08-16-2018, 04:01 PM
(08-16-2018, 12:52 PM)Viewfromthe42 Wrote: The building definitely makes for a safer experience than the North side. As for crosswalks, I always wonder a bit about the legality around riding in them. If I was vehicular cycling, and staying as far to the right as is comfortable, I would be legally riding right next to a lot of crosswalks. When I ride through crosswalks, I always leave the sidewalk and immediately go to the intersection side, not between the painted lines, and ride that way (e.g. following the MUP that leads to the Spur line's Weber entrance).
From a legal standpoint, it's illegal to be riding a bike inside a crosswalk (you can travel across/perpendicular to it like any other vehicle). It's also illegal to be on a bike on a non-MUT sidewalk.
The reason for both (as I understand it) is that it is very unsafe to come off a sidewalk at typical cycling speeds.
On a personal note, there's several sidewalks (especially around the Homer Watson/Ottawa roundabout, some of which are technically MUTs but none of them are labelled) that I cycle on. I try to mitigate the risk by moving at close to walking speeds. I'll dismount in scenarios where the cities or region have posted those "fine for riding on the crosswalk" signs, but more so that drivers have one less excuse to yell things at me.