Sidewalk bicycling

[Zeuser]

What about when you use the sidewalk because you have no choice?

There are 2 parts along my commute route where the bike path is joined by a sidewalks. Its either ride on the sidewalk or ride in the street facing the traffic.

Considering how bad the drivers are around here, I'll take the sidewalk.

[EvilV]

What about when you use the sidewalk because you have no choice?

There are 2 parts along my commute route where the bike path is joined by a sidewalks. Its either ride on the sidewalk or ride in the street facing the traffic.

Considering how bad the drivers are around here, I'll take the sidewalk.

I understand your feelings here, but riding about 20 miles a day, much of it in a city, I find that I come into risk on the pavement (sidewalk) too. There is a proportion of cyclists, even well into adulthood who refuse to adopt normal lane discipline and will come at you head on, on cycle paths expecting you to take avoiding action. This is very bizarre, but not uncommon here in the UK. I kept my lane and stopped in front of one guy recently. He was about forty five years old and I said to him, ' Have you not heard of the rule of the road mate? We drive on the left here.' He responded by saying it wasn't a road, but a cycle path. and went on his way, still on the wrong side.

I also regularly come to one section where the path is narrow and has a bend with a hedge alongside which obscures the view. I have twice nearly been hit by careering cyclists coming the other way. I slow right down, keep hard on the left and ring my bell as a warning, but it is only a matter of time before I'm struck by some 180 pound fellow coming the other way at twenty miles an hour.

I ride on the pavement (illegally) when the road is a narrow busy one with uphill stretches where my slower speed means that traffic passes me close and much faster than I am. If the road gives drivers room to pass me safely, they usually make the effort to give me some room which I appreciate greatly. I don't generally ride on roads which have high speed limits above 40 mph unless they are very quiet rural ones. It is no fun being passed close by 50, 60 and 70 mph trucks. I've been blown off the road by the slipstream of large articulated trucks in the past when I was cycle touring. Even as a motorcyclist, you get blown around by these things.

If I am riding illegally on a pavement, it is purely for survival reasons. In such circumstances, I take special care of pedestrians by slowing right down, or even dismounting if necessary. I never pass them at more than 5 miles an hour which is almost as slowly as they are going. This is only fair really. I've been closely passed as a pedestrian by some young jerk on a bike riding at high speed on a pavement. It isn't a nice experience, especially since the bike can be almost silent, until it reaches you.

Here in my city, we have almost hundreds of miles of wide smooth pavement restricted to pedestrians only and there are really very few people walking on them. I'm mainly talking about long stretches between more pedestrian oriented areas such as shopping streets. Maybe you'll see five people in a mile of riding on them. I think the local planners should redesignate such areas as being for bike and pedestrian use, rather than pedestrian only. Other areas are packed with people and children. These would be miserable places to try and ride a bike, and highly annoying for the pedestrians.

There is a lot of public debate on radio about cyclists riding illegally on pavements here in England. This debate rarely takes any account of the dangers to bike riders of fast traffic on busy city roads. I think cyclists should be allowed to ride with CAUTION on pavements with pedestrians, but unfortunately the foolish speed freaks among the cycling fraternity infuriate everyone else so much that this will never happen. An elderly neighbour of mine ws knocked down by a pavement rider outside her house and broke both her wrists. If five or ten percent of pavement cyclists persist in speeding past people on foot, missing them by inches as they often do and sometimes running into them, the pavements will be banned to us for ever and people like me will continue to risk an £80 ticket for riding on them even though we do so with full consideration to other users of the space.

[LittleBigMan]

Well, hello. I'm the stupid bas*ard who started this thread.

Let me say this, people: if riding the sidewalk means giving up my rightful place in the road, I'm against it on principle.

__________________

In practice, I'll ride a sidewalk anytime I please, especially if it's to my advantage. Today, there was just such an occasion.

I was doing the bike/bus/train transit thing when I found myself at rush hour, with my bike, at a bus stop, waiting in the August heat for the bus. There it was, suddenly appearing over the hill, only a block away. My daughter (on foot) and I (on bike) waited for the bus--only about 50 yards away. My 25 year-old daughter was very sick.

We waited about 10 minutes.

That bus took forever to get a block, traffic was so bad. There was no shade from the sun. A nearby bank displayed the temperature--102. Plus high humidity, in direct sunlight, alongside a road that is now a virtual parking lot. I started worrying about sunburn.

I said, "We could walk there faster than it will get to us," but she couldn't. I understand...but it was hottern' hell!

We finally got on the cool bus. I parked my bike on the front rack and we got on and took a seat.

It took about 20 minutes to get about 3 miles.

So on the way home (after dropping off my sick daughter at her apartment) I knew riding my bike would be much faster. I hit the road, but almost immediately ran into the same traffic mess.

I said, "It's too *#(&#@ hot for this @@#*#!!," and I hit the sidewalk. What a nasty sidewalk it was. Older than Abraham himself, but glad to have my MTB. I left the traffic behind. And when I had a chance, I hit the road.

All in all, I got there much faster than the bus, and probably beat the cars. At one point, when I merged back into the street to make a left turn with the cars, I waved a pickup truck on my left ahead. He waved me forward, instead. Thanx.

Yes, folks, the sidewalk can be your friend (there was almost NOBODY on that sidewalk in 102 degree heat, but I can tell you this:

I was much cooler on my bike than I was while waiting for that stinkin' bus! (--'scuse my language :) )

[LittleBigMan]

There is a lot of public debate on radio about cyclists riding illegally on pavements here in England. This debate rarely takes any account of the dangers to bike riders of fast traffic on busy city roads. I think cyclists should be allowed to ride with CAUTION on pavements with pedestrians, but unfortunately the foolish speed freaks among the cycling fraternity infuriate everyone else so much that this will never happen. An elderly neighbour of mine ws knocked down by a pavement rider outside her house and broke both her wrists. If five or ten percent of pavement cyclists persist in speeding past people on foot, missing them by inches as they often do and sometimes running into them, the pavements will be banned to us for ever and people like me will continue to risk an £80 ticket for riding on them even though we do so with full consideration to other users of the space.
Well said, brother. :)

[vrkelley]

Well, hello. I'm the stupid bas*ard who started this thread.


Is this thread still go'n? You sure know how to start threads with stay'n power ;)

[edzo]

here is my expert opinion: cyclists stay off the sidewalk

except when it is convenient for me



this whole thread is funny.

[tdister]

Rather than a new thread, I will post my sidewalk vs road (VC? unsure of meaning) experiences from a ride with friends this weekend.

Their bikes are much more sidewalk friendly than mine (comfort wise), they took the sidewalk except on a stretch where bike lanes exist. I took the road or bike lane entire time (I urged them to do the same). Going toward our destination was not much of a problem for any of us, I suspect partly because I was on the road beside them. Cars turning right were staying behind me/us until clear if necessary, oncoming traffic turning left did the same. On the return trip, I was on the other side of the road from them (with there being only one sidewalk, wrong direction for this leg of the journey). Things were not quite as smooth for them as they were for me. No accidents thankfully, but 2 close calls and much confusion on everyone's part. They would stop at intersections (especially after the close calls) when cars were going to be turning in front of them. The cars were waiting/waving for them to go first, they would wave the cars on. No one knew what to do. this happened at 5 intersections. I could do nothing but shake my head. Everyone waving everyone else, finally ending in frustration when someone zooms through quickly. One of those times being a driver from my side who turned left in between them an oncoming vehicle waiting to turn right

The difference from my perspective? Me being on the road, and going the correct direction, made it much easier for motorists to judge my intentions and see me in advance. Them, being on the sidewalk, no one really had a sense of what the others were doing, would be doing or who had the right of way and, because of bushes curves, others seemed to appear out of nowhere at times. Everyone wants to go, no one wants to hit or be hit. It just seemed silly to me that my friends felt safer in all of the confusion. They still don't want to ride with me on the road...

There are times when I have ridden on the sidewalk, the vast majority being beside a stretch of HWY access road. I don't feel safe on the road with the combination of exit/entrance ramps, business driveways and fairly fast moving traffic (50 mph speed limit, closer to 60 mph traffic flow from when I have driven it). Everyone is too busy trying match speeds to merge one way or the other to bother watching for a cyclist (assumption on my part). It takes a bit more concentration, is a bit slower going and much less enjoyable, but seems necessary for my safety.

[wheely1]

What about when you use the sidewalk because you have no choice?

There are 2 parts along my commute route where the bike path is joined by a sidewalks. Its either ride on the sidewalk or ride in the street facing the traffic.

Considering how bad the drivers are around here, I'll take the sidewalk.

this is very true at times.....between buses and trucks your not safe....

[GeoLes]

Yet Missouri law provides for cycling on sidewalks not in a business district.

I'm not from Missouri (so you don't have to show me), but it seems to me there should be some provision in MO law for small children on bicycles, who are too young to ride in the streets (and maybe some provision for very, slow, very cautious adults - there is a population of adults who are bicycle and traffic challanged. That might be the correct application of the sidewalk variance in the law. It could just be badly witten or interpreted. Generally cyclists should ride the right side of the street, leaving the sidewalk for pedestsrians.

[Specialized fan]

If there are no bike paths or dirt trails, then it's the sidewalk!

[Sparky005s]

Are there really that many people riding regularly on the sidewalk instead of the road? I've been riding an awfully long time & the only people I see on the sidewalk are kids.
I think most adults realize that sidewalks were made for pedestians not bicyclists.

Where I live and ride, it's rare to see a bicyclist on the road. The ones I do see are mostly on the sidewalk. Perhaps the basic street design employed by the city planners makes a difference. Or just a cultural attitude. However, I'll tell you that bicyclists are unwelcome on the roads here. I was in the far right lane and a pickup truck forced me off the road. They yelled that they did not want to share the road with a bicycle.

[Specialized fan]

I ride the sidewalks purely for safety reasons so I have less of a chance of getting killed by some moron. I would rather pay the ticket than be dead.

[-=£em in Pa=-]

A first for me....on PGA Blvd. in West Palm, a 'stop' sign for bikes and peds
on the............sidewalk :eek:

[Specialized fan]

Call me crazy but I just don't think bikes and cars don't mix, any time you mix fast and slow traffic you have problems.

[cankiwi6]

In Queensland Australia, sidewalks are considered to be part of "the road" and as such are perfectly acceptable and legal to be ridden upon. Pedestrians understand this. Cyclists understand this. Rarely do you see cyclists riding on sidewalks busy with pedestrians. Reason ? it's too much stop and go. Cyclists can be seen usually only on sidewalks parallelling busy roadways. And personally, I would much rather risk a conflict with a pedestrian (or another cyclist) than a truck !

[cankiwi6]

See them lots in Queensland, Australia. Robbie McEwen country ! See my later post re sidewalks defined as a roadway. Now someone is going to get silly and say cars can drive on the sidewalk.. Aren't you !

[mazdaspeed]

I don't know what the streets are like where you guys live, but around here there are almost no bike lanes to be found (on roads and streets, the ones that are available are adjunct to sidewalks), and the drivers are generally pretty terrible. Not only that, but it's EXTREMELY rare to see someone on a bike riding on the road. Drivers don't know what to do.

For me to ride from my apartment to campus, a mile or two, you can bet that I'll be on the sidewalk, however I won't be going particularly fast.

I think this whole debate hinges completely on where you live.

[GeoLes]

Call me crazy but I just don't think bikes and cars don't mix, any time you mix fast and slow traffic you have problems.

Fast bikes and slow walkers create the same problem. (to use your own argument against you.).

The problem is not a simple as that. Slow cyclist 5-8 mph may do well on the sidewalk, but if you are doing 15mph or faster, you generally belong in the street on the right side of the road, just outside of the "door zone". Motorists should take precautions to make room for such cyclists. By the way the same is true of bikes on the sidewalk. As the faster party on the sidewalk, cyclists should take precautions to allow for pedestrians. - precautions, like making your presence known (calling out - "Passing on your left", slowing down in the presence of pedestrians, anticipating where the pedestrian is going and riding in a predictable manner around them.)

There are on-the-road cycling skills that take a while for some cyclists to master. Knowing where on the road to ride (as mentioned above). Spotting potential road hazzards, like bottle necks, and road debris. How to safely change postions in a lane or how to change lanes - look over shoulder; get eye contact, signal, and deliberately change lanes. These things come with confidence and experience, so where ever you are at this point is probably where you belong (be it on the sidewalk of on the street). You will grow as your skill set grows.

[Specialized fan]

Fast bikes and slow walkers create the same problem. (to use your own argument against you.).

The problem is not a simple as that. Slow cyclist 5-8 mph may do well on the sidewalk, but if you are doing 15mph or faster, you generally belong in the street on the right side of the road, just outside of the "door zone". Motorists should take precautions to make room for such cyclists. By the way the same is true of bikes on the sidewalk. As the faster party on the sidewalk, cyclists should take precautions to allow for pedestrians. - precautions, like making your presence known (calling out - "Passing on your left", slowing down in the presence of pedestrians, anticipating where the pedestrian is going and riding in a predictable manner around them.)

There are on-the-road cycling skills that take a while for some cyclists to master. Knowing where on the road to ride (as mentioned above). Spotting potential road hazzards, like bottle necks, and road debris. How to safely change postions in a lane or how to change lanes - look over shoulder; get eye contact, signal, and deliberately change lanes. These things come with confidence and experience, so where ever you are at this point is probably where you belong (be it on the sidewalk of on the street). You will grow as your skill set grows.





One of the advantages of riding a mountain bike.

[GeoLes]

I don't believe I have ever read why sidewalk bicycling against traffic is more dangerous than with. Can anyone explain this?

To me it seems that there would be no difference. The dangerous areas of sidewalk riding are driveways, sidestreets, and intersections. However, traffic can turn into any of these from either direction (left or right turns), so why is it more dangerous to ride in a direction opposite of the nearest vehicular traffic that you aren't even a part of? Are pedestrians similarly at greater risk?

Quite a few years ago, my wife and I were biking in New York city. We had crossed the street to stop in a store and as a shout cut back to the block we wanted to take, we chose to ride against traffic for 1/2 block. Just as we were about to reach the corner, a pedestrian stepped out into the traffic lane, looking in the direction of traffic (which happened to be NOT looking our way, because we were going the wrong way in traffic.) He must have seem my wife out of the corner of his eye, because he tried to step back onto the sidewalk at the last second. Unfortunately, my wife decided to pass on that side, so they were still on a colision course. He stepped forward, and my wife steered forwand. (They did this little dance together until he suddenly darted forward of my wife's front wheel, losing his shoe in the process. If we were going any faster we could have hurt ourselves or some pedestrian.

That's why it's dangerous to ride against traffic.

[GeoLes]

One of the advantages of riding a mountain bike.

What about a colision with a mountain? That's gotta leave a mark!!!!

[joewey]

Sidewalks are for pedestrians, if i need to use it then i will.

[Booger1]

LOL! Common sense is dead! Thank God for experts and studies.....

[GeoLes]

Where I live and ride, it's rare to see a bicyclist on the road. The ones I do see are mostly on the sidewalk. Perhaps the basic street design employed by the city planners makes a difference. Or just a cultural attitude. However, I'll tell you that bicyclists are unwelcome on the roads here. I was in the far right lane and a pickup truck forced me off the road. They yelled that they did not want to share the road with a bicycle.

That sounds like some selfish, abusive jerk being himself. I would not conclude that he represented the public view at all. Next time you have to drop by your local Department of Motor Vehicles (to renew registration or something), check out the publications. You are likely to find one on bicycles on the road. That should give you some idea that bikes are generally accepted on the road. If you are not comfortable on the road, that is another matter. There's nothing wrong with riding where you feel the safest. Read through the DMV Cyclist Manual and begin to develop some of the skills essential to riding on the road if you want to make the transition. Just don't leave with the wrong concept that bikes only belong on the sidewalk in your area. If you look hard enough, you will find quite a few exceptions to that rule.

Here's an example of what I am talking about:

--------------------------------------------------------




Traffic Survival Guide
2005-08-02

Repeat after me: I am a Car. I am a Car.
Learn and obey traffic laws peculiar to the jurisdictions around your home and work place. Bicycles are generally regarded as vehicles, and cyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as motorists in most states. However, some traffic laws apply particularly to bicycles, and they should be obeyed when applicable. Ride with traffic, predictably and following the rules of traffic flow. Riders who do get to their destination more quickly, and about five times more safely, according to scientific accident studies, than riders who make up their own rules.

Assume a lawful and predictable position in the roadway. At intersections, move to the correct lane position depending on which way you'll be going. Often you'll need to move away from your normal position near the right of the road. If you're turning right, keep to the right, and if you're turning to the left, move to the center of the road. If you're going straight, go between the right- and left-turning traffic. Meanwhile, signal your intention to other road users with your left hand, scan the roadway behind you, and yield to overtaking traffic.

Assume the Position
When the road is wide onough to allow a car to pass comfortably in the midst of oncoming traffic, try to ride as close to the right side of the road as is safe and clear of debris. The only exception is when you deem the rightmost lane too narrow to share with cars. In this case, take it over by riding on left tire track location for cars within that lane.

I used to follow Forester's theory of riding in the centre or to the right third of the lane. However, as soon as traffic gets dense enough for cars to travel in groups of three or more, drivers frequently honk and graze your handlebars. By being to left third of the lane all motorists seem to understand that you are in possession of the lane within one's legal rights.

Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.
Remain alert at all times and watch the road ahead for any special hazards that can cause a bike to fall. Beware of any slippery or loose surface: gravel, snow, ice, leaves, oil patches, wet manhole covers, and crosswalk markings. Be especially careful when crossing diagonal railroad or trolley tracks, curb lips, steel-grid bridge decks, cracks in the road, and large bumps or potholes. Avoid them or ride over or around them slowly. Don't suddenly turn, brake, or accelerate. Be ready to put a foot down for balance.

Braking
Learn how to use your brakes and stop safely before riding your bike in traffic and on slippery pavement. No matter how cautious you are, there is always the potential for a sudden stop -- to avoid an unexpected maneuver by another road or trail user, to avoid a storm grate, or to prevent any other unexpected incident or obstacle. In order to stop safely your brakes must work powerfully and smoothly, and you need to know how to apply them properly.

The best method for a fast, safe stop on dry pavement is to use both brakes in a three-to-one ratio. In other words, apply three times as much pressure to the front brake as you would apply to the rear brake. Practice braking in this manner while riding slowly in an empty parking lot. You will notice that when you stop, most of your weight transfers to the front wheel of the bike. To compensate a bit, try to shift your weight back to keep the rear wheel from lifting off the ground.

On slippery pavement, reduce your speed and apply your rear brake lightly to avoid a skid. When riding in the rain wipe the wheel rims dry by slightly applying the brakes in advance, well before you need to stop..

Darkness
Cycling in darkness requires special techniques. Choose the route that offers a reasonable amount of ambient light and activity. Keep your speed within the limitations of your lights. When sharing the road with cars, watch your shadow produced by cars approaching from the rear. If the shadow moves to the right, the car is passing on your left. If it just shrinks without shifting to the side, then some redneck in a puppy-crusher is about to try to graze you, so get off the road quickly and let the car pass. Be sure to install a rear LED blinker if you ride after dusk; it helps drivers to think of you as something other than road debris.

Escaping Traffic?
Be especially careful when riding on a bike path or sidewalk. Sometimes a bike path may provide a pleasant alternative to a crowded street or highway; but they are much more likely to send a rider to the hospital. Bike paths are not designed for high speed bike traffic, and they can get crowded with roller skaters, dog walkers, careless and inexperienced bicyclists, and unpredictable pedestrians. Never pass another trail user unless you have his or her attention. Signal with a bell, a horn, or shout a friendly greeting when approaching a pedestrian from behind, and signal with your left hand when making other maneuvers. Keep your speed down so that you can stop suddenly in any situation.

[OCLV Assassin]

Don't ride on sidewalks here is my story:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=5438061#post5438061

[LittleBigMan]

Well, hello. I'm the stupid bas*ard who started this thread.

Is this thread still go'n? You sure know how to start threads with stay'n power ;)

You're always in my corner. :)

I don't really think I'm a stupid batsard. :D Just tryin' to inject a little humor.

:beer:

[tyciol]

I never thought of this at all, I always perceived the roads as more dangerous due to the cars. I guess it makes sense that there is more risk when crossing intersections from a sidewalk than from a street due to turning visibility, howver if you halt at crosses rather than ride right through them, wouldn't this be much less so?

Another thing is, the risk of cars trying to hit you on purpose. There are some people like that who take pleasure in others' suffering, so it would be easier for them to hit you from behind on a road, especially if you are travelling with traffic. Even if your momentum is added to rather than subtracted from another vehicle's when travelling against traffic, the enhanced reaction time of seeing a threat coming at you would be much better.

This is especially the case for people who have enemies with motor vehicles who want to run them over and make it look accidental, sidewalk riding is much safer for people in these situations.

[mike-on-da-bike]

i will have total disregard for these pavement laws here as i would sooner hit a parked car or pedestrian(not that i will)then ride on any city road and be abused by motorist or even be killed,many here have died riding on the roads and they were not freeways just normal city roads so fine me if you want to cops.give us all our own bike lanes then you wont have any probs

[DataJunkie]

What?

[mike-on-da-bike]

if there is no proper bike lanes to ride along i will allways use the sidewalk for fear of being run over as sydney driver dont even see bike riders and they dont care about them so many here have been killed just normal riding on city roads,i dont wish to check out just yet lol

[The Dandeli]

I don't believe there's great danger riding on the sidewalk

[LittleBigMan]

If I had to use sidewalks to get to work on my bike, my bike commuting days would be over. There aren't enough sidewalks available, and those that are would make my commute last probably 2 hours.

Has anyone tried riding on broken sidewalks in the dark? Not safe.

[Strelnikov]

I see people riding on the sidewalks all the time on Hilltop in Tacoma. I see it as they are being safe because they don't have helmets or bright clothing/lights on their bikes. Either that or they are older men wearing a soft cap and not a helmet.

I don't see people who dress for "the road" as being on the sidewalk, and I think that people are just playing it safe with the choices they have made. It makes sense to me, and I do not see people on the sidewalk going nearly as fast as the folks on the road.

I ride on the sidewalk if I deem the street to narrow or safe to ride on. This is usually a .25 mile stretch out of a 20 mile ride 25% of the time and is when I have not planned my trip before hand or am crossing a bridge of some dangerous sort.

[PJones0012]

As some of you may know I had an accident a couple of weeks ago while riding on the sidewalk. Do I prefer the sidewalk over the street? I would prefer to ride in residential areas where I can ride the streets but that is not always possible. On those occasions that require me to venture out into main roadways I will still stick to the sidewalks taking into account time of day, weather, road conditions and motorized traffic. Case by case.

[DataJunkie]

I would rather not end my ride splayed out on the hood of a car. If I have a choice I avoid sidewalks like the plaque. The exceptions generally are when riding with my son or when a MUP connects with one and I need to cross it to reach a street.
It also helps that the only legal sidewalks on my commute are in my suburb and I have plenty of alternatives.
The sidewalks in Denver are too narrow in the residential areas. Not to mention that all are illegal to ride on. With a few exceptions on several bike routes.

[JaRow]

On big roads I will stick to sidewalks. Depending on traffic through a residential area I might ride on the road or the sidewalk. I'm a pretty big fan of not dying so I try to do whatever seems safest at any point.

[Schwinnhund]

Why would you want to ride on the sidewalk, anyway? That's no fun!

I can think of nothing sillier that having a beautiful, high-tech, super efficient vehicle, and riding it at 5 mph, dodging elderly people, pedestrians with children and shopping bags, people walking dogs, and comming in and out of shops, driveways, etc....RIDICULOUS!

Bikes belong on the road, or trail, or in the open, with the wind whizzing by as they blaze new trails for others to follow........the modern IRON HORSE!

Semper Fi!

[Yue Tao]

For 20 years I was an advocate of riding on the road. Then two years ago, I started to commute 10 miles daily by mountain bike instead of road bike. That is when I discovered the convenience and relative safety of the sidewalk. I was commuting 6 to 7 days per week, 10 miles per day. I did not appreciate being forced to ride at slower speeds but I did appreciate the buffer from cars. I recall one day while riding the MTB with a tail wind and moving at nearly 30mph on the street. I was nearly brushed by a car who passed me in my lane. I could have reached out and touched it. That convinced me that I would be safer using the sidewalk.

My decision to ride the sidewalks was based on the fact that I rode twice daily along a busy street 6 to 7 days per week, the sidewalks had relatively few pedestrians, and I wanted to live with less stress. I had already had too many run ins with buses and cars who had no respect for the safety of cyclists. I decided to make the choice to live with less stress.

Whenever I'm with a group, I ride on the road, there is safety in numbers. In urban areas I also feel a relative safety riding solo on the road because of the slower speed of the motor vehicle traffic. If I am ever again in a situation that allows me to choose sidewalk or street, I now feel free to make the choice. In the past I would not allow myself to choose the sidewalk because I felt I must ride on the street in order to advocate cyclists right to the road.

[Yue Tao]

I found this quote some time ago and rely on it to bring myself to a relative balance.

"Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality, the costs become prohibitive."
- William F. Buckley

Therefore, I no longer advocate riding a bicycle strictly on the road, but I now believe that you should do what is best for your particular situation.

[Bikesapien]

I ran over a bicyclist on the sidewalk with my F-350 Ford truck 2 years ago. I ground his ankle into powder. He'll never walk without a limp. In my town and in my state it is against the law to ride on the sidewalk. He sued me and my insurance paid $110,000. After the hospital bills and the $40,000 his lawyer took (for about 2 hours work) he was left with about $10,000. Totally not worth it.

[Yue Tao]

Posted by Bikesapien
"I ran over a bicyclist on the sidewalk with my F-350 Ford truck 2 years ago. I ground his ankle into powder. He'll never walk without a limp. In my town and in my state it is against the law to ride on the sidewalk. He sued me and my insurance paid $110,000. After the hospital bills and the $40,000 his lawyer took (for about 2 hours work) he was left with about $10,000. Totally not worth it."

I don't understand exactly what was not worth it? You mean it wasn't worth the cyclists effort to ride on the sidewalk or it wasn't worth the effort to sue you? Or both?

Sounds like an unusual case unless you were you coming out onto the street from a driveway. That wouldn't be unusual. I definitely don't agree with our tort law system in the USA. I believe any person should take responsibility for their actions when they go against the law. Such as breaking and entering into someones property, or riding a bicycle on the sidewalk. I believe if someone is breaking the law, they don't have a right to sue the party that has the right of way.

In the city I now live in it is against the law to ride on the sidewalk unless 16 years old or younger. Usually if I feel a need to be on the sidewalk, I will get off and walk the bike if there are pedestrians. I think its just common courtesy. But when living in a city where there are few pedestrians, I see no problem with riding on the sidewalk if it seems safer to do so, for example, nighttime or heavy traffic. The police don't really care what you do with a bicycle here unless, they have an agenda, or the cyclist is endangering others. When the police have been called with many complaints regarding unsafe cycling, they are sometimes ordered to go out and ticket cyclists aggressively. Other times, cyclists may do as they please as long as it is not interfering with the safety of of drivers and pedestrians.

[Dahon.Steve]

I got into my first car accident yesterday. I was riding on the sidewalk. In my town, the cars roll through the stop signs and red lights to make a right turn. As a result, it requires you to practically come to a FULL STOP at every corner. If you see a car coming down the street, don't expect him to stop because he may very well roll through the red light to turn right.

I was lucky in that the car was going 2 mph but it could have been ugly. No injuries or bike damage.

I also noticed that once cars reach the corner, (and if they intend to roll through it by turning right) many are not looking at whose on the crosswalk by having their head turned to see the cars crossing on the left! In addition, if there is sun shining on the motorist face as he hits the intersection, you become invisible.

I will still ride on the sidewalk but only for short rides around town. On anything longer than a mile or two, I will use the street. I have no trouble with the streets thanks in large part to my Talk A Look mirror. If you're nearly getting hit from behind, you need a mirror.

Here are my instructions for riding on the sidewalk.

1. Ride no faster than 8 mph.

2. If you're riding in a city, stay close the curve as possble.

3. Get ready to practically a full stop when passing peds.

4. At intersections, if you can't see the cars coming down the street because of parked cars. Always come to a full stop!

5. Never expect cars to see you at intersections or come to a full stop or even respect the red light. Many cities allow the cars to roll though red lights so the fact you have the light to cross, does not mean it is safe to do so.

[starkmojo]

Here in Sunny (today anyway) Portland OR, I ride on the road unless I am going less than a block to my destination, and in those times I bike verrryyy slowly and carefully, because dont want to scare a pedestrian or get hit by someone pulling out of their driveway.

But one thinh this thread has taught me is that different places have different road conditions, and while road biking may OVERALL be safer, each of us must make the best decisions for our individual situations.

[cutman]

I don't know if the case is the same in many other states, but in NC, bicycles are afforded the same rights and responsibilities as motorists. We're even allowed to take up the entire lane. I agree with starkmojo - to do what's best for the particular situation. But when an ignorant motor-minded person tells you that "bicycles belong on the sidewalk, the road is for cars" (paraphrasing a conversation from yesterday) I can't help but want to take up the whole lane, as the law allows me to.

[starkmojo]

I try to not play tit for tat. It isnt a game or a race. Just becaus some drivers suck doent ok me being rude- just as the fact that some bikers suck doesnt ok agressive driving against cyclists. If some one is being a jerk I just slow down and let it pass.

I have also been behind jerk cyclists while driving- I just wait till it is safe to pass, pass and move on.

In with the good, out with the bad.

[tgrssn]

I ride on the sidewalk sometimes. I know it's not that gangster. Part of my commute takes me down a road called Broadway that runs from Tempe to Phoenix. It's 3 lanes deep on each side and leads up to freeway on/offramps. The traffic runs 55-60 mph on it and during rush hour the traffic is three cars deep. I've tried to run down the side of the road but every time a city bus or a semi truck goes by they can barely squeeze by me. There is a sidewalk that is on the eastbound side of the road is doublewide and I ride on it for that stretch of road. If it's after rush hour and the cars have room to move over I ride the side of the road.

Sometimes I see other cyclists who ride the side of the road heading west which is really tough on that stretch. There is this tall really tall guy who rides a beautiful Landshark who casually rides that road once a month or so. I *tried* it once and it was pretty frustrating. The traffic goes extremely fast and merges onto a two lane freeway onramp going very fast. The one time that I tried it the traffic wedged me up against the curb and wouldn't let me over. Next thing I knew I was riding my bike at 20+ mph down an onramp to the i-10. I had to squeeze over one car at a time while people cursed and shook their fists at me. I finally got over and I had to throw my bike over my shoulder and walk it up the gravel burm back to Broadway. It was embarrassing.

[John C. Ratliff]

I wasn't very clear about my point. The danger is not pedestrian, it is all the other sidewalk factors, primarily intersections, that are the real concern.
From the road, I see several times a week sidewalk cyclist having to struggle with motorist interaction at intersection, last minute swerves when they pull over sidewalk, nearly getting clipped when riding across x=walks. In a few cases I've had wrong way sidewalk rider jump into the oncoming traffic lane (with me in it) to avoid a car that is pulling out of driveway. In one case I nearly was clipped by the cyclist jumping off the curb at me.

Al

Then you are not really talking about sidewalk cycling, but about cycling through intersections, or transitions from the sidewalk to the roadway. These are two separate issues.

John

[John C. Ratliff]

I use sidewalk riding when it is necessary. Sometimes, it is much safer to ride on the sidewalk than to ride on the roadway. I think of situations here where there is black ice on the roadway, or freezing fog. Riding on the roadway places the rider nearer to a potentially out-of-control auto or truck. I use the analogy of the safe use of radioactive substances for my riding. For radioactive substances, you decrease your exposure by reducing the time of the exposure, increasing the distance between the source of the exposure and you, and by using shielding between you and the radioactive substance. Now, radioactive substances send out ionizing radiation, either in the form of particles (alpha, beta, neutron radiation) or waves (X-rays and gamma-rays). Alpha particles have very short distances, but are huge particles compared to the others, so if it is taken internally, it can do tremendous damage. If we were to look at automobiles as a form of radiation, an extremely huge particle at relatively (compared to other radiation) slow speeds, then we could use this analogy for sidewalk riding. By placing more distance between us and the auto, we increase the time to react. By reducing the time exposed on roads, we reduce the amount of potential exposure (we can do this too by selecting our routes). By placing a curb, trees, light poles, etc. between us and the auto traffic, we reduce the potential for a car hitting us on the sidewalk.

Here are some examples:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y76/yaquinaguy/10.jpg
In this case, there really is no alternative to the multi-use path during high traffic. There is no place for a bicycle to go on the outside lane of this road (Murray Road in Beaverton, Oregon). The trucks are reluctant to move over to the inside lane too.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y76/yaquinaguy/2.jpg
Some highway engineers purposely make bicyclists using a bicycle path to ride on the sidewalk. This forces two 90 degree turns, which slows down the bicyclist before going into the intersection. It also gives the auto traffic more time to see the bicyclist (the "time" factor again).

There are more considerations, but in icy weather, sidewalks are much more pleasant to ride on than the roadway with autos who have not compensated for (or even realized) the freezing weather.

John

[crhilton]

I never thought of this at all, I always perceived the roads as more dangerous due to the cars. I guess it makes sense that there is more risk when crossing intersections from a sidewalk than from a street due to turning visibility, howver if you halt at crosses rather than ride right through them, wouldn't this be much less so?


You might as well walk.

[crhilton]

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y76/yaquinaguy/2.jpg


I hate it when they do that. It's so dangerous. Yes, it slows you down. But you have to concentrate on cornering, keeping balance at low speed, and down shifting while watching for traffic before you cross. I have a much easier time controlling my own slow downs and just checking for traffic, that way I'm prepared for a quick stop if I need it. In these designs I'm likely to fall over if I need to stop and didn't think I would.