Archive for June, 2009

I ride a bicycle sometimes: to the grocery store or the hardware store—that kind of thing. I started doing it after Burning Man, 2006, which had an ecological theme. I figured every mile I ride is another mile of petrolium I’m not burning; another mile of carbon and other pollutants I’m not putting into the air; another mile I’m not putting on my car, which will eventually be replaced, at great use of natural resources. I feel good about riding because I think I’m making a good choice for myself, for my community, and for my environment. I also like the idea that I’m getting from point A to point B using nothing but my own strength and a few simple machines.

When I ride, I usually ride on the road, which sometimes pisses off drivers who are behind me. If there’s a sidewalk, they sometimes yell, “Get on the sidewalk!” If there’s not a sidewalk, they cut to the chase with, “Get off the road!”

In Georgia, bicycles being ridden are treated legally as vehicles, just like cars. They are granted equal access to roadways and are subject to all traffic laws. Georgia state law does not require or even recommend that bicycles use sidewalks. As the Critical Mass people put it: bikes aren’t blocking traffic, they are traffic.

Drivers have argued that a slow-moving (10-20 mph) vehicle doesn’t belong on the roadway with much heavier, faster-moving vehicles like cars. Never mind that the law doesn’t agree with them. One reason I ride on the road instead o fthe sidewalk is that bicycles going 10-20 mph don’t belong on the sidewalk with pedestrians going 1-3 mph. Bicycles on the sidewalk can pose a safety hazard to pedestrians. When I ride on the street, I put myself in danger if a car hits me. When I ride on the sidewalk, I put someone else in danger if I hit them. I choose the former.

The sidewalk is not built for fast-moving vehicles. Riding a bike on a sidewalk is like driving a car down a rocky, unimproved road. There are constant bumps and jounces which are uncomfortable. Additionally, the sidewalk often curves sharply at intersections, and these curves can be difficult to negotiate at speed because they’re designed for walkers going 1-3 mph, not bicycles going 10-20 mph.

But the most compelling reason for riding in the street is that drivers don’t expect to see a vehicle going 10-20 mph on the sidewalk. Drivers are less likely to check the sidewalk when they pull out into traffic. They tend to visually check the oncoming lane, and then move on. This means that a cyclist on the sidewalk is more likely to have an accident with a driver who doesn’t see him or her and pulls out in front of him or her.

So, to sum up: No, I will not ride on the sidewalk. I understand that it’s frustrating for you to have to slow down until you can pass me. We are both entitled to use the road. If the road is not wide enough to simultaneously support all of its legal users, perhaps you can write a letter to your city council-person and see about having it widened. I’m already doing something difficult and a little scary by riding a bike on the street with you, but I like it and believe in it. Your yelling at me is not making it better for either of us.

I’ll close with a funny little anecdote.

When drivers yell, “Get on the sidewalk,” to me, I wish I could say all those things to them. I half hope I will catch up to them at a red light and be able to talk to them. It’s just so one-sided when they yell at me from their car window and just keep going. I got my chance when a man in a pickup truck made a left turn behind me. He was going slow enough that I was able to immediately hop off my bike and wave to him, meaning to say, “Come here and let me talk to you.”

Unfortunately, “Come here and let me talk to you” is apparently easily mistaken for, “You want to go?! Come on!” Especially when you’re already pissed by the fact that someone is riding a bike on your precious road. The guy leaned out his window and shouted, “I’ll kick your scrawny ass. Come on down to the end of the street and let’s go!” I figured “let me talk to you” probably wasn’t going to get me anywhere and rode on.

What is it about riding a bike on the street that makes a person so instantly violent?