Bikes on sidewalks
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Anonymous
I'm not suggesting we ban them, but I am suggesting that you don't HAVE to ride your bike anywhere in this city. You choose to which is ok, but certainly not a necessity. |
Anonymous
To clarify, I wasn’t suggesting that riding a bike in DC is a requirement for anyone; I was saying that people who ride bikes are going to ride them on sidewalks/streets/trails/paths somewhere, and wherever that is, there will be people complaining about it. |
Anonymous
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I was hit from behind by a bicyclist once when I was walking on a sidewalk in Old Town Alexandria. She knocked me down, tearing my clothing and cutting open my knee.
She laughed - literally laughed - and kept going. I have loathed bicyclists on sidewalks ever since. |
Anonymous
If you’re on the sidewalk you need to yield to pedestrians. That might mean stopping sometimes vs ringing your bell and riding straight at them. As long as you understand that you are fine. |
Anonymous
Yes, please yield and respect each other, safety #1. Mutually benefit all of us. |
Anonymous
If there were more considerate bikers who shared the road, the sidewalk or paths politely with everyone else, they wouldn't have such a bad rep. I have a 15-minute walk from Union Station to my office every day, and get almost ran over by bikes and scooters daily. There is a busy crosswalk in front of Union Station where there is a bike lane as well as the road. The cars stop at the stop sign but bikers and shooters NEVER do. They yell at pedestrians to get out of their way. |
Anonymous
| *scooters not shooters |
Anonymous
God forbid a cyclist actually stop though - you'd think it's damn near impossible for them. I'm so damn tired of people riding bikes on sidewalks - even when there's an actual bike lane dedicated to them! On mixed use trails, they rarely yield to pedestrians, and try to weave in between them. And then they blow through stop signs and lights, not yielding to pedestrians crossing with the right of way. F cyclists. I hate 99% of them. And quit using high beams and flashing strobe lights in the early morning - are you trying to blind people? Because you sure as hell aren't trying to increase your visibility. |
Anonymous
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There's a difference between bicycles and (some) electric bikes and scooters. And, as a bicyclist, there are places, like Mass Ave in DC, where it is insane to not let me have the option to ride on the sidewalk, but I am adamant that if you're on the sidewalk you need to be respectful of pedestrians. Slow down, ring a bell, give them as much space as possible.
Pedestrians should also be aware of walking dead in the middle, weaving around, especially if you're wearing headphones. In most places it shouldn't be a problem to share the sidewalk if everyone is considerate and aware. And, of course, all of this would be easier if motorists weren't so dangerous to pedestrians and bicycles. |
Anonymous
Wrong. Not illegal in Virginia. |
Anonymous
| Oh boy... getting popcorn... waiting for the hard-core Bicyclist rights people to attack in full force. They are even more fanatical than "the angry left lane of the road is only for passing" mob. |
Anonymous
Shouldn't be controversial. Most sidewalks have room for both, if bicyclists are considerate and pedestrians are aware. |
Anonymous
I teach children to specifically ride on sidewalks. It is legal here in Virginia. |
Anonymous
| They can be dangerous and obnoxious. I was in my quiet burb walking my dog, on the phone with my mom. This guy came at super high speed and I almost didn't hear him, he could have slammed right into me. He could have very easily gone on the road (wide, good, zero cars) to pass me. I think it's a lack of consideration. |
Anonymous
| It's not illegal to ride a bike on the sidewalk in MoCo. In City of Gaithersburg it is. |