Bicyclists
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
In a letter printed on July 19, Thomas Coburn said, "I do not understand why people riding bicycles can't just ride their bikes on the sidewalk instead of riding out in the middle of the street."
Cyclists don't ride in the middle of the street. We keep right just like everybody else. Cyclists don't ride on sidewalks because it is rude, illegal and extremely hazardous to operate a vehicle on a walkway.
People on walkways shouldn't have to deal with vehicles rolling at them, and walkways aren't designed for wheeled traffic - they often include flights of steps; unexpectedly going down a staircase can ruin your whole day. Worse, car drivers don't expect vehicles to come rolling out of walkways. Even if they see you on the sidewalk, they'll see a pedestrian and expect you to move like a pedestrian. If there isn't a road alongside the walkway, drivers on the crossing road may not even realize that they are crossing an intersection.
People riding bicycles on walkways are more likely to get run over than people riding in the street where they can be seen - provided that they obey all traffic laws. Especially stop signs - but I'm nearing the 500-word limit; I'll post that rant on my blog at http://joybeeson.livejournal.com
Joy Beeson
Winona Lake, via e-mail[[In-content Ad]]
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In a letter printed on July 19, Thomas Coburn said, "I do not understand why people riding bicycles can't just ride their bikes on the sidewalk instead of riding out in the middle of the street."
Cyclists don't ride in the middle of the street. We keep right just like everybody else. Cyclists don't ride on sidewalks because it is rude, illegal and extremely hazardous to operate a vehicle on a walkway.
People on walkways shouldn't have to deal with vehicles rolling at them, and walkways aren't designed for wheeled traffic - they often include flights of steps; unexpectedly going down a staircase can ruin your whole day. Worse, car drivers don't expect vehicles to come rolling out of walkways. Even if they see you on the sidewalk, they'll see a pedestrian and expect you to move like a pedestrian. If there isn't a road alongside the walkway, drivers on the crossing road may not even realize that they are crossing an intersection.
People riding bicycles on walkways are more likely to get run over than people riding in the street where they can be seen - provided that they obey all traffic laws. Especially stop signs - but I'm nearing the 500-word limit; I'll post that rant on my blog at http://joybeeson.livejournal.com
Joy Beeson
Winona Lake, via e-mail[[In-content Ad]]
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