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Told to get on the sidewalk - by a cyclist.

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Told to get on the sidewalk - by a cyclist.

Old 08-14-09, 07:24 AM
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Told to get on the sidewalk - by a cyclist.

I was riding home from work and a light turned red just before I reached it. Another cyclist was crossed in front of me from right to left in the crosswalk on the green light. The guy was older (perhaps 60) and was riding a mountain bike. He clearly rides a bit as he was equipped with lights and luggage.

As he passed in front of me he stopped and asked me "Why don't you ride on the sidewalk"? I shook my head and replied "Too dangerous". He shook his head in disbelief and told me I was crazy. I pointed out that at the speeds I ride every driveway and cross street is a deathtrap on the sidewalk.

There was no convincing him. He is convinced that he's safer riding against traffic on the sidewalk. The real irony is that I wasn't sitting in some 5 lane 50 mph road when this exchange occured. I was stopped at a light on a quiet residential street with a 25 mph speed limit.
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Old 08-14-09, 09:10 AM
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I've found it to be an issue of speed. My wife, despite my many objections, insists on riding on the sidewalk. Thinks its safer. I went riding with her once (with 4 kids, a rare experience) and she never got above a slow crawl. At 5 mph the sidewalk may seem safer. I still get after her, though.
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Old 08-14-09, 09:15 AM
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Some people just don't get it.
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Old 08-14-09, 09:22 AM
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Many people don't get it. The facts, and in most states the law, are clear though:

https://www.bikeleague.org/action/tra...offtheroad.php

In Atlanta, drivers yell "get on the sidewalk" despite the fact that Atlanta roads don't have sidewalks. It's very entertaining.
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Old 08-14-09, 09:25 AM
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seen people doing this, they are the scary ones....not many arond thank god! my GF had to overcome her fear of cars, when she couldnt cycle freely on the pedestrian crowded sidewalk, she walked the bike most of the time, i was pissed! she got over it and now claims her rightfull space on the pavement.
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Old 08-14-09, 10:19 AM
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If you ride too often on the sidewalk here, you get a $65 traffic ticket. The police only gives those tickets out to single riders that they notice on the sidewalk more than once per week, and they warn you first, but there is a law here that it is illegal for anyone but children to ride bikes on the sidewalk, except in places where bikes are explicitly illegal on the adjacent road. They don't bother parents riding with their younger children, or anyone under college-age. Even in places where the road is prohibited for bikes, if you go over 12 mph on the sidewalk, they can give you a ticket (usually you have to be going over 16 mph, and either hit, or scare someone walking on the sidewalk).

ANYWAY, it is illegal in a lot of places for an adult to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk. Lots of bicycles on sidewalks is dangerous.

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Old 08-14-09, 10:35 AM
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Maybe the "dangerous" part was having an extended conversation in the middle of the road.
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Old 08-14-09, 11:15 AM
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Urghh... I've seen so many adults riding without helmets followed by a trail of his litter in tinier version of their bikes on sidewalks.... on opposite direction! While parallel to it, is a empty bike lane. Pedestrians have to stand aside to let the bike train pass.
Then there's the teenagers in various DH bikes and BMX riding again helmetless with one hand Twittering or Dr. Pepper slaloming through the pedestrians on sidewalks.
Interestingly I dont notice this as much until I started commuting by bike.
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Old 08-14-09, 11:36 AM
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Originally Posted by adaminlc
I've found it to be an issue of speed. My wife, despite my many objections, insists on riding on the sidewalk. Thinks its safer. I went riding with her once (with 4 kids, a rare experience) and she never got above a slow crawl. At 5 mph the sidewalk may seem safer. I still get after her, though.
At that speed it probably is safer.
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Old 08-14-09, 12:02 PM
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I think I've ridden on the sidewalk, while there was traffic around, once in the last ten years and I was terrified the whole time.

Last edited by DX Rider; 08-14-09 at 01:47 PM.
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Old 08-14-09, 12:03 PM
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Illegal for me to ride on sidewalks here, except when directed to do so by police or construction flaggers.

Besides, riding at speed on a sidewalk is a bumpy ride. I much prefer the smoother roads, barring the occassional pothole, my bike and tires are designed to handle well.
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Old 08-14-09, 12:23 PM
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Originally Posted by bhop
At that speed it probably is safer.
Yes - especially if the cyclist doesn't mind ceding all right of way and is paying attention and there is limited foot traffic. They will need to act like a pedestrian at every driveway or street or if they encounter real pedestrians. At 5mph they can react and brake in time for any hazards. They still need to ride in the same direction as traffic, not contraflow. A wide, smooth, unused sidewalk with no driveways or intersections is very seductive when it's along an hilly street with heavy traffic and aggressive speeding inattentive car drivers.
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Old 08-14-09, 12:50 PM
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Originally Posted by wunderkind
Urghh... I've seen so many adults riding without helmets followed by a trail of his litter in tinier version of their bikes on sidewalks.... on opposite direction! While parallel to it, is a empty bike lane. Pedestrians have to stand aside to let the bike train pass.
Then there's the teenagers in various DH bikes and BMX riding again helmetless with one hand Twittering or Dr. Pepper slaloming through the pedestrians on sidewalks.
Interestingly I dont notice this as much until I started commuting by bike.
While the sidewalk riding is obviously inconveniencing pedestrians, on the helmet issue people should MYOB. (and yes I realize in some places its the law for adults to wear one, fortunately it is not in *most* civilized places)
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Old 08-14-09, 02:40 PM
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I ride on the streets and sidewalks ,some sidewalks along my route are so empty that I can easily go 30km without worrying about hitting a pedestrian. The biggest danger with sidewalk riding is at intersections and driveways.
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Old 08-14-09, 02:49 PM
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People are bad at assessing risk. They don't believe statistics, for one thing.
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Old 08-14-09, 03:00 PM
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Originally Posted by ItsJustMe
People are bad at assessing risk. They don't believe statistics, for one thing.
"Kent, people can come up with statistics to prove anything. Fourteen percent of all people know that."
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Old 08-14-09, 03:10 PM
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Originally Posted by crazybikerchick
While the sidewalk riding is obviously inconveniencing pedestrians, on the helmet issue people should MYOB. (and yes I realize in some places its the law for adults to wear one, fortunately it is not in *most* civilized places)
Yup... like Myanmar and Afghanistan.
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Old 08-17-09, 10:15 AM
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I think it depends on road conditions and driver awareness in your area as to whether one is safer than another. I prefer to ride on the street, but there are areas of my commute where it is just safer to hit the sidewalk (long sidewalk stretches with few pedestrians and no bike lanes with heavy traffic). While the local bike advocacy rep screams "ride on the roads!!!", this guy has been hit riding on the roads three times that I know of in the last five years. I also hear the claim to ride a few feet left of the white line on the right. I ride as close to the line as possible, it may just be where I live, but if a frustrated motorist wants around you they will cut it uncomfortably close just to get by and I would rather get pushed off the road by a mirror than a headlight attached to the front end of the car. Then again, I live in one of the least bike friendly cities in the US...
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Old 08-17-09, 10:32 AM
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Originally Posted by wunderkind
Urghh... I've seen so many adults riding without helmets followed by a trail of his litter in tinier version of their bikes on sidewalks.... on opposite direction! While parallel to it, is a empty bike lane. Pedestrians have to stand aside to let the bike train pass.
Then there's the teenagers in various DH bikes and BMX riding again helmetless with one hand Twittering or Dr. Pepper slaloming through the pedestrians on sidewalks.
Interestingly I dont notice this as much until I started commuting by bike.
Almost everywhere in the United States, adults are permitted to ride helmetless if they so choose. It's their business. So like another poster said it's MYOB. But you definitely have a point about kids with no helmets, texting while driving/riding and salmoning which is illegal unless otherwise posted.
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Old 08-17-09, 10:40 AM
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Originally Posted by DoB
I was riding home from work and a light turned red just before I reached it. Another cyclist was crossed in front of me from right to left in the crosswalk on the green light. The guy was older (perhaps 60) and was riding a mountain bike. He clearly rides a bit as he was equipped with lights and luggage.

As he passed in front of me he stopped and asked me "Why don't you ride on the sidewalk"? I shook my head and replied "Too dangerous". He shook his head in disbelief and told me I was crazy. I pointed out that at the speeds I ride every driveway and cross street is a deathtrap on the sidewalk.

There was no convincing him. He is convinced that he's safer riding against traffic on the sidewalk. The real irony is that I wasn't sitting in some 5 lane 50 mph road when this exchange occured. I was stopped at a light on a quiet residential street with a 25 mph speed limit.
I see you tried to convince him to not ride on the sidewalk. Good on you, but the one thing I didn't notice was you telling the old guy it was illegal to ride on the sidewalk -- if that is the case where you live.

It'll make it safer for him, you, cars turning, cars entering and exiting driveways, etc., and pedestrians.

Last edited by KitN; 08-17-09 at 10:49 AM.
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Old 08-17-09, 10:48 AM
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In Virginia, riding on the sidewalk is permitted unless prohibited by local ordinance. The only requirement is that pedestrians always have the right of way. Alexandria's law says prohibited unless the sidewalk is part of a signed bicycle trail. Arlington's allows it. So it isn't illegal everywhere - but I know that it is illegal in NYC and the cops aren't shy about enforcing it.
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Old 08-17-09, 10:58 AM
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Originally Posted by JCFlack
So it isn't illegal everywhere - but I know that it is illegal in NYC and the cops aren't shy about enforcing it.
Hi JC!

It's definitely illegal here but unfortunately the cops aren't concerned about enforcing it 99.99999% of the time.

I have to say that the majority of the time I see sidewalk-cycling it's not "normal" cyclists riding on the sidewalk. It's the DELIVERY GUYS! They are the worst offenders!

Every day and every night, all over NYC I see delivery guys on bikes speeding down the sidewalk diving in and out of pedestrians, scaring them half to death, pedestrians scattering trying to get out of the way. It's really dangerous. I yell at the delivery guys to get off the sidewalk but they keep on riding. GRRR!

I wish the cops would start not just ticketing the sidewalk riders but aggressively going after the worst offenders, the delivery guys, ticketing them AND the establishment(s) they work for.

And don't even get me started on all the delivery-guy-salmoning I see too... Ugh.
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Old 08-17-09, 11:15 AM
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Originally Posted by DoB
I was riding home from work and a light turned red just before I reached it. Another cyclist was crossed in front of me from right to left in the crosswalk on the green light. The guy was older (perhaps 60) and was riding a mountain bike. He clearly rides a bit as he was equipped with lights and luggage.

As he passed in front of me he stopped and asked me "Why don't you ride on the sidewalk"? I shook my head and replied "Too dangerous". He shook his head in disbelief and told me I was crazy. I pointed out that at the speeds I ride every driveway and cross street is a deathtrap on the sidewalk.

There was no convincing him. He is convinced that he's safer riding against traffic on the sidewalk. The real irony is that I wasn't sitting in some 5 lane 50 mph road when this exchange occured. I was stopped at a light on a quiet residential street with a 25 mph speed limit.

Ha! I'll bet he had his helmet and gloves on. He sounds like one of them.
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Old 08-17-09, 03:43 PM
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Originally Posted by DoB
I was riding home from work and a light turned red just before I reached it. Another cyclist was crossed in front of me from right to left in the crosswalk on the green light. The guy was older (perhaps 60) and was riding a mountain bike. He clearly rides a bit as he was equipped with lights and luggage.

As he passed in front of me he stopped and asked me "Why don't you ride on the sidewalk"? I shook my head and replied "Too dangerous". He shook his head in disbelief and told me I was crazy. I pointed out that at the speeds I ride every driveway and cross street is a deathtrap on the sidewalk.

There was no convincing him. He is convinced that he's safer riding against traffic on the sidewalk. The real irony is that I wasn't sitting in some 5 lane 50 mph road when this exchange occured. I was stopped at a light on a quiet residential street with a 25 mph speed limit.
Dementia is a terrible thing..
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Old 08-17-09, 03:56 PM
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Originally Posted by Pinyon
Even in places where the road is prohibited for bikes, if you go over 12 mph on the sidewalk, they can give you a ticket (usually you have to be going over 16 mph, and either hit, or scare someone walking on the sidewalk).
Is this anywhere but on a limited access freeway?
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