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I can’t give a blanket statement for the US, but in the cities I’ve lived in, cyclists of all powertrain types are supposed to be on the street and not the side

I can’t give a blanket statement for the US, but in the cities I’ve lived in, cyclists of all powertrain types are supposed to be on the street and not the sidewalk. When I was a bike commuter, I’d on rare occasion take a stretch of sidewalk, slowly, to avoid road construction and hazards I just didn’t feel safe traversing. I would not bother a single pedestrian and was probably coasting at the speed of a jogger/runner. None the less I’d still get yelled at by cops to get on the road. Meanwhile cops do nothing when, at least in Downtown LA, cyclists are running red lights. I’m not an anti-car/bikes-only person but we do need better awareness for all of the rules of the road for cycles and add protected bike lanes. The situation now with a lack of knowledge, blatant violation of stop signs and lights by bicyclists and motorists, and in some cases conflicting and incompatible stop light rules, is complete madness.

soco 3y ago
It might be only my impression but reckless bike driving didn't start with e-bikes. There were always quite a few bikers endangering traffic and themselves, and this only skyrocketed now when bikes started driving constantly at motor powered speeds (and increased weight too)
antisthenes 3y ago
> I can’t give a blanket statement for the US, but in the cities I’ve lived in, cyclists of all powertrain types are supposed to be on the street and not the sidewalk. Yes, and once you realize that 99.9% of the US lacks any kind of safety infrastructure for bikes, you begin to understand how utterly insane and hostile it is to anything but cars. Putting 15mph bikes next to 45mph 2-ton cars and then slapping a sign like "bikes may use full lane" is a giant middle finger to current and future bike users.
- ryandrake 3y ago
  It's a middle finger to everyone, bicyclists and motorists. It's insane that we've normalized the idea of having a single surface shared between 45mph and 15mph vehicles.
lamontcg 3y ago
Seattle lets bikes ride on the sidewalk. After getting sort of 'stranded' out in the open going uphill in the travel lanes surrounded by rush hour traffic when a metro bus pulled out and blocked my access to get back over to the right, I started utilizing the sidewalk when the road was a bit too chaotic for my fitness levels.

soco 3y ago

It might be only my impression but reckless bike driving didn't start with e-bikes. There were always quite a few bikers endangering traffic and themselves, and this only skyrocketed now when bikes started driving constantly at motor powered speeds (and increased weight too)

antisthenes 3y ago

> I can’t give a blanket statement for the US, but in the cities I’ve lived in, cyclists of all powertrain types are supposed to be on the street and not the sidewalk. Yes, and once you realize that 99.9% of the US lacks any kind of safety infrastructure for bikes, you begin to understand how utterly insane and hostile it is to anything but cars. Putting 15mph bikes next to 45mph 2-ton cars and then slapping a sign like "bikes may use full lane" is a giant middle finger to current and future bike users.

ryandrake 3y ago
It's a middle finger to everyone, bicyclists and motorists. It's insane that we've normalized the idea of having a single surface shared between 45mph and 15mph vehicles.

lamontcg 3y ago

Seattle lets bikes ride on the sidewalk. After getting sort of 'stranded' out in the open going uphill in the travel lanes surrounded by rush hour traffic when a metro bus pulled out and blocked my access to get back over to the right, I started utilizing the sidewalk when the road was a bit too chaotic for my fitness levels.