Bicycling in LA? (friendly, bike, commute)

[KnoxTown]

Originally Posted by amc760

Cagers?? Is that a slur for us car driving-Americans??

Yup. I like my cage.

[Lima_beans]

I am moving to LA on tuesday and planning on using my bicycle for my main form of transportation. Ill post an update again before january so search for my posts in a bit =p

As for it being dangerous, I think you guys underestimate the danger of driving a car.

[jc76]

Thanks for all the input
What about biking on sidewalks? We do it here in the midwest all the time, but do they shun doing that in LA? I prefer the sidewalks on busy streets, cruising at a slow/medium speed.

[streetscenes]

Riding a bike on the sidewalk is illegal in many areas. Most of the sidewalks are filled with people and probably not a good idea for riding a bike. Due to the poor condition of sidewalks (cracks, tree roots, uneven surfaces at driveway cuts, etc.) I run on the street rather than sidewalk.

[Lima_beans]

You also might be suprised to learn that riding a bike on the sidewalk puts you in grave risk of being hit by a car, it is one of the most common reasons for car/bike collisions. I highly reccomend that if you do ride on the sidewalk you go at pedestrian speed when crossing intersections and driveways, or even get off your bike and walk it. People are not looking in the pedestrian spaces for fast moving bicycles and you will eventually get hit riding above ped speed through interesections/driveways in pedestrian zones. In most cases you are actually at less risk being in the street in the area where drivers ARE looking for other vehicles.

Of course with all traffic situations you cant have one rule for all situations, its all dependent on context so use your own judgement =)

[BRinSM]

regardless of the safety issue, riding your bike on the sidewalk is legal in certain parts of LA.

[streetscenes]

A couple of links to look at about bikes and sidewalks. Some cities specifically prohibit it but in most places it is legal. Exception is for "willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property." In other words if ride like an idiot on the sidewalk you can get a ticket. I remembered reading recently about this issue in West Hollywood and a link is included, sidewalk riding was illegal there but is now legal.

Bicycles and the Law

Bike Commuting 101: Top 5 Rules for Riding on the Sidewalk | Commute by Bike

LAist: WeHo to Allow Bicycle Riding on Sidewalks

[7035683216]

This author seemed to prefer riding her bike for her 4 mile commute, and then she began riding it further since he was moving faster than the cars at times.

Nobody bikes in L.A. - By Andy Bowers - Slate Magazine

Plenty of people decide to bike and leave their cars at home, it is a personal decision.


Cheers!

[ConsideringLA]

On the sidewalk issue, I did that my first week riding to work some months ago.

If you were on the westbound side of Ventura Blvd between Gloria and Hayvenhurst back in April 2008 at around 8am, please consider this my deep apology.

i actually did hit someone who was walking around the corner - it was a blind smash and she wasn't expecting an idiot on a 17 lb piece of rolling aluminum. Fortunately, I was going slow-ish and she fell for my boyish good looks (actually, she felt sorry for the dufus in spandex).

[BRinSM]

it's comforting to get confirmation that i'm not the only one on these boards who wears spandex (only while riding my bike of course) :-P