Sidewalk bike riding is not safe
One day soon, bicyclists in Livonia will be able to ride on the public streets, even though sidewalks and bike paths might be nearby.
Apparently the Michigan city, located just east of Detroit, has had a law on the books since the early 1980s that made it a misdemeanor to ride a bike on the roadway if there were trails or sidewalks adjacent.
Bicycling advocates in Michigan decided it's long past time to get rid of that bad law and bring the city up-to-date.
Now a Livonia city council panel is recommending that ordinance be rescinded and brought into line with a Michigan law that seeks to eliminate conflicting local bicycle laws and allow cyclists to use public roads.
We all know that riding a bicycle on sidewalks is dangerous; motorists aren't accustomed to watching for a speedy two-wheelers jamming across intersections from sidewalks.
Dave Duffield, director of the League of Michigan Bicyclists, told the Detroit News that riding on paths and sidewalks has its own hazards:
“It's more dangerous, you have pedestrians traveling at vastly different speeds, and sidewalks are not kept up very well. If they change it (the ordinance) things will get safer.”
In his list of “How not to Get Hit by Cars”, Michael Bluejay lists the sidewalk slam at #9. He writes:
“Don't ride on the sidewalk in the first place. Crossing between sidewalks can be a fairly dangerous maneuver. If you do it on the left-hand side of the street, you risk getting slammed … . If you do it on the right-hand side of the street, you risk getting slammed by a car behind you that's turning right. You also risk getting hit by cars pulling out of parking lots or driveways. These kinds of accidents are hard to avoid, which is a compelling reason to not ride on the sidewalk in the first place.”
The Livonia City Council's Legislative Committee recommended the ordinance be removed from the books. The full City Council will consider the recommendation later this month.
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