# Is riding a bicycle on a sidewalk a bad idea? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 14, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979 "2010-02-14T18:55:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979/41 "2010-02-16T00:21:06Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > Generally a bad idea - However, there are sitations where it is apprpriate. Near me the official way to bike across the busy bridge with no shoulders is the sidewalk, also, a section of the (generally off road) bike trail is also on the sidewalk. Similar thing here, although the county finally provided an alternate to the (pedestrian) bridge via a more direct route under 395. Portions of that off the road trail is also on the sidewalk. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979/42 "2010-02-16T01:20:03Z")
IMHO ignore the law and do what is reasonable, which means you may ride on the roads, you may ride on the sidewalk, perhaps a bit of both. It depends on the traffic and pedestrian situation. God bless you. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979/43 "2010-02-16T01:31:29Z")
> [@justrob](#): > > I suppose that would really depend on the laws in that location wouldn’t it? Around here it’s against the law to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk if you are over 12. How would I be to blame for for being struck while doing something legal by someone doing something illegal? By doing something negligent, is the glib answer. Yes it would depend on the laws in the location. But it would be unsafe to assume as a blanket rule across all jurisdictions that when behaving lawfully you are totally immune from suit if you do something negligent that injures someone acting unlawfully. I’m not suggesting that facing a lawsuit of this nature is actually likely, but it’s just one of those things where the practical answer and the legal answer align, so it’s a no brainer what you should do. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979/44 "2010-02-16T01:31:44Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > I agree with that part. But are you sure you’d know when cyclists are obeying the traffic laws? As a fr’instance, I’m pretty sure you’re not allowed to take a left on red, plowing through a crosswalk full of pedestrians, just because you’re on a bicycle. THOSE are the people I keep the big stick for. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Elk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Anne\_Elk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Elk)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979/45 "2010-02-16T01:49:42Z")
I’ll stay off the sidewalks if runners and those damn “power walkers” will stay off the road when a decent sidewalk is available. Actually I never ride a bike on sidewalks. I want to be considered a vehicle, with a place in traffic. Ridin’ on the sidewalk is for kids and punks, no exceptions. If I feel the road is too dangerous, I’ll walk the bike, on the sidewalk. Cars will win every collision, every time. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979/46 "2010-02-16T02:20:31Z")
> [@Anne\_Elk](#): > > I’ll stay off the sidewalks if runners and those damn “power walkers” will stay off the road when a decent sidewalk is available. Actually I never ride a bike on sidewalks. I want to be considered a vehicle, with a place in traffic. Ridin’ on the sidewalk is for kids and punks, no exceptions. If I feel the road is too dangerous, I’ll walk the bike, on the sidewalk. Cars will win every collision, every time. Runners prefer asphalt as concrete is 10-20 times harder(hard to believe but true. In an ideal world, runners go against traffic, cyclists go with and thus see each other coming and can make adjustments. ETA: sidewalks are often uneven and full of holes. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979/47 "2010-02-16T12:43:43Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > I ride exclusively on the sidewalk, even though it’s illegal where I live. I’m more than prepared to pay the fine, if caught. (Distributed over the 25 yrs I’ve been riding, it will work out to less than 4 dollars a year!) > > I know this is a really hot button issue on the board, but I don’t really care. > > It’s not that hard to be a respectful sidewalk rider; > > I always cede the walkway to pedestrians, never hesitating to ride up on the lawn or out onto the road to make way. (A bike with fat tires helps!) I will even stop and dismount to accommodate. > > I never come up behind anyone without dinging my bell, well in advance, so they are not caught off guard, (even though I’ll go around them up on the lawn). > > \ > > (I know this will annoy some posters, sorry! ) So not only are you willing to break the law and ride your bike on the sidewalk, you’re willing to trespass to do it? If I were a property owner along that stretch of sidewalk and you were carving tire marks into my property, I’d be pretty darned ticked. I’d have a spycam set up in no time to video tape you trespassing, riding on the sidewalk, etc. Some of us work hard to make our yards look nice; I’m not going to have that ruined by some bike-riding hooligan. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979/48 "2010-02-16T13:29:07Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > It’s easy: don’t do a damn thing. You are not required to take evasive action and doing so only creates a problem for the cyclist who doesn’t know what you are going to do. Just maintain course and speed, as nautical people say. If you do that you won’t get hit and if you do, it will always be the other guy’s fault. If you move, you not only vastly increase your chances of being hit, but you might turn a situation where you are well within your rights into a situation where you are to blame. So–if I hear a bike rider coming up behind me, I need to freeze? What if I don’t hear them? What if walking involves “moving”? Ride your bike in the street. If traffic is too dangerous, dismount & walk it on the sidewalk. ---
**Author:** ![justrob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@justrob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justrob)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979/49 "2010-02-16T15:31:29Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > By doing something negligent, is the glib answer. Yes it would depend on the laws in the location. But it would be unsafe to assume as a blanket rule across all jurisdictions that when behaving lawfully you are totally immune from suit if you do something negligent that injures someone acting unlawfully. > > I’m not suggesting that facing a lawsuit of this nature is actually likely, but it’s just one of those things where the practical answer and the legal answer align, so it’s a no brainer what you should do. Gotcha. Something like it’s completely legal for me to hold a 2x4 in the air sideways but if I do it so that you ride into it while riding illegally on the sidewalk I might be negligently liable. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979/50 "2010-02-16T16:06:18Z")
> [@](#): > > I’d have a spycam set up in no time to video tape you trespassing, riding on the sidewalk, etc. Some of us work hard to make our yards look nice; I’m not going to have that ruined by some bike-riding hooligan. Wow, just wow. Feel this way about a baby stroller riding up on the lawn edge, if two pass on the side walk, do you? You made me laugh right out loud, almost spit out my tea. I can just imagine the eye rolling when you call that into the cops, “Officer I have video evidence of someone riding on the sidewalk and they rode over my grass, Waah!” You’re killing me, truly. Also, “hooligan” is so remarkably close to my last name, it was like the icing on the cake. Well done, sir, well done. Best laugh in weeks. Thanks for that. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979/51 "2010-02-16T16:23:52Z")
> [@Serenata67](#): > > So not only are you willing to break the law and ride your bike on the sidewalk, you’re willing to trespass to do it? If I were a property owner along that stretch of sidewalk and you were carving tire marks into my property, I’d be pretty darned ticked. I’d have a spycam set up in no time to video tape you trespassing, riding on the sidewalk, etc. Some of us work hard to make our yards look nice; I’m not going to have that ruined by some bike-riding hooligan. Interesting. It’s not every day you see a _non-ironic_ use of “Get off my lawn!” here on the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979/52 "2010-02-16T17:53:20Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Interesting. It’s not every day you see a _non-ironic_ use of “Get off my lawn!” here on the SDMB. I know. I thought, “Literally, get off his lawn!” ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979/53 "2010-02-16T18:47:15Z")
In **Serenata** ’s defense, I had the exact same reaction. I spend a lot of time keeping my yard tidy and well-maintained, and the idea of someone running ruts in my lawn with their big fat bike tires makes me see red. Especially since it happens. A LOT. We’re on a corner lot, so it’s not unusual to see people on bikes cut right through my lawn to shave precious fractions of a second off their travel time. Seriously… unless you want to help out with weeding, re-seeding and mowing the giant chunk of lawn around my house, GET OFF MY LAWN and ride on the goddamn road like a grownup. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979/54 "2010-02-16T19:36:47Z")
So you have what? A hovercraft lawnmower? Or does it like have wheels and tires on it? Please share. I can’t wait to hear, truly. So answer the question I asked: Would you be equally upset if two mother’s, with strollers, when passing each other, one rolled up onto the lawn? And you think a bike tire rolling over your lawn is trespassing? What colour is the sky in your world? ---
**Author:** ![justrob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@justrob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justrob)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979/55 "2010-02-16T19:58:13Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > So you have what? A hovercraft lawnmower? Or does it like have wheels and tires on it? I don’t know if **Seranata76** has one of [these](http://www.flymo.co.uk/node2417.aspx?nid=16702) but I first saw one like it when someone around here was mowing their steep hillside lawn by standing on top and moving it around at the end of a rope. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979/56 "2010-02-16T20:07:10Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > And you think a bike tire rolling over your lawn is trespassing? It’s illegal, dangerous, unwanted, and damaging. The weight of a person on a bike is a bit more than a lawnmower or a baby carriage. And while it’s possible to ride on the sidewalk in some areas and be relatively safe, to do so you have to ride so slowly and stop so frequently that you shouldn’t have to resort to riding on people’s lawns. IMO, biking on the sidewalk in any built up area is far, far more dangerous than riding in the road. Just a few weeks ago I witnesses a biker ride across a crosswalk from the sidewalk and get creamed by turning car that couldn’t stop in time. It’s not safe and the studies seem to back it up. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979/57 "2010-02-16T23:09:35Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > So–if I hear a bike rider coming up behind me, I need to freeze? What if I don’t hear them? What if walking involves “moving”? Which part of “maintain course and speed” are you having difficulty with? I can give you a reference to an English dictionary. They have them on line now, I’ve heard. I think you will find the definitions of “maintain” and “speed” helpful in reaching an understanding of what I posted. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979/58 "2010-02-16T23:16:19Z")
It is not illegal to stray up onto the lawn from the sidewalk, sorry. It is not dangerous to ride up on the lawn, sorry. What could happen? Someone could fall on the grass? It is not any more damaging than your lawnmower and you know it. Nice try though. Think you could get any damages in court for someone riding over your lawn, once, on a bicycle? I think not. If you buy a corner house and insist on getting bent out of shape because people cut across your lawn, that’s on you. I’ve lived on a corner lot. The difference is I never, for even a moment, imagined that people weren’t going to cut across it. I admit it’s illegal, technically. But I said I was doing the crime, (misdemeanor) prepared to do the time, (pay the fine). I even admitted that I knew it would annoy some people. I get that, truly. But I happen to firmly believe that 99.9% of drivers would prefer that bicycles were on the sidewalk, wherever feasible. I am not lying when I say I am a very respectful sidewalk rider. I am routinely thanked by pedestrians for the lengths I go to, ceding the walkway to them always, riding slowly etc. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979/59 "2010-02-16T23:21:46Z")
> [@Mahna\_Mahna](#): > > …with their big fat bike tires… Yeah, I hate those big fat tyres. I can see how you’d prefer little skinny tyres because they have higher point pressure and cut deeper into your lawn. Which would be good because…um We’re not in logicland, are we now? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979/60 "2010-02-16T23:27:25Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > It is not any more damaging than your lawnmower and you know it. I don’t think so. A bicycle + rider weighs several times more than a lawnmower, _and_ has half as many wheels. The pressure exerted on the ground is many times higher. Also, when the ground is wet, it is softer and more vulnerable to damage. (Our local MTB/hiking trail forbids bicycles within 24 hours of rain.) Most people won’t mow the lawn when it’s wet, but you provably start riding before the ground is completely dry. > [@](#): > > It is not illegal to stray up onto the lawn from the sidewalk, sorry. > … > I admit it’s illegal, technically. So it’s technically illegal, but not _really_ illegal? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-riding-a-bicycle-on-a-sidewalk-a-bad-idea/528979.md?page=4)