Don't ride bikes on sidewalks
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NorthCascades
Posts: 10,970 Member
It's getting nicer and people are starting to take their bikes back out. A lot of people don't know that you don't ride on sidewalks; a lot of people do it to feel safer vs riding in traffic.
(1) It's rude to pedestrians. And slightly dangerous because pedestrians aren't obligated to hold a predictable line.
(2) The sidewalk is much more dangerous then the street. Every entrance/exit to every parking lot becomes an uncontrolled intersection. The cyclist thinks they have the right if way because they're going straight and not interrupting the flow of traffic. The driver thinks they have the right of way because they're in a car. A lot of drivers aren't great at looking before they go, they're mostly looking for cars not bikes, and if they see you they assume you're going slowly and will stop for them.
Those morning on my way to get coffee, I saw a cyclist in a day how glow yellow sweatshirt moving strangely on the bike - really attention grabbing. An SUV knocked him to the pavement. Luckily in this case there were no injuries and no obvious property damage. Cyclist insisted that I not call 911, cursed the driver out, and left.
(1) It's rude to pedestrians. And slightly dangerous because pedestrians aren't obligated to hold a predictable line.
(2) The sidewalk is much more dangerous then the street. Every entrance/exit to every parking lot becomes an uncontrolled intersection. The cyclist thinks they have the right if way because they're going straight and not interrupting the flow of traffic. The driver thinks they have the right of way because they're in a car. A lot of drivers aren't great at looking before they go, they're mostly looking for cars not bikes, and if they see you they assume you're going slowly and will stop for them.
Those morning on my way to get coffee, I saw a cyclist in a day how glow yellow sweatshirt moving strangely on the bike - really attention grabbing. An SUV knocked him to the pavement. Luckily in this case there were no injuries and no obvious property damage. Cyclist insisted that I not call 911, cursed the driver out, and left.
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Replies
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We're not too many years away from the wearing of body cameras being a common thing. Video of 'cyclist cursing SUV driver after collision' will be rare.2
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And don't ride in the bike lane against the flow of traffic...17
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NorthCascades wrote: »It's getting nicer and people are starting to take their bikes back out. A lot of people don't know that you don't ride on sidewalks; a lot of people do it to feel safer vs riding in traffic.
(1) It's rude to pedestrians. And slightly dangerous because pedestrians aren't obligated to hold a predictable line.
(2) The sidewalk is much more dangerous then the street. Every entrance/exit to every parking lot becomes an uncontrolled intersection. The cyclist thinks they have the right if way because they're going straight and not interrupting the flow of traffic. The driver thinks they have the right of way because they're in a car. A lot of drivers aren't great at looking before they go, they're mostly looking for cars not bikes, and if they see you they assume you're going slowly and will stop for them.
Those morning on my way to get coffee, I saw a cyclist in a day how glow yellow sweatshirt moving strangely on the bike - really attention grabbing. An SUV knocked him to the pavement. Luckily in this case there were no injuries and no obvious property damage. Cyclist insisted that I not call 911, cursed the driver out, and left.
This was me last summer.
I was popping down a main road about 20mph when a lady decided to pass me at the intersection just to stop in the middle of a turn on the car for a dunkin donuts drive through that was overflowing.
I had no where to go but over my handle bars and maneuver my body midair to take the blow into the side of her SUV with my entire body.
She gets out and immediately said where did you come from? You should be riding on the side walk. I replied, there is no side walk and that's illegal in this town regardless. Its a side"walk" not side"ride".
We exchanged info and I got a call from her insurance company that night telling me I owed them for the dent in her car. SMH.
I mean coffee yes, but DD isn't that good!
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NorthCascades wrote: »It's getting nicer and people are starting to take their bikes back out. A lot of people don't know that you don't ride on sidewalks; a lot of people do it to feel safer vs riding in traffic.
(1) It's rude to pedestrians. And slightly dangerous because pedestrians aren't obligated to hold a predictable line.
(2) The sidewalk is much more dangerous then the street. Every entrance/exit to every parking lot becomes an uncontrolled intersection. The cyclist thinks they have the right if way because they're going straight and not interrupting the flow of traffic. The driver thinks they have the right of way because they're in a car. A lot of drivers aren't great at looking before they go, they're mostly looking for cars not bikes, and if they see you they assume you're going slowly and will stop for them.
Those morning on my way to get coffee, I saw a cyclist in a day how glow yellow sweatshirt moving strangely on the bike - really attention grabbing. An SUV knocked him to the pavement. Luckily in this case there were no injuries and no obvious property damage. Cyclist insisted that I not call 911, cursed the driver out, and left.
This was me last summer.
I was popping down a main road about 20mph when a lady decided to pass me at the intersection just to stop in the middle of a turn on the car for a dunkin donuts drive through that was overflowing.
I had no where to go but over my handle bars and maneuver my body midair to take the blow into the side of her SUV with my entire body.
She gets out and immediately said where did you come from? You should be riding on the side walk. I replied, there is no side walk and that's illegal in this town regardless. Its a side"walk" not side"ride".
We exchanged info and I got a call from her insurance company that night telling me I owed them for the dent in her car. SMH.
I mean coffee yes, but DD isn't that good!
I actually swore out loud when I read that. I hope you're funny healed and things went as ok as they possibly could have gone for you.1 -
First I read that as "don't walk bikes on sidewalks" and was going to be a bit perturbed. To add to your list, riding on the sidewalk (as an adult) is also illegal in some areas. Additionally, pedestrians often walk slower than most cyclists can ride in a straight line.
Also, and really all of these things are "any season" sorts of advice, for the sake of your being alive and a driver not being emotionally scared, please ride with lights. This morning I was driving to rowing and I hadn't gotten to the freeway and low and behold, a cyclist who I could barely see with a sheer lack of lights on their bike or person. Yes it was 4:35ish in the morning so there weren't a lot of cars, but obviously there were cars on the road and given the direction the cyclist was riding, they were going to be in an even poorer lit area within a minute or two that involves a number of turns.4 -
I choose to ride on the sidewalk because it is a safer place. But i will be careful10
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In our city it is legal (and safer) to ride on the sidewalk as long as you hop off and walk the bike when passing a pedestrian.5
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michael1976_ca wrote: »I choose to ride on the sidewalk because it is a safer place. But i will be careful
It's not safer though. I live in an urban neighborhood where people frequently ride on the sidewalk and I've been hit by cyclists before. It's not safer for me to be hit by a cyclist who comes around a corner quickly. It's not safer for them either.
There is a reason why these rules are in place. For a cyclist to disregard the rules on a sidewalk for their own convenience or perception of safety isn't that different than a driver disregarding the rules on the road. In both cases, vulnerable people are put at risk.
I'm a relatively fortunate person because I can sometimes see the cyclist coming and take steps to protect myself. I can move out of the way relatively quickly. But my neighborhood also has people who are blind or aren't able to move quickly. They're at a much higher risk from cyclists. There is a reason why the law addresses this.14 -
NorthCascades wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »It's getting nicer and people are starting to take their bikes back out. A lot of people don't know that you don't ride on sidewalks; a lot of people do it to feel safer vs riding in traffic.
(1) It's rude to pedestrians. And slightly dangerous because pedestrians aren't obligated to hold a predictable line.
(2) The sidewalk is much more dangerous then the street. Every entrance/exit to every parking lot becomes an uncontrolled intersection. The cyclist thinks they have the right if way because they're going straight and not interrupting the flow of traffic. The driver thinks they have the right of way because they're in a car. A lot of drivers aren't great at looking before they go, they're mostly looking for cars not bikes, and if they see you they assume you're going slowly and will stop for them.
Those morning on my way to get coffee, I saw a cyclist in a day how glow yellow sweatshirt moving strangely on the bike - really attention grabbing. An SUV knocked him to the pavement. Luckily in this case there were no injuries and no obvious property damage. Cyclist insisted that I not call 911, cursed the driver out, and left.
This was me last summer.
I was popping down a main road about 20mph when a lady decided to pass me at the intersection just to stop in the middle of a turn on the car for a dunkin donuts drive through that was overflowing.
I had no where to go but over my handle bars and maneuver my body midair to take the blow into the side of her SUV with my entire body.
She gets out and immediately said where did you come from? You should be riding on the side walk. I replied, there is no side walk and that's illegal in this town regardless. Its a side"walk" not side"ride".
We exchanged info and I got a call from her insurance company that night telling me I owed them for the dent in her car. SMH.
I mean coffee yes, but DD isn't that good!
I actually swore out loud when I read that. I hope you're funny healed and things went as ok as they possibly could have gone for you.
I laughed on the phone and said I should be during you guys but I'm not like that.
Don't call me again and its over.
Yeah my wrist was sprained for a few weeks and I had to wear a brace to bench and press. No biggie.
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mom23mangos wrote: »In our city it is legal (and safer) to ride on the sidewalk as long as you hop off and walk the bike when passing a pedestrian.
i would spend more time off my bike than on in that scenario...6 -
As a pedestrian frequently with a dog on the sidewalk, I appreciate a "on your left" or "on your right" from an approaching bicyclist. In some places in my neighborhood, the bike lane and sidewalk are the same pavement. We all just try to look out for each other. But the danger is real - there are little kids zooming around and not watching for cars backing out of driveways, etc.3
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NorthCascades wrote: »It's getting nicer and people are starting to take their bikes back out. A lot of people don't know that you don't ride on sidewalks; a lot of people do it to feel safer vs riding in traffic.
(1) It's rude to pedestrians. And slightly dangerous because pedestrians aren't obligated to hold a predictable line.
(2) The sidewalk is much more dangerous then the street. Every entrance/exit to every parking lot becomes an uncontrolled intersection. The cyclist thinks they have the right if way because they're going straight and not interrupting the flow of traffic. The driver thinks they have the right of way because they're in a car. A lot of drivers aren't great at looking before they go, they're mostly looking for cars not bikes, and if they see you they assume you're going slowly and will stop for them.
Those morning on my way to get coffee, I saw a cyclist in a day how glow yellow sweatshirt moving strangely on the bike - really attention grabbing. An SUV knocked him to the pavement. Luckily in this case there were no injuries and no obvious property damage. Cyclist insisted that I not call 911, cursed the driver out, and left.
I understand and generally agree with your point, but the bolded is blatantly untrue in my city. Cyclists riding in the street or even on bike paths are very regularly killed my city, and runover in crosswalks and parking lots when the cyclist has the very clear right of way. There have even been a few cases of drivers deliberately stalking and running over cyclists who were riding on the shoulder of the road.
In general I would just ask that people be aware of the area and general usage of where they are riding and select that routes that provide the safest possible accommodations for everyone. I also suggest that pedestrians on multi-use trails not block out all sound with earbuds. It's obnoxious and dangerous to have a pedestrian be completely oblivious to cyclists and horses using the same trail.7 -
Sorry. I ride on the sidewalk through my neighborhood because I ride up to the park with my three year old. My three year old is not riding his bike in the street. I go around pedestrians if there are any. What else should I do7
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Sorry. I ride on the sidewalk through my neighborhood because I ride up to the park with my three year old. My three year old is not riding his bike in the street. I go around pedestrians if there are any. What else should I do
OP, I can understand both sides of the argument.
Also, this comment brings up a good question... should children ride their bikes in the street? At what age should they stop riding on the sidewalks and go into the streets?4 -
@puffbrat Oh my. Where do you live?0
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garystrickland357 wrote: »@puffbrat Oh my. Where do you live?
In the southwestern US. The ironic thing is that there is a huge cycling community here because there is so much open space, great mountain biking trails, and fantastic weather for most of the year. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of horrible drivers as well as some really poor infrastructure. Most of the people I know who ride regularly, and everyone my husband knows who do so, have been hit been a car more than once.0 -
deannalfisher wrote: »mom23mangos wrote: »In our city it is legal (and safer) to ride on the sidewalk as long as you hop off and walk the bike when passing a pedestrian.
i would spend more time off my bike than on in that scenario...
It's too big of a city and too hot for anyone to walk anywhere so it's not an issue. The bigger issue is the condition of most of the sidewalks. Most are unrideable and hardly walkable, so you are forced to ride in the street anyway.2 -
As a pedestrian frequently with a dog on the sidewalk, I appreciate a "on your left" or "on your right" from an approaching bicyclist. In some places in my neighborhood, the bike lane and sidewalk are the same pavement. We all just try to look out for each other. But the danger is real - there are little kids zooming around and not watching for cars backing out of driveways, etc.
A lot of cyclists will say "on your left" but it's generally better to say something like "bike passing." Half the time if you day you're passing on the left, the person will have been focused elsewhere, not paying attention, they just hear left and move left.
This applies to shared bike/pedestrian paths too. If you crash into someone while you're going 15 mph, it's going to hurt a lot for both of you. We cyclists need to use judgement and situational awareness. We need to pass with enough room to be able to react, and at a safe speed for the conditions. It's a really good idea to announce yourself somehow if people are walking the same direction and can't see you, then they'll stay out of your path. A lot of people are wearing earbuds though so don't just count on them hearing you.8 -
Sorry. I ride on the sidewalk through my neighborhood because I ride up to the park with my three year old. My three year old is not riding his bike in the street. I go around pedestrians if there are any. What else should I do
Well it's not like I'm the king laying down the law. I saw somebody get hit this morning, and explained what the dangers are, a few other people helped too. It's a shame when people are taking risks they don't realize, and that's why I'm posting this. You know your neighborhood and I don't.
In Seattle during the summer they close a few streets to cars on Sunday afternoons (?). One of them goes along the lake front, there are lots of parks and good views. Parents drive in from other neighborhoods with their kids for this. I don't know if that's available where you are but it's cool. Not only do you get to ride in the road without cars, but your kid will get to see a lot of other people having fun on bikes and that's good encouragement.2 -
garystrickland357 wrote: »@puffbrat Oh my. Where do you live?
In the southwestern US. The ironic thing is that there is a huge cycling community here because there is so much open space, great mountain biking trails, and fantastic weather for most of the year. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of horrible drivers as well as some really poor infrastructure. Most of the people I know who ride regularly, and everyone my husband knows who do so, have been hit been a car more than once.
I live in the Albuquerque metro area...we have some pretty horrible drivers here, but I've never been hit by a car and I'm a pretty avid cyclist. We have some great multi use trails and I stay away from really busy streets, even if they have a bike lane.monkeefan1974 wrote: »Sorry. I ride on the sidewalk through my neighborhood because I ride up to the park with my three year old. My three year old is not riding his bike in the street. I go around pedestrians if there are any. What else should I do
OP, I can understand both sides of the argument.
Also, this comment brings up a good question... should children ride their bikes in the street? At what age should they stop riding on the sidewalks and go into the streets?
My village doesn't even have sidewalks. I'm a pretty avid cyclists and my kids have grown up with that and they ride in the bike lane with me when we're out. Our main road through the village is only 30 MPH though, and pretty mellow in terms of traffic volume and well patrolled by the local PD. They ride in the neighborhood streets all of the time on their own.1
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