StokerPoker

Who knew that in my quest to be more law abiding, and less fearful I would be breaking the law? It turns out it's against the law to ride a bike in the road in my city. So don't yell at me for riding on the sidewalk. I simply can't afford to have a misdemeanor on my record when I start nursing school in the fall.
https://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...=2007703070388

doraemonkey

It looks like in the article that the revoked the law against bicycles on the road. So you're safe. But what would a misdemeanor record have as an impact on your nursing school? Would they not allow you in? Do they check? And wouldn't it just be a traffic violation? So I don't know what it is like biking in your town, but I don't think that there is anything to worry about... aside cars. Get on the road!

n4zou

In Alabama it's (technically) illegal to ride your bike on sidewalks. The police will ignore that as long as you ride on the sidewalk responsibly by respecting pedestrians and giving them full right of way and keeping your speed slow. I occasionally use them to keep from crossing four lanes of traffic between two intersections. I get off the road and on the sidewalk, travel to the next intersection, get off my bike and walk it across the intersection with pedestrians, after crossing I get back on the road and continue. A policeman told me to do it this way!

jamesdenver

Ignore stupid laws. Period.

Old Dirt Hill

It is the best way to change them.

mtnwalker

Yeah, who needs laws? I blew through almost every stop light, 12-15 of them, this morning on my commute to work. I never felt better.

ModoVincere

I saw more than one person getting tickets for riding on the sidewalk in Auburn. Of course this was almost 20yrs ago, but I doubt that's changed. But to be honest, I always felt they were just trying to raise money for the town by charging students with anything and everything they could.

StokerPoker

the law hasn't been revoked, they are trying to though. And for nursing they do a complete background check. It probably is considered a traffic violation, but it is still a misdemeanor and I can't take any chances.
Biking in my town is...interesting. Most people aren't "unfriendly", but they aren't nice about bikes in the road either. that, and most have never seen such a thing. The sidewalks are used more by people on bikes than on foot. that's kinda what happens in the suburbs around here. I live on the less fortunate side of a rather wealthy city. many kids I went to school with got Mustangs, Camaros, Lincolns, caddilacs and other such cars for their 16th birthday, so around here, many view bikes as something children and drunk drivers use, and many feel those 2 groups don't belong on the road. I will admit there were many kids like me who worked their butts off and bought their own cars, but it's not as common around here. folks look down on anyone without a shiny new car from age 16 and beyond. it's a sad sad mindset, but that's how many around here think

fordfasterr

ppsssst... give me a break.

CB HI

From the article, it appears that a new Michigan law overrides the old city law. So even if the city did not change the law, state law would prohibit them from enforcing it. So feel free to ride the road, but it appears you are really looking for an excuse to ride the sidewalk.

ItsJustMe

If they tried to ticket me for that, I'd ask if it was OK for me to ride at 25 MPH on the sidewalks. If not, then it's not an equivalent route and I shouldn't be forced to use it.
If you're noodling around, the sidewalk might be "equivalent" but if your bike is transportation, then IMHO "equivalent routes" have to allow travel at the same speeds that you'd be going if you were on the road.

DoB

I commute thorugh Livonia daily and I was totally unaware of this one. I'm never on the sidewalk and I'm not about to start now. You can find me cruising down Hubbard basically from 8 mile to Lyndon, and then I take Lyndon on through into Redford.

Good thing they are changing the law. I personally would not sweat it. I see Livonia cops all the time and they completely ignore me. I have few issues with Livonia area drivers either for that matter. I don't tend to ride on the major "Mile Roads" which cuts down the confrontation opportunities.

In fact, I tend to think of Livonia as a great place to cycle. Almost all of the neighborhoods are interlinked and allow a cyclist to travel miles on the street while never riding on the major Mile Roads. I can get from 9 mile and Farmington to Outer Drive and Plymouth without trouble daily.

Jacobi

Stokerpoker: In deal a lot with back ground investigations in my work and personally have a high security clearance (higher than top secret, doesn't sound right, does it?) and I know that one traffic violation won't screw you over. I have 14 moving violations on my record (don't ask, I was young and my parents blessed me with sports cars) and I still have the clearance that I have. The things you want to avoid since you choose a nursing career path are any and all physical/sexual assualts, neglect, and probably any drug citations (although this isn't a guarantee, sometimes they get over looked). Good luck and ride where it is safe!

StokerPoker

I didn't know about it until my fiancee said something about reading an article in the paper at work. I looked it up online since the paper was gone when I got there. SHe's trying to be supportive of my cycling even though it scares her some.
I agree about riding through the neighborhoods, but on the mile roads, Middlebelt and Haggerty (the roads I would use most) it does get a little scary. that, and especially this time of year the potholes can be quite large. I have seen many Livonia cops who haven't even given me a second glance on the road, or on the sidewalk. the most attention I got was when we got that big snow and I was riding home from work at 7:30 am and a cop gave me a double take when he saw me take a turn sliding less than he was while he was going straight.
Maybe CB HI is right and I'm looking for an excuse to ride the sidewalk. I'm trying to find a comfort zone and personally, I don't mind slowing down for pedestrians. I also wouldn't want to hit the potholes in front of the car wash on my way home from the grocery store with 8 2 liter bottles of pop in my rear baskets.

I-Like-To-Bike

You don't need to make no stinkin' excuses to nobody for riding where you are comfortable. And there is hardly a lawman in the world who will hassle you, no matter what some obscure ordinance or lawyer wannabe might state, if you use common sense.

sswartzl

In PA it's illegal to ride on the sidewalk in a "business district." I have yet to see the legal definition of "business district," though, and there's certainly no signage delineating such places.

DoB

I stay off the Mile roads for the most part. I do about a mile on Schoolcraft, but it's a service drive and the traffic is all down in I-96. I also do about 1/2 mile on Farmington road and I ride the sidewalk there. I'm commuting in the dark in the morning and I don't trust the few sleepy zombies on the road. In the evening it's rush hour.

Get some mapping software like MS Streets & Maps and find your best routes. Hubbard and Stark and good NS, Lyndon and West Chicago are your EW thouroughfares. Beyond those there are tons and tons of residential streets that all link together. After riding a few years I can get anyplace south or east from my Farmington home with very little travel on the Mile Roads.

I do 10-12 mph on the sidewalks of the mile roads vs trying to run 20 mph and getting buzzed endlessly in the street. Anytime you hit a stretch where you simply must ride the mile road, hit the sidewalk. No shame in that. 50 mph traffic while pinned against a curb is suicide.