# Bicycles on the sidewalk **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 29, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975 "2013-04-29T01:13:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975/21 "2013-04-29T02:17:08Z")
> [@colander](#): > > ETA: The biggest reason it’s not a great idea to ride your bike on the sidewalks is because unless you walk it across intersections, you’re at major risk of being slammed by a car that couldn’t see you coming in time. No, the biggest reason is _not_ intersections, sidewalks are heavily decorated with cuts for driveways and parking lot entrances, a bike moving along the sidewalk at 8~10mph could easily meet a car crossing the sidewalk at one of these with little-to-no warning. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975/22 "2013-04-29T02:21:19Z")
> [@Anonymous User](#): > > Well this is news to me. I seriously didn’t know this and was quite shocked when I just found about about this right now. > > I am 15 by the way, **AnaMen**. I guess it doesn’t really apply to me because I ride my bike on a really long bike trail we have that actually goes into another state. So you didn’t know and now you do? I fought ignorance and it worked! ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975/23 "2013-04-29T02:27:59Z")
I’m perfectly happy riding in the road. I ride a bit right of center, but plainly in view. I feel safe enough and I’ve never been hit. I know someone who has been hit 11 times, but he is stubborn and still clings to his sidewalk riding habits, in spite of one hit and run that left him unconscious in the intersection with smashed teeth. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975/24 "2013-04-29T02:29:10Z")
I was in Parkersburg, WV recently, and noticed signs saying that bicycles and pedestrians should share the sidewalk downtown. First time I’d ever even heard of that. I felt very sorry for anyone who’s ever tried to be a bicyclist there. ---
**Author:** ![Silophant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Silophant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silophant)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975/25 "2013-04-29T02:45:24Z")
> [@Anonymous User](#): > > What is so bad about riding your bike on a sidewalk. I thought that is what you are **supposed** to do. I fail to see why the OP is so against this practice. If you’re a kid learning to ride a bike, moving at pedestrian speeds, you’re supposed to ride on the sidewalk. If you’re an adult, you’re biking at speeds comparable to vehicles, so you’re legally a vehicle and you should be in the streets with the vehicles. It’s the law. [Minnesota law](http://www.dot.state.mn.us/bike/roadrules.html), but other states are similar. ETA: Ninja’d a million times. That’ll teach me to take a shower between opening a thread and replying. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![Section\_Maker\_Jupe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/section_maker_jupe/32/1424_2.png) [@Section\_Maker\_Jupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Section_Maker_Jupe)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975/26 "2013-04-29T03:02:43Z")
In many of the California beach cities, where they run next to the ocean, the bike paths are much nicer than the sidewalks, often closer to the ocean…so people walkers, dog walkers, rollerbladers, 4 wheeled rentals, cruiser bikes, skateboarders, bladers, runners etc etc all have to get along…fair amount of confusion and close calls it seems, but I feel like people are finally sorting out the Right of Way issues, The folks who are really trying to get somewhere on their bikes, or are training for races…(plenty of that) end up back in the street. There are very good bike lanes in our Santa Barbara streets tho, some many completely isolated from most traffic… but riding on sidewalks downtown IS a big non-no here. At festivals and parades etc, cruising slowly on the sidewalks “seems” to acceptable tho…but no high speed shenanigans. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975/27 "2013-04-29T03:04:29Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > I’m perfectly happy riding in the road. I ride a bit right of center, but plainly in view. I feel safe enough and I’ve never been hit. > I know someone who has been hit 11 times, but he is stubborn and still clings to his sidewalk riding habits, in spite of one hit and run that left him unconscious in the intersection with smashed teeth. Oh, so your the worst thing I could get behind when I’m driving, pretending your bike matches up with even the rinky-dinkiest moped out there. Bicyclist like that are worse then getting behind a school bus where the kids cross the street at every stop. This thread makes the assumption that bicyclist will be arrogant jerks. That they will take up the road like a motor vehicle or blindly go through intersections if they are on the sidewalk. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975/28 "2013-04-29T03:19:11Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > Generally those are accidents. There have been plenty of stories in here about drivers who dangerously harass bicyclists on the road. > > Our bicyclists must be different - they aren’t going pedestrian speed on the sidewalk but they aren’t going any where near bike speed either, so I’ve never had a near miss since I always look for pedestrians. If I didn’t, I’d be sure to hit one (ped) since they get dumber every year. :smack: You’re breaking the law and making it more dangerous for pedestrians to walk where they’re supposed to be walking (the sidewalk), and you talk about how dumb _the pedestrians_ are? > [@Waxwinged](#): > > Oh, hell no. I’d rather hit a pedestrian on my bike than have a truck hit me. It’s very sensible, from the point of view of a person who wants to live through the day. From the point-of-view of a pedestrian who wishes to hell that the bikes would quit buzzing me on the sidewalk, that’s a pretty selfish attitude. > [@Aquadementia](#): > > \ > This thread makes the assumption that bicyclist will be arrogant jerks. That they will take up the road like a motor vehicle or blindly go through intersections if they are on the sidewalk. That’s a safe assumption from what I see in my neighbourhood. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975/29 "2013-04-29T03:45:38Z")
> [@waterj2](#): > > I was in Parkersburg, WV recently, and noticed signs saying that bicycles and pedestrians should share the sidewalk downtown. First time I’d ever even heard of that. I felt very sorry for anyone who’s ever tried to be a bicyclist there. Curiously, the biggest single US bicycle race, RAAM, has been going through Parkersburg for at least a decade. Granted, it looks like the route skirts downtown along Hwy 50, but it sure does not seem to me that the RAAM organizers would be sending a hundred ultramarathon cyclists through a hostile city if’n they could help it. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975/30 "2013-04-29T05:14:08Z")
> [@Aquadementia](#): > > Oh, so your the worst thing I could get behind when I’m driving, pretending your bike matches up with even the rinky-dinkiest moped out there. Bicyclist like that are worse then getting behind a school bus where the kids cross the street at every stop. > > This thread makes the assumption that bicyclist will be arrogant jerks. That they will take up the road like a motor vehicle or blindly go through intersections if they are on the sidewalk. It isn’t the “car road,” it’s just the road. When you are in a car, you do not have a greater right to it than I do on a bike. I’m sorry you’re such a poor driver that having to pass a slower vehicle is an unpleasant chore, but when I “take up the road” you see me because I am directly in your line of sight. You may see me and be enraged, but nearly all bike-car accidents are caused by one vehicle not seeing the other. Only rarely will someone literally be so angry they will run a cyclist down on purpose, so for safety, not arrogance, I ride in the most visible location. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975/31 "2013-04-29T06:14:38Z")
I suggest that the OP never come to Tel Aviv - everyone rides their bikes on the sidewalk here. Admittedly, there are plenty of bike lanes, but even these are usually just lines drawn on the pavement, which pedestrians tend to walk on freely. It’s a merry chaos. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975/32 "2013-04-29T07:14:46Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > It isn’t the “car road,” it’s just the road. When you are in a car, you do not have a greater right to it than I do on a bike. I’m sorry you’re such a poor driver that having to pass a slower vehicle is an unpleasant chore, but when I “take up the road” you see me because I am directly in your line of sight. You may see me and be enraged, but nearly all bike-car accidents are caused by one vehicle not seeing the other. Only rarely will someone literally be so angry they will run a cyclist down on purpose, so for safety, not arrogance, I ride in the most visible location. Concur - riding your bike in the gutter just permits idiot drivers the impression they can overtake you without pulling out and passing wide enough. ---
**Author:** ![snowmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@snowmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowmaster)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975/33 "2013-04-29T07:20:27Z")
Count me in the ignorant group here. I maintain that pedestrians and bicyclist are moving at a much more similar speed that bicyclists and drivers. What’s more likely? Bike and pedestrian collide on sidewalk or car and bike collide in road. Assuming both collisions happen occasionally, which is likely to cause the more serious injuries?Bicyclists and pedestrians are at slow speed, are smaller, and have more room to pass one another on the sidewalk. Bicyclists do not routinely travel anywhere near 30mph and on roads without real shoulders (also a good place for bikes) there is not sufficient room to pass safely. I don’t buy the argument about traffic not seeing bicyclists on the crosswalk at a cross street. Like pedestrians, they should have the right of way at crosswalks, and only when they press the button like pedestrians. Absent a crosswalk, they should yield right of way to cars and not try to cross any street or driveway until it’s safe to do so. Think about it: pedestrians don’t have the right to just blindly walk anywhere without having to stop; except at crosswalks they have the good sense not to go wading out into moving traffic. Bicyclists should expect no better. God forbid they should have to stop and look both ways before crossing a cross street. ---
**Author:** ![DHMO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecc23a/32.png) [@DHMO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DHMO)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975/34 "2013-04-29T08:35:42Z")
> [@snowmaster](#): > > Count me in the ignorant group here. I maintain that pedestrians and bicyclist are moving at a much more similar speed that bicyclists and drivers. What’s more likely? Bike and pedestrian collide on sidewalk or car and bike collide in road. Assuming both collisions happen occasionally, which is likely to cause the more serious injuries?Bicyclists and pedestrians are at slow speed, are smaller, and have more room to pass one another on the sidewalk. Bicyclists do not routinely travel anywhere near 30mph and on roads without real shoulders (also a good place for bikes) there is not sufficient room to pass safely. > > I don’t buy the argument about traffic not seeing bicyclists on the crosswalk at a cross street. Like pedestrians, they should have the right of way at crosswalks, and **only when they press the button like pedestrians**. Absent a crosswalk, **they should yield right of way to cars** and not try to cross any street or driveway until it’s safe to do so. Think about it: pedestrians don’t have the right to just blindly walk anywhere without having to stop; except at crosswalks they have the good sense not to go wading out into moving traffic. Bicyclists should expect no better. God forbid they should have to stop and look both ways before crossing a cross street. [emphasis added—DHMO] Here in Colorado, at least in the metro Denver area, bicycles are considered vehicles under the [law](http://www.denvergov.org/BikeLaws/tabid/438255/Default.aspx): > [@Denver Bicycle Laws](#): > > Bicycles are considered vehicles under Chapter 54 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code. As such, bicyclists have all the rights **and duties** that apply to motorized vehicles.[emphasis added—DHMO] It goes on to say that bicycles are required to ride on the street, and > [@Denver Bicycle Laws](#): > > Bicyclists are prohibited from using sidewalks unless: > [ul] > [li]the sidewalk is part of a designated bike route,[/li][li]within one block of preparing to mount/ dismount at parking (speed limit 6 MPH), or[/li][li]engaged in delivering newspapers.[/li][/ul] I take exception to the claim: > [@snowmaster](#): > > I maintain that pedestrians and bicyclist are moving at a much more similar speed… When I am walking on the sidewalk with my wife and dogs, and other pedestrians are taking a stroll with their young child in a stroller, we are moving at between 3 to 5 miles per hour. The road we are immediately adjacent to has a posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour. The Tour de France wannabes on the sidewalk are blowing past us at speeds between 40 and 50 miles per hour, judging by how fast they are exceeding the pace of street traffic. This is true even when we walk in our city’s parks, trails and greenbelts. Bicycle traffic moves as fast as they can possibly pump the pedals, even as they overtake and pass pedestrians from behind—they never even so much as stop pumping and coast past. All off-road paths, sidewalks, trails etc. are clearly marked with a speed limit of 10 miles per hour. A runner at an Olympic mile pace is moving at around 15 miles per hour, and the bicycle riders are zipping along at twice to three times the speed of runners on the trails. The frequent “courtesy” of alerting pedestrians of an approaching cyclist is to call out “On your left! [or right]” Which does little good when you are 100 yards or more behind me, outdoors, where your voice does not carry well and I cannot hear you. Even worse is when you call out less than 10 yards behind me. Although I can hear you, I do not have time to react before you go zooming past at 40 miles per hour. Also, where we live, there are many people; elderly, children, or otherwise with limited faculties, such as hearing-impaired, who simply do not hear your call, “On your Left!” As an added bonus, since bicycles are considered vehicles under the law, they are **obliged** to _ **obey all traffic laws** _ the same as cars and other vehicles using the road. Which means _ **stopping for red lights and stop signs!** _ ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975/35 "2013-04-29T08:47:03Z")
It really depends on where you are and the behavior of traffic. If a sidewalk has a lot of pedestrians, a cyclist should stay off. However, some “sidewalks” are actually biking/jogging paths. In suburbs, there is often no clear demarcation when the bike path ends and the sidewalk begins, and in suburbs, the sidewalks are often unused anyway. But let’s say you’re definitely riding next to a sidewalk. Then it depends on traffic. What the law says and what drivers actually do are two different things. As a cyclist, relying on the law gets you nowhere. Know what happens to drivers who break the law and kill a cyclist? A ticket. Maybe. So the police won’t protect you. YOu have to protect yourself, and that means doing whatever is safest in any given situation. Where traffic is moving smoothly, that’s the right side of the road. Where traffic is moving erratically, with tons of lane changes and turns, a sidewalk is a safer option. The same things goes for cyclists’ rights as well as their responsibilities. YOu may be right to blow right through a cross street because you’re regarded as a vehicle, but all the drivers turning have probably decided to disregard you and assume you will just stop for them. Which you’ll do if you want to stay alive. And that goes for motorcyclists too. I’ve lost acquaintances in the last two years to motorcycle accidents where they had a green light, they were going straight, and a car driver just turned left anyway. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975/36 "2013-04-29T09:03:09Z")
> [@snowmaster](#): > > What’s more likely? Bike and pedestrian collide on sidewalk or car and bike collide in road. Those are not the only two possibilities. The reason cycling on the footpath is usually illegal is not only because of the risk of bicycle-pedestrian collisions. It’s also because of an increased risk of car-bicycle collisions. The most common place for a collision is at an intersection. And they’re much more likely to occur when you have multiple separate streams of traffic involved (road traffic intersecting with bicycle traffic on a separate path). Cyclists on a separate path are much more likely to get hit by a car at an intersection than cyclists riding on the road in the main stream of traffic. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975/37 "2013-04-29T09:08:48Z")
We were surprised to see that riding bicycles on the sidewalk in Kyoto is very much the norm. It didn’t seem to happen at all in Tokyo. EDIT: Actually, I’m not sure we ever saw a bicycle rider in Tokyo, while Kyoto is heavily a biking city. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975/38 "2013-04-29T09:12:24Z")
> [@tellyworth](#): > > The most common place for a collision is at an intersection. And they’re much more likely to occur when you have multiple separate streams of traffic involved (road traffic intersecting with bicycle traffic on a separate path). Cyclists on a separate path are much more likely to get hit by a car at an intersection than cyclists riding on the road in the main stream of traffic. Very true, although I’ve found that the driver seeing you is often irrelevant, and there’s less time to react on the road. When a driver passes you and turns right, your reaction time is a split second on the road, maybe a full second or two on a sidewalk, depending on how far from the road it is. And in South Florida, you’ll encounter the “right hook” every 2-3 miles. That’s how stupid and/or careless drivers are here. Like I said, depends on what the norm is for drivers in your area. South Florida routinely makes top 10 lists for the craziest drivers and often tops them. I found drivers to be much better in Kentucky, so I obeyed the laws scrupulously. In Florida, I just do whatever works because everyone else is. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975/39 "2013-04-29T09:49:06Z")
> [@Aquadementia](#): > > Oh, so your the worst thing I could get behind when I’m driving, pretending your bike matches up with even the rinky-dinkiest moped out there. Bicyclist like that are worse then getting behind a school bus where the kids cross the street at every stop. It must be a real hardship having to share the roads with cyclists, school buses and other valid users who aren’t going quite fast enough for you. ---
**Author:** ![R3d\_Anonymous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aeb1de/32.png) [@R3d\_Anonymous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R3d_Anonymous)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975/40 "2013-04-29T13:12:53Z")
What if you are riding your bike slowly, like less than 10 mph, and you are in an urban area. Then what? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycles-on-the-sidewalk/656975.md?page=3)