Do bicyclists belong on the roads or on the sidewalks?

[Lilani]

I'm attending college, and recently I thought it was a good idea to start riding a bike around campus, both for convenience and for my health. But I also learned of a very silly policy regarding where you are allowed to ride your bike. As it turns out, it is a ticketable offense to ride your bike on public sidewalks. Bicycles are to be ridden on the streets, as far to the edge as you can ride.

I've thought and thought about this, and I can't figure out the logic behind this. I don't trust cars. Half a second of distraction or error, and you've got two tons of steel barreling across that line and making contact with the edge of the road. Any bicyclist caught in the middle of that can consider themselves severely injured at best and stone-cold dead at worst.

If I had to choose between being a pedestrian getting hit by a bicycle, and a bicyclist getting hit by a car, I'd rather get hit by a bike any day. And at least on the sidewalk, I can see what I need to avoid. I can see those little old ladies and mommies with their strollers way ahead, and slow and steer as needed. On the road, cars are whizzing by me and all I can do is pray to God that each and every one of them sees me and hugs the left rather than the right. I have an alarmingly small amount of control over my safety.

So, what do you think, Escapists? Do bikes really belong on the road with cars, or is it safer for everyone for them to stick to the sidewalks?

EDIT: Bah, forgot to add the poll. Oh well.

SECOND EDIT: And just to be clear, there are no bike lanes anywhere in my city. None. There are a few on campus property, but most of the time I have to go to the sidewalks anyway because they hardly ever go where I need to go. So please, no "HURR WHY NOT JUST STAY IN THE BIKE LANE HURR DERP" arguments.

 

[Saelune]

Stay off the sidewalks. Cars have lanes, and thus are easier to determine where they will be. The the sidewalks though, its harder to tell. Plus I walk there, and as I already have almost been hit by rude cyclists multiple times, I have no interest in you sharing my space.

 

[Dark Knifer]

I'd say sidewalks would be safer. Running into someone on a sidewalk might get you grazed knee whereas running into a car can cost you your life.

 

[Mittens The Kitten]

Depends on a lot of things, width of sidewalk, how busy the road/sidewalk is, presense of bile lane.

 

[Light 086]

I'd say sidewalks would be safer. Running into someone on a sidewalk might get you grazed knee whereas running into a car can cost you your life.

I agree with the above reason, also they should be on the sidewalk because on one lane roads cars can't always pass them without crossing into opposing traffic and they are so slow. When people get impatient this could cause a serious disaster.

 

[godofallu]

I came across this interesting topic too recently.

When I was a kid I always rode on the sidewalks. I brought a bike to campus (which I never use) and found out it's illegal to ride on the sidewalk.

Now as a driver having bikers in front of me pisses me off, since everyone who rides a bike in the street is a moron. They go so slow, and you can never pass the bastards either.

As a walker bikers flying past me out of nowhere scare the shit out of me. Not to mention the sidewalk is packed with people.

So honestly the real answer seems to be build bike lanes everywhere. Or just stop riding bikes.

 

[Bags159]

Bikers on the road piss me off so I wish the sidewalk was the place to be.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

Are they a vehicle? If so, then they belong on the streets, as the streets purpose is to provide a pathway for vehicles. sideWALKS are meant for walking.

 

[Aethren]

Fuck legal, I'm not getting my biking ass ran over. Sidewalk all the way.

 

[Stoplesteimer]

Are they a vehicle? If so, then they belong on the streets, as the streets purpose is to provide a pathway for vehicles. sideWALKS are meant for walking.

I spent 5 minutes writing paragraphs of a rant which boils down to this.

 

[MrLlamaLlama]

Coming at this from a UK standpoint, I like to think the fact I pay a simply extortionate rate of road tax goes some way to guaranteeing (sp?) me a place on those roads. When a cyclist rides along all squishyful doing 3 and a half miles per hour and then flips me off when I hoon past him in the face of oncoming I can't help but think he'd have a point if he paid the same fees I do to be there.

 

[Zaik]

bicyclists that can go the speed limit are fine on the road.

That might work in a school zone, but that's about it. The rest can either go to the sidewalk or the very edge of the road if there isn't one.

 

[Matt_LRR]

A bicycle is a vehicle, and should be ridden on the road.

Riding a bike on a sidewalk you are a danger to pedestrians, and actually increase your chances of being in a crash with a vehicle as they do not expect you to be on sidewalks.

Take it from a long-time cyclist - if you ride your bike like you were driving a car, you'll be VASTLY safer than if you ride like you're a pedestrian.

-m

 

[DeadlyYellow]

One downside of letting cyclists on the sidewalk is that smaller pedestrian vehicles will also follow. It'll leave us walkers dodging bikes, scooters, mopeds, you name it.

 

[manaman]

It's illegal to ride a bike on the sidewalk most places.

There are rules of the road covering all of this. Something I hare about how easy it can be to get a license in some parts of the US. I can understand not knowing absolutely every facet of every rule, but most people seems to lack even a firm grasp of the major rules of the road. It always surprises me how few people realize that the onramp yields to traffic already in the freeway.

 

[triggrhappy94]

I've rode in the streat (bike lane) since I was 13. Its kinda scary on some roads, but its not that bad. Just let cars pass and they wont hit you, and its better then running over some people on the sidewalk

 

[Matt_LRR]

The trick to safety on the roads, whether you're in a car or on a bike, is being predictable to others on the road, and not acting like a fucking idiot.

Riding on the sidewalk makes you less predictable, and often indicates a person riding like a fucking idiot.

-m

 

[Judgement101]

Well you see, this....could....wow this has me stumped! I shall research my state law to find the awnser!

 

[Ishadus]

I abhor getting caught behind cyclists on the road. It just sets my tetth on edge. But even with that, I still have to grudgingly say the road is where they belong. The alternative would lead to many more accidents.

And no scraped knee arguments. Getting hit by something going 30km/h and then smacking down onto concrete can seriously injure someone, especially when you factor children, elderly, and the like into the equation. Obviously a car crashing into you will seriously injure you as well, but the incidence of that happening is far far lower.