Riding bicycle on sidewalks

[Paul]

come bicycle with me little people in my beloved village....i have two chopper bicycles....

Is Darby O'Gill beloved to you?

 

[Marc]

I'd like to add that I farking hate Critical Mass.

 

[riverc0il]

okay, I'm probably going to get bombed here from the biking crew.

To me, this is not 'sharing' the road. I'm of the opinion that if a bicylcist is holding up traffic, they should pull over. Mind you, I also feel the same way about cars.

Around me in rural NH, I run into bicyclist on 'back' roads taking up the whole lane in 45 mph zones and often riding side by side in pairs.

I do not feel that cars should be required to slow down to bike speeds in the spirit of 'sharing'.

You won't get bombed by me. Just before I got home and jumped on my bike and hit the road, I was swearing bloody murder at two roadies going double down the road. Roadies not keeping up with traffic should hug as close to the shoulder as safe to do so and let traffic pass. But, sometimes for everyone's sake, roadies do need to assert their space in difficult places, especially when they are keeping pace with traffic. Technically, a road biker has to follow the same rules of the road as a car, so if keeping pace, there is nothing wrong with getting into the lane.

That said, to the OP's topic, if a roadie needs to get up on the sidewalk, I think they had poor route selection. Time to get off the bike and walk or turn around and find another route. Even when I biked in MA in cities (Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, etc.), I knew what places were "safe" biking roads and which roads to avoid. I never went up on the sidewalk. Definitely not safe for walkers to have a biker riding up there.

As to mirrors, I could seeing using them if I was a city commuter. But just checking your 6 is a quick look when nothing is in front of you... that really is not dangerous and does not need to be done often unless you are in a high traffic area and playing dodgems with obstructions and pot holes.

 

[Paul]

i'd like to add that i farking hate critical mass.

this

 

[bvibert]

I'd like to add that I farking hate Critical Mass.

Oh come on they seem like such a sensible group...

 

[abc]

okay, I'm probably going to get bombed here from the biking crew.

To me, this is not 'sharing' the road. I'm of the opinion that if a bicylcist is holding up traffic, they should pull over. Mind you, I also feel the same way about cars.

Around me in rural NH, I run into bicyclist on 'back' roads taking up the whole lane in 45 mph zones and often riding side by side in pairs.

That's right, the same applies to a tractor or horse trailer on the road. Or leaf-peepers in the fall driving 15mph on a 45 zone.

So what do you expect a horse trailer to do? Pull over as soon as they see you coming up from behind? They'll be pulling over every 3 min. and won't get very far in an hour! What will YOU do if you were the one driving the horse trailer?

I do not feel that cars should be required to slow down to bike speeds in the spirit of 'sharing'

Cars are not "required" to slow down to bike speeds. They're allow to pass at a spot that's safe!

But if there's no safe spot to pass, yes, slow down and drive 5mph behind a student driver, a tractor, a mop, or a cyclist!:smash:

 

[riverc0il]

Equating farm equipment to bikes is not a good comparison. Farm equipment by its very nature has to take up a full lane and then some whereas bikes can generally hug the shoulder. It should be a lot easier to pass a bike than a tractor, by default.

Yes, cars should slow down a bit and pass when it is safe to do so but passing a cyclist should be a LOT easier than passing a tractor in which a driver needs to pass in the on coming traffic lane! As a cyclist myself, I am extremely diligent to never be "that roadie" who impedes traffic in any way not absolutely required for safety. If cyclists are constantly making cars slow down and drive 5 MPH, they need to either hug the shoulder more, not cycle two abreast, or pick a different route if it is constantly happening.

 

[marcski]

If cyclists are constantly making cars slow down and drive 5 MPH, they need to either hug the shoulder more, not cycle two abreast, or pick a different route if it is constantly happening.

Or ride more so they can ride faster than 5 mph.

I basically agree....I only "take the lane" when I'm at or over the posted speed limit (ie. when I'm on downhills that have curves) and/or when I have to for safety purposes due to road conditions.