Sidewalk Bicycling

Cyclists often think that riding on the sidewalk is safer than the riding in the street, but the truth is just the opposite. Sidewalks are made for pedestrians, not bicycles, and neither pedestrians nor cars expect bikes on the sidewalk.

Riding on the sidewalk can be dangerous for two important reasons. First, cars do not expect bicycles at pedestrian crosswalks. A fast-moving bike on the sidewalk is hard to see for cars as they approach, but riding in the street puts you where other travelers are looking for, and prepared to yield to, traffic with the right-of-way.

Secondly, pedestrians are not prepared for bicyclists on the sidewalk. Bikes move much faster than pedestrians and are less maneuverable. Pedestrians often make unpredictable turns and stops, and a collision with a pedestrian would hurt both them and you.

Pedestrians always have the right of way, so give them the sidewalk and use the streets wisely.

(Information from Bicycling Street Smarts, copyright 1988, 2001, Rodale Inc.)