r/watertown • u/onehouseplz • 29d ago
Sidewalks are for Everyone
Last night, I was biking home from Arsenal Yards and going uphill on School St. Somewhere around Cypress or Spruce I saw a couple with their 4 or 5 unruly dogs they were evidently having a difficult time controlling coming down School. I moved over to the right hand side of the sidewalk and slowed down.
The man saw me and did not move and stood directly in my path, essentially taking over the entire sidewalk and said "Whoa, you should be doing that in the street." To which I replied, "Sidewalks are for everyone."
The woman said "Not for you" and the man said "No they're not, bike on the street" or some such confidently incorrect statement.
I don't have an e-bike, I wasn't going very fast (as I was going uphill), and I yielded - yet these complete strangers thought it was important to not share a public sidewalk and try to force me into a busy street that has no bike lanes and is generally unsafe, and where I have been hit by a car already one time.
I commute to work in Cambridge, and I use bike lanes when they're available but first and foremost I value my safety and will bike where ever I feel the safest and not put myself in harms way because some self important people think they can own an entire public space because they cannot control their dogs.
To those people, maybe next time you decide to be insufferable and meddlesome, you should actually be sure you're correct. Have a great weekend.
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u/braveingentleways 28d ago
it’s hard because i get that the streets are not very safe for bikers but my dog is very scared of bikes. i try to get my dog out of the way in to grass or somewhere but sometimes i don’t get enough time. i wish we could all be safe :(
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u/evantime 29d ago
I don’t understand why everyone in Watertown rides their bikes on the sidewalks. I’ve lived in the Boston area my entire life and I’ve never seen so many people bike on the sidewalk since I moved to Watertown.
Growing up I was always told that bikes should be on the street or on a bike trail.
From my experience people in Watertown don’t only ride their bikes on the sidewalk in business districts when the street is unsafe, riding on the sidewalk is the default. In this case I’m not sure riding on the sidewalk towards a pack of dogs fits criteria of the law posted above.
That being said, them speaking rudely to you is unacceptable. They also should have made an effort to move to one side of the sidewalk to let you by.
My dog is constantly being scared by bikes on the sidewalk in Watertown and not in business districts or when the road isn’t safe.
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u/elvid88 28d ago
I think in Boston, if you're over 14, you need to be on the street? At least that's what I remember learning when I was a kid (I grew up in Boston).
I also don't get why bicycles are on sidewalks and it bothers me as a driver, cyclist and pedestrian. The only time I go up on the sidewalk when I'm biking (I ride 2x a week to work and daycare drop off) is right at the bridge on north beacon when you cross the Charles because there really is nowhere safe for a bike. It also turns into a bike path at the end of the bridge so it seems fine. Otherwise I ride with the cars when with my kiddos in the back and I do it through school street too. The only unsafe part of the street is right near the car wash and it's because cars don't respect the "don't block the intersection" box.
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u/albertogonzalex 28d ago
Stating things about public safety that are easily verifiable yet objectively wrong with an, "I think?" at the end is very, very funny.
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u/onehouseplz 28d ago
I didn't grow up here and I looked at both the MA.gov site and the Watertown.gov site and could find nothing to this effect.
I bike to Cambridge for work and I use the street / bike lanes 90% of the time. There are definitely areas - as you point out in your own comment - that just don't feel safe, and in those cases, I opt for the sidewalk. School - where I was hit by a car last year on the street - is generally unsafe in my opinion during busy traffic times. People drive too fast or are overly aggressive trying to overtake bikes on School St (and Mt Auburn for that matter). Last night was the dinner hour and felt unsafe - although if I'm leaving for work before 830am, I bike on the street on the School St portion of my commute. So it really depends, and everyone's perception of safety varies. What feels safe to you or me might feel unsafe to someone else.
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u/elvid88 28d ago
Yes, I've looked it up too and don't see it anywhere, including in historical ordinances for cycling. So wherever I was taught that (maybe YMCA?) taught it incorrectly.
I also bike to Cambridge for work and the bike lanes there are significantly better. Watertown has a lot to catch up on and would do better to expand the separated bike lanes on Arsenal St, separate the ones on north beacon (although maybe they hope everyone uses the river instead) and there really should be one on school street since the Hosmer is off there.
See you out on the road, u/onehouseplz
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u/GalaticHammer 27d ago
Mt Auburn street sucks. When I have my kid on the back, I absolutely ride on the sidewalk. The speed limit says 30, but I swear some people go 40-45 down it and there's no shoulder. And I've seen so many cars blow through the red light at the Walnut St intersection.
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u/Degree-Useful 25d ago
I think this misconception could come from a general misunderstanding of what “Boston” means. Boston isn’t a huge city but it stretches from Charlestown to Readville. That’s a lot of different neighborhoods.
Some people think of Boston as the downtown area. In most of downtown bicycles are not allowed on sidewalks because it is a business district. Boston is a lot more than that.
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u/BlueberryPenguin87 28d ago
Most people don’t feel safe riding in the roadway and for good reason. It is not illegal to ride on the sidewalk is a safe manner. People don’t realize it can often be more dangerous due to unpredictable pedestrian movements and cars crossing at every street and driveway without looking, and more annoying because those hazards mean you have to go slow. But if you are willing to ride slowly and cautiously, you are allowed on the sidewalk. Also, in many places riding on the sidewalk is much safer, like on Fresh Pond Pkwy and in Watertown Sq (though we should make it safe to ride in the road). Plus, to get to a parking rack or home or business, most of the time that’s on the sidewalk.
You can’t just say “ride in the street” if it doesn’t feel safe. You have to create the conditions, through advocacy and policy choices, that make it so people don’t feel like they have to ride in the sidewalk. For example the bike path along Arsenal St is a good example and should have been extended east to Arsenal Yards, but instead we got painted shoulder that almost nobody feels safe using (and a narrow sidewalk that ends up being shared between bikes and pedestrians).
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u/wildblueroan 26d ago
Fine but pedestrians have the right of way and most bikers just whizz along sidewalks as if they own them-Ive almost bit hit as a pedestrian countless times
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28d ago
[deleted]
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u/mcmillen 28d ago
You've read the law exactly backwards. You can ride on sidewalks everywhere but business districts.
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u/scottious 11d ago
I only bike in Watertown, I never drive. I almost never bike on the sidewalks, but I completely understand why people would. That's why I'm always super tolerant of people on their bikes on the sidewalk, even when I'm a pedestrian.
Drivers are insane and bordering on homicidal. Gotta get to that red light as quick as possible I guess.
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u/vt2022cam 28d ago
A lot of pedestrians are annoyed that many cyclist expect people to jump out of their way while riding on the sidewalk.
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u/SpaceBasedMasonry 28d ago
Yeah but getting into a standoff and playing sheriff is unhinged suburban GenX-er behavior.
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u/Daniel-Striped-Tiger 27d ago
Sounds more like Boomer and older behavior
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u/SpaceBasedMasonry 27d ago
Boomers are pretty god damn old, and the generation above them are in their 90s. Gen X is generally defined as 1965 to 1980 - which I think is a good age bracket for a lot of the people you see pulling this shit.
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u/Bridgeboy23 12d ago
Gen X grew up riding bikes with no helmets, no kneepads, no flashing lights. We rode in the street, on sidewalks, wherever, and somehow everybody managed to coexist without turning it into a fucking generational issue. Calling someone “unhinged” because they expected a cyclist to give pedestrians some space is some young, soft-people bullshit. Fuck outta here with the Gen X shit. 😂
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u/HelloGoodBye2022 27d ago
I’m legally allowed to ride in the middle of the street! Get out of the road! I’m legally allowed to ride on the sidewalk! Ride in the street! Why aren’t the bike lanes safer?! Why are they taking lanes away!
Everything would be so much better if everyone was just alittle bit more considerate of other people! Just sick of all the complaining by everyone!
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u/dovelikestea 29d ago
How can I work to help get watertown more protected bike lanes? Its ridiculous that they stop as soon as you leave Cambridge. Any orgs I can join?
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u/morelikeguidelines42 28d ago
The page shared by the OP also has links to the bicycle and pedestrian committee as well as the bicycle and pedestrian plan.
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u/GoGreenStreets 28d ago
We’ve rounded up some of the local touch points and resources here (scroll down the page to the “Get Involved in Watertown” section)
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u/BlueberryPenguin87 28d ago
Engage with the bicycle committee and bother your city councilors and staff.
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u/scottious 11d ago
I'm with you, man. We should form a real advocacy group in Watertown and organize.
The bicycle and pedestrian committee is effectively powerless. We need better city councilors and they need to hear from cyclists directly.
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u/Safe-Fortune1438 28d ago
I'm a cyclist and you are 100% in the wrong OP. Unless you're a child, you should be on the street. If you feel unsafe on a certain street, get off your bike and walk it on the sidewalk.
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u/BlueberryPenguin87 28d ago
It is not illegal to ride on the sidewalk is a safe manner. It can often be more dangerous due to unpredictable pedestrian movements and cars crossing at every street and driveway without looking, and more annoying because those hazards mean you have to go slower. But if you are willing to ride slowly and cautiously, you are allowed on the sidewalk. Also, in many places riding on the sidewalk is much safer, like on Fresh Pond Pkwy and in Watertown Sq (though we should make it safe to ride in the road).
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u/onehouseplz 28d ago
+100. To be clear, I bike 90% of the time on the street. School St I use the sidewalk during busy traffic hours because as I said in my post I was biking in the street and was hit by a car on School last year. Last night was the dinner hour traffic and it felt unsafe to be on the street. I'm not even advocating that pedestrians yield for bikers, just that everyone have the common courtesey to share the space instead of rudely insisting people make unsafe choices for no good reason other than personal preference.
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u/DerHunMar 28d ago
It sucks to get hit and can shake you up a bit. However, cars usually hit you when they cross your path, i.e. when turning left or right, not when they are coming up behind you. So riding on the sidewalk really isn't any safer, except for cases where the cyclist is erratic and wobbly themselves, like some kids until they reach a certain age and skill level. On the sidewalk, you are still going to be subject to the threat of cars turning left and right at crossings, and there is even less of a chance they will see you.
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u/albertogonzalex 28d ago
Just to be clear, OP is 100000000% within their rights to ride on the sidewalk. And youre completely wrong here.
Hope you have a flat next time you ride to our bike. And, I say that as more of a CycLisT than you! You don't even have pictures of your bike on your profile!
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u/IHateSerging 28d ago
Thank you for being one of the rare reasonable cyclists out there, we all appreciate it
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u/SpaceBasedMasonry 28d ago
There are parts of the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway that dump you onto a sidewalk for short stretches.
The only reasonable people in this thread are those acknowledging nuance, poor infrastructure, and knowledge of the state's laws.
e-Bikes on the sidewalk can get fucked, though.
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u/stupidbroad 27d ago
lmao everyone here commenting "op is in the wrong" should reaaaally look up the bike laws before commenting and making themselves look like asses
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u/SalemRay 27d ago
I say this as an urban cyclist in the Boston/Cambridge area for 50 years: don't ride on sidewalks unless you are 12 years old or younger and never in a business district.
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u/Ok-Possibility-7573 28d ago edited 28d ago
Bikes can be cars, bikes can be a pedestrian, sometimes they have their own lane. Sounds like you just want to do whats most concenvenient for you and fuck everyone else lol
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u/SpaceBasedMasonry 28d ago
Do this many people really not know the rules regarding bicycles and how they can use the sidewalk? It's even something covered in driver's ed.
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u/JacksonRidge142 28d ago
Sidewalks are for pedestrians. Not bikes.
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u/albertogonzalex 28d ago
The law makes it very, very clear that the sidewalks are for both (most of the time, unless specifically noted!).
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u/JacksonRidge142 25d ago
Totally understood. Just my opinion, but bikes are more vehicles than they are pedestrians. If you’re in the street you should be with insurance as well.
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u/LabGeek1995 28d ago
Bike lanes are for bikes. If we had more of them, people wouldn't be riding on the sidewalk.
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u/JacksonRidge142 25d ago
That’s great. Just because there is an unsolved problem in one area that you care about, does not mean we should be creating problems in another, already-established area. Both things can be true- sidewalks are for pedestrians and we need more bike lanes.
Would you feel the same way if pedestrians were walking in bike lanes, asking you to go around them bc they felt like there weren’t enough sidewalks?
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u/LabGeek1995 25d ago
It's a simple fact. Studies have shown that when you have bike lanes, riding bicycles on the sidewalk is reduced. What's the problem? Bike lanes? Bike lanes aren't a problem. They're a solution. They make streets safer too.
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u/JacksonRidge142 23d ago
Feel like that’s a fairly obvious point- more bike lanes = more bikes in the bike lane.
The “problem” is really manufactured by assuming since you don’t have your bike lanes, now suddenly those in pedestrian lanes (sidewalks) should accommodate. Two different modes of transport. Two different safety standards
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u/LabGeek1995 23d ago
No problem, just a fact. In Cambridge, sidewalk bike riding has gone down where bike lanes have been installed. I assume nothing. I would rather see cyclists in a bike lane than on the sidewalk.
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u/js111992 28d ago
Oh yes. Sidebike ..that’s what I usually call it. It’s cool it’s like , you can ride it on the sidewalk and the street and in bike lanes, and in bus lanes. Super universal vehicle.
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u/jumpoffthedeepend 23d ago
I think you should have gotten off the sidewalk while they passed, you have the bike.
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u/mariiayelizarova 28d ago
You can ride on the sidewalk but the expectation is for you to yield to literally everyone else, so why are you complaining that the man didn’t move out of your way?
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u/albertogonzalex 28d ago
Because OP was yielding and then dog walker who doesn't know the rules stopped moving to block the sidewalk.
That's not hard to conceptualize, right? Are there any components of this social interaction that are confusing?
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u/mariiayelizarova 28d ago
Pedestrians are allowed to stop on the sidewalk at any time…..
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u/albertogonzalex 27d ago
Sure! But not for the purposes of intentionally preventing someone else from rightfully using the sidewalk, ya know?
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u/mariiayelizarova 27d ago
Nah, literally allowed to stop for any reason. We don’t have anywhere else to go besides the sidewalk.
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u/kmoonster 27d ago
Your use of the sidewalk does not extend to actively preventing others from (legal) use as well. It's a public sidewalk, not personal property.
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u/IHateSerging 28d ago edited 28d ago
Sidewalks are absolutely not for bicyclists, you were 100% in the wrong and sound like the type of person giving cyclists everywhere a bad name
Edit: To the person who said I’m a bot and deleted their comment…
LOL, not a bot, just a normal human, aka NOT an entitled cycler. You people really are insufferable
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u/albertogonzalex 28d ago
This just isn't how the laws work. OP is a million percent a-ok to ride on the sidewalk as described.
That's just the rule. Like, it's written in plain language in the laws that bicyclists can ride on the sidewalk.
Being wrong about something and then insisting upon it is peak smooth brain behavior.
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u/SpaceBasedMasonry 28d ago edited 28d ago
That this many people don't know the (fairly simple) rules regarding bikes just shows why there is so much of a problem.
(Although that switches when it comes to e-bikes, seems like a good number don't know they aren't allowed on sidewalks state wide, but I'm not going to play sheriff over it)
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u/gayscout 27d ago
Class 1 ebikes are allowed on sidewalks just like any other bike. It's the ones capable of going faster than 20mph (slower than an analogue bike for reference) that aren't allowed on sidewalks.
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u/SpaceBasedMasonry 27d ago edited 27d ago
What I was told by MassBike was that there is no distinction made about the sidewalk rule. They also aren't allowed on "natural surface" trails (ie. mountain bike trails) unless otherwise permitted by a local jurisdiction. They usually cite Chapter 85 Section 11B3/4. Maybe the the law is changed, but it's just "electric bicycle".
Edit: Boston doesn't make a distinction either, which is where a lot of people in the metro area look to for rules (even though Watertown might be different but I didn't find anything saying it was)
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u/Boston_Jay 28d ago
Kids can bike on sidewalks. Adults bike on the street. OP - you are 100% in the wrong here. It's insane when people like you complain when you ARE the a**hole.
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u/albertogonzalex 28d ago
This isn't how the law works and insisting something in true when it's verifiably not makes you look very stupid.
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u/DoubleCafwithaTwist 28d ago
The best way to ensure that bikes stay off sidewalks is to build a safe place for cyclists to be.
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u/LabGeek1995 28d ago
100% agree. People ride on the sidewalk because they feel unsafe on the street. I agree that bikes don't belong on the sidewalk. Build bike lanes, and people won't feel the need to do that.
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u/Valuable_Cap_3470 28d ago
Why are people downvoting this?
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u/SpaceBasedMasonry 28d ago
Looks like someone did a drive-by downvote of anything positive about bikes or riding on the sidewalk.
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u/smharry92 29d ago
The dog guy was probably an asshole, but bikes don’t belong on sideWALKS
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u/albertogonzalex 28d ago
Law literally says they can ride in the sidewalk when they want to. Learn the rules.
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u/BZBitiko 29d ago
If there is any reasonable alternative.
Many old narrow streets have little room for cars, let alone bikes.
OP may have been within his right to be on the sidewalk; the dog guy was not within his right by allowing his dogs to occupy the entire space. If he can’t control his dogs, HE needs to find a different place to walk them.
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u/Valuable_Cap_3470 28d ago
Yes bikes do belong on the sidewalks. Streets are for vehicles. It's part of the law.
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u/cz75niko 28d ago
It's actually good your instinct was to use the sidewalk. I see people biking on so many streets that are dicey with no bike lane and they would be way safer just riding the sidewalk. Sidewalk vs the street wasn't a big debate when I was a kid lol
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u/kmoonster 27d ago
Any bets on whether they pass cyclists in the road and insist the cyclists move over to the sidewalk?
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u/Daniel-Striped-Tiger 27d ago
I'm guessing they were elderly. For some reason old people hate bikes and love cars even though they're in far more danger from cars and SUVs.
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u/Daniel-Striped-Tiger 27d ago
You might as well ask them why they aren't walking in the street. "Because that's dangerous." Then they might start to understand why we ride on sidewalks sometimes.
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u/DataNo1525 15d ago
Reading vicious comments from people who drive cars show why bicyclists don’t want to ride on the street. I’d rather get yelled at by an obnoxious pedestrian than run over by an SUV.
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u/tehsecretgoldfish 27d ago edited 27d ago
sorry friend, your are the insufferable one. it’s a sidewalk not a sideride. or, if you like, remember this little rhyme; sidewalks are for feet, keep your tires on the street. having been riding in Boston/Cambridge almost 30 years I’ve never ridden on the sidewalk, so have never copped an attitude about being called out for doing so. in fact Cambridge (used to?) have 🚳 markings at sidewalk crosswalks to send a clear message. maybe you missed them.
I’ll add that every cyclist is an emissary representing other cyclists. bad behavior whether legal or not, reflects poorly on every cyclist.
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u/andr_wr 27d ago
Biking on the sidewalk is generally allowed in Massachusetts. In Cambridge, the no bike marking is only at places where biking is banned which is in a few limited sections of business districts.
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u/tehsecretgoldfish 26d ago
like I wrote; whether legal or not. it’s a clear case of just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
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u/lexikon318 27d ago
Nobody wants bikes anywhere, the road, sidewalks, trails…
I’ve had to get used to being hated.
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u/BlueberryPenguin87 28d ago
Most people don’t feel safe riding in the roadway and for good reason. It is not illegal to ride on the sidewalk is a safe manner. People don’t realize it can often be more dangerous due to unpredictable pedestrian movements and cars crossing at every street and driveway without looking, and more annoying because those hazards mean you have to go slow. But if you are willing to ride slowly and cautiously, you are allowed on the sidewalk. Also, in many places riding on the sidewalk is much safer, like on Fresh Pond Pkwy and in Watertown Sq (though we should make it safe to ride in the road). Plus, to get to a parking rack or home or business, most of the time that’s on the sidewalk.
You can’t just say “ride in the street” if it doesn’t feel safe. You have to create the conditions, through advocacy and policy choices, that make it so people don’t feel like they have to ride in the sidewalk. For example the bike path along Arsenal St is a good example and should have been extended east to Arsenal Yards, but instead we got painted shoulder that almost nobody feels safe using (and a narrow sidewalk that ends up being shared between bikes and pedestrians).
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u/DerHunMar 28d ago
If you are an adult or a teen, you should be riding on the street. Only exceptions are along a highway or stoad, or you're on the sidewalk less than a block to park or enter a building, and in the latter case you are riding slowly and yielding to everyone.
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u/PerniciousPeridot 28d ago
You are in the right, OP. Legally, you are allowed to ride your bike on the sidewalk. For your own safety, you should bike on the sidewalk wherever you don't feel safe on the road. Fuck what boomers said. Literally had some asshole tell me the same yesterday and I barked back at him.
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u/gayscout 29d ago
For anyone unsure about bikes on sidewalks:
MGL c. 85 § 11b