Q: Does a bicyclist riding on the sidewalk have to get off of their bicycle when crossing a road with a signal? Or can they just ride straight across at cycling speed in the crosswalk if the light is green? Corollary question – can a bicyclist riding on the sidewalk ride faster than walking speed? I had a bicyclist riding against traffic on a one-way street on the sidewalk try to ride directly across in the crosswalk, in front of turning traffic. On top of it all, she was in the business district.
A: Most of us learned to ride a bike when our age could be measured in single digits. When you’re seven, advice like “always ride on the sidewalk” and “get off your bike when crossing the street” makes good sense. A beginning bike rider is pretty wobbly; not someone you want at the edge of a lane of traffic or crossing the street. The trouble with advice to our seven-year-old selves is that it doesn’t age well.
Over the past few weeks we’ve had a global decrease in driving. And in cities who track cycling use, they’ve seen a major increase in cycling. If you’re one of the folks who recently decided to dust off the bike in the garage and go for a ride, now might also be a good time to refresh your bike safety knowledge. We’ll use this week’s question as a prompt for some commonly misunderstood cycling rules.
Does a cyclist riding on a sidewalk have to dismount to cross a crosswalk? That’s something most of us were told as kids. We weren’t told that because it was a law; we were told that because our parents and teachers didn’t want us falling off our bikes in the street. I have enough early biking (and crashing) memories to believe that the advice was prompted by legitimate concern. The law doesn’t prevent cyclists from riding in a crosswalk; it actually presumes that riders will do it. The Revised code of Washington states, “Every person riding a bicycle upon a sidewalk or crosswalk must be granted all of the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable to a pedestrian by this chapter.”
Can a cyclist ride on a sidewalk faster than walking speed? I haven’t found any laws that set a speed limit on sidewalks, but that doesn’t mean it’s a free-for-all. The law says that, “The rider of a bicycle shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian on a sidewalk or crosswalk.” If you’re riding too fast to avoid a confrontation with a pedestrian, you’re too fast. I’d add that if you’re riding fast enough to scare or startle pedestrians or cause them to step out of your way, you’re too fast.
Can a cyclist ride the opposite direction of traffic on a sidewalk? Based on the law I quoted a couple paragraphs ago about people riding a bike on the sidewalk having the same rights and duties as pedestrians, I’d conclude that if you can walk either direction on a sidewalk, you can ride either direction on it too.
On a related topic, lately I’ve seen some cyclists riding against traffic in the road. I’ve written about it before, so I won’t go into details here other than to say that it’s a terrible idea and you should never do it. Also, it’s illegal. When you’re riding on the road you’re required to obey the same rules as cars, and that includes riding the same direction as cars are driving. And even it wasn’t illegal it would still be a terrible idea. Normally I try not to repeat myself, but that’s worth saying twice.
Can a cyclist ride on the sidewalk in a business district? Municipalities can, and Bellingham does, prohibit cyclists from riding on sidewalks in business districts. It just doesn’t make sense to have bikes on sidewalks in areas with higher pedestrian density. If you’re not comfortable riding bike on the road in a business district the alternative isn’t riding on the sidewalk. It’s getting more time in the saddle and increasing your cycling skills so you can safely ride on the road, or choosing a different mode of transportation.
We’re coming into prime cycling weather in Washington, and I hope to see a lot of you out on bikes enjoying one of the greatest places on the planet to ride (I might be biased.) Some of you might be hesitant to ride because you’re concerned about the risks. There are real risks to cycling (and driving and walking) but you can greatly reduce your exposure by knowing and following safe cycling practices.