Dealing with adult sidewalk riders: What is to be done?

There have already a couple of interesting discussions on this topic here. But one obvious question remains: What can we do about the problem of sidewalk riders?

Some have already suggested informal, individual ways of dealing with the problem, e.g. calling them out, not moving out of their way, telling them its illegal, etc. I myself employ most of these on a regular basis, but individual solutions aren't cutting it.

This is a serious problem. For starters, it's dangerous for pedestrians (and for the bikers too, incidentally). It's also frustrating for other bikers, who frequently have no idea what a sidewalk rider will do next (e.g. will they swerve out onto the street, then back to the side walk... will they cut in front of you when you have a green light accross the crosswalk? who knows...).

The problem is largely one of education, I think. Of course, there will always be that jerk that rides on the sidewalk anyway and yells "exSCUZE ME!" when you're trying to walk. But I think that 3/4 of sidewalk riders just don't know that its illegal, unsafe, and not the way to ride a bike in the city.

Any ideas about how to address this problem? Obviously this city has far larger fish to fry (e.g. fighting the punishing service cuts to CTA, school closings, layoffs of teachers and bus-drivers, TIFs, the deportation of fellow Chicagoans, etc., etc.). But this is still a problem that needs solving.

Any ideas?

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Permalink Reply by dan brown on August 3, 2010 at 7:08am
what he said.
well stated iggi !
dan

iggi said:
whereas i dont subscribe to riding a sidewalk...this make sense.

so, lets revisit...

a stretch like North ave between ashland and kingsbury...hardly any pedestrians...a bit of an industrial corridor with few retailers. Stanleys attracts a few folks, Exit late at night, and the occasional guy walkin thru. that kind of scenario, really seems to be acceptable to ride on sidewalk. ( i do it every time...esp on the brige going east. and ESP going under the expressway)

but try the same on the other extreme...a sidewalk on N Michigan ave. NOPE. dont do it.

Moral of the story...USE COMMON SENSE

Barbra Mann said:
So you are telling me that from Kingsbury to Ashland on North Avenue I SHOULDN'T ride on the sidewalk with 15-20 lbs of groceries on my bike? Ummm, not gonna listen to you. Pedestrians can just deal with my polite announcements of my presence and move over a bit as I slowly and carefully pass them. Most pedestrians don't mind one bit and return my smile and appreciate my 'thank-you".
Permalink Reply by Will on August 3, 2010 at 7:41am
Dan Korn said:
Find me one instance of a pedestrian killed by a cyclist on a sidewalk in the last ten years and I'll eat my handlebars.

Want them grilled or pan fried?

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/theblotter/2011667870_pedestr...
http://www.transalt.org/newsroom/releases/1777
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/678257

Not common obviously, but it does happen occasionally.
Permalink Reply by Moc Artsy on August 3, 2010 at 12:03pm
Sheesh, again? Ok, here we go:
http://bicycling.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_bike_commute_safely:
Riding a bike on a sidewalk creates a danger to pedestrians and the bike commuter. Pedestrians can unknowingly step into a cyclist's path from business and residential doors and intersecting walkways -- and from many other blind spots.

One of the most dangerous places for the cyclist who rides on the sidewalk: the crosswalk.

Vehicles passing through an intersection or making a right turn around the corner where a sidewalk-cyclist intends to ride are not expecting to encounter a relatively high-speed "pedestrian" cruising across their lane. Drivers are not anticipating a bike commuter to shoot off of a curb, using the crosswalk.

Riding in the street, courteously to the side of the lane that flows with traffic - that is the right side in the U.S. and some other countries, and left side in other countries, such as Great Britain - while maintaining a safe distance from the curb and any debris in the gutter - such as broken glass that can puncture a bike's tire - is the only proper way to make sure all auto drivers have the chance to see you.

http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/health/risks.htm:
People wonder how riding bikes on sidewalks can be dangerous. First, there is a greater chance of minor collisions with cyclists and pedestrians due to poorer visibility and restricted room and also a greater chance of falling down. However, the likelihood of a collision with a motor vehicle also increases. These accidents occur at intersections and driveways, the former more deadly. Unwilling to dismount and often unwilling to wait for the light, the bike rider starts across the intersection parallel to the main road, completely hidden from a turning motorist until the last second, when it's often too late for the motorist to stop. A study of these risks was made in 1994 and showed that sidewalk cycling is almost twice as dangerous as cycling in the street, and cycling against the traffic on the sidewalk is over four times as dangerous as cycling in the street. For a good discussion, see The Dilemmas of Bicycle Planning.

http://bicyclesafe.com/
You're riding on the sidewalk and cross the street at a crosswalk, and a car makes a right turn, right into you. Drivers aren't expecting bikes in the crosswalk, and it's hard for them to see you because of the nature of turning from one street to another, so it's very easy for you to get hit this way. In fact, this collision is so common we've lost track of the number of people who've told us they were hit this way, such as Ray John Ray. One study showed that sidewalk-riding was twice as dangerous as road riding, and another study said it's even more dangerous than that.

How to avoid this collision:

1. Get a headlight. If you're riding at night, you should absolutely use a front headlight. It's required by law, anyway.

2. Slow down. Slow down enough that you're able to completely stop if necessary.

3. Don't ride on the sidewalk in the first place. Crossing between sidewalks is a fairly dangerous maneuver. If you do it on the left-hand side of the street, you risk getting slammed as per the diagram. If you do it on the right-hand side of the street, you risk getting slammed by a car behind you that's turning right. Sidewalk riding also makes you vulnerable to cars pulling out of parking lots or driveways. And you're threatening to pedestrians on the sidewalk, who could get hurt if you hit them. These kinds of accidents are hard to avoid, which is a compelling reason to not ride on the sidewalk in the first place. In addition, riding on the sidewalk is illegal in some places.

See this last site in particular for other interesting ways to be killed.

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