Kabuki12

Here in California , as in many states , it is illegal to pedal a bike on a sidewalk. I took cycling class in the seventies at a local Community College and was taught the vehicular cycling method of cycling. If you are walking your bike you are a pedestrian and may use crosswalks and sidewalks. The minute your fanny hits the saddle and your feet are on the pedals, you are a vehicle. It is that simple . If the road is too dangerous , then walk your bike on the sidewalk or find a detour. We have a "Share The Road" law here that is supposed to give you a 3' barrier , but even the police do not observe it. We do have share sidewalk/ bike lanes but they are marked with a separation stripe which designates an area for pedestrians and one for bikes, very few honor it! I have been yelled at by pedestrians for being on these "multi use paths" so I avoid them if at all possible. I am not out to educate a pissed off pedestrian, I am just out to ride my bike. Joe joesvintageroadbikes.

debade

https://www.bikeleague.org/ridesmart look for the sidewalk video. And do yourself a favor and watch them all

Drew Eckhardt 

The correct etiquette is to get off and walk, or use the street like other vehicles.

You're a criminal.

If there are any intersections or driveways you're also risking your life from drivers not looking for vehicle speed traffic off the main roadway.

Drew Eckhardt 

Unfortunately sexisim isn't dead.

hillyman

Well the Nigerian Prince I've been sending my money to says I should follow legal advise wherever I get it.

Phil_gretz

By virtue of asking this question, you're part of the way toward good etiquette. Remember the golden rule, to treat others as you yourself would wish to be treated.

1. Be aware, look when approaching blind spots, and anticipate situations before they occur.
2. Be courteous, remembering that you're on the pedestrian's territory as a guest.
3. Be verbal, give warning and state your intentions in a friendly way. Give a word of encouragement or gratitude as you pass.
4. Be safe, by dismounting if you're unsure or want to show special deference, such as to a mother with small child.

It's always best not to put your bike where it doesn't belong, if practical.

livedarklions

At the risk of getting this thread kicked over to The Lounge, I would think this is an especially bad time to ride on sidewalks as it reduces your ability to maintain social distancing.


I ride way too fast to make riding on a sidewalk appealing to me in the slightest, and will do it only under some fairly unusual circumstances.

Sidewalk riding is legal in Illinois per state law, but pedestrians have the right of way under all circumstances. Towns and cities can restrict sidewalk riding by ordinance--in Chicago, for example, you can't ride on a sidewalk in a "business district".

https://www.activetrans.org/sites/fi...ago%20code.pdf

StarBiker

And where I live bikes as well. Yep lots of strollers, and wheel chairs on the sidewalks around here.......

I guess when the county puts a road work sign(s) on the sidewalk where these ramps are they don't intend to block pedestrians, cyclists, strollers, and wheel chairs?

It always helps to be familiar with an area before making conclusions.

(I have been cycling on these sidewalks for decades)

StarBiker

And one can't just google the information because it's not always accurate. You would have to contact the local government, and perhaps even the local police precinct to see if they could give you accurate information. It can be very jurisdiction dependent as you know.

Not one police officer has ever told me, or the rare occasional cyclist around here to get off of the sidewalk. EVER! And I reside in clusterf*ck suburbanville.

subgrade

Just as I expected, many people don't get the question in OP. It is not whether you should ride on sidewalks or not, it's about the proper etiquette if you do.

msu2001la

Chicago code actually states:
"No person 12 or more years of age shall ride a bicycle upon any sidewalk in any district, unless such sidewalk has been officially designated and marked as a bicycle route."

The section about business districts only applies to riders under the age of 12.

Additionally, there are laws allowing impounding of bikes and $250 fines for violators in certain areas:

StarBiker

Common sense?

indyfabz

Was he trying to make a statement or ask a question? Inquiring minds want to know.

livedarklions

You're absolutely right. I stopped reading too early.

Thanks!

Oneder

I enjoy being alive (or at least don't fancy endling my life being crushed like an insect) so I ride on the sidewalk in places this is safer, especially very busy streets with no bike lanes of which there are many around here. Sometimes there is no sidewalk on one side either so I go the 'wrong way' but that is all legal here. It makes perfect sense to not allow bicycles in very busy shopping areas, you would not be able to be safe or go fast in those areas anyway. In the super dense areas like that in NYC etc. there are probably bike lanes and one way streets and so on which make it much safer for the cyclist. Ultimately do what is safest, for example I put my front wheel into the intersection when I come to a stop light because then the idiots turning right can see I am there and won't skid off into a right turn at 50 mph when the walk signal changes and plow into me.

livedarklions

This misses a huge point in the U.S., though. The "etiquette" is going to vary somewhat from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and often town by town because there's such a hodgepodge of conflicting laws on the issue. If it's illegal to ride on the sidewalk, which is the case in a lot of places here, there's no "polite" way to violate the pedestrian's rights.

So, the etiquette thing really isn't answerable on a general level--depends where you're riding. Not surprising that the thread drifts into people's opinions about sidewalk riding generally.

Pratt

etiquette is, mainly, 'don't that being said, I rode on a lot of sidewalk coming into Buffalo. It was a commercial area with lousy pavement and no pedestrians

Tony P.

I don't see the law and "etiquette" as always mutually exclusive. Legal requirements represent the minimum a rider should do to treat others safely. What's being called etiquette is how to ride to minimize danger to everyone. And it applies irrespective of where we're riding with regard to both geography and circumstance. Bike etiquette should be the same in New York and California. On sidewalks, trails, or roadways - tweaked by the particular situation. I ride on a trail where the bike speed limit is 12 mph, which is fast enough to injure someone, so I have to slow down when others are around to be safe even though I may not be required by law.

livedarklions

I don't see that as contradicting my point, though. Law and etiquette can be mutually exclusive when the law absolutely forbids it. Where it's legal, though, the legal specifics are going to vary a lot, and so are the conditions. I ride on some paths where the conditions and law are such that I can legally and safely pass a pedestrian at speeds well in excess of 20 mph. I announce like hell when I do it, but I've never had a close call doing it, and I've actually had many pedestrians thank me for the announce. Other paths I won't even consider riding on because I feel like I'm encroaching on pedestrians when I'm going less than 10 mph.

In any event, I'm pretty sure all the U.S. jurisdictions that allow sidewalk riding also give the pedestrians complete right of way over bicycles on the sidewalk, so it's not exactly a rich topic.

257 roberts

We can lawfully use the sidewalks here but pedestrians have the right away..I will use the sidewalks when traffic is heavy but I ride slow

Miele Man

I've seen bicyclists riding on a sidewalk and riding as fast as if they were on the road. Even in the business area downtown I've seen this. That sort of riding can result in serious injury or even death to a pedestrian exiting a store, or for any other reason getting hit be the bicyclist. Pedestrians on a sidewalk have been struck and killed by a bicyclist riding on the sidewalk.

Another problem with riding on a sidewalk is that you are out of the line of sight of motor vehicle traffic on the road and every intersection including entrances to parking or plazas or driveways becomes more hazardous for the bicyclist riding on t he sidewalk simply because the driver who checks for pedestrians before pulling into the intersection or driveway is NOT expecting a fast moving bicycle.

I avoid riding on a sidewalk. YMMV

Cheers

Digger Goreman

In a better world, motorists could lawfully use the streets, but bicycles have the right of way!
​​​​​​

Tony P.

In essence, my earlier point is that bringing legal requirements into a discussion of bike etiquette muddies the waters. It's like debating whether to use a directional signal where no turn is allowed.

SethAZ 

Riding on a sidewalk is probably going to be bad news in most places. There's exactly one place where I ride on a sidewalk, and that's this one stretch where a MUP joins back up to a main road and the boneheads that designed this didn't think to put any ramps there. I could stop, unclip, and set my bike down onto the road and then keep riding, but nobody's ever walking this particular stretch of sidewalk so I just ride it for a couple hundred yards until the next business entrance where I can ride down onto the street.

Bottom line is that the safest option is usually to do what others expect so there are no surprises. I'd say in my region nobody's expecting a bike to be cruising along a sidewalk, so by definition almost it's less safe than riding in the street. A sidewalk with pedestrians is for pedestrians, not cyclists.

StarBiker

None of that applies here.
THE CAR IS KING. AND THE BIGGER THE VEHICLE THE BETTER......

Again, common sense, pay attention, be nice, and announce you are coming. I can't believe people on here post like this is unheard of. If you live in a place that you can't cycle on the sidewalk you can't? Right? If you don't you can. Simple. Say it with me.........