[London]

No sidewalks ever. Too much chance of getting clipped by a car popping out of a driveway. Being in the road (when there is a sidewalk) gives you a split second longer to react to cars coming out of their driveways. Besides, I would not want to (in any way) mess up a pedestrian in a sidewalk with my bike. That wouldn't be good for the ped or for me in court.

[Skidmark]

We ride a lot of sidewalks. I have seen more bears, snakes, deer, ect. than people on them. We do use the roads where there are bike lanes, and on secondary roads in rural spots were traffic is very light. Its also legal here.

[London]

Bears? I see one bear and I never go outside again.

[cgburns]

Be careful about using the sidewalk. Most cycling safety studies have found that cyclists fare much worse on the sidewalk than in the road. Furthermore, many local communities have passed laws either banning or restricting cycling on the sidewalks. In Florida, where I live, it is illegal to ride on the sidewalk in various towns.

[funetical]

It's illegal to ride on the side walk here but tolerated due to unsafe cycling conditions in some places by some officers. How is it worse for us to be on the side walk?

[cgburns]

People wonder how riding bikes on sidewalks can be dangerous. First, there is a greater chance of minor collisions with cyclists and pedestrians due to poorer visibility and restricted room and also a greater chance of falling down. However, the likelihood of a collision with a motor vehicle also increases. These accidents occur at intersections and driveways, the former more deadly. Unwilling to dismount and often unwilling to wait for the light, the bike rider starts across the intersection parallel to the main road, completely hidden from a turning motorist until the last second, when it's often too late for the motorist to stop. A study of these risks was made in 1994 and showed that sidewalk cycling is almost twice as dangerous as cycling in the street, and cycling against the traffic on the sidewalk is over four times as dangerous as cycling in the street.

[funetical]

wow I didn't know that. Never again.

[Chris516]

Originally Posted by cgburns

People wonder how riding bikes on sidewalks can be dangerous. First, there is a greater chance of minor collisions with cyclists and pedestrians due to poorer visibility and restricted room and also a greater chance of falling down. However, the likelihood of a collision with a motor vehicle also increases. These accidents occur at intersections and driveways, the former more deadly. Unwilling to dismount and often unwilling to wait for the light, the bike rider starts across the intersection parallel to the main road, completely hidden from a turning motorist until the last second, when it's often too late for the motorist to stop. A study of these risks was made in 1994 and showed that sidewalk cycling is almost twice as dangerous as cycling in the street, and cycling against the traffic on the sidewalk is over four times as dangerous as cycling in the street.

I can personally attest to the stupidity of riding on the sidewalk. I was riding on the sidewalk of a busy four-lane road. At one point, I lost my balance, due to conditions on the sidewalk. I ended up falling into the street. The driver had to hit their brakes hard. I would have been severely injured or killed, if the motorist hadn't hit their brakes.

[funetical]

That sounds horrible.

[Skidmark]

london, Yes we have plenty of bears. Mainly they are active at night and rarely seen. The other morning I turned a corner near right after leaving my house and suddenly realized I was only fifty feet from a HUGE bear just leaving a yard with three trash cans just inside the fence. I swear he looked at me like I owed him money.