alexanderaf

My friend was driving his truck and I was the passenger. He was talking on his cell phone while driving and turning right into a parking lot.

A bicyclist on the sidewalk pulled out right in front of him as he was entering. We came close! My cousin should have been aware and not talking on the phone , and the bicyclist should have been sharing the road with us. Had he been on the road, we would have had to pass him, making us aware he was there.

Close call

alexanderaf

My friend was driving his truck and I was the passenger. He was talking on his cell phone and turning right into a parking lot.

A bicyclist on the sidewalk pulled out right in front of him as he was entering. We came close! My cousin should have been aware and not talking on the phone , and the bicyclist should have been sharing the road with us. Had he been on the road, we would have had to pass him, making us aware he was there.

Close call



* now that I think of it, this will probably end up in the Safety forum

chipcom 

or your cell phone yakking cuz might have hit the cyclist rather than just having a close call.

I figure a lot more noob cyclists would ride the roads if there were a lot less incompetent drivers yakking on cell phones and otherwise screwing up their responsibility to drive a 2000 lb hunk of metal safely.

jyossarian

Or your friend could put the phone down and concentrate on driving. Afterall, children under 14 are allowed to ride on the sidewalk. You have to expect that the sidewalk might also have cyclists on it.

margoC

I have had close calls many times by cars passing me then turning in front of me. A bicyclist should ride like they are invisible, regardless of where they are.


Just a few weeks ago, maybe less, two bicyclists were hit on wilmington island, riding in the road. They are hit on a regular basis downtown, where there are more bicyclists, on the road.


[edited after a search, they were only in the hosptial. ]

bmclaughlin807

Depends where you are. EVERYBODY is allowed to ride on the sidewalk in Colorado. Well... pretty much everywhere except the city of Denver... and even in Denver itself there are areas where cyclists are encouraged to ride on the sidewalk.

To the OP: Way to go over to the darkside... it's ALWAYS the cyclist's fault, never the driver who isn't paying attention and making sure that he yields properly.

mooncricket

Well, I saw a big guy riding a mountain bike on the sidewalk, an old man walking, and a girl walking her dog on a leash. They all met at a corner. It was very ugly, especially for the old man.

And the darn street was literally deserted!

I'd recommend cyclists stay off the sidewalk whenever possible.

politicalgeek

I fall on the side of no sidewalk cycling, but I won't fault an individual who does it out of necessity. Lets face it, the infrastructure is such here in the states that the sidewalk may be the only option for part of a commute.

Vigilance plays a role on all parts, but the greatest emphasis needs to be placed on the drivers. What if this had been a pedestrian on the sidewalk? I was walking in the crosswalk the other day, with the light, and nearly got clipped. Pretty sad that all the corners in our downtown have "Watch for turning vehicles" instead of "Watch for Pedestrians and Cyclists"

mstrpete

OP: I'm assuming you double-posted by mistake:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=431233

And the consensus is running against your pal there.

Mattrek

I agree that using the sidewalks is a bad idea, although in residential areas and low lying commercial areas (like the roads behind Wal-Mart) you run the risk of drivers not caring about you as a cyclist and they just carry on and fly past you at 35mph five inches away from your elbow! I think the problem is that a lot of drivers just don't know that bikers are supposed to use the road for the exact reason that if a biker is on the sidewalk then cars are more unaware of the biker's location.

ironhorse3

Sidewalk seems safer when going on a long stretch, with no pedestrians, but when you get to a driveway or intersection, that's where the danger is. I think the visibility is part of the problem, and the sidewalk-cyclist might not be paying attention to traffic (they're on the sidewalk, after all) and the truck driver or car may assume they'll yield (natural tendency, as pedestrians usually stop and look before crossing intersections). I vote to ride the street, take the lane, yield when possible (i.e. when leading a long trail of cars creeping along at 12 MPH, I duck over to the side to let them all pass. It's a feel good move).

Sci-Fi

Well...there are a few stretches of sidewalks that are designated as 'bike lanes' where I live/work (Crenshaw from the 405 to Rancho Palos Verde). There's no way I would try to take the lane down that street. The speed difference is too great and cars/trucks cut in and out a lot and besides the sidewalk is pretty wide and relatively free of pedestrian traffic. In some other areas, the police recommend crossing the street and using the sidewalk because there were a few fatalities and no bike, parking lane, or sidewalk on that side of the street.

bipedfred

Just as a point of common sense - drivers have come to expect pedestrians on a sidewalk to be going around 5mph which limits how far they need to survey their surroundings before turning. A bike traveling 10+ mph on the sidewalk throws off that expectation.

It doesn't matter who is to blame, the cyclist pays the price so it is incumbent on the cyclist to understand a drivers expectation and act accordingly, which means; if a biker is blasting down a sidewalk they had better watch out for vehicles turning in front of them.

lil brown bat

This, I think, is the key: if you're doing something unexpected, you're more likely to end up in trouble.

cc_rider

Was there a wall or a building or dense shrubs that prevented your friend from seeing the bicycle?
If riding a bicycle on the sidewalk is legal where you were, then your friend was entirely in the wrong on every count: driving while on a cell phone, not paying attention, making a turn when the way was not clear, not yielding to someone lawfully on the sidewalk. Could have easily been a pedestrian or a stroller or a small child or a dog on a leash instead of a bicycle.

HardyWeinberg

Adults too, here.

ottawa_adam

Yeah my vote is for your friend to stop using the phone while driving his beast.

Most of my close encounters on the road are with drivers yapping on the phone. It should be illegal everywhere.

The worst is police talking on the phone, checking their in-cab computers and driving on highways. I see these guys swerving on the roads all the time.

HardyWeinberg

1 July cell-phone yapping while driving (at least non-hands-free) becomes illegal here, but it's only a 2ndary violation, need something else to pull them over. Of course, there's *always* something else.

BroadSTPhilly

Summary: If you don't like my driving stay off the sidewalk.

vrkelley

Depending on where you are, some places force bicyclists on the walks esp. at the end of trails. Some road signs even say. Bicyclists Please Use Sidewalk

capolover

Aziandoll

I agree. I only bike on a sidewalk, a sidewalk specified as a bike lane, like Sepulveda Blvd. between Crenshaw and Hawthorne blvd., or in an actual bike lane. I was almost hit biking along Madison Street between PCh & Lomita because the car just chose not to yield to me. It was a big wake up call and now, I am more careful and bought a helmet. Is there anywhere that we can read online about the rules of the road for bicyclists?

thirdin77

I've read this many times and it is so simplistic. Doing so means not vehicular cyling at all.

I think your close calls have been due to poor lane positioning, poor route use or other mistakes. And then there's the fact that many people do see you and they cut you off for one of any reasons, including their misjudging your speed, their being rude, their deliberately cutting you to express their dislike for your riding your bike on the street..

Ask yourself- if you're driving and someone cuts you off, is it necessarily because they didn't see you?..

Sci-Fi

Considering a lot of motorists don't even see or stop for pedestrians (crosswalk, driveway, or whatever) or even stop signs, much less bicyclists or motorcyclists. Safety should be the prime concern over 'road rights' or 'road sharing' or clinging to the belief of not using the sidewalks. So what's a few minutes more if you decide to use the sidewalk at lower speeds? In a neighborhood, you are sharing the sidewalk with pedestrians and children, so you have to adjust your speed accordingly.

I can see the 'don't use the sidewalk' argument if you want to wind out your bike or ride at speed/what you think is a reasonable speed to ride or cruise at. Awareness of the local conditions and making a decision to what to do is something cyclists have to accept. I rather arrive 'alive and unhurt' at my destination than taking a ride to emergency or the morgue.

In most cases, the Police aren't going to bother you or write you a ticket as long as you are cruising on the sidewalk and yielding to pedestrians....otherwise young kids on bikes or trikes would be forced to ride in the street and how many parents would allow their kids to do that?

fishtime

Hi, Here in Wisconsin we have bike/ Multi use paved surfaces that are used by bikes, Peds, and skaters. We just try to be polite. I do agree with the comments on the exits/ ramps and people not seeing you. The alternative to ride a narrow 2 lane road with dump trucks and peeps on the Cell Phone stinks too!
I bet looking like a 'Fred ' in a bright lt. Green jacket is better than being dead or crashed.

I have a co-worker that crashed last month while on a 50 Mph road when he hit an unseen pothole. No bike lane , no pathway; Broken Clavicle, Sheered right middle finger tip gone, and a Concusion! Boo.

So, what do we do? Be careful and pray and watch out for all the crazy drivers.
Thks for reading my rant.