A bicyclist in Toledo didn't get any comfort from police after he was struck by a pickup truck. Instead, he was issued a traffic ticket.
The Associated Press reports that Melvin Surprise III was hit by the pickup truck that was pulling out of a parking lot driveway. The July 22 accident severely bruised his leg.
But the big shock came when police ticketed Surprise for riding on the sidewalk. A law in Toledo prohibits anyone over the age of 15 from riding on sidewalks.
(UPDATE: On Aug. 30 the Toledo City Council proposed an ordinance that would allow adult cyclists to ride their bikes of city sidewalks next to city streets with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or greater, reports the Toledo Blade.)
Surprise is appealing the ticket. He says the law discriminates against adult cyclists.
Maybe so, but safe cycling requires riding in the street with the traffic, not on sidewalks. It's been proven time and again that motorists pulling out of driveways or side streets don't expect to see fast-approaching bicycles on sidewalks, especially from the opposite direction.
John Forester, a cycling consulting engineer based in Lemon Grove, California, has written about effective cycling techniques for youths and adults on his website. The first thing he tells children and adults: “Ride on the right-hand side of the roadway, not on the left and not on the sidewalk.”
(NOTE: The Toledo Blade follows up its story with an editorial that concludes:
“The city statute seems to be saying that kids should keep their bikes off busy streets and roads for their own safety, which makes sense, but that adults get no such consideration.
“We say riding a bike on Alexis Road is probably unsafe at any age.”)
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