In defense of sidewalk cycling

Most cyclists, myself included, advise people not to ride on the sidewalk. There is some evidence that sidewalk cycling is more dangerous than riding in the street. Some might even say the evidence is overwhelming. But let us not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Sidewalk cycling is (IMO) more dangerous than on-road cycling, but at times it is appropriate and a useful tool in the cyclist toolkit.

I always compare sidewalk cycling to SCUBA diving. Just as SCUBA diving is more dangerous than swimming, it does not mean it can not be done safely - it just requires more caution. it's not that you can't ride safely on the sidewalk it's that you can't ride on the sidewalk as you would in the street and be safe. You have to slow down - often to walking speed, and you have to be extra careful at the intersection and curb cuts. If you act like people can't see you when road cycling, act like they are trying to kill you a.la Death Race 2000 when you're on the sidewalk. You have to be on the lookout for added hazards like cracked pavement, sidewalk furniture, low branches etc.. And of course you have to be cognizant of and courteous to pedestrians. You don't like it when cars fly past you with a two inch passing distance and pedestrians don't like it when cyclists do it to them on the sidewalk. Mrs. Washcycle recently became a pedestrian commuter. She loves bikes - but she does not love them flying along the busy sidewalks downtown at 20 mph and scaring the bejeezus out of her.

Having said that, here are some good things about sidewalk cycling

Sidewalks make good climbing lanes: As part of my daily commute I use sidewalks both going to and coming from work. Both situations are almost identical: I'm going up a steep hill, the outside lane is narrow, the sidewalk is wide, traffic goes fast, there are few curb cuts and no pedestrians. Since I'm going 7 mph I don't want people barreling at me at 45 mph.

Sidewalks make good contraflow lanes: When people recently got tickets for going the wrong way on New Hampshire many suggested they just use the sidewalk. Now going downhill on a sidewalk sucks because you can't fly down the hill (again with the slow) but sometimes, even with the speed constraints, going the wrong way slowly for one block is better than going far out of one's way.

Sidewalks can be adequate bike lanes for roads with a low Bicycle LOS: Usually I would say you're better off in the street, but there are few roads where traffic is so fast and lanes are so narrow that even though you aren't going uphill you might be better off on the sidewalk- like on New York Avenue NE or Irving Road near the Washington Hospital Center.

Sidewalks can be passing lanes: Again, not recommended very often, but when on-road traffic is a real mess (not moving at all and too crowded for lane splitting), the sidewalk can serve as a good way to get around it. In downtown I once found I was better off walking my bike on the sidewalk around one such cluster than trying to negotiate my way through it.

Sidewalks make good driveways: As long as bike parking is on the sidewalk, that's where you'll have to start and end most rides.

You're mileage may vary, maybe you think no one should ride on the sidewalk ever. That's fine. But it worries me that so many people are so quick to denounce sidewalk cycling at all times. It's the kind of attitude that gets bad laws passed.

Speaking of sidewalks, one of the more unusual things I carry in my pannier is a pair of cheap garden shears. When plants start to grow over a sidewalk or trail I know that maintenance could be months away, so I pull over and give it a few snips - very satisfying. I figured I was the only one. Seems I'm not even the only on in DC - Stephanie Kay at WAMU does it too. Here's a response from the gardeners (I would never cut a homeowner's plants without talking to them).

When biking on the sidewalk it's a good idea to avoid the more constricted sidewalks in DC.

Photo by Kavitha Cardoza

Comments

[RJ]

I agree with your point, though it should be noted that cyclists using the sidewalk in the type of helpful/essential scenarios you highlighted above should be aware that they are slightly less visible than they are on the road. I got nailed in a crosswalk by a car making a right turn onto Irving Road near the Washington Hospital Center (when I had the clear right of way) because the person didn't think to look for bikes (or pedestrians for that matter I suppose). It could also be that cars are not used to 'faster' moving objects coming into the crosswalk via the sidewalk whereas they are more accustomed to watching for other cars and bikes in the normal flow of traffic.

[SB]

I bike-commute down Connecticut Avenue in the mornings. When I start out, I wait until a wave of cars at a stoplight has passed, and then I ride on the street. As soon as the next wave of cars is about to overtake me, I get on the sidewalk until that wave passes. Then back on the street. I do that all the way down Connecticut until I can get into Rock Creek Park at Calvert Street. I just don't like being so close to whizzing car commuters.

I occasionally get complaints from pedestrians, even though I am courteous, ride slowly, and ring my bell. I just tell them that it's legal to ride on the sidewalk as long as it's not in the Central Business District and that I prefer not to compete for a lane with heavier, fast-moving cars.

[Tom]

SB,

I hope you have a will and all your affairs in order. Your's is not a good strategy for a long and healthy life.

[neb]

Good post. I bike on the sidewalk every day going west on Mass Ave. between 9th and 14th. This fits into the "low los" category you describe. The thing is - I don't like doing it, but the street sucks to bike on. In that same stretch, there's three lanes on the eastbound side and two westbound. If the city were to get rid of one eastbound lane and construct separated bike lanes (or even stripe them) on both sides, sidewalk riding wouldn't be necessary. Mass. Ave could actually be a great biking street with some changes. Its the best route to get cross town.

[Allen Muchnick]

Excellent post. Cyclists should not be dogmatic about never riding on sidewalks, and I often bike on sidewalks for reasons 2, 4, and 5 above. However, bicyclists who believe that sidewalks are generally safer than the roadway for bicycling at more than pedestrian speeds are seriously misguided and need a good traffic cycling course. WABA's free 3-hour Confident City Cycling class is a good place to start.

[washcycle]

Yes, SB, I understand your position. Cycling can often feel less safe - I point out it's like riding a roller coaster, which feels less safe than driving but probably isn't - but a Confident City Cycling class may be a good option for you.

[Mike Doan]

Sidewalk riding can't be all bad...police ride bikes on the sidewalk near the Old Executive Office Building.

[SB]

Not sure why you guys think I need a class! I feel like I am a safe city biker, in part because I rely on my instincts to guide me. And I am confident of my instincts.

My problem with biking on Connecticut Avenue can be illustrated by the experience of a fellow bike commuter. One recent afternoon as he was biking up Connecticut Avenue after work, a car got so close to him that it knocked off his handlebar mirror. I have absolutely no interest in putting myself at the mercy of cars on a busy commuter thoroughfare having no bike lane or at the mercy of people opening their car doors without looking. I get on the sidewalk when I feel I need to, I am extremely careful when I cross at the crosswalk because I know cars just don't expect to see me, and I make eye contact with idling drivers whose path I am about to cross.

So far so good.

[washcycle]

SB, don't take it personally. I think everyone needs to take the class. Robert DeNiro still takes acting lessons after all.

[MB]

Not a fan of sidewalk riding, but I definitely understand that it's the preferred means of travel for many. I just wish that those that use it were a little smarter about it.

[josh]

Biking the sidewalk northbound up the hill on the Eastern sidewalk of 16th from V to Euclid has saved my life many times, I'm sure.
Wide sidewalks, few peds, few cross streets. . . a pleasure.

[Steve]

I ride a 10.5 mile commute to/from work each morning on roads with no bike lane & relatively heavy traffic. About the only time I hit the sidewalk though is when there's heavy rain. Sidewalks here tend to drain quicker than the street (plus less car splash). Caution is definitely key however when crossing intersections- always look for any cars approaching the intersection from every direction, cuz it's likely they're not looking for you!

[Tom]

SB

The problem with your in-and-out strategy is that every time you change from street to sidewalk and vice versa you expontionally increase your odds of getting whacked.

Getting hit by a car from behind is a very low probability event due to its common nature and predictability.

It is in the transitions and intersections where most accidents occur, because there are so many decisions to be made by you and the drivers. Since you are operating on a custom set of procedures the rules on engagement have to made up on the fly.

Good luck

[Allen Muchnick]

SB wrote: "My problem with biking on Connecticut Avenue can be illustrated by the experience of a fellow bike commuter. One recent afternoon as he was biking up Connecticut Avenue after work, a car got so close to him that it knocked off his handlebar mirror. I have absolutely no interest in putting myself at the mercy of cars on a busy commuter thoroughfare having no bike lane or at the mercy of people opening their car doors without looking."

This comment shows that SB and his bike commuter friend do not understand how to safely and confidently cycle in traffic as drivers of vehicles; i.e., fully integrated with traffic in the rightmost travel lane and well outside the door zone of parked vehicles. Thus, a course in traffic cycling is indeed very much needed.

[Paul]

I bike/bus commute to my job as a shuttle bus driver on the Microsoft Redmond campus. It is cyclist hell--the lanes are usually too narrow to pass a cyclist, so many choose the sidewalk.

When I ride, I hate to use the roadway--I really feel the pressure of all that traffic, especially on the streets surrounding campus and the bus base. But when I'm driving, I have to constantly check for cyclists and pedestrians crossing from the sidewalk. I have to be a hypervigilant swivel-head to avoid tragedy. Buses have a lot of blind spots.

If a cyclist is taking the lane in front of me, I might get annoyed--but it will be much easier to avoid hitting them than when they streak out of my blind spot into my path. Some of the sidewalk users are aware enough to stop and check for traffic at crosswalks. Then, a little dance ensues--they look at me, I look at them, we both wait until someone goes. Sometimes they motion me to go ahead.

If you're going to use the sidewalk, please be like these latter people. When the walk sign is on, that doesn't mean you can go. Look first. Make eye contact. Use your bell. *Make* them look at you.

Be safe out there. I'll be looking out for you if you come to Microsoft Land.

--Paul in #759, the "Magic Bus"