Do bicyclists belong on the roads or on the sidewalks?

[michael87cn]

I've ridden bikes on sidewalks my entire life, never have I once hit anyone or came close to hitting anyone. As long as you slow down at turns, stop signs and blind spots, (or stop altogether if you feel you may hit someone) you will never have a problem (besides the whole illegality of it...).

I will never own a car. Cars are way too deadly and just from reading this thread alone- there are way too many roadragers that are impatient and unthankful for their vehicles. Having a car is a luxury, a VAST luxury that you should appreciate. I have had to walk or ride a bike my entire life, and I absolutely hate cars.

Everytime I get a ride from someone everyone else is going 10-20 over the speed limit, PUSHING the driver to have to fight to stay within the speed limit. They're all in such a rush. People speed ahead of you to fight for a couple extra inches of road, only to end up in the same stop light as you. People think that if they speeeeeeeeed and no cops see them, they'll get to their destination faster, well, they're wrong. They're actually a danger to themselves and everyone else, and they're going to cause an accident some day.

I do medical transcription motor vehicle accident reports for a living. Everyday I see reports of people injured in mv accidents and it sickens me how careless people are.

If you're riding a bike on a side walk, don't speed and don't go peddle to the metal. Take your time, stop for blind spots/turns/stop signs and if you see a group of people slow WAY down and even stop when you approach them. Make yourself known and they will let you pass. Don't just go barreling past thinking they will know to jump out of the way.

If every biker rode their bike like this; I believe it wouldn't be illegal to ride on the sidewalks. We only have ourselves to blame for silly laws.

You'll never catch me on a road though. Illegal or not; it's just not safe enough and too many people are crazy with their road rage. I wouldn't put it past someone to shoot a biker if they were slowing them down enough in their sports vehicle...

 

[Snor]

we have bicycle lanes...everywhere! ok nearly everywhere, not on the places its impossible or unneeded.. go google earth through the Netherlands and try to avoid cyclists and the associated lanes

short answer: road

 

[rockyoumonkeys]

I wish they weren't anywhere. Obviously they don't belong on the sidewalk, but they're more obnoxious when they're on the road. They think nothing of just swerving into the middle of the road. I wish it were legal to hit them. Not fatally, but just enough to knock them off their bike, give them a skinned knee or something. I hate them.

 

[DelphiSantano]

Cyclists belong on the road, there is no question.
Although saying that, if they're not sensible then they belong on the pavement. Without a bike.

As a cyclist myself, I tend to encounter more than twice as many idiotic drivers as cyclists, but more people drive so that will always be the case. At least a third of people on the road (drivers and cyclists alike) are idiots that should belong on the pavement on foot.

Edit: Obviously, where bike lanes are provided, use those.

 

[Vrach]

You do realize many cyclists are capable of speeds over 50km/h right? Bike paths are great, but many do not accommodate such a speed (the painted in ones you talk about especially). Plus I can tell you that hitting a pedestrian on a bike is not laughing matter, and no cyclist wants to have to slow down and speed up at every pedestrian they see. A cat passing 1m away from me at full speed does not bother me as I know I am not going to swerve out of nowhere, then again the usual speed difference between us is only 10 or so km/h so the driver has some time to see me.
My point is cyclists who are traveling at speed should under no circumstances be on the sidewalk, it is dangerous.

Yes I do realise bicyclists can go at 50 mph, but using the argument they would on a sidewalk is like saying cars are capable of going at 200 mph. There's these lovely things called speed limits.

As for "no cyclist wants to slow down at every pedestrian they see", again, same thing, can use the exact same argument for cars and cyclists, not every car wants to slow down at every cyclist they see.

Fact of the matter is though, I haven't seen a cyclist moving faster than some 20 mph on a sidewalk (frankly mostly staying at 10-15, biked just now actually, was the fastest biker on the bike path and I was moving at some 15 mph, so that's not even being a sidewalk) and I have seen a car moving at 40-50 mph on the street. Also, every cyclist I've seen (myself included) is perfectly willing to slow down for the pedestrians. We don't want to, but we have to and it's not that big of a deal, some people move for us, we move/slow down for others, as long as it's not a terribly crowded sidewalk (I'm talking packed), you're good.

Really, the bike lanes are a definite solution, but in the absence of them, a bike on the sidewalk is much better than one on the street. However, obviously, the person riding it should not pretend like he's on a race track, be happy with some moderate speed and be willing to slow down/stop when necessary.

 

[michael87cn]

I wish they weren't anywhere. Obviously they don't belong on the sidewalk, but they're more obnoxious when they're on the road. They think nothing of just swerving into the middle of the road. I wish it were legal to hit them. Not fatally, but just enough to knock them off their bike, give them a skinned knee or something. I hate them.

You don't deserve to have a car, you should have your license taken and forced to ride a bike/bus/WALK.

Think you're better than others because they can't afford a car...UGH.

 

[michael87cn]

I pose a question to further this argument; should children who have to ride their bikes to school be forced to ride in the road, too? Of course not.

I used to ride my bike past cops all the time when I was a kid on the way to school, they never once pulled me over for it. They did talk to me for not wearing my helmet though.

Silly law is silly; as long as you're not riding your bike at vehicle speeds it should be okay imo.

 

[rockyoumonkeys]

I wish they weren't anywhere. Obviously they don't belong on the sidewalk, but they're more obnoxious when they're on the road. They think nothing of just swerving into the middle of the road. I wish it were legal to hit them. Not fatally, but just enough to knock them off their bike, give them a skinned knee or something. I hate them.

You don't deserve to have a car, you should have your license taken and forced to ride a bike/bus/WALK.

Think you're better than others because they can't afford a car...UGH.

Half those bike riders probably spent as much on their bike and ridiculous outfits as one would for a car.

 

[Lord_Nemesis]

Since you are using the word sidewalk I'm having a guess that you're from the States. Here in the UK, if we have a bike on the pavement we can be fined. I have never seen it happen right enough but it's the law. Honestly, with the nutjobs you get on the roads, I would stick with the pavement (sidewalk).

 

[6037084]

I've been bicycling for most of my life and I ride wherever the fuck I want

 

[Woodsey]

You belong on a road.

 

[Illesdan]

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?

Where I live is very pedestrian unfriendly and riding your bike on the sidewalk and against the flow of traffic is a ticketable offense. I have almost been run over by little groups of hooligans THREE TIMES coming out of stores downtown because the little guttersnipes were speeding as fast as they could and as close to the buildings as possible. I haven't shopped downtown in over five years just because of the annoying little brats that are all over down there.

I have also been on a pedestrian walkway where a woman on a ten-speed came barreling around a corner yelling at the top of her lungs 'CAN'T STOP! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!' I wish I had a stick; I would have knocked her off her damned bike and told her to use the fucking road.

Obey the rules of the road just like you would in a car. Drivers have to treat you as they would a motorized vehicle if it were on the road. Personally, I love walking; but the town I live in is so full of dumbasses who can't stay off the sidewalk, I'd feel safer walking in the street.

 

[Kevlar Eater]

Bike lanes are far too dangerous to safely use, especially where I live, where almost every senior citizen has a car and eye problems. If I mess up on the sidewalk, the worst that can happen is that I spill my drink; if I mess up on a bike lane I become a bloodstain on someone's car.

 

[otakuben5083]

Officially, most states require that bicycles remain on roads. In towns and cities, it's far easier for a cyclist to remain on the road and be safe because the speed limit is lower and thus easier to keep up with. As for the rural areas and countrysides it's easier than you would think. Most major roads (highways aside from this) have a wide enough shoulder for people to ride on. Also some states, possibly all, have a bike route system where the is designated as a safe biking road. The state I currently live in has such a system with the roads clearly marked as state biking routes. Just yesterday i traveled part of S route in PA.

Ok now for the more unofficial. In reality the task to making sure biking remains safe falls on two people. The Bikers themselves and the people driving cars. Pedestrians don't count because you should never take your bike on a sidewalk. It's unsafe for both the person biking and the people walking. Just like cars on the road you never know when someone like a kid may run out infront of you.

Ok now for the cars and cyclist's issues. Firs the cyclists need to learn that they have to share the road. In all honestly it could take a state seconds to make it illegal for people riding bikes to be on any road. Not to mention in a fight between them and a SUV, the suv wins hands down. That usually means sticking to the shoulder and remaining on the edge of the road. Check with state laws to see if your required to ride with the flow of traffic or against it.
Part of it is also trust. You have to trust that the people driivng will notice you and go around you safely. Is it always the case? No. Will there be jerks and idiots? All the time. That comes with the territory. Howeever you can always take precautions to making yourself noticable. Light on the bike. Flashing lights also at night times wearing something with reflective material. Not just light colored either. To many times have i almost hit a cyclist because they were wearing dark clothing and weren't noticable till they were right infront of me.

For teh drivers it's slightly different. You need to learn how to react when your approaching a cyclist. Tearing past them at 50 mph just to get past them is a way to scare the cyclist and cause an accident. If a biker is in the middle of teh road give them enough time to notice you before moving. If they still don't then honk your horn. If your in a city setting deal with the cyclist in the road, he has every right to be there just as you do. Also when your riding back roads, keep an eye out for signs that may signify a bike route. It will alert you to other cyclist's that may be traveling the road. When your coming around blind turns or hills, try to be more aware of your surroundings. More often than not the most accidents with cyclists are caused by a car cutting a blind turn and running into a cyclists on the side of the road.
Another thing is to brush up on what the law says you should do when approaching a cyclist. Pa requires you slow down and pass them with your hazard lights on to notify other drivers of the cyclist on the road. It may not be the same but be extra cautious never hurt anyone. Not to mention the extra few seconds it takes to make sure your being safe wont make you late to whereever your going.

The reason im more or less passionate about thsi topic is ebcause in two years I will be riding my bike cross country. The odds are i will run into both bad and good drivers who will or will not know how to handle me being on the road. If i run into someone from here i hope they will treat me with the same respect as if i was driving a car.

 

[Gentleman_Reptile]

The cars that swerved into the other lane were driven by retarded drivers who were not paying attention to the road.

Fffffuuuuuuuuuuuu.......

Not paying attention to the road? The only reason we WERE swerving is because we were paying VERY good attention to the road. We HAD to swerve and risk our own lives so we could preserve the life of one inconsiderate jackass who was rude enough to be riding in the middle of my lane on a goddamn BRIDGE! Where the hell else were we supposed to go hmm? It was either into the other lane, over the top of him, or off the rails and plummet into the water, so if you'd like to come up with a solution for that I'd love to fucking hear it.

It's bloody dangerous and you shouldnt be doing it just because the law says you can, theres absolutely no excuse for being that fucking stupid.

 

[RobCoxxy]

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.

I tend to cycle everywhere. Way I see it, if you get hit by a car (often because they hate cyclists, or momentary lapse of concentration) you have a very winnable lawsuit on your hands.

Bam! Winning!

And it's good for ya

 

[otakuben5083]

You know you could just slow down and wait till your off the bridge to go around him. People assume you HAVE to pass the person right away. You don't have to. As much as you tell yourself you do you really don't have to. Yes the person was inconsiderate for riding right in the middle of the lane however he did have every right to be there just like you.

 

[Marowit]

Bikes should be on the road, and when available in their own lane.

Sure drivers can be irrational, but not nearly as much as a pedestrian...if you don't think that's the case just wait till you ride your bike down the sidewalk, at a pedestrian who sees you (makes eye-contact), and yet still sidesteps right in front of you.

Plus,unless you're exceptionally slow on your bike you're much more likely to be going closer to a cars speed than a person walking.

I can't wait for the snow to melt here, being a pedestrian sucks bawls, and I cannot wait to get back on my bike.

 

[Hashime]

You do realize many cyclists are capable of speeds over 50km/h right? Bike paths are great, but many do not accommodate such a speed (the painted in ones you talk about especially). Plus I can tell you that hitting a pedestrian on a bike is not laughing matter, and no cyclist wants to have to slow down and speed up at every pedestrian they see. A cat passing 1m away from me at full speed does not bother me as I know I am not going to swerve out of nowhere, then again the usual speed difference between us is only 10 or so km/h so the driver has some time to see me.
My point is cyclists who are traveling at speed should under no circumstances be on the sidewalk, it is dangerous.

Yes I do realise bicyclists can go at 50 mph, but using the argument they would on a sidewalk is like saying cars are capable of going at 200 mph. There's these lovely things called speed limits.

As for "no cyclist wants to slow down at every pedestrian they see", again, same thing, can use the exact same argument for cars and cyclists, not every car wants to slow down at every cyclist they see.

Fact of the matter is though, I haven't seen a cyclist moving faster than some 20 mph on a sidewalk (frankly mostly staying at 10-15, biked just now actually, was the fastest biker on the bike path and I was moving at some 15 mph, so that's not even being a sidewalk) and I have seen a car moving at 40-50 mph on the street. Also, every cyclist I've seen (myself included) is perfectly willing to slow down for the pedestrians. We don't want to, but we have to and it's not that big of a deal, some people move for us, we move/slow down for others, as long as it's not a terribly crowded sidewalk (I'm talking packed), you're good.

Really, the bike lanes are a definite solution, but in the absence of them, a bike on the sidewalk is much better than one on the street. However, obviously, the person riding it should not pretend like he's on a race track, be happy with some moderate speed and be willing to slow down/stop when necessary.

50 MPH on a bike? Are you nuts, that is 80km/h. It has been done, but that is way faster than 99% of cyclists are capable of going.
Also, not all cars need to slow down, if the driver is intelligent they will leave a meter for the cyclist and drive past. Unlike a cyclist slowing down it does not take significant effort to accelerate back to cruising speed in a car.
A bike on a sidewalk is not reasonable. I bike to get to school and on occasion to work. It is my main transport and I can tell you if I took the sidewalk (which is illegal) it would almost double my transport time.