According to this there are only 3 maybe 4 states that don’t allow riding your bike on the sidewalk. Just a reminder there are a total of 50 states in the US. Ignorance is a funny thing.
To be fair, I did not realize the laws around this were so obtuse and vary so much, and I appreciate the source.
Your own source mentions that the laws vary from city to city within the states, so I think it is still much more widely enforced than you are led to believe. I live in one of the states where it says it is completely legal in your source, yet I know that my city cops write tickets for riding on the sidewalk here.
Fair enough. Everywhere I’ve lived I ride my bike everywhere and most places I’ve visited in the country I would rent a bike and never had any problems, so I was very surprised to see people claim the complete opposite of my personal experiences.
But it’s a massive country and I can see how other people could have different anecdotal experiences than my own.
Thanks for this. I often get downvoted in online conversations when I mention that I bike on the sidewalk. People claim that it’s illegal everywhere or that I’m out here mowing down pedestrians or something. This is the US we’re talking here…outside of major urban areas, there are really hardly ever that many people on the sidewalk. It’s not hard to give pedestrians space while cycling on the sidewalk unless you’re in an urban area. I’m sure as hell not needlessly risking my life in some dangerously suicidal excuse for a “bike lane” here in the US. Painting a bike symbol on the shoulder of a 50mph road and calling it a “bike lane” is ridiculous.
It’s illegal to ride a bike on the sidewalk in every US state I’ve been to, so your sidewalk point doesn’t apply to most cyclists in the US.
Many states laws force bikes to ride in traffic with other vehicles, even if there is no bike lane. I wouldn’t call those people stupid for doing so.
According to this there are only 3 maybe 4 states that don’t allow riding your bike on the sidewalk. Just a reminder there are a total of 50 states in the US.
Ignorance is a funny thing.To be fair, I did not realize the laws around this were so obtuse and vary so much, and I appreciate the source.
Your own source mentions that the laws vary from city to city within the states, so I think it is still much more widely enforced than you are led to believe. I live in one of the states where it says it is completely legal in your source, yet I know that my city cops write tickets for riding on the sidewalk here.
Fair enough. Everywhere I’ve lived I ride my bike everywhere and most places I’ve visited in the country I would rent a bike and never had any problems, so I was very surprised to see people claim the complete opposite of my personal experiences. But it’s a massive country and I can see how other people could have different anecdotal experiences than my own.
Thanks for this. I often get downvoted in online conversations when I mention that I bike on the sidewalk. People claim that it’s illegal everywhere or that I’m out here mowing down pedestrians or something. This is the US we’re talking here…outside of major urban areas, there are really hardly ever that many people on the sidewalk. It’s not hard to give pedestrians space while cycling on the sidewalk unless you’re in an urban area. I’m sure as hell not needlessly risking my life in some dangerously suicidal excuse for a “bike lane” here in the US. Painting a bike symbol on the shoulder of a 50mph road and calling it a “bike lane” is ridiculous.