HIPCHIP

The lady is about 9 mentally and spoiled rotten. I used to have to deal with these idiots all the time, and it was always nice when I got to smile and say "Sign here please" when I gave them a citation. Typical idiot, wants others to obey the law while violating laws herself. AND SHE VOTES!

Still Pedaling

Perhaps I'm wrong on this, but if it had been a guy, he'd be on the ground handcuffed. The cop handled it well, but if he put her on the ground and handcuffed her there would be a lot of pedestrian outcry - "How dare you do that to a woman!" Still he handled it well, but I would have loved to see the ending to see if she was arrested. Like I said, if it was a guy the situation would have been handled differently.

StanSeven

This is all interesting to know and teaches me not to jump to conclusions so quickly - cycling on sidewalks is legal in Chicago, he propably used his phone to record, and people use helmet cameras just to ride.

What's surprising is the woman is well dressed and is fairly articulate when does not ranting. Maybe she's okay except when she gets worked up about something. There's something about being in large metropolitan cities that does that.

nelson249

So violating a minor traffic ordinance is justification for felonious assault. Got it.

Northwestrider

I was able to watch only the first half of the video, its more a video capturing anger over nothing, than about bicycles IMO

yugyug

That sounds dangerous, evil too. Are you being serious?

Thats well dressed?? I didn't think she was very articulate either, though I couldn't recognise anytime when she wasn't ranting.

What struck me about the video was that the woman was so worked up about the guy riding on foothpaths, while I was thinking, is that even illegal? Pedestrians often think its dangerous, but the data from places where it is allowed doesn't support that perception. Now I've read that it is legal in Illinois, so the woman is ranting about nothing - and what a shame that neither the cyclist or the cop corrects her (as far as I know, I got bored and skipped some bits). Unfortunately its all too common for police and cyclists to not know bicycle laws.

jwarner

Well, she really had nothing better to do. I'm sure a little righteous indignation, no matter how misplaced and erroneous, made her day.

I'm also sure that Mr. Snuffy and Ms. Bobkins, and all the other cats at home, as well as her colleagues in the administrative pool at the State Office of Weights and Measures (Division of Grocery Produce Isle Scale Investigation) are still hearing about her brave stand against anarchist scofflaw cyclists (one disrespectful rapscallion in particular), and the jack-booted thugs of the fascist state trying to keep her from enforcing the laws as she sees fit. Not to mention the disrespectful treatment she received, but did not deserve as a well respected citizen and State Official.

You do realize she was struck by two cyclists at some time in the past, and she really threw that water (brown water?) to enforce the laws, hoping to turn this one around before he committed further and more severe atrocities against mankind and the good people of Chicago. It is a slippery slope is it not?

It's good to know Alaska isn't the only state with a surplus of bored indignant cat ladies without many friends and wayyyyyy to much time on their hands, although I do feel a bit sorry for her (them). They are still annoying.

Bent Bill

I keep reading on hear that riding on side walks is illegal every where
but according to Bicycling magazine the only state that has a law against it on there books is Wisconsin
No other state has a law against it
Lots of cities and towns do have local ordinances against though
Not that I do it
But how much of
" Its illegal to ride on a side walk"
is fact and how much is fiction ?

GeneO 

Well here is what I found for the Chicago city ordinance on riding bikes on sidewalks:

9-52-020. Riding bicycles on sidewalks and certain roadways.
(a) No person shall ride a bicycle upon a sidewalk within a business district.
(b) No person 12 or more years of age shall ride a bicycle upon any sidewalk in any district, unless such sidewalk has been officially designated and marked as a bicycle route.

actually, here is the latest amendment:

9-52-020 Riding bicycles on sidewalks and certain roadways.
(a) No person shall ride a bicycle upon a sidewalk within a business district^
unless such sidewalk has been officially designated and marked as a bicycle route, or
such sidewalk is used to enter the nearest roadway, intersection or designated bicycle
path, or to access a bicycle share station.
(b) No person 12 or more years of age shall ride a bicycle upon any sidewalk
in any district, unless such sidewalk has been officially designated and marked as a
bicycle route, or such sidewalk is used to enter the nearest roadway, intersection or
designated bicycle path, or to access a bicycle share station.
(c) Bicycles shall not be operated on Lake Shore Drive or on any roadway
where the operation of bicycles has been prohibited and signs have been erected
indicating such prohibition.

So the rider was disobeying the law.

SkyDog75

Most states don't have a blanket law against bikes on all sidewalks, but quite a few of them have conditional rules and specific prohibitions. The League of American Bicyclists has a web page that lists various cycling laws state-by-state:

State Bike Laws | League of American Bicyclists

SHBR

Regardless of the legality, riding on sidewalk with a pedestrian present can invite these kinds of confrontations.

I've been on both sides of the issue, and try to be respectful as a pedestrian and a cyclist, I've found that its generally not a good idea to antagonize someone who is already mad at life, no matter how in the right you are, often times it doesn't end well.

Dave Horne

I remembered this quote and used Google to learn who said it. (I'm sure others have stated this or something similar.)

George Carlin — 'Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.'

Still Pedaling

And what would you suggest I do? Go into the traffic lane myself? The bike paths on our streets are wide enough for one bicycle on each side of the road. And the lanes are clearly marked as to the direction of traffic. In other words each lane is one way following the same direction of traffic. And you are calling me evil because I have the right away and making the individual who is breaking traffic law go around me street side. There's one of two things that can happen in this case. Either there is going to be a head on collision or someone has to go around which means riding outside the lane, and it ain't going to be me if I'm heading in the right direction. So I guess its OK then if I'm driving my car in the right lane and someone is heading towards me going in the wrong direction that I go around? Are YOU serious. Good grief man.

garyus

On a side note. I thought his facial expressions were quite amusing.

KD5NRH

Don't forget that city ordinances also come into play, and in bigger metro areas, even if you know one city's ordinances fully, it can be easy to unknowingly ride into an adjoining city with different ones.

Then there's the practical aspect; most of the residential areas, and a few of the commercial ones around here, may or may not have continuous sidewalks, and even where they do, the condition can be great for half a block, then suddenly you're bearing down on a big hole where someone just dug up their sprinkler lines without placing cones or caution tape because it's easy to notice at a walking pace in the daytime. Even running at night I stay off all but the best maintained sidewalks because of these issues, and where there are street lights, a lot of them light the street well, but overhanging trees leave the sidewalk in full darkness. Staying in the street (thus being consistent and therefore predictable) is safer than stepping out into it every time there's a blocked sidewalk or a yard that doesn't have a sidewalk at all.

Garfield Cat

The definition of "soda jerk" takes on another meaning.

scootaloo

In Chicago wherever there's a lot of foot traffic there are signs that remind you that cycling on the sidewalk is not allowed and will be punished by disabling your bike (presumably they deflate your tires). There are certain places where it becomes a safety issue and it's a better idea to stay on the sidewalk even though it's not allowed, but the area on that video is certainly not one of these. He should have been either on the road or walking his bike.

That said, the woman had no business throwing anything at him. She needs help, and she needs it before she does something really stupid.