Cyclists on Pearl St (Boulder, Longmont: living in, safe, move)

[chilaili]

More of a vent than a question but I'm getting fed up. I'm not a cyclist and I appreciate that Boulder is cyclist-friendly. HOWEVER . . . when did it become okay for cyclists to not only use the sidewalk along Pearl St (when there are two perfectly good bike lanes on either side of the road) but also ride along the sidewalk IN THE WRONG DIRECTION?! Surely that has to be illegal? At the very least an accident waiting to happen as these guys never call out, never ring a bell and seem utterly unaware that pedestrians are actually using the sidewalk including the elderly, people with pushchairs or toddlers and people dragging suitcases behind them.


Grrrrrr

[ketch89]

When you get tired of people hitting(or nearly hitting) you with their mirrors, or speeding to pass you just to stop 50 ft later and turn right cutting you off, or laying on the horn because I chose to claim the lane for safety - you sometimes ride on the sidewalk. Also, I assume you mean the cyclists are riding quite fast in the wrong direction? If I'm traveling slowly for some reason or another(say slightly faster than walking speed), what's the problem with me being on the sidewalk?

The point is, cyclists ride on the sidewalk because people drive poorly, speed, and treat cyclists as if they have no right to be on the road(also, the sidewalks on pearl st are huge...). If a cyclist is riding fast on a crowded sidewalk though, he/she is just a moron - like many drivers.

Drive safe.

[chilaili]

I get the desire for the cyclists to be safe too but these guys do not make themselves known to pedestrians in any way, I've seen them almost running down a small child and I've been missed by inches because I had no idea one of them was coming up behind me. If an accident does happen who will be responsible? Who will the police arrest for reckless behaviour?

[Meowen]

I've never lived somewhere else that so many cyclists use the sidewalks, in CA it was a big no-no and they actually respected it. That being said as a driver I go out of my way to make cyclists feel as safe as possible and i appreciate what cyclists are doing but they too should abide by the rules.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by Meowen

I've never lived somewhere else that so many cyclists use the sidewalks, in CA it was a big no-no and they actually respected it. That being said as a driver I go out of my way to make cyclists feel as safe as possible and i appreciate what cyclists are doing but they too should abide by the rules.

We've an acquaintance living in Boulder, her husband got an expensive traffic ticket for breezing through a stop sign on his bike.

Gripe to the PD, ask them to focus on Pearl Street for a while and issue some tix, it should help.

[Idlewile]

Originally Posted by chilaili

I've seen them almost running down a small child and I've been missed by inches because I had no idea one of them was coming up behind me. If an accident does happen who will be responsible? Who will the police arrest for reckless behaviour?

I am surprised to hear there are now more cyclists on the sidewalks. Are they random people or road bikers clad in cyclist attire? Such a big, savvy bike culture there (we have a lot of road warrior friends, we support them) but they should know better. I get it if you're a family and riding with kiddos or if older kids are out riding by themselves, sure use the sidewalk for safety reasons, but other than that I would hope the rest would stay on the road, especially if there are dedicated lanes.

I've seen a couple of very close calls and almost been a victim of what you mention above. Parent/adult and small child walking along the sidewalk, sometimes holding hands, sometimes not... small child sees a flower/bug/grass/whatever on his left and darts over to take a closer look, unbeknownst to parent and child, cyclist is fast approaching on the left to pass but doesn't anticipate child darting across his path, and yelling "On your left" isn't gonna cut it as the child is confused. Fine if it's a nice wide passage way - like the creek path - but not a good situation if it's a sidewalk of normal width. Very scary indeed.

[WhereTheSidewalkEnds]

I went and looked out of curiosity and in some parts of Boulder - commercial areas - it's illegal.

[hikernut]

Bicyclists really draw the short straw when it comes to transportation. The traffic laws generally treat them like motor vehicles, and sidewalks are typically off-limits according to the law. A nice thought, but not always practical.

I've ridden on sidewalks many times and have never been bothered by the police. However, this is typically along busy roads with high-speed traffic, and almost nobody on the sidewalk. When I do encounter pedestrians, I'll either (1) move out into the roadway to avoid them if it's safe, or (2) slow down and make them aware of me.

I've been cut off many times by cars, and even went to the ER once due to an accident with a vehicle. The driver did not give the right of way to me, so he was at fault. I should have been smarter, though, as the visibility was poor due to many cars parked on both sides of the street. I went into shock and even lost my vision for a short time, which was not an experience I care to revisit. I'm quite a bit older now, and a much more aware/defensive biker.

hikernut

[qfrost]

Hikernut, did you see the latest road rage in Boulder where some 75 year old guy drove behind a pair of bikers honking incessantly for a good 5 minutes? My hat's off to the bikers for handling it better than I would have.

Honking at cyclists: Erie man, 75, ticketed in incident near Longmont - Boulder Daily Camera

[Hipchik]

Just for clarification, that incident didn't happen "in Boulder" it was on a county road out east near Longmont.
I know a few cyclists in the Boulder area and that kind of harassment is not unusual. Maybe not to that extent, but people try to run them off the road and scare them. It's sick. Cyclists who ride Lefthand Canyon put their lives on the line every weekend.