Tracy

I find this to be one of the more irritating and dangerous things motorists do. I could be that they just don't care about cutting you off, or they underestimate you speed (you just on a bike, right?) and think they have time to do it.
Odd thing is that you do that in a car and you might end up with a serious case of road rage on your hands. I guess they figure they can just drive away from you if needed.

danarnold

As you say, I also suspect they underestimate the speed of cyclists. As I've mentioned before, I am embarrassed when I realize how much faster racing cyclists ride; but I take some pride at the end of my ride when I do a final sprint in traffic. I almost bought it the other day when I went trough the last intersection of my ride at about 32 mph in a 35 zone. The oncoming driver in the left hand turn lane had plenty of time to see me, but started his turn anyway. There are those moments when you don't know if you should brake or keep going. I YELLED! He stopped.

Sometimes I just wave as I approach an intersection under such circumstances. Don't know what's best, but I've been doing it this way for 50 or so years of riding and haven't been hit yet.

I ride with my hands over the brake levers, same as when I ride a motorcycle in traffic. I also ride as though everyone including me is a moron. It's a good bet. =o)

stoogeswoman

I stay on the streets whenever possible but there are a couple of really bad intersections near my home, where I will get up on the sidewalk for a block or two while crossing. It's just safer for everyone that way.

fourteen

If I do feel like I need to (like my previous commute, the last half-mile of which was a 4-lane road, where the limit was 35 but most cars did 45-50), I will. However, if I encounter a pedestrian, I stop, get off, and walk until I'm past them. I'm not afraid I'm going to lose control, but that way they don't have to worry about it either.

ianbrettcooper

Cycling on the sidewalk is between two times and twenty-five times more dangerous than cycling in the road. That's why I don't do it. It's also illegal in most places, which is another good reason not to do it.

stoogeswoman

I have to confess I did a long ride today in Reseda, CA and did wind up on the sidewalk a few times. Tried not to but there were a few really busy intersections where I just didn't feel safe on the street. Sorry!

Shadowex3

Yeah I think we've already had this conversation a couple dozen times. It's "more dangerous" in the sense that you can count every single skinned knee as an "Injury" or "incident" and get skewed numbers, and it's illegal in most places as in "most places we specifically checked to make sure it was illegal".

ianbrettcooper

Sidewalk cycling is illegal in every country I've cycled in - and I've cycled in quite a few. I've also looked it up in a few more countries and everywhere I've looked it's illegal. So from that standpoint, yeah, you're right. But I don't see you looking to check anywhere that it is legal either, so I could say the same. Sure, it may be legal in some countries, but I think it's unlikely, given that most pedestrians don't like being startled by silent wheeled steel vehicles passing within a couple of feet of them at 10mph. So I think it highly unlikely that 'most' countries on the planet allow sidewalk cycling, other than for kids.

As for it being dangerous, the numbers are definitely in on that. I don't count injuries as 'dangerous' anyway - if you survive, you got past the danger so it doesn't really count (unless you're severely brain damaged or something). But if you don't buy the injury figures, just take deaths. In every study I've seen, deaths from cycling legally in the roadway are fewer than deaths occurring after cycling on the sidewalk. Death is pretty final, and whatever got you there is as dangerous as it can get.

myrridin

Would you care to provide a link that cycling on a sidewalk at pedestrian speeds (which implies behaving like a pedestrian) is more dangerous than cycling on a road? Also, I question if it is illegal in most places, do you have a cite?

Shadowex3

If he had cites he would've been waving them in our faces from the get go and naming countries instead of playing semantic games with what is and isn't "danger" and insisting "the numbers are definitely in" without actually proving it, likely because I already cut off the usual studies that just lump everything that can barely and remotely be considered a bicycle "injury" together. If any others even exist I'd be willing to bet they use similar tricks.

Another clue is the contradiction, he mentions cycling in "quite a few" countries yet still behaves as though all sidewalks are the exceedingly narrow things they are here in the states. When I was in Finland just last year the sidewalks were easily as large as a traffic lane itself and had a marked section just for bicycles. All the research I've done into cycling-heavy european countries and cities seems to show that this is the norm in those areas, having a large dedicated area for bicycles which is seperated from the road more harshly than it is from the sidewalk if it is at all on that side.

I've got a feeling that's going to get handwaved away with semantic games as usual though, playing the no-true-scottsman game with what is and isn't a REAL sidewalk.

ianbrettcooper

Yeah, like Finland is the world's model for sidewalk construction! And you say I'M the one playing games. I've cycled 10,000 miles through 13 European countries, travelled by train in a few more. Heck, I was born and brought up in Europe, lived there for 28 years and I can assure you that the vast majority of European sidewalks are SMALLER than American ones.

Look, if you want to cycle on the sidewalk, go right ahead. It's your funeral. Just don't try to pretend it's safer, 'cos it isn't.

Greyryder

Worst injury I've ever had riding bike, I got riding on the sidewalk. Now, I'm fortunate that I've never had a really serious cycling related injury. This was just a gash on my little finger, but it was nearly as wide as it was deep, and took hours to stop its slow oozing of blood. However, it was also the closest I've ever come to dieing. I fell out into the street, and looked up in time to see an Oldsmobile standing on its nose to keep from hitting me.

I'm not saying that are never times when riding on the sidewalk is justified, but most times you're better off in the road, with the other vehicles.

elihu23

Right on brother!

elihu23

This is why I dislike MUP's so much--sharing with pedestrians stinks! They are far more inconsiderate and they do actually have the right of way, so I prefer to stay on the road and generally walk my bike on sidewalks. I also agree about the two-way bike lanes--they are generally too narrow here in NYC, and you can't really keep pedestrians off those either.

noisebeam

As a strong proponent of not cycling on sidewalks I do believe it is possible to do so with relative safety. This means at a slow pace due to uneven surfaces, pedestrians and poor sight lines. One must also stop at every intersection/driveway to ensure no vehicle is turning across (from all directions!). Overall this results in significantly slower travel. I know that I don't have the discipline, the patience nor the time to so I have always used the road as it is far more convenient and comfortable.