Biking on the sidewalk compared to the road?

S

Speedfreak

New member
Technically speaking, you are to follow the rules of the road. Me being from New York, you look every which direction, be aware of your surroundings at all times, and go where and when the traffic flow permits.

Following a car door opening in front of me at 40 mph, I have no problem biking away from the curb/parked cars in the middle of rush hour traffic in Manhattan. Often, staying to the right can be much more dangerous because of opening doors, right turners, and buses/extended side mirrors.

I never even skate on the sidewalks, let alone bike them. Sidewalks are for walking, not a road bike. You will get used to it quickly.
 
You should be in the right lane of the road. The sidewalk is too narrow to be safe if you come upon pedestrians blocking the way. If you have to make a left turn, you can either move over to the left turning lane or, if that's not safely possible, go through the intersection and get into the right-hand lane facing the direction you want to go & wait for the light to change.

While you are in the road, cars should treat you like another car (and you should behave as one as well). When you get to an intersection just ride through if you have a green light/right-of-way or come to a stop (behind any stopped vehicles) when the light is red.

If you're the first person at the light, cars are supposed to wait behind you as they would behind any vehicle. I move more towards the center of the lane at red light to discourage them from trying to squeeze around me & hitting me. For those drivers about to whine about that, the law states a cyclist may use as much of the lane as needed to assure their safety (avoiding deep puddles/pot holes/ debris, or keep cars from forcing them off the road).

I would put a flasher on your helmet/back/bike to make yourself more noticeable to drivers. You're lucky; most drivers in Canada tend to respect cyclists. In the US, all the overweight drivers tend to forget they have other lanes to go around me.
 
Alright I just got my new road bike and I'm only 16 so I'm very new to biking (I got a devinci silverstone SL1) so its a nice bike. When I'm biking though I'm used to staying on the sidewalk but I always notice people going on the road. Now when I go on the road and I get to an intersection what do I do, because you cant get up on the curb and you are in the way of people turning right. What do you guys usually do because I feel very awkward in these types of situations.
See some of the sidewalks were you cross over sidewalks the curb is very high and I have to slow down completely thats why I dont like the sidewalk sometimes
I don't live in a very busy area though. I live in kanata, ontario, canada which is a decently big suburban city but nowhere near a big city.
 
You should ride on the road just be predictable and don't let a car turn into you when you begin thru the intersection. You'll get comfortable with it, in the meantimebe visible and don't assert your position in a way that is dangerous to you. Maybe practice lookbacks so you can be aware of traffic. Pointing to communicate your intentions is a good way to ensure motorists are aware of you as is eye contact. If a motorist isn't looking at you they don't see you. You are a vehicle and you ARE entitled to the road, but don't risk your life to affirm it.
 
Dont ride your bike on the road:
1. Youll look like a douche
2. It takes more time for other people to get where they need to be
3. The sidewalk is safer
 
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