#1
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Road or Sidewalk?
I had my first encounter with a jerk with an automobile the other day. I
was riding on the main 4-lane road going through town, as far to the right as I could without going into the gutter, when from behind me I hear the belligerent shout of "Get off the road!" I look back to see a college punk in a black SUV. The traffic was light, and he had plenty of room to pass me. I just ignored him and biked on. But the incident brought to mind a question. I'm a fairly new cyclist, having gotten my bike for Christmas last year. I've learned all the rules of riding on the road and sharing the road with cars, and I follow those rules religiously. I've never had a problem with a motorist until the above mentioned incident. I see lot of cyclists riding on that same road, and I also see a lot of cyclists riding on the sidewalks paralleling that road. My question is, should I be riding on the road when sidewalks are available? I prefer riding on the road, and the sidewalks, while not crammed with pedestrians, are never free of them either. What are ya'lls thoughts? TIA! Ken |
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#2
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Road or Sidewalk?
K-Man wrote:
I had my first encounter with a jerk with an automobile the other day. I was riding on the main 4-lane road going through town, as far to the right as I could without going into the gutter, when from behind me I hear the belligerent shout of "Get off the road!" I look back to see a college punk in a black SUV. The traffic was light, and he had plenty of room to pass me. I just ignored him and biked on. But the incident brought to mind a question. I'm a fairly new cyclist, having gotten my bike for Christmas last year. I've learned all the rules of riding on the road and sharing the road with cars, and I follow those rules religiously. I've never had a problem with a motorist until the above mentioned incident. I see lot of cyclists riding on that same road, and I also see a lot of cyclists riding on the sidewalks paralleling that road. My question is, should I be riding on the road when sidewalks are available? I prefer riding on the road, and the sidewalks, while not crammed with pedestrians, are never free of them either. What are ya'lls thoughts? TIA! My thought? Don't let one idiot influence your safety/enjoyment of riding. (Don't cower over by the gutter, either; you're entitiled to the right-side portion of the lane, and sometimes the whole damned thing.) A bicycle is a vehicle that belongs on the road (or a trail), NOT the sidewalk. Bill "cautious yet assertive" S. |
#3
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Road or Sidewalk?
"K-Man" wrote in message ... I had my first encounter with a jerk with an automobile the other day. I was riding on the main 4-lane road going through town, I'll let others deal with the 'should I take the sidewalk?' part as I'm sure many are eager to. My 2 cents worth regarding the 'as far to the right as I could without going into the gutter' part: It may seem counter-intuitive, and most jurisdictions laws are worded in the manner of: 'cyclists should stay as far to the right as is _practical_ or _reasonable_' or some other qualifying words BUT: sometimes that merely encourages auto-addicts to crowd you off the road. Some motorcyclist acquaintances of mine claim similar experiences especially wrt to cars passing them without moving fully into the other lane. They say eventually they get crowded right off the roadway. Consequently they ride near to the centre line to force autos to fully take the other lane to pass. As cyclist you should consider whether the conditions merit 'taking the lane' for your own safety - Both to be more visible, and less likely to be crowded off. As I said; my 2 Canuckian cents worth. -- Ricky: 'What's an aptitude test?' Lahey: 'A suitability test, Ricky' Ricky: 'I'll wear a suit if I have to' |
#4
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Road or Sidewalk?
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#5
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Road or Sidewalk?
On Wed, 09 Jun 2004 11:09:59 -0400, K-Man wrote:
My question is, should I be riding on the road when sidewalks are available? I prefer riding on the road, and the sidewalks, while not crammed with pedestrians, are never free of them either. What are ya'lls thoughts? TIA! Ken Here are a few links, and I'm sure others will post much better ones. Educate yourself as to your rights and responsibilities. Don't let one misinformed kid stop you from using the roads. http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/traffic/index.htm http://www.sfbike.org/download/resou...orists-STR.pdf California laws regarding bicycles and roadways- most states should have similar laws, but check... http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/di...le=21200-21212 |
#6
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Road or Sidewalk?
On Wed, 09 Jun 2004 11:09:59 -0400, K-Man wrote:
My question is, should I be riding on the road when sidewalks are available? Side-walk, not side-cycle... :P I've been known to inform folks blocking my path in the city when walking that it's also not called a side-stand, that's what you use to park your bike. Some denser folk with smaller cars and motorbikes have mistaken the sidewalk for a side-park, which is probably the most egregious of the offences. The rule/law in many if not most cities is that persons over 12 years of age should not ride on sidewalks and should use the street in an appropriate fashion. I'm of the opinion that you should never ever use the sidewalk--of course there's the rare and excusable occasion, but it should be that: rare. You have every right to use the road unless local law or signage states otherwise. Let the creeps yell at you, take their license plate number if they're truly threatening, otherwise realize your emotional superiority and cycle on with smug satisfaction. If you can't resist yelling back--my favourite thing to do is to yell "HIYA PAT!!!!!" with a huge smile on my face as if I'm the biggest hard of hearing idiot in the world. Helps relieve the tension, and works even better if you can emulate a circa 1957 Jerry Lewis accent. Oh, and I hate to mention this, but over 25% of cyclists around here do it (!) so, make sure you're riding on the correct side of the road--with traffic. ;D Happy travels! |
#7
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Road or Sidewalk?
On Wed, 09 Jun 2004 15:26:19 +0000, loki wrote:
Some motorcyclist acquaintances of mine claim similar experiences especially wrt to cars passing them without moving fully into the other lane. They say eventually they get crowded right off the roadway. Consequently they ride near to the centre line to force autos to fully take the other lane to pass. The motorcyclist way of treating the lane as being three--the middle being "verboten" because of the oil drippage--works great around here in Nashville, where folks often refuse to acknowledge a bike as a vehicle [vs. a toy] I occupy the right side of the lane in the city here and have have much better interaction with traffic because of it. I also make sure to smile at folks and wink at the cute ladies... Sometimes I'll ride far far right when I know somebody really has to pass and the going's tight, but for the most part "occupying" the lane when I'm going withing 5-10mph of traffic calms people that feel this burning desire to pass otherwise--even if it's not going to really be in anybody's best interest--since they simply can't. The classic "pass" around here is the guy that MUST get past you because you are a cyclist (!), then slows down and cuts you off making a right turn. [slaps forehead and says duh...] I get a couple of these per day even with my "assertive" style. Oh well. |
#8
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Road or Sidewalk?
K-Man wrote:
My question is, should I be riding on the road when sidewalks are available? I prefer riding on the road, and the sidewalks, while not crammed with pedestrians, are never free of them either. What are ya'lls thoughts? Sidewalk riding is a no-no in virtually all situations. Here's John Forester's ("Effective Cycling" author's) recommendations: http://kba.tripod.com/ecbasic.htm -- terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://bike.terrymorse.com/ |
#9
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Road or Sidewalk?
My question is, should I be riding on the road when sidewalks ar
available? I prefer riding on the road, and the sidewalks, while no crammed with pedestrians, are never free of them either. What are ya'll thoughts? TIA Ke As cyclists we have every right to the road that motorized vehicles do Unfortunately, we sometimes have run ins with the occasional ignoran driver that disregards this fact. Most sidewalks are actually dangerou to us as cyclists. When a sidewalk crosses driveways and side roads, fo example, there is a far greater chance of the cyclist not being seen b motorists. There are instances such as crossing bridges and along som narrow highways that the sidewalk may be safer (and may be mandated b law). In these instances, especially when intersected by side roads i is safer to walk your bike than ride it on the sidewalk. There are als cities, towns, and states that strictly prohibit bicyclists fro sidewalks (often a fineable offense). So, in my humble opinion... sta on the road whenever possible http://www.capecodcyclist.8k.comwww....dcyclist.8k.co - |
#10
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Road or Sidewalk?
On Wed, 09 Jun 2004 15:27:42 GMT, maxo wrote:
Oh, and I hate to mention this, but over 25% of cyclists around here do it (!) so, make sure you're riding on the correct side of the road--with traffic. ;D Happy travels! Ya know, I intend to follow all the rules and regs and be a responsible rider, but mebbe b/c I'm new to road riding - I find myself violating the rules fairly frequently, all the while going 'wtf are you doing!'. I think it's a fear factor thing. We have a couple scary intersections with like five lanes leading into it, all going different directions. I try to wait for the light, but worry about having to de-toeclip, and stuff, so I end up seeing a 'prime time' opening and jetting through it. I hope it's a passing thing. Gotta practice that track standing more... Maybe it's the slight anoxia - leading to questionable judgement. Am I the only one who does this, almost involuntarily - spur of the moment? Yikes! -B |
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