VENT: Bikes on sidewalks

[KnottedYet]

I see kids and unsure adult riders (going slowly) on the sidewalks in my neighborhood. If it's someone who is definitely slow or uncomfortable/unable to ride in the bike lane, I WANT them to be on the sidewalk.

But the dude who ran you over is certainly not someone who should be on the sidewalk! He needs to move onto the street!

[Kitsune06]

I should really read up on the rules and technicalities... There's only ONE stretch where I do, and it's a 5-lane road with NO bike lanes. I rode on the street ONCE and was so completely unnerved I was a nervous wreck for an hour afterward.

[Deanna]

Where I'm at, it's legal to ride on sidewalk if there is no bikelane and not in the core downtown business district. HOWEVER, you must slow down to walking speed when near pedestrians and driveway cutouts.

It's much more dangerous for the rider to be on the sidewalk then the street--cars aren't expecting them there and they are more likely to get hit by people backing out of driveways, and even if they swerve to avoid them, they may do so and end up in the road in front of another car.

[light_sabe_r]

In Queensland it's LEGAL to ride on the footpath PROVIDED there's a not a NO CYCLING logo or sign there. You must give way to pedestrians.

If there is a speed limit (like on the goodwill bridge) the cops can issue you with a speeding ticket if you are going faster.

Also if it is a designated bike path, pedestrians can be asked to move on by the force...


It really gets my goat that some peds take up the whole footpath. Like an old lady said to me last week as I was on the footpath (the cars don't share the road at 80kph) "There is a road"

I stopped my bike, smiled and said back.
"Yes and this is a footpath, and according to the transport Department I belong here too. so you'll just have to share"

[Leonne]

I had the opposite thing happen to me this last week. I was riding 20 in the bike lane and a woman decided to jay walk across the 4 lane busy road, looked both ways and then stepped into the bike lane in front of me and the decided to pause again to check for cars, but completley ignored me when I yelled "hello" and "watch out" and had to slam my breaks to slow down for her to cross in front of me. It was really dangerous and then it took me 5 minutes to get unticked that she didn't at least make some sign of being sorry or surprised she had almost gotten hit. She completley ignored me. arg.