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Fellow Baltimorean here! My main mode of transportation is cycling. I try my best to use bike lanes and stay in the street and off the side-walk. That being sai

Fellow Baltimorean here! My main mode of transportation is cycling. I try my best to use bike lanes and stay in the street and off the side-walk. That being said, sometimes it's scary/unsafe to ride in the street due to having a combination of high-speeds/single lanes/parked cars. Even streets with bicycle lanes (St. Paul St. is a good example) can be uncomfortable due to the above problems. I'm excited for the cycle track on Maryland Ave. to be completed and I'm hoping that solves some problems.

throwanem 10y ago
Pleased to meet you! I've spent a lot of time on a bicycle here, especially last year when I was having trouble finding work and needed something to do other than sit home and go crazy. I never found it necessary to ride on the sidewalk, by and large because I was quite willing to avoid busy thoroughfares and use alleys or less heavily traveled parallel streets instead. Going a couple blocks out of my way seemed very much worthwhile when what it bought me was the opportunity to ride without terror. Don't get me wrong. I know how scary it is to ride on a busy street - there's nothing quite like that feeling of wondering if the next car that overtakes from behind is the one with your name on it. Gets you right in the small of the back, doesn't it? That's almost exactly how it feels to be a pedestrian on a sidewalk with a bike overhauling - except in that case it's a lot more of a surprise, which makes it not one whit more pleasant to go through even if it is over sooner. Spare a thought, won't you?
- throwaway6734 10y ago
  Excellent post! How would you handle the following? -> On the last stretch of a trip, your destination is in the middle of the block. Do you ride to the corner and then walk your bike to the destination or reduce speed and ride on the sidewalk?
  - throwanem 10y ago
    Thanks! To your question: the former, not least because it gives me a chance to catch my breath and let my heart rate drop a bit for a gentler transition from riding to not riding. But that's a personal preference and a side note to the main point, which is that if I'm on the sidewalk, I'm walking, not riding. Perhaps you prefer otherwise, but at the very least I'd ask that you slow to roughly walking pace and, if you must overtake a pedestrian, use a bell or your voice to announce your approach. It's not that I am unwilling to share a sidewalk with a cyclist, though I prefer you not make it necessary; it's that I'd much prefer you don't scare the hell out of me in so doing.
    - throwaway6734 10y ago
      Thank you for taking the time to write such a well-reasoned response. Enjoy the wonderful weather today!
      - throwanem 10y ago
        Thanks for humoring me. You have a good one too!

throwanem 10y ago

Pleased to meet you! I've spent a lot of time on a bicycle here, especially last year when I was having trouble finding work and needed something to do other than sit home and go crazy. I never found it necessary to ride on the sidewalk, by and large because I was quite willing to avoid busy thoroughfares and use alleys or less heavily traveled parallel streets instead. Going a couple blocks out of my way seemed very much worthwhile when what it bought me was the opportunity to ride without terror. Don't get me wrong. I know how scary it is to ride on a busy street - there's nothing quite like that feeling of wondering if the next car that overtakes from behind is the one with your name on it. Gets you right in the small of the back, doesn't it? That's almost exactly how it feels to be a pedestrian on a sidewalk with a bike overhauling - except in that case it's a lot more of a surprise, which makes it not one whit more pleasant to go through even if it is over sooner. Spare a thought, won't you?

throwaway6734 10y ago
Excellent post! How would you handle the following? -> On the last stretch of a trip, your destination is in the middle of the block. Do you ride to the corner and then walk your bike to the destination or reduce speed and ride on the sidewalk?
- throwanem 10y ago
  Thanks! To your question: the former, not least because it gives me a chance to catch my breath and let my heart rate drop a bit for a gentler transition from riding to not riding. But that's a personal preference and a side note to the main point, which is that if I'm on the sidewalk, I'm walking, not riding. Perhaps you prefer otherwise, but at the very least I'd ask that you slow to roughly walking pace and, if you must overtake a pedestrian, use a bell or your voice to announce your approach. It's not that I am unwilling to share a sidewalk with a cyclist, though I prefer you not make it necessary; it's that I'd much prefer you don't scare the hell out of me in so doing.
  - throwaway6734 10y ago
    Thank you for taking the time to write such a well-reasoned response. Enjoy the wonderful weather today!
    - throwanem 10y ago
      Thanks for humoring me. You have a good one too!