In westborough i rode bike on snow and ice without falling. I am a bike professional in all bad weather condtions as well.
I’ve been swaying alot around corners in my entire life.

1) It’s illegal and you will get fine.

Couldn’t disagree more. I’ve ridden past literally hundres of cops on my way to and from work, all while riding on the sidewalk and not one has made the effort to give me a ticket. I’m not saying that they coudln’t, I realize it’s illegal, but I guess they have “bigger fish to fry”, or maybe it’s not worth their time. Either way, I’ve yet to be ticketed nor have I seen anyone else ticketed. Now, maybe that’s not the case where you live, but for me, it’s not an issue (at least not yet).

2) Takes you out of the field of view of motorists.

This I agree with, and it’s probably the only thing I agree with, and it’s probably your most valid point. You are a lot less noticeable on the sidewalk then on the road. *BUT*, I feel as a bicyclist it becomes more *your* responsible to look out other drivers rather than other drivers looking out for you. At least that way, you’re in charge of your own fate so to speak rather than relying on other drivers to watching out for you (lane changing to avoid you, etc.). As long as you’re smart and pay attention to your surroundings you shoudln’t have any problem. I always look 36° around me as I’m approaching an intersection to make sure there is no chance that a car could hit me. And if I do see a potential hazards, I hit the brakes and, if necessary, walk my bike across the intersection. Safety first and foremost. I think that if you’re smart, you can be a lot safer on the sidewalk.

3) Adds noticeable time to your trips, takes more energy
Perhaps, maybe it does take a little longer. But for the safely of myself and others, that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. Better alive and 5 minutes late for work than dead I always say.

4) Forces you to pay attention to more than you already have to.
True, and I pointed this out in #2. But that’s something you have to be able to do when you choose to ride on the sidewalk. If you can’t handle it, and you think by having to think less about your surroundings that bking on the road is safer, then by all means, bike on the road. For me though, it’s not that difficult, it’s like chewing gum and walking at the same time.

5) Contrary to instinct, I believe you shouldn’t ride inches from the curb.
I agree. Riding too close to the curb gives drivers the thought they have more room than they really do. If I do have to ride on the road (no sidewalk available), I give myself a few feet. If you end up losing your balance and fall over, hopefully the driver is far enough away not to hit you (another reason to stay off the road).

6) Wear a wig. The perception that you are a woman will kick in the protective instinct, and motorists will give you a wider berth.
lol – interesting idea…I’m not sure if it’s for me. Although while perhaps not socially acceptable it might increase your survival rating . A little sexist…but I’m sure it has some merit.

To Jennifer:
If there is no sidewalk, of course I have no choice but to ride on the road . It’s very rare where I live for there not to be one though.

BTW – I hope you don’t think I’m arguing with you. I think of it more as a friendly debate. Obviously neither of us will be convinced to sway to the other side.

In short, riding on the sidewalk is often illegal, takes you out of the field of view of motorists, adds noticeable time to your trips, takes more energy, and forces you to pay attention to more than you already have to.

Read on for more in depth discussion”

The first reason is easy. In many (but not all) places, it is simply illegal to ride on the sidewalk. Ride on the sidewalk, and get a ticket for it. But you may want to know why it was made illegal. I can’t say I know all the legal, policy, political ins and outs (I’m sure it varies from one location to another), but here’s my stab at it.

Drivers are trained and conditioned to pay attention to certain things within a certain field of view. That field of view pretty much encompasses the street they’re currently on. Sidewalks fall outside of that area of observation. Simply put, motorists aren’t generally looking for traffic on the sidewalk. What they do expect of sidewalks is traffic of a certain speed (walking, or jogging). Cyclists typically exceed that speed, which makes you an unpredictable variable in motorists eyes… assuming they see you at all.

Because of this, to be safe cycling on the sidewalk, you will need to slow and/or stop at every intersection (including any location cars enter and/or leave the roadway). This adds a lot of time to your trip. Consider also that starting from a stop (or even a slow crawl) on a bike takes more personal energy than simply keeping a certain speed.

The 360° awareness that Noah has mentioned is just as critical on the sidewalks as it is on the roadway, however, you not only have to be aware of obstacles and traffic on the sidewalk, but also of traffic on the road as well. You’ve increased your observational responsibility. You run the risk of being struck from the side at every intersection by motorists who are trained and conditioned to think roads are for traffic and sidewalks are for pedestrians.

Riding on the road can seem to put you directly in harms way, but while you are on the road (I am assuming adequate lighting and reflective clothing), you are going with the flow of traffic (I’m also assuming a certain degree of common sense and intelligence, and that you’re not riding against traffic). You are where motorists are looking. By acting predictably, and doing what drivers expect, you are safer where you can be seen.

I absolutely disagree that skateboarders, rollerbladers and (certainly) runners can move as fast as the average moving bike. My commute averages about 11-14mph on a heavy, baggage laden steel frame mountain bike. On my road bike, push that average to 16-18mph. Personal comparison to other cyclists I know and read about shows that my average is on par with most of the rest of the community. While it is possible that a skateboarder or rollerblader can push those velocities for short distances, the average runner certainly cannot (most will never achieve the 27.1mph of Donovan Bailey at the 60-meter mark).

Striking a pedestrian (or skateboarder, rollerblader, etc.) while on a bike can have tremendous consequences. Perhaps not as severe as a car striking you at high speed, but it is easy to imagine an extended hospital stay for the struck. Consider the possibility that the struck is an infant in a stroller.

On a less severe note, being closely passed by a bicycle traveling at 12-18mph while walking/jogging/running is just as disconcerting for the pedestrian as being passed closely by a car traveling at 35-40mph is for the cyclist.

So, not only are you adding another area of observation to your observational responsibilities (the sidewalk AND the road, rather than just the road), but you have to look out for traffic on the sidewalk. You have to look out for faster AND slower traffic.

In short, riding on the sidewalk is often illegal, takes you out of the field of view of motorists, adds noticeable time to your trips, takes more energy, and forces you to pay attention to more than you already have to.

Some things to remember:

Be respectful.

Don’t act erratically. Be predictable.

Contrary to instinct, I believe you shouldn’t ride inches from the curb. The closer you are to the curb, the less room motorists will give you. Riding out a couple of feet will encourage motorists (most of the time) to give you more room to pass. It’s strange, but in 30 years of riding on the roads, this has been my direct observation and experience.

Be visible. Plenty of lighting, reflective gear and bright colors are your friend at all times of the day.

Ride a rusted out old beater. This will indicate to motorists that you have no idea what you’re doing, and they’ll give you a wide berth.

Wear a wig. The perception that you are a woman will kick in the protective instinct, and motorists will give you a wider berth.

If you are of shorter stature, wear a elementary school style backpack, and hang tassels from your handlebars. Motorists are even more protective of children than they are of women. Colored straws wrapped around the spokes help.

If bikes are going to share the road, they should be treated no different than cars. If you are able to maintain the flow of traffic on your bike, then sure, use the road, but otherwise, stay off it (and on the sidewalk with the slower moving world). Until you install those bionic legs, you probably aren’t going to be able to maintain that limit.

So let me ask you this. What’s the minimum speed limit for a sidewalk? Should skateboarders use the road? How about roller blades or runners? All of the previous examples are easily able to move as fast as a average moving bike, but do you see them using the road?

I agree, biking on the sidewalk is not safe, but I believe biking on the road is even *less* safe.

Sasquatch2/Dvicci – Thanks for your replies. They were at least sensible and logical. Obviously we share a difference of opinion. I do try and justify my opinions best I can, however I’m quite confident that there’s no convincing you to be on my side. But I can try!

Chuckles – Rather than calling me an idiot, try posting some constructive criticism towards my comment. I see your post has since been edited (to filter out the idiot comment), probably by an admin. Grammar, punctuation and capitalization also help if you want me to take you seriously.

That’s one of the reasons I nearly always stop behind the cars at stop lights and stop signs. I’ve made it a habit to take the lane at all intersections. That’s what they’d expect a car to do, so that’s what I’ll do. Sometimes it makes sense to hop a curb, but for me, unless I have to in order to avoid a collision, I’ll stay with the flow of traffic. It’s safer there, and more predictable.

Vaniker: You’re right, “Riding on the road is *NOT* safe.” But neither is driving, or skateboarding, or hang gliding, or spelunking, or cliff diving, or working in a steel mill, or crab fishing… what’s your point? If your point is that riding on the sidewalk is safer, then I would be interested in your evidence. Please refrain from “I just know” statements, please. Thank you.

22 years and counting since my last collision – and that was because I was on a sidewalk.

the speed limits are LIMITS… to how fast you can go. they aren’t speed minimums, you find those on the highway.

the road is large enough to fit bikers, motorcycles, mopeds, cars, trucks, rigs, tractors, and every other vehicle that uses the road. we have a right to ride on the road.

it doesn’t hurt motorists to slow down for three seconds and pass us in another lane.

There are posted speed limits for a reason, if you can’t maintain the proper speed, get off the road. Cars can get ticketed for driving too slow, biking on the road should be no different. I realize it’s illegal, but I think there are probably more accidents from cars swurving to avoid you than people hitting pedestrians on the sidewalks.

And so what if you hit a pedestrian, what’s likely to happen, a few cuts and bruises, at worst maybe a broken arm or leg? How about a collision of 2 cars going 60+ km/hr because they had to avoid your bike on the road. I’d say that’s a little more extreme.

Anyway, that’s my 2 cents…