The traffic engineers or planners who put up those signs work with an assumption that it is always safer to walk the bike than to ride it. I think this is erroneous. Getting on and off the bike creates the most unstable situation for the cyclist. I think that in most cases, it's better to ride the bike.
- the cyclist riding presents a smaller footprint than the cyclist walking the bike
- walking on cleats is always more unstable than riding in cleats, especially when the surface is wet
- it's just as easy to control a bike riding it as walking it
- it's discriminatory to make cyclists walk bikes. If we follow the same logic, motorcyclists should be forced to walk their motorcycles in sensitive areas.

I fully agree with being courteous, though. In tight situations, I have no problem with just sitting there on the bike, holding onto the rail, while the peds walk by. But I think we need to get rid of the assumption that the walked bike is always more stable. It is not.

L.