Bridges

[surgtech1956]

Do you ride over bridges - on the sidewalk? I want to ride over this one bridge, its 4 lanes(2 in each direction), about 1/8th of a mile in length, there isn't a bike lane, so I'd have to ride on the sidewalk going over the bridge. Whats the correct way to cross a bridge, walk the bike or ride on the sidewalk? I really don't like the idea of walking over, especially with my cycling shoes. Its not safe to ride in the road.

[nscrbug]

I often cross a few bridges on rides, but most of them are concrete bridges. I ride on them, just like on the road. Heck if I'm gonna get off my bike and walk it in my cycling shoes...one of them is like a 1/2 mile long, and the sidewalk is only on one side.

[OakLeaf]

If you're on the sidewalk, walk your bike.

If there are no pedestrians in sight, I might cheat, but the minute you see a pedestrian, dismount and walk.

I'm lucky that there are no bridges in my area that aren't safe to ride (even though I often see cyclists on the sidewalks ), but I'm aware that there definitely is such a thing. If you're in doubt, you might talk to some other cyclists.

[KnottedYet]

If you're on the sidewalk, walk your bike.

If there are no pedestrians in sight, I might cheat, but the minute you see a pedestrian, dismount and walk.

Ditto.

We've got a lot of draw-bridges here, with open metal grid in the "road" and cement filler in the sidewalk. I do not ride my bike on the metal grid, and I generally walk my bike in the sidewalk as there are almost always pedestrians on the sidewalk.

Nobody needs to be pushed off the bridge and into the water... When I see bikes weaving through the peds I want to scream at the cyclists. Very very very dangerous. For everyone.

Surg - IIRC you've got recessed cleats in mtb shoes. It won't hurt anything if you walk over that bridge. You'll hear crunching noises, but your cleats will be fine.

[Velocivixen]

It depends on the law where you are. Is it legal for a bike to ride on the sidewalk? It is here, but bikes have to go "walking speed" close to pedestrians and provide an audible warning when passing. The problem is that sometimes pedestrians don't hear or don't move - nobody questions what the responsibilities of the pedestrians are.

[PscyclePath]

It depends... Most of the bridges around here don't have sidewalks as such, and they certainly don't have bike lanes, so I ride the traffic lane. It's a lot easier that way. The Highway 49 bridge over the Mississippi River can get a little scary at times, but so far I've survived the crossings ;-)