road safety

"Curtis L. Russell" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

And some base it on the size of the wheels/tires, making some recumbents and folders completely
legal on sidewalks. Not that I want to ride there anymore than on a bike path.

And still others base it on seat height. I guess to filter out little kids bikes n trikes, but
technically leaving most 'bents legal on the w\sidewalk.

Pete

[email hidden] (cozmo) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

hey everybody- i am a young man living in sydney australia who frequently cycles to work and to
beaches-30minsto 1hr each way depending on location.

i find everytime im out there im basically on my own, no cars will stop for you (when it is their
turn to stop-especially taxis) and will regard you less than a pedestrian. i have been nearly run
down-over-under, in a few words too many near misses. i try to stay to the footpath but i find
that annoys the pedestrians and the police.

And you are more likely to be in an accident with a car when on the footpath/sidewalk as well! Cars
do not expect something at the speed of a bicycle to be coming along the sidewalk, and there is a
higher rate of collisions at intersections.

To be treated with respect in traffic, you have to act as much like other traffic as possible -
turning from the most appropriate lane, signalling lane changes, stopping at all stop signs and
lights etc. If you are at an all-way stop and nobody will let you take your turn in traffic you have
to assert that you are going to go.

Quoted message said:

as i ride i see the bike couriers of the inner city going at it confidently and knowing that they
are confident professionals i wonder what their trick is to remain safe in all their swerving in
and out of traffic, next to buses etc.

Make eye contact with other drivers. Signal your intentions. Watch for cues of other vehicles as to
their intentions. Cars and trucks are heavy vehicles with a lot of energy to overcome in order to
make sudden moves, so they are actually much more predictable to watch. Take up and assert the
amount of space you require. If you ride hugging the curb in a narrow lane, cars will blow by you
with a scary amount of passing distance. If you ride a bit further out, where you can avoid the curb
debris it is safer for you, and if there is CLEARLY not enough room for the car to pass in the lane,
they will change lanes (if road has multi-lanes) in order to pass you.

Tanya crazybikerchick.blogspot.comcrazybikerchick.blogspot.comOpen ↗

Chris Zacho The Wheelman said:

As to the annoyance of pedestrians and police, I'm not sure about Australia, but here in the
states, it's illegal to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk. Although they tend to look the other way
in special cases (like the little girl with tassels hanging from her handlebars).

In California that's a city option. Here we can ride on the sidewalk in residential neighborhoods
but not commercial. Same rule as for mid-block U-turns, I guess.

--
Cheers, Bev /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ I remember when
everybody posted to Usenet with their real, deliverable e-mail address. Of all the sins committed by
the spammers, destroying the viability of the open Internet was the worst. (Shmuel (Seymour J.)
Metz, news.admin.net-abuse.email)

Chris Zacho 'The Wheelman said:

As to the annoyance of pedestrians and police, I'm not sure about Australia, but here in the
states, it's illegal to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk.

``In general, you shouldn't ride a bicycle on sidewalks. Many crashes between bikes and cars occur
on sidewalks, especially when bicyclists ride against the flow of car traffic. If you do ride on a
sidewalk, try to ride in the same direction as traffic next to you, and adjust your riding habits
for the safety of all sidewalk users by following these guidelines:

Slow down at driveways and street crossings if a car is coming. If you go too fast, drivers will
not see you (they are looking for pedestrians neaby, not a fast moving cyclist further away). If
you crash, you may be found at fault if you were going too fast.

Yield to pedestrians: sidewalks are for walkers, not bicyclists. Be courteous and ride cautiosly.
When passing a pedestrian, slow down, give an audile warning, and wait for the pedestrian to move
over. A bicycle bell works best. If you must say something, make your intentions clear. For
example, "Passing on your left."

Walk your bike in downtown areas: they are busy with people walking out of doorways, stopping to
talk to each other or window shopping. Many cities ban bikes from their downtown sidewalks.'' --
2000 Oregon Bicyclist Manual, page 14

``814.410 Unsafe operation of bicycle on sidewalk; penalty. (1) A person commits the offense of
unsafe operation of a bicycle on a sidewalk if the person does any of the following:

(a) Operates the bicycle so as to suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and move into the
path of a vehicle that is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard.

(b) Operates a bicycle upon a sidewalk and does not give an audible warning before overtaking and
passing a pedestrian and does not yield the right of way to all pedestrians on the sidewalk.

(c) Operates a bicycle on a sidewalk in a careless manner that endangers or would be likely to
endanger any person or property.

(d) Operates the bicycle at a speed greater than an ordinary walk when approaching or entering a
crosswalk, approaching or crossing a driveway or crossing a curb cut or pedestrian ramp and a
motor vehicle is approaching the crosswalk, driveway, curb cut or pedestrian ramp. This
paragraph does not require reduced speeds for bicycles either:

(e) At places on sidewalks or other pedestrian ways other than places where the path for
pedestrians or bicycle traffic approaches or crosses that for motor vehicle traffic; or

(f) When motor vehicles are not present.

(g) Operates an electric assisted bicycle on a sidewalk.

(2) Except as otherwise specifically provided by law, a bicyclist on a sidewalk or in a crosswalk
has the same rights and duties as a pedestrian on a sidewalk or in a crosswalk.

(3) The offense described in this section, unsafe operation of a bicycle on a sidewalk, is a Class
D traffic violation. [1983 c.338 699; 1985 c.16 337; 1997 c.400 7]'' --
leg.state.or.us814.htmlOpen ↗

Riding a bicycle on the sidewalk is not necessarily illegal, but riding outside of an available bike
lane IS illegal in Oregon (814.420).

Ben
--
Never wear your best pants when you go to fight for freedom.