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Old 03-20-2011, 09:10 PM
 
Location: Riverside
4,088 posts, read 4,377,868 times
Reputation: 3092

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Quote:
Originally Posted by sponger42 View Post
Outdoors, of course. Preferably on a dedicated path. I bought a bell to alert pedestrians to my approach so I wouldn't freak them out, but sometimes it does more harm than good. Most people don't recognize a bell for what it is and tend to stop and turn, or--for some inexplicable reason--jump sideways at random! Sometimes it's just better to give them a wide berth and not let them know you're coming until you're already past.

According to the California law, riding on the sidewalk is allowed so long as you do not exceed the speed of pedestrians on the sidewalk. In other words, if you coast along at walking speeds, it's okay. Laws can vary from city to city, though.

And as everyone else has said, riding on the sidewalk is much more dangerous than riding in the street. Drivers usually pull across the sidewalk without looking in order to see what's coming down the street. There are lots of blind corners that open onto sidewalks. My only vehicle accident in thousands of miles of riding was on a sidewalk. I was riding at walking speed while carrying flowers when a driver pulled into me from a blind alley.

It was just a bump and I didn't even go down. I stopped and made sure I was unhurt and his bumper wasn't scratched, then we went on our ways.

My standard speed is upwards of 20mph and there's no sidewalk I'd try that on. Too many cracks, roots, and non-handicap curbs.
Riding on the sidewalk is for kiddies on trikes, parolees and day laborers.

I ride in the street, through all kinds of traffic conditions. If you are hyper-aware, and use your head, it's about as safe as anything else you do in public. Certainly safer than any sidewalk.

The only place I've actually been knocked off my bike so far is supermarket parking lots (twice). Parking lots suck.
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Old 03-21-2011, 11:06 PM
 
Location: SELA
532 posts, read 1,053,562 times
Reputation: 228
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gurbie View Post
Riding on the sidewalk is for kiddies on trikes, parolees and day laborers.

I ride in the street, through all kinds of traffic conditions. If you are hyper-aware, and use your head, it's about as safe as anything else you do in public. Certainly safer than any sidewalk.

The only place I've actually been knocked off my bike so far is supermarket parking lots (twice). Parking lots suck.
You're probably what I'd call a "hobbyist," I'm guessing? Do you have biking gear, and a speed bike? I'm a commuter, like the day laborers you mentioned. I ride a small mountain bike dressed in street clothes and wearing a heavy pack, and don't risk riding in the street much. I've been knocked off in a church driving way, going across the sidewalk.
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Old 03-22-2011, 10:45 AM
 
Location: Riverside
4,088 posts, read 4,377,868 times
Reputation: 3092
Quote:
Originally Posted by Agnapostate View Post
You're probably what I'd call a "hobbyist," I'm guessing? Do you have biking gear, and a speed bike? I'm a commuter, like the day laborers you mentioned. I ride a small mountain bike dressed in street clothes and wearing a heavy pack, and don't risk riding in the street much. I've been knocked off in a church driving way, going across the sidewalk.
Bike gear??? You mean SPANDEX???

I wish I lived near enough to work or school to commute. Both activities involved lots of driving during my productive years.

I'm retired now. I use my bike for the trip down to the local Starbucks every morning, and for beer runs and other pleasure cruises, strictly in street clothes.

IMO, as a commuter, you'd be much safer riding on the street than the sidewalks. But you have to make up your own mind about that. There are bikes set up specifically for commuting, too. They are much more efficient on pavement than a mountain bike, and you could maybe lose the back-pack, which adds a lot to rider fatigue.

Personally, I NEVER ride on sidewalks- too many obstacles and driveways. I consider bikes part of traffic on the road, and I'm assertive about staking my claim to my part of the lane. Civil and considerate, but assertive . It's the safest strategy.
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Old 03-22-2011, 06:43 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles County, CA
29,095 posts, read 25,950,174 times
Reputation: 6128
Quote:
Originally Posted by Agnapostate View Post
You're probably what I'd call a "hobbyist," I'm guessing? Do you have biking gear, and a speed bike? I'm a commuter, like the day laborers you mentioned. I ride a small mountain bike dressed in street clothes and wearing a heavy pack, and don't risk riding in the street much. I've been knocked off in a church driving way, going across the sidewalk.
Agnapostate describes me all the way down to the backpack. But I always ride on the street - besides the legal issues - how can anyone get anywhere in a timely manner riding on the sidewalk? Bicycles are VEHICLES and belong on the road/street. If you want to use the sidewalk that get off of your bicycle and walk.

And Gurbie - I agree - bicycles are a great for making quickie beer runs!
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Old 03-22-2011, 06:55 PM
 
Location: State of Jefferson coast
963 posts, read 3,026,852 times
Reputation: 1326
Quote:
Originally Posted by HenryAlan View Post
You are not obligated to use the bike lane, and sometimes you are required not to use it (making a left turn, for example).
Actually, where a bike lane is provided, you ARE obligated to use it unless you are riding no slower than the posted speed limit. Where bike lanes exist, you can be cited for riding in the motor lane under Section 21208 of California's Motor Vehicle Code:

21208. (a) Whenever a bicycle lane has been established on a roadway pursuant to Section 21207, any person operating a bicycle upon the roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at that time shall ride within the bicycle lane, except that the person may move out of the lane under any of the following situations:
(1) When overtaking and passing another bicycle, vehicle, or pedestrian within the lane or about to enter the lane if the overtaking and passing cannot be done safely within the lane.
(2) When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.
(3) When reasonably necessary to leave the bicycle lane to avoid debris or other hazardous conditions.
(4) When approaching a place where a right turn is authorized.
(b) No person operating a bicycle shall leave a bicycle lane until the movement can be made with reasonable safety and then only after giving an appropriate signal in the manner provided in Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 22100) in the event that any vehicle may be affected by the movement.

Amended Sec. 5, Ch. 674, Stats. 1996. Effective January 1, 1997.
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Old 03-22-2011, 09:53 PM
 
Location: SELA
532 posts, read 1,053,562 times
Reputation: 228
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gurbie View Post
Bike gear??? You mean SPANDEX???
A "condom suit," I've heard some people call it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gurbie View Post
I wish I lived near enough to work or school to commute. Both activities involved lots of driving during my productive years.

I'm retired now. I use my bike for the trip down to the local Starbucks every morning, and for beer runs and other pleasure cruises, strictly in street clothes.

IMO, as a commuter, you'd be much safer riding on the street than the sidewalks. But you have to make up your own mind about that. There are bikes set up specifically for commuting, too. They are much more efficient on pavement than a mountain bike, and you could maybe lose the back-pack, which adds a lot to rider fatigue.

Personally, I NEVER ride on sidewalks- too many obstacles and driveways. I consider bikes part of traffic on the road, and I'm assertive about staking my claim to my part of the lane. Civil and considerate, but assertive . It's the safest strategy.
On average, I ride between seventeen and nineteen miles a day, round-trip. The backpack is to carry school supplies in, so I need it. It definitely slows a rider down, which is why riding in busy streets is problematic; the area near the curb is usually blocked by parked cars or cluttered with debris that will cause tire damage. Riding on the right side of the right lane brings me within inches of several tons of metal moving faster than me. It seems counterintuitive that it's safer.
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Old 03-23-2011, 12:42 PM
 
41 posts, read 91,801 times
Reputation: 47
Quote:
Originally Posted by Agnapostate View Post
On average, I ride between seventeen and nineteen miles a day, round-trip. The backpack is to carry school supplies in, so I need it. It definitely slows a rider down, which is why riding in busy streets is problematic; the area near the curb is usually blocked by parked cars or cluttered with debris that will cause tire damage. Riding on the right side of the right lane brings me within inches of several tons of metal moving faster than me. It seems counterintuitive that it's safer.
Try a rear cargo rack and panniers rather than the backpack. A serviceable rack can be bought for $25, and if you're on a budget you can make the panniers yourself. The point is to get the weight you're carrying 1) off of your back and 2) lower down.

As to where to ride, it's good to get used to riding in the street. Maybe there is a parallel street you can ride down that is less busy than the one you're using? Just throw on a bright, reflective vest and ride like you belong there.
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