Riding a bicycle on sidewalks archived
Sep 12, 2011 at 5:33pm
Ride with traffic. Always. Just get used to it.
Be careful on the sidewalks unless you have a mtn bike or a hybrid with front suspension.
Be careful on the sidewalks unless you have a mtn bike or a hybrid with front suspension.
Sep 13, 2011 at 2:48am Edited
And assert your right to the road. The most dangerous place for a bicycle is hugging the right side of the road or right next to a line of parked cars. It's tough to get used to, but it will keep you safer.
I don't think riding on the sidewalk is allowed anywhere (by law, I mean)
I almost hit someone because I was turning onto a sidestreet and they came flying off the sidewalk and across the street. Parked cars blocked my view of the sidewalk.
Bee, are you sure? Doesn't each town have its own ordinance?
rastro, certainly we need to be aware of our right to use the roads just like everyone else. But there are many alpha people on the road and I don't want to be in their way.
and crazy_quilter ran into one and almost ran that person over. Alpha people is the bicycle rider who crosses streets without checking, the pedestrian who crosses the street without checking for incoming cars, the pedestrian with his/her butt in the middle of the street and the elbows resting on the rolled down windows of the car of a friend with whom he/she is catching up and the motorists who let you know in no uncertain terms that you are a nuisance to them.
There are plenty of threads on accidents, near misses, aggressiveness on this board and I have written a few including one where I and a police car right behind me had to apply breaks for me to avoid a pedestrian who started crossing as I was driving and the police officer to apply the brakes to avoid rear ending me at a left turn.
Latest? Just yesterday late morning. On the way back from St. Barnabas, I wanted to stop by Millburn Library. There was traffic behind me so I signaled right turn and, to alert the drivers behind me, started decelerating. The driver behind me thought exactly what I was trying to avoid. He/she must have thought I was going to make a right at Lackawanna, I guess because when I started to turn into the library he was very close to me blowing the horn. I was not going slow, I was decelerating, gently touching the brake, signaling impending right turn but not going at 5mph, for heaven's sake. And I still heard from that person. This is the kind of person who roams the street these days and this type of person has plenty of company. I will do what is right, but I won't get into a contest of who is more alpha than who. Not a fight to pick.
I will run into alpha motorists while bicycling too. I don't want to be creamed while I ride close to parked cars.
rastro, certainly we need to be aware of our right to use the roads just like everyone else. But there are many alpha people on the road and I don't want to be in their way.
and crazy_quilter ran into one and almost ran that person over. Alpha people is the bicycle rider who crosses streets without checking, the pedestrian who crosses the street without checking for incoming cars, the pedestrian with his/her butt in the middle of the street and the elbows resting on the rolled down windows of the car of a friend with whom he/she is catching up and the motorists who let you know in no uncertain terms that you are a nuisance to them.
There are plenty of threads on accidents, near misses, aggressiveness on this board and I have written a few including one where I and a police car right behind me had to apply breaks for me to avoid a pedestrian who started crossing as I was driving and the police officer to apply the brakes to avoid rear ending me at a left turn.
Latest? Just yesterday late morning. On the way back from St. Barnabas, I wanted to stop by Millburn Library. There was traffic behind me so I signaled right turn and, to alert the drivers behind me, started decelerating. The driver behind me thought exactly what I was trying to avoid. He/she must have thought I was going to make a right at Lackawanna, I guess because when I started to turn into the library he was very close to me blowing the horn. I was not going slow, I was decelerating, gently touching the brake, signaling impending right turn but not going at 5mph, for heaven's sake. And I still heard from that person. This is the kind of person who roams the street these days and this type of person has plenty of company. I will do what is right, but I won't get into a contest of who is more alpha than who. Not a fight to pick.
I will run into alpha motorists while bicycling too. I don't want to be creamed while I ride close to parked cars.
I find more issues with bikers ignoring traffic laws than I see drivers giving bicyclists a hard time, but we should all get along.
John,
I did not limit myself to alpha person syndrome motorists. crazy quilter has described how a bicyclist darted in front of her as she was making a left turn. I have written about a near accident where a pedestrian started walking as I was entering the street from a left turn. A police officer who was behind me had to slam on his brakes too and ended up sideways behind me. The police officer then pulled back a little and went away. I followed. The pedestrian had retreated to the sidewalk and he was still standing there.
It is a culture, a behavior that is quite common in the area. There are many threads about them in this message board.
You would not have problems with me as a pedestrian, as a cyclist on the road, as a cyclist on the sidewalk, or as a motorist. I get into near misses but they are not due to me being inattentive, me asserting my divinely given right to my immediate location, and so on. I share.
I was stopping at the Millburn library because I love it, the patrons and the people who work there. I feel a sense of belonging, of being at home. I had specifically chosen the route that got me to that library on the way back to the "hood" part of Maplewood. I sit in that library, read the day's papers, some magazine, some books and the water is always just at the right temperature for my taste, and the library temperature is just the way I like it.
Oh my God, I eventually started reading that thread on Maplewood diversity and found that Maplewood, like Gallia, divisa est in partes tres (De Bello Gallico, Julius Caesar ). So what is a "boy from the hood" doing in the Millburn library and how do the patrons of that library perceive the MapleGood people who live and breathe the rarefied air of the Maple side of the mountain?
I wish I had not ventured into that thread. My bad.
I did not limit myself to alpha person syndrome motorists. crazy quilter has described how a bicyclist darted in front of her as she was making a left turn. I have written about a near accident where a pedestrian started walking as I was entering the street from a left turn. A police officer who was behind me had to slam on his brakes too and ended up sideways behind me. The police officer then pulled back a little and went away. I followed. The pedestrian had retreated to the sidewalk and he was still standing there.
It is a culture, a behavior that is quite common in the area. There are many threads about them in this message board.
You would not have problems with me as a pedestrian, as a cyclist on the road, as a cyclist on the sidewalk, or as a motorist. I get into near misses but they are not due to me being inattentive, me asserting my divinely given right to my immediate location, and so on. I share.
I was stopping at the Millburn library because I love it, the patrons and the people who work there. I feel a sense of belonging, of being at home. I had specifically chosen the route that got me to that library on the way back to the "hood" part of Maplewood. I sit in that library, read the day's papers, some magazine, some books and the water is always just at the right temperature for my taste, and the library temperature is just the way I like it.
Oh my God, I eventually started reading that thread on Maplewood diversity and found that Maplewood, like Gallia, divisa est in partes tres (De Bello Gallico, Julius Caesar ). So what is a "boy from the hood" doing in the Millburn library and how do the patrons of that library perceive the MapleGood people who live and breathe the rarefied air of the Maple side of the mountain?
I wish I had not ventured into that thread. My bad.
mapletree:
I would think that rules of the road, including rules for bicycles, are set by the State rather than individual towns. My impression is the same as SAC's: Bike riding on the sidewalks is not legal.
If you are that uncomfortable riding your bike in the street with the flow of traffic on streets with a moderate to heavy traffic flow depending on the time of day, perhaps you should either drive to the fitness center or join a fitness center closer to home so you could get there on foot or by bicycle. This would give you the opportunity to take the time to become more comfortable with riding your bike on some of our busier streets.
I would think that rules of the road, including rules for bicycles, are set by the State rather than individual towns. My impression is the same as SAC's: Bike riding on the sidewalks is not legal.
If you are that uncomfortable riding your bike in the street with the flow of traffic on streets with a moderate to heavy traffic flow depending on the time of day, perhaps you should either drive to the fitness center or join a fitness center closer to home so you could get there on foot or by bicycle. This would give you the opportunity to take the time to become more comfortable with riding your bike on some of our busier streets.
Sad to say, riding a bike around here is pretty dangerous. Oblivious drivers, pot holes and broken pavement, oblivious pedestrians. You take your life in your hands to some degree. Met a guy at Kessler who was an avid bike rider who had an accident and was there for a month or 2.
I like Joan's suggestion of finding another fitness center. 
If it's going to be so complicated/dangerous to get there, you might not end up going. That's been my experience anyway.
If it's going to be so complicated/dangerous to get there, you might not end up going. That's been my experience anyway.
I have a select list of fitness centers and that one is the closest. It also has the facilities I need.
I would like to use my bicycle to go to it and I do not want to risk the unpleasant experience the guy notupset ran into at Kessler.
Obviously, being on the street itself is preferable to being off it on sidewalks. I wanted to know if riding on the sidewalk was legal.
I would only use the bicycle on weekends if I am up to it, since the fitness center I am planning to enroll in is just a short distance from my work route so I can stop there on the way home. Most of the road hardly ever has parked cars on it.
It is sad that we have to even have this discussion because, as notupset has mentioned and has provided an example, riding a bicycle presents risks mostly because many motorists with an alpha person syndrome are on the road and they, at best, are oblivious to bicycle riders. Johnlockedema observes that the bicycle riders have their own set of faults or criticisms. By not observing the same rules observed by motorists or by not following sensible riding behavior, they are a primary factor in the resulting accident.
I pay close attention to bicycle or motorbike riders. If a bicycle rider is passing parked cars I slow down to the rider's speed until he/she can get back close to the curb and I will pass as far away as possible and as slowly as possible so that the cyclist won't get much wind. The motorists behinf me, often, mimic what I have just done.
Question: do bicycle riders need to observe the same laws that motorists are required to observe?
I would like to use my bicycle to go to it and I do not want to risk the unpleasant experience the guy notupset ran into at Kessler.
Obviously, being on the street itself is preferable to being off it on sidewalks. I wanted to know if riding on the sidewalk was legal.
I would only use the bicycle on weekends if I am up to it, since the fitness center I am planning to enroll in is just a short distance from my work route so I can stop there on the way home. Most of the road hardly ever has parked cars on it.
It is sad that we have to even have this discussion because, as notupset has mentioned and has provided an example, riding a bicycle presents risks mostly because many motorists with an alpha person syndrome are on the road and they, at best, are oblivious to bicycle riders. Johnlockedema observes that the bicycle riders have their own set of faults or criticisms. By not observing the same rules observed by motorists or by not following sensible riding behavior, they are a primary factor in the resulting accident.
I pay close attention to bicycle or motorbike riders. If a bicycle rider is passing parked cars I slow down to the rider's speed until he/she can get back close to the curb and I will pass as far away as possible and as slowly as possible so that the cyclist won't get much wind. The motorists behinf me, often, mimic what I have just done.
Question: do bicycle riders need to observe the same laws that motorists are required to observe?
I have always been told that the answer is Yes.mapletree said:
Question: do bicycle riders need to observe the same laws that motorists are required to observe?
I was under the impression that bikes are not allowed on the sidewalks as per state law and they they are supposed to follow the same laws as cars when on the road. That's not to say that all bikers follow these rules.... just as all drivers and pedestrians don't follow their respective rules/laws. Just be careful and aware and never trust the driver next to you (I always assume they're oblivious when I bike on the road).
Here's a link to the laws about bicycle riding in NJ: http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/commuter/bike/regulations.shtm
And, the most important section about operating a bike:
39:4-14.2, 39:4-10.11 Operating Regulations.
Every person riding a bicycle on a roadway shall ride as near to the right roadside as practicable exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction. A bicyclist may move left under any of the following conditions: 1) To make a left turn from a left turn lane or pocket; 2) To avoid debris, drains, or other hazardous conditions on the right; 3) To pass a slower moving vehicle; 4) To occupy any available lane when traveling at the same speed as other traffic; 5) To travel no more than two abreast when traffic is not impeded, but otherwise ride in single file. Every person riding a bicycle shall ride in the same direction as vehicular traffic.
In New Jersey, the law states a bicyclist must obey all state and local automobile driving laws. A parent may be held responsible for the child’s violation of any traffic law.
And, the most important section about operating a bike:
39:4-14.2, 39:4-10.11 Operating Regulations.
Every person riding a bicycle on a roadway shall ride as near to the right roadside as practicable exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction. A bicyclist may move left under any of the following conditions: 1) To make a left turn from a left turn lane or pocket; 2) To avoid debris, drains, or other hazardous conditions on the right; 3) To pass a slower moving vehicle; 4) To occupy any available lane when traveling at the same speed as other traffic; 5) To travel no more than two abreast when traffic is not impeded, but otherwise ride in single file. Every person riding a bicycle shall ride in the same direction as vehicular traffic.
In New Jersey, the law states a bicyclist must obey all state and local automobile driving laws. A parent may be held responsible for the child’s violation of any traffic law.
mapletree said:
Question: do bicycle riders need to observe the same laws that motorists are required to observe?
They need to observe traffic control devices such as stop signs, yield, stop one way street signs, caution lights, and so forth.
I've found that drivers give you as much room as you take. Ride three feet from the curb, they give you three feet. Take half the lane, they'll give you the other half.
Ride six inches from the curb and they'll whizz by six inches from your elbow.
Ride six inches from the curb and they'll whizz by six inches from your elbow.
Exactly. That's why I said assert your right to the road. If you hug the right edge of the road, they'll drive right next to you, giving you no room to maneuver.
Well, not quite all the time. Very often I'll have situations where even though I'm on or even to the right of the white line someone driving up behind me will slow down and pace me for an uncomfortable amount of time - all because there is some oncoming traffic ahead. When it clears, these are the folks that invariably go all the way across the yellow lines into the other lane to pass.
God help us if there are 2 or three riders going single file. It's even worse if we're spread out several yards behind each other instead of in a tight pace line. Then the person waits even longer. Those are the times when we'll get honks and/or comments even though we're doing exactly the right thing, just not fast enough I guess.
God help us if there are 2 or three riders going single file. It's even worse if we're spread out several yards behind each other instead of in a tight pace line. Then the person waits even longer. Those are the times when we'll get honks and/or comments even though we're doing exactly the right thing, just not fast enough I guess.
rastro said:
Exactly. That's why I said assert your right to the road. If you hug the right edge of the road, they'll drive right next to you, giving you no room to maneuver.
Counterintuitive, but absolutely true in practice.
Not every road is safe for biking. If the roads to your fitness center are unsafe, hop in the car. That's just the way things are.
Today in fact a cyclist was driving down a long hill right in the middle of the road. Not only were his actions unsafe, the road on which he was riding was unsafe for biking in the first place, as it's barely wide enough for vehicular traffic.
Well it all depends on what you mean by "safe." I know the roads the OP takes, and with the exception of Morris Ave. they're all fine.
Maybe take Burnett to Vaux Hall to Caldwell, and skip Morris Ave. altogether?
Maybe take Burnett to Vaux Hall to Caldwell, and skip Morris Ave. altogether?
bikefixed said:
Very often I'll have situations where even though I'm on or even to the right of the white line someone driving up behind me will slow down and pace me for an uncomfortable amount of time - all because there is some oncoming traffic ahead. When it clears, these are the folks that invariably go all the way across the yellow lines into the other lane to pass.
The problem is that I've seen bicyclists swerve out due to hazards seen by them but not by motorists. No, it doesn't happen a lot, but it only has to happen once while I'm passing a bicyclist for it to end someone's life, and I don't want to have to live with that.
In Berlin the bike lanes were on the sidewalk, they had different, smother pavement than the walking part of the sidewalks. The system works because both bicyclists and pedestrians there respect the system. It is safer for bicyclists, IMHO, but it would never work here, neither pedestrians nor bicyclists would stay in their zone on the sidewalk.
You do have a point. I'm usually very aware of cars aroud me and I use a mirror on my glasses so I know you're there. You can't always be sure what each cyclist will do - and that goes for every single driver too.
Unfortunately it is the actions of a few that dictate the behavior of many.
That is why cyclists should not be at the edge.of the road. That is where debris collects, and that is where cars will assume you will stay if that is where you ride.
Sep 17, 2011 at 11:48am Edited
Firstly, I love what spontaneous has written. I am not a regular MOL and do not aspire to be so I do not know how to quote in this message board.
She has written something powerful: "Unfortunately it is the actions of a few that dictate the behavior of many." That is true in all sorts of areas, it is universal and part of the laws of nature.
Given thatt, I like tom's suggestion of going Vauxhall until Caldwell and then going down Caldwell until Chestnut. I will take that route with my car next time to see whether I am comfortable with it. As he has mentioned, the potential trouble spot is Morris, otherwise.
I used to go to a fitness center behind the now closed Pathmark in Union and I used to bike there ( Burnett, then a road that got me to Liberty and Liberty to the shopping center and to the fitness center. The only place where I had to be careful was at the entrance to 78. I made sure no car was trying to enter the ramp when I had to cross.
I was not on the sidewalk. The sidewalk is a pain because you have to spot best place to cross and to return to the sidewalk at every intersection, anyway.
It may be doable. I am not timid, I want to minimize the risk. I don't want to be the one of the few accidents that will condition the riding behavior of the many.
I could consider Boyden->Stuyvesant->Chestnut but there are many cars parked there so it's out.
She has written something powerful: "Unfortunately it is the actions of a few that dictate the behavior of many." That is true in all sorts of areas, it is universal and part of the laws of nature.
Given thatt, I like tom's suggestion of going Vauxhall until Caldwell and then going down Caldwell until Chestnut. I will take that route with my car next time to see whether I am comfortable with it. As he has mentioned, the potential trouble spot is Morris, otherwise.
I used to go to a fitness center behind the now closed Pathmark in Union and I used to bike there ( Burnett, then a road that got me to Liberty and Liberty to the shopping center and to the fitness center. The only place where I had to be careful was at the entrance to 78. I made sure no car was trying to enter the ramp when I had to cross.
I was not on the sidewalk. The sidewalk is a pain because you have to spot best place to cross and to return to the sidewalk at every intersection, anyway.
It may be doable. I am not timid, I want to minimize the risk. I don't want to be the one of the few accidents that will condition the riding behavior of the many.
I could consider Boyden->Stuyvesant->Chestnut but there are many cars parked there so it's out.
are even kids and young teens even encourged to ride in the middle of the street? riding to friends houses, to the movies together, to school, etc.?
You can not reply as this discussion is Closed!
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Driving around parked cars with cars behind me is no fun.
How about bicycling the British way on the wrong side of the street?
I will have bright yellow or orange clothes and reflective safety vest bought through jerseyjack.