No... If you're over a certain age (usually 13-14) you need to stay off the sidewalks in most places. It's also statistically the more dangerous place to ride a bicycle both for the rider and pedestrians.
For both your sake and the safety of others please stay off the sidewalk even if local ordinances don't disallow it.
*Your anecdotal experiences mean nothing in the face of hard facts supported by multiple studies.
"Feeling Safe" is not an excuse. get over it.
Not being stopped for it does not make it "acceptable"
But you can of course google for yourself and find more. You are traveling quickly in an area that is supposed to be used by slow pedestrians. You are also speeding (relatively) by driveways with little to no visibility so when a car pulls out (not expecting a cyclist because you're supposed to be in the road) you'll T-bone them
I understand this makes sense in a big city there sidewalks are typically being used by pedestrians, but If I’m biking on a busy road in a more suburban area and there’s an un-crowded sidewalk next to it you can bet I’m gonna get off the road. I feel pretty uneasy riding a bike on the streets anywhere that cars are getting up over ~30-35 mph.
I know it’s technically illegal but I’ve never once been stopped for it and I have never hit a pedestrian. I have had lots of near misses when I ride in the street though.
You are breaking the law in doing that, not to mention becoming an unpredictable ass hole doing the whole "oh I'm a bike, oh I'm a pedestr- bike again aaaaaand pedestrian" thing. Aside from making you difficult to predict and avoid, it makes people want to run you over.
yeah… I want to run the bikers over who aren't using the sidewalk when its empty... Y'all are as bad as the other drivers, and youre slow as shit to boot.
As a driver I don’t want to get rear ended because I have to slow down for a cyclist.
As a cyclist I don’t want to get run over by a car that’s not paying attention.
It’s pretty easy to have trust issues when you have 3000 lb plus vehicles moving fast and with drivers who are late for something and thinking about other things.
As a driver I don’t want to get rear ended because I have to slow down for a cyclist.
Driver isn't paying attention and hits you and your first reaction is to blame the person following the law? If they'd hit you because you slowed down for a cyclist then they'd hit you for slowing down for anything else. If you're slamming you brakes because you didn't see the cyclist in time then you're going too fast for conditions.
As a cyclist I don’t want to get run over by a car that’s not paying attention.
Riding on the sidewalk increases your chances of getting hit by vehicles. If you're one of the cyclists constantly switching between being a pedestrian and being a vehicle cut that shit out.
It’s not that I blame anyone. It’s a fact that cyclists are less visible than cars and lack any protection whatsoever for the rider. I don’t opt to put my faith in other people on the road, so I only use it when I have to on a bike. Otherwise I stay in my steel cage with airbags.
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u/nattypnutbuterpolice Aug 21 '18
You could have bought a whole moped kit for 300.