Cops harassing bicyclist (Dallas, Austin, West: neighborhood, legal, safe)

[lamermer]

I am moving to the Brentwood neighborhood where it is legal to ride your bike on the sidewalk but read about cops still ticketing or even arresting bicyclists for doing this even where it is legal.
Does anyone have experience with this?
I just want to ride my bike to Central Market!

[PanTerra]

You might want to ask these people.

Austin Cycling Association | Austin Cycling Association promotes access, education, safety and enjoyment of cycling in Central Texas.
http://bicycleaustin.info/

Or this forum:

http://bicycleaustin.info/forum/index.php

[brattpowered]

Print this out and bring it with you when you ride:

Riding on the sidewalk is prohibited here:
(1) 100-1100 blocks of Congress Avenue;
(2) 1900-2500 blocks of Guadalupe Street;
(3) 100-1100 blocks of Brazos Street;
(4) 200-1100 blocks of Colorado Street;
(5) from the 200 block of West 2nd to the 300 block of East 2nd Street;
(6) from the 900 block of West 5th to the 800 block of East 5th Street;
(7) from the 700 block of East 6th Street to the 1000 block of West 6th Street;
(8) from the 100 block of West 8th Street to the 200 block of East 8th Street;
(9) from the 100 block of West 9th Street to the 200 block of East 9th Street;
(10) from the 200 block of West 11th Street to the 200 block of East 11th Street; and
(11) from the 200 block of West 15th Street to the 200 block of East 15th Street.
(Ord. 020418-39)

These are the only places where you can't ride on the sidewalk, per city ordinance. Whip it out if the cops ever give you a hard time.

[dburatti]

Even where it is legal, I usually opt not to ride on the sidewalk b/c of the disparity in speed between peds and bikes, as well as knowing that people driving vehicles don't regard traffic on sidewalks, which creates unsafe conditions.

D

[woodinvilleguy]

Originally Posted by brattpowered

Print this out and bring it with you when you ride:

Riding on the sidewalk is prohibited here:
(1) 100-1100 blocks of Congress Avenue;
(2) 1900-2500 blocks of Guadalupe Street;
(3) 100-1100 blocks of Brazos Street;
(4) 200-1100 blocks of Colorado Street;
(5) from the 200 block of West 2nd to the 300 block of East 2nd Street;
(6) from the 900 block of West 5th to the 800 block of East 5th Street;
(7) from the 700 block of East 6th Street to the 1000 block of West 6th Street;
(8) from the 100 block of West 8th Street to the 200 block of East 8th Street;
(9) from the 100 block of West 9th Street to the 200 block of East 9th Street;
(10) from the 200 block of West 11th Street to the 200 block of East 11th Street; and
(11) from the 200 block of West 15th Street to the 200 block of East 15th Street.
(Ord. 020418-39)

These are the only places where you can't ride on the sidewalk, per city ordinance. Whip it out if the cops ever give you a hard time.

Maybe it is where I grew up but trying to prove a cop wrong on the street isn't going to get you into a good place.

[CAtoTX09]

Originally Posted by woodinvilleguy

Maybe it is where I grew up but trying to prove a cop wrong on the street isn't going to get you into a good place.

+1 on that. If you're right and the cop is wrong, quietly take the ticket and beat it in court. Arguing with a cop who is a real jerk or pumped up on steroids can quickly turn into a bad situation. Look up the youtube video of the grandma who was tasered in Austin after arguing with a cop to see what I mean.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by CAtoTX09

+1 on that. If you're right and the cop is wrong, quietly take the ticket and beat it in court. Arguing with a cop who is a real jerk or pumped up on steroids can quickly turn into a bad situation. Look up the youtube video of the grandma who was tasered in Austin after arguing with a cop to see what I mean.

I agree, just politely take the ticket and then file a complaint against the cop who didn't bother to understand the laws he was supposed to be enforcing.

BTW: Riding on the sidewalk, except for in heavy pedestrian traffic areas is much safer then riding in the roadway with multi-ton vehicles. It isn't surprising to me that all the bicycle traffic deaths we read about are for bicyclists who are riding on the streets with cars and trucks.

Anyone who disagrees with this, please explain why you are or are not in favor of separate bike lanes for bicyclists. ???

[woodinvilleguy]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

I agree, just politely take the ticket and then file a complaint against the cop who didn't bother to understand the laws he was supposed to be enforcing.

BTW: Riding on the sidewalk, except for in heavy pedestrian traffic areas is much safer then riding in the roadway with multi-ton vehicles. It isn't surprising to me that all the bicycle traffic deaths we read about are for bicyclists who are riding on the streets with cars and trucks.

Anyone who disagrees with this, please explain why you are or are not in favor of separate bike lanes for bicyclists. ???

I disagree with you as does the Austin Cycling Association, but what do we know....

[veloman777]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

I agree, just politely take the ticket and then file a complaint against the cop who didn't bother to understand the laws he was supposed to be enforcing.

BTW: Riding on the sidewalk, except for in heavy pedestrian traffic areas is much safer then riding in the roadway with multi-ton vehicles. It isn't surprising to me that all the bicycle traffic deaths we read about are for bicyclists who are riding on the streets with cars and trucks.

Anyone who disagrees with this, please explain why you are or are not in favor of separate bike lanes for bicyclists. ???

The reason nearly all bicycle traffic deaths are while riding on streets with cars, if because that is where 99% of cyclists ride.

A cyclist who is going to go slow, not more than 10mph, is probably better suited to being on the sidewalk in most cases. But there are other cyclists, particularily the performance/sport riders who spend a great deal of their time at above 25mph. That's a big difference.

If a road is properly designed for multi-use, as it should be (since we are not talking about highways), then there should be adequate bike lanes. With proper bike lanes and markings, cycling on the road is almost always acceptably safe enough for most cyclists.

Separate bike lanes are tricky. They can work well in really dense areas, but proper design is imperative and that is not always achieved.

[PanTerra]

Yeah you really don't want to be going 20 mph on a side walk. YOu put a bike lane here in Dallas, and car drivers might think it is a parking lane, or worse, a passing lane.