Key Takeaways
- Are Bicycles Allowed On Sidewalks? Riding on the sidewalk can be more dangerous than riding on the road due to visibility issues and potential obstacles.
- There may be exceptions to the rule, but it’s important to remember that sidewalks are designed for walking speed.
- The League of American Bicyclists is working to create better bike education for safer cycling. So, Are Bicycles Allowed On Sidewalks?
The Risks of Sidewalk Cycling
When I am riding my bike on a busy road, I sometimes feel safer on the sidewalk. However, I have learned that riding on the sidewalk can actually be more dangerous than riding on the road. According to statistics, a lot of crashes happen when cyclists are using the sidewalk.
One of the main risks of sidewalk cycling is that motorists are not looking for people on the sidewalk. They are looking for a gap in traffic and may not see you, especially if you are coming from the wrong direction. Additionally, it is easy for drivers to misjudge the speed of someone on a bike compared to a pedestrian. When I am riding on the sidewalk, I also have to deal with pedestrians and street furniture, such as signs and newspaper boxes. These hazards can make me invisible to drivers.
While there may be times when I have to ride on the sidewalk, I always remember that it is designed for walking speed. I moderate my speed, watch for pedestrians, and yield to them at all times. I take extra care at every driveway or intersection and assume that drivers are not looking for me and have not seen me.
In conclusion, while sidewalk cycling may seem like a good option in certain situations, it is important to understand the risks involved and take extra precautions to ensure safety. The League of American Bicyclists is committed to creating better bike education for everyone.
Visibility Issues
When I ride my bike, I sometimes consider using the sidewalk instead of the road. However, I’ve learned that this can be dangerous. In fact, many accidents happen when bicyclists use the sidewalk. Motorists are not looking for people on the sidewalk, and they may not see me, especially if I’m coming from the wrong direction. Additionally, it’s easy for drivers to misjudge my speed compared to a pedestrian’s.
Riding on the sidewalk also means I have to deal with pedestrians, street furniture, signs, and newspaper boxes, which can all make me invisible to drivers. While there may be times when riding on the sidewalk is necessary, such as when crossing a busy road twice in a couple of blocks doesn’t make sense or when there’s a long stretch of wide sidewalk without any driveways or crossings on a fast busy roadway, I need to remember that a sidewalk is designed for walking speed.
To stay safe, I should moderate my speed, watch for pedestrians, yield to them at all times, and take extra care at every driveway or intersection. I should assume that drivers aren’t looking for me and haven’t seen me. By doing so, I can avoid accidents and stay safe while riding my bike.
Potential Obstacles
When bicycling on the sidewalk, there are several obstacles that can make it a dangerous option. Many crashes involving bicyclists occur on sidewalks, as motorists are not looking for people on the sidewalk when turning or pulling out of a driveway. Additionally, street furniture, signs, and newspaper boxes can make bicyclists invisible to drivers. Pedestrians can also be a hazard, and it’s easy to misjudge the speed of someone on a bike compared to a pedestrian.
While there may be times when riding on the sidewalk is necessary, such as crossing a busy road multiple times or on a long stretch of wide sidewalk without any driveways or crossings, it’s important to remember that sidewalks are designed for walking speed. Bicyclists should moderate their speed, watch for pedestrians, yield to them at all times, and take extra care at every driveway or intersection. It’s best to assume that drivers haven’t seen you and aren’t looking for you. By being cautious and aware of potential obstacles, bicyclists can help ensure their safety while riding on sidewalks.
Exceptions to the Rule
When it comes to riding on the sidewalk, there are some exceptions to the rule. For instance, if you need to cross a busy road twice within a few blocks, it may make sense to ride on the sidewalk. Additionally, if there is a long stretch of wide sidewalk without any driveways or crossings on a fast busy roadway, it may feel more comfortable to ride on the sidewalk. However, it’s important to remember that sidewalks are designed for walking speed, so it’s essential to moderate your speed, watch for pedestrians, and yield to them at all times. You should also take extra care at every driveway or intersection and assume that drivers aren’t looking for you and haven’t seen you.
Safety Guidelines for Sidewalk Cycling
When I ride on the sidewalk, I always remember that it’s not the safest option. A lot of crashes happen when bicyclists use the sidewalk because drivers are not looking for people on the sidewalk. They are looking for a gap in traffic and simply will not see me. Especially if I am coming from the wrong direction. It’s easy to misjudge the speed of a bicyclist compared to a pedestrian, so I always moderate my speed and watch for pedestrians.
While riding on the sidewalk, I have to deal with pedestrians, street furniture, signs, newspaper boxes, and the like. These are hazards that can make me invisible to drivers. That’s why I always assume that drivers aren’t looking for me and haven’t seen me.
However, there may be times when riding on the sidewalk is necessary. In those situations, I remember that the sidewalk is designed for walking speed. So I moderate my speed, watch for pedestrians, yield to them at all times, and take extra care at every driveway or intersection.
To sum up, when I ride on the sidewalk, I always remember to moderate my speed, watch for pedestrians, yield to them at all times, and take extra care at every driveway or intersection.
Conclusion- Are Bicycles Allowed On Sidewalks? The Role of The League of American Bicyclists
As a cyclist, I understand the temptation to use the sidewalk when the road seems too busy or dangerous. However, after reviewing the data, it’s clear that using the sidewalk can actually increase the risk of accidents. Motorists are not looking for cyclists on the sidewalk and may not see them until it’s too late. Additionally, pedestrians and street furniture can create hazards that make cyclists invisible to drivers.
Of course, there may be times when using the sidewalk is the best option. In those situations, it’s important to remember that sidewalks are designed for walking speed. Cyclists should moderate their speed, watch for pedestrians, and yield to them at all times. It’s also crucial to take extra care at every driveway or intersection, assuming that drivers haven’t seen you.
The League of American Bicyclists recognizes the importance of education in creating safer cycling habits for everyone. By providing better bike education, the League is helping to reduce the number of accidents and injuries on the road. As a cyclist, I appreciate the work that the League is doing and encourage others to support their efforts.
They Told Us Cyclists Don’t Actually Use Bike Lanes
I often hear people say that bike lanes are built but cyclists don’t use them, instead opting for the road or sidewalk. This got me thinking, if the road or sidewalk is more appealing than the bike lane, there must be something wrong with the bike lane. To investigate this, I decided to collect data on how commonly cyclists ignore bike lanes and why they do it.
In Toronto, I counted cyclists for a half hour on a Sunday evening on Bloor Street. Of the 51 cyclists that I recorded going east, 46 or 90 percent used the bike lane as expected. The other five rode in the street with cars, but one was turning left to get to a shop on the other side of the street, one temporarily used the road to pass slower cyclists in the bike lane, and three were purely biking down the middle of the road mainly for speed. From my experience riding around Toronto, the vast majority of cyclists use bike lanes, but some do use the road for speed, typically sport cyclists or delivery riders who have an obvious reason to go fast.
Bike Lanes in Toronto – Are Bicycles Allowed On Sidewalks?
I decided to conduct a little experiment to see how often cyclists in Toronto ignore bike lanes and why they do it. I started my experiment on Bloor Street, where I counted the number of cyclists for half an hour on a Sunday evening. Out of the 51 cyclists that I recorded going east, 46 or 90% used the bike lane as expected. The other five rode in the street with cars. One was turning left to get to a shop on the other side of the street, which is understandable. One temporarily used the road to pass slower cyclists in the bike lane, and three were purely biking down the middle of the road mainly for speed. One guy just leisurely biked down the middle of the road for no particular reason that I could tell.
From my observation, these bike lanes are used by the vast majority of cyclists. However, some do use the road for speed, whether temporarily to pass or they just fully use the road. Typically, it’s sport cyclists or delivery riders who have an obvious reason to go fast. Passing seems like fair game as long as you’re aware of cars around you because drivers won’t expect someone leaving the bike lane. I’m less enthusiastic about seeing cyclists fully using the road, but maybe I’m biased by the fact that I and most other cyclists find it unpleasant being that close to cars. If they’re actually matching the speed of cars though, maybe that is the right place for them.
I then teleported back to Ottawa to go on top of a parking garage to get a good vantage point of both directions of Laurier Street bike lanes downtown. Over a half hour on a Thursday late afternoon, I counted 54 cyclists, about the same as in Toronto, although this covered both directions instead of just one. 52 of them, 96%, used the bike lane. Of the two cyclists that didn’t, one was biking really fast down the middle of the street just like in Toronto, and the other was slowly biking on the sidewalk on his way to the bike lane on the other side of the street. It seemed fair enough, but I had to count it. The difference between Toronto and Ottawa here wasn’t that big. Toronto just had a few more people leave bike lanes behind in their need for speed. It might have been a fluke, but the higher bike traffic in Toronto could also be pushing faster cyclists to opt out of the bike lane.
In the east of Ottawa, on Oklahoma Road, what looks like the shoulder of this suburban arterial is, in fact, technically a bike lane, and it’s where I again counted cyclists in both directions for a half hour on a Friday late afternoon. No surprise, there were fewer cyclists than before, just 16 in total. I also saw less use of the bike lane at just 81%, but instead of riding on the road, our three rogue cyclists used the sidewalk. This is completely understandable, and I was actually surprised more didn’t use the sidewalk because I did for part of the way to get there. The sidewalk is bumpy and unpleasant, but the painted bike lane on the suburban arterial is downright awful.
In conclusion, from my experiment, I found that the claims of cyclists ignoring bike lanes are not entirely accurate. More than nine out of ten cyclists use the bike lane. To be fair, drivers probably notice the exceptions because they’re paying attention to their own lane and not to all the cyclists using the bike lane. But my numbers just don’t support the idea that there’s no point in building bike infrastructure, especially if it’s quality bike infrastructure. Ogilvy Road saw the lowest number of cyclists and the lowest percentage of cyclists using the bike lane because the experience of cycling with zero protection on a fast suburban arterial really, really sucks.
Bike Lanes in Ottawa
I decided to conduct a little experiment to see how commonly cyclists ignore bike lanes and why they do it. I started by heading to the top of a parking garage in Ottawa to get a good vantage point of both directions of Laurier Street bike lanes downtown.
Over a half hour on a Thursday late afternoon, I counted 54 cyclists, about the same as in Toronto, although this covered both directions instead of just one. 52 of them (96%) used the bike lane. Of the two cyclists that didn’t, one was biking really fast down the middle of the street just like in Toronto, and the other was slowly biking on the sidewalk on his way to the bike lane on the other side of the street. It seemed fair enough, but I had to count it.
The difference between Toronto and Ottawa here wasn’t that big. Toronto just had a few more people leave bike lanes behind in their need for speed. It might have been a fluke, but the higher bike traffic in Toronto could also be pushing faster cyclists to opt out of the bike lane. These Toronto lanes aren’t exactly narrow, but Montreal has some wider lanes that can handle more cyclists and more different speeds.
I also went to a more suburban environment in the east of Ottawa on Oklahoma Road, where what looks like the shoulder of this suburban arterial is in fact technically a bike lane. I counted cyclists in both directions for a half hour on a Friday late afternoon. No surprise, fewer cyclists than before, just 16 in total. I also saw less use of the bike lane at just 81%, but instead of riding on the road, our three rogue cyclists used the sidewalk. This is completely understandable, and I was actually surprised more didn’t use the sidewalk because I did for part of the way to get there. The sidewalk is bumpy and unpleasant, but the painted bike lane on the suburban arterial is downright awful.
In conclusion, based on my experiment, I didn’t find it to be all that common for cyclists to ignore bike lanes. More than nine out of ten used the bike lane. To be fair, drivers probably notice the exceptions because they’re paying attention to their own lane and not to all the cyclists using the bike lane. But my numbers just don’t support the idea that there’s no point in building bike infrastructure, especially if it’s quality bike infrastructure. Ogilvy Road saw the lowest number of cyclists and the lowest percentage of cyclists using the bike lane because, well, the experience of cycling with zero protection on a fast suburban arterial really, really sucks.
Suburban Bike Lanes in East Ottawa
I decided to investigate the common claim that cyclists don’t use bike lanes even when they are available. To collect data, I counted the number of cyclists using bike lanes in different environments in Toronto and Ottawa.
On a Friday late afternoon, I counted 16 cyclists in both directions on Oklahoma Road in East Ottawa. Only 81% of them used the bike lane, while three cyclists used the sidewalk instead. I found this understandable, as the bike lane was technically the shoulder of the suburban arterial and was bumpy and unpleasant to ride on.
Although the number of cyclists using the bike lane was lower than in other environments I investigated, I did not find it common for cyclists to ignore bike lanes. In fact, in Toronto and Ottawa, over 90% of cyclists used the bike lane when it was available.
However, I did notice that some cyclists used the road instead of the bike lane, particularly sport cyclists and delivery riders who needed to go fast. While passing on the road seems fair game as long as cyclists are aware of cars around them, I personally find it unpleasant to ride so close to cars.
Overall, my data suggests that building quality bike infrastructure is important to encourage cyclists to use bike lanes. Ogilvy Road in East Ottawa saw the lowest number of cyclists and the lowest percentage of cyclists using the bike lane, likely because the experience of cycling with zero protection on a fast suburban arterial is not enjoyable.
Rideau Canal Bike Lanes
I decided to conduct an experiment to collect data on how commonly cyclists ignore bike lanes and why they do it. My first stop was Toronto on Bloor Street where I counted cyclists for half an hour on a Sunday evening. Of the 51 cyclists that I recorded going east, 46 or 90 percent used the bike lane as expected. The other five rode in the street with cars, one was turning left to get to a shop on the other side of the street, one temporarily used the road to pass slower cyclists in the bike lane, and three were purely biking down the middle of the road mainly for speed.
In Ottawa, I went on top of a parking garage to get a good vantage point of both directions of Laurier Street bike lanes downtown. Over a half hour on a Thursday late afternoon, I counted 54 cyclists, and 52 of them or 96 percent used the bike lane. The two cyclists that didn’t, one was biking really fast down the middle of the street just like in Toronto, and the other was slowly biking on the sidewalk on his way to the bike lane on the other side of the street.
My quest to investigate these reports of rogue cyclists took me to a more suburban environment in the east of Ottawa and Oklahoma Road. What looks like the shoulder of this suburban arterial is, in fact, technically a bike lane, and it’s where I again counted cyclists in both directions for a half hour on a Friday late afternoon. No surprise, fewer cyclists than before, just 16 in total, and only 81 percent used the bike lane. Instead of riding on the road, three rogue cyclists use the sidewalk.
For my fourth and final stop, I headed to the Rideau Canal in central Ottawa, where I looked for the sports cyclists we often see using the parkway with cars instead of the multi-use pathways with other cyclists and pedestrians. I counted ten cyclists on the parkway over the course of a half hour on a Saturday late morning, but this compares to 123 cyclists on the multi-use pathway, which isn’t even counting this other adjacent pathway through a park that was too much of a hassle to count. That works out to 93 using the bike lane on the Rideau Canal, and multi-use pathways aren’t even actually bike lanes.
In conclusion, I found that the vast majority of cyclists used the bike lane, and it wasn’t as common as reported that they ignored bike lanes. The bike lanes were used by the vast majority of cyclists, and some do use the road for speed. Sport cyclists or delivery riders have an obvious reason to go fast, and passing seems like fair game as long as you’re aware of cars around you because drivers won’t expect someone leaving the bike lane. I also found that the experience of cycling with zero protection on a fast suburban arterial really sucks.
Read this also: Are bicycles considered vehicles?
Overall Analysis
I collected data on how commonly cyclists ignore bike lanes and why they do it. My experiment started in Toronto on Bloor Street where I counted cyclists for a half hour on a Sunday evening. Of the 51 cyclists that I recorded going east, 46 or 90 percent use the bike lane as expected. The other five rode in the street with cars, one was turning left to get to a shop on the other side of the street, one temporarily used the road to pass slower cyclists in the bike lane, and three were purely biking down the middle of the road mainly for speed, but one guy just leisurely biked down the middle of the road for no particular reason that I could tell.
In riding around Toronto, I found that these bike lanes are used by the vast majority of cyclists. However, some do use the road for speed, whether temporarily to pass or they just fully use the road. Typically, it’s sport cyclists or delivery riders who have an obvious reason to go fast. Passing seems like fair game as long as you’re aware of cars around you because drivers won’t expect someone leaving the bike lane. I am less enthusiastic about seeing cyclists fully using the road, but maybe I’m biased by the fact that I and most other cyclists find it unpleasant being that close to cars. If they’re actually matching the speed of cars though, maybe that is the right place for them.
I teleported back to Ottawa to go on top of a parking garage to get a good vantage point of both directions of Laurier Street bike lanes downtown. Over a half hour on a Thursday late afternoon, I counted 54 cyclists, about the same as in Toronto, although this covered both directions instead of just one. 52 of them, 96 percent, used the bike lane. Of the two cyclists that didn’t, one was biking really fast down the middle of the street just like in Toronto, and the other was slowly biking on the sidewalk on his way to the bike lane on the other side of the street. It seemed fair enough, but I had to count it. The difference between Toronto and Ottawa here wasn’t that big. Toronto just had a few more people leave bike lanes behind in their need for speed.
I investigated these reports of rogue cyclists in a more suburban environment in the east of Ottawa on Oklahoma Road. What looks like the shoulder of this suburban arterial is, in fact, technically a bike lane, and it’s where I again counted cyclists in both directions for a half hour on a Friday late afternoon. No surprise, there were fewer cyclists than before, just 16 in total. I also saw less use of the bike lane at just 81%, but instead of riding on the road, three rogue cyclists used the sidewalk. This is completely understandable, and I was actually surprised more didn’t use the sidewalk because I did for part of the way to get there. The sidewalk is bumpy and unpleasant, but the painted bike lane on the suburban arterial is downright awful.
For my final stop, I headed to the Rideau Canal in central Ottawa where I looked for the sports cyclists we often see using the parkway with cars instead of the multi-use pathways with other cyclists and pedestrians. I counted 10 cyclists on the parkway over the course of a half hour on a Saturday late morning, but this compares to 123 cyclists on the multi-use pathway, which isn’t even counting this other adjacent pathway through a park that was too much of a hassle to count. That works out to 93% using the bike lane on the Rideau Canal, and multi-use pathways aren’t even actually bike lanes. They’re shared pathways often filled with pedestrians.
I tried to dig deeper into the claims we’ve heard of cyclists just ignoring bike lanes. I looked at four different environments in two cities and just didn’t find it to be all that common. More than nine and ten used the bike lane. To be fair, drivers probably notice the exceptions because they’re paying attention to their own lane and not to all the cyclists using the bike lane, but my numbers just don’t support the idea that there’s no point in building bike infrastructure, especially if it’s quality bike infrastructure. Ogilvy Road saw the lowest number of cyclists and the lowest percentage of cyclists using the bike lane because, well, the experience of cycling with zero protection on a fast suburban arterial really, really sucks.
Conclusion
After conducting our experiment in Toronto and Ottawa, we found that the majority of cyclists do use bike lanes. In fact, in both cities, over 90% of the cyclists we observed used the bike lane. The small percentage of cyclists who did not use the bike lane were mainly sport cyclists or delivery riders who needed to go faster than the bike lane allowed.
While we did observe some cyclists using the road instead of the bike lane, we do not believe this is a widespread problem. Passing slow cyclists in the bike lane or temporarily using the road to do so seems fair game as long as the cyclist is aware of the cars around them. However, we are less enthusiastic about seeing cyclists fully using the road, as it can be dangerous and unpleasant for both the cyclist and drivers.
Overall, our experiment suggests that building quality bike infrastructure, such as protected bike lanes, can encourage more cyclists to use the bike lane and reduce the number of cyclists using the road or sidewalk. However, the design and quality of the bike lane must be taken into consideration, as seen in our observation on Ogilvy Road in Ottawa where the experience of cycling on a fast suburban arterial with zero protection is unpleasant.
In conclusion, our data does not support the claim that cyclists ignore bike lanes. Instead, it suggests that building quality bike infrastructure can encourage more cyclists to use the bike lane and promote safer and more sustainable transportation options.
Don’t hesitate to follow our microsoft’s profile here: https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Profile/rijaniahm
