The Chainlink

Sidewalk Riders

So I tend to be a bit of a jerk when I see bikers on the sidewalk riding at anything more than a walking gate. I get it there are times when you first leave a place where you may find that you have to cruise for a little but should get on the road sooner rather than later. 

Do any of you chastise other riders you run into on the Sidewalks? 

Me I politely suggest that they should be on the road and am amazed by the a-hole responses I get.

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Permalink Reply by Craig S. on July 8, 2010 at 10:04am
Nope, I rarely say anything as quite honestly, it ain't any of my business.

However, recently, riding west on Grace north of Trader Joe's, a dad was riding on the sidewalk with his kid on a tag-a-long. I was going to turn north on Lincoln behind the car I was following but this guy rode off the sidewalk without stopping causing the southbound car, the car in front of me and myself to stop suddenly short. I and a driver yelled at him and the fucker stopped his bike in the street, with the kid on the tag-a-long and proceeded to bitch us all out, tying up traffic in all directions. Fine example set for his child.

I swear, things ya see in the Big City.
Permalink Reply by Davo on July 8, 2010 at 10:06am
I feel like I should but it seems like it would be wasted breath.

As far as the a-hole responces you get, that should almost be expected because mostly a-holes ride on the sidewalk when they shouldn't be.

On that note, I have a friend that got ticketed for coasting on his bike up to a bike rack near 2nd city. Now that was some BS. Especially when the officer could have ticketed the multitude of motorists on their phones while driving in that area.
Permalink Reply by BalloonBiker on July 8, 2010 at 10:17am
I just don't move out of the way. I walk in the middle of the sidewalk and force them to either slow to my gait or squeeze around.
Permalink Reply by Tim S on July 8, 2010 at 10:51am
Maybe it is not my business but as a rider, walker, and driver I try to be cognizant to what I am up too when doing any of the 3. Don't get me wrong, there are ROR I neglect to follow at times but riding on the Sidewalk is one that really bothers me.

Our city for all it's warts has provided us with some nice amenities that riders should embrace. It is amazing to me how many folks do not know that it is a finable offense, I had a young lady tell me tell me it was I who was in the wrong riding on the street.
Permalink Reply by Rhea Butcher on July 8, 2010 at 1:18pm
Me too. I do out my front door but never at more than a walking speed.

DEADhex said:
I hate it, yet if I am going across a metal bridge in the rain I will hop up on the walk, if its crowded I just walk my bike.
Permalink Reply by Rhea Butcher on July 8, 2010 at 1:20pm
I got yelled at over there too! I think it depends on what kind of biker you LOOK like, because I see cute chicks going pretty fast in the most congested sidewalks and they don't get so much as a second look.

Davo said:
I feel like I should but it seems like it would be wasted breath.

As far as the a-hole responces you get, that should almost be expected because mostly a-holes ride on the sidewalk when they shouldn't be.

On that note, I have a friend that got ticketed for coasting on his bike up to a bike rack near 2nd city. Now that was some BS. Especially when the officer could have ticketed the multitude of motorists on their phones while driving in that area.
Permalink Reply by heather s on July 8, 2010 at 2:34pm
We share the street with motorists, despite a good number of them being annoying or dangerous or not paying attention to their surroundings. It's not a direct analogy, since sidewalk cycling is illegal. But some perspective is helpful... cyclists are not pleasant to share the sidewalk with, but they likely won't kill you.

I have sympathy for sidewalk riders. I feel like... they're our people! They're so close! They're just in need of a little education and support. I can understand feeling fearful of sharing the road with car traffic.

But -- and I know it's unfair that all cyclists are frequently judged based on the actions of a few -- I cringe when I see adults riding recklessly and unnecessarily on the sidewalk, because I worry that they make us all look like jerks.
Permalink Reply by Tyler G on July 8, 2010 at 3:25pm
I used to not say anything to sidewalk riders, but I've been buzzed too many times and have lost my patience with them. If they are an adult, I tell them to ride in the street. I can understand kids riding on the sidewalk, as they are still learning.

What upsets me more are the people who ride the wrong way in a bike lane or on the bike path. Man that can be dangerous.
Permalink Reply by Moc Artsy on July 8, 2010 at 3:48pm
I have noted that at least 95% of all sidewalk riders (and a higher percentage of sidewalk salmon) are either riding department store mountain bikes (Huffy, Magna, Next) or older ten-speeds with inverted drop bars (affectionately called "bum bars.") Is it perhaps something in the nature of these bikes that the rest of us just don't understand?
Permalink Reply by Ryan L on July 8, 2010 at 4:06pm
I saw a guy riding on the sidewalk the other day with his dog. The dog was running and pulling the rider along the sidewalk, they were going pretty fast. I thought it was a pretty stupid thing to do.

A few weeks ago I was riding south on Clybourn when the light turned red at Willow (one of those strange intersections where people always seem to have issues making desicions) so I slowed down to a crawl at the light. I needed to make a right onto Willow and there was this giant white windowless child-molester van blocking my view to the left so as I came around the van I noticed there were no cars; however, there was this old yuppie on one of those target mountain bikes riding towards me in the pedestrian walking lane. He wasn't to close to me so once I realized the coast was clear I made a right turn signal with my hand and turned right.

As I turned, the guy on the bike, who was not waring a helmet, decided to yell something at me like "hey asshole red lights are for bikes too", right before he rode up onto the sidewalk and hauled ass north. I was going so slow that if he had cut in front of me I would have been just fine so I'm not sure why he was yelling (I think he was drunk). So as I ride down Willow I decide to cut through the parking lot at Goose Island and catch up to this asshole. He was going too fast for me to cut him off so I just yelled out some thing like "Only asshole child molesters ride on the sidewalk" and went about my day of getting drunk at my final destination, Goose Island.

Since this guy was in the pedestrian lane and then rode onto the curb, I have no doubt he had been on the curb the whole time from wherever he came.

I have another story that is way better but I need to start a new thread for that one :)
Permalink Reply by Martin Hazard on July 8, 2010 at 7:56pm
A friend of mine who is now a cyclist, used to ask me, before he rode, why I didn't ride on the sidewalk. I tried explaining it a number of ways. The one explanition that finally worked was this. Imagine riding at 20 mph. Now imagine doing it on the sidewalk. He never asked again.
Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on July 8, 2010 at 8:21pm
Until our streets are safe to ride bikes in I don't see how you can judge those who choose to ride on sidewalks deferentially.

If you guys see cycling in streets with cars as a safe activity, more power to you-- hold onto that as long as you can.

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