07-11-2015, 10:31 AM
I'm a big proponent of decriminalizing sidewalk cycling.
There are just so many windswept streets with nearly unused sidewalks out there, it's ridiculous to ask bikes to use the road when a de facto cycle path exists. There needs to be a proper hierarchy of use defined as well. On the sidewalk, bicycles are the guests, and must yield to pedestrians at all times. I wouldn't be opposed to a sidewalk speed limit either, as a big conflict point is driveways. Bikes need to approach them with extreme caution, as it can be very unexpected for a driver.
You repeatedly paint all sidewalk cycling as this fast, no-holds-barred, doesn't-stop-for-anyone stereotype. I know that this is not how I sidewalk-cycle. Painting everyone with this wide brush loses the nuance and believability of your argument. Further, if you insist on criminalizing people for having some sense of self-preservation, then why are you surprised that they are not courteous?
Ultimately, I see the reason why bikes are banned from the sidewalk as an enforceability thing. You can take a glance at a bike and know whether it's breaking the law or not. If a more sane set of rules were introduced, allowing bikes, with appropriate right-of-way, and perhaps maximum speeds in this shared space, then police would probably object at it being nearly unenforceable-- that is to say that it would require judgement and not a black-and-white application or rules.
There are just so many windswept streets with nearly unused sidewalks out there, it's ridiculous to ask bikes to use the road when a de facto cycle path exists. There needs to be a proper hierarchy of use defined as well. On the sidewalk, bicycles are the guests, and must yield to pedestrians at all times. I wouldn't be opposed to a sidewalk speed limit either, as a big conflict point is driveways. Bikes need to approach them with extreme caution, as it can be very unexpected for a driver.
(07-11-2015, 03:00 AM)Elmira Guy Wrote: You can state all you want how bikes should be permitted on sidewalks, but again I say, why should pedestrians be made to step off sidewalks so that cyclists can ride down them? If so, then surely pedestrians have the least ROW of all. Why should I have to leave the sidewalk simply because one (or more) cyclists decide that they would rather use the sidewalk than the road to ride at speed?
You repeatedly paint all sidewalk cycling as this fast, no-holds-barred, doesn't-stop-for-anyone stereotype. I know that this is not how I sidewalk-cycle. Painting everyone with this wide brush loses the nuance and believability of your argument. Further, if you insist on criminalizing people for having some sense of self-preservation, then why are you surprised that they are not courteous?
Ultimately, I see the reason why bikes are banned from the sidewalk as an enforceability thing. You can take a glance at a bike and know whether it's breaking the law or not. If a more sane set of rules were introduced, allowing bikes, with appropriate right-of-way, and perhaps maximum speeds in this shared space, then police would probably object at it being nearly unenforceable-- that is to say that it would require judgement and not a black-and-white application or rules.