I'm not sure if this is in the right forum, but I thought I should share it.
My car, which lives on the street downtown, got hit one night. The car was non-movable, so I hopped on my bike and rode to the closest police station at 45th st and 17 ave SW to file a report. It turned out they wanted me to phone anyways, but it was the advice I was given to get home that surprised me:
"Did you ride your bike here? Drivers on 17th are idiots, take the sidewalk. Just be nice to pedestrians. I'd rather see you get home safe."
Okay, so 17th isn't the best road to bike on. But really, the sidewalk? Ironically, I witnessed a minor accident a few days later on 14th street, where a cyclist riding the wrong way on the sidewalk was bumped by a car making a right turn out of a driveway. Sure, the driver should have double checked to the right before pulling out into the lane, but I can almost guarantee that wouldn't have happened if the cyclist had been on the road riding with traffic.
I'm sure that the one officer's recommendation does not represent the views of CPS, but I'm constantly surprised by the false impression that riding on the sidewalk is safer than riding on the street. I understand that there are exceptions, but in general, if you're biking at bike speeds, the sidewalk is not the place to do it.
i ride the 17th ave sw sidewalk everyday
Submitted by critninja on
I live in the same area as you and IMO 17th ave sw between sarcee and 14 st sw is a high speed shit show at certain times of day and I will not ride it no matter what during those scary times. I have had a disproportionate number of run-ins on that road and it is simply not worth it. I would also put myself in the "fearless" category of cyclists most days.
Usually I ride on parallel roads and I can sort of see where the officer is coming from. It is not a cyclist friendly road and the average cyclist is putting themselves in danger by riding on that road most times of the day.
Thats why I ride on the sidewalk of 17th ave sw in certain places and in certain times of the year, especially winter. Generally I encounter few people walking and if you look behind (for the right hook) and watch for left turners it is actually not too bad.
What this issue really illustrates is two things -
- some police officers are aware that the current transport system is not safe for eveybody
- Calgary needs more safe bicycling infrastructure
Good point
Submitted by Charbucks on
You're right, and the police officer is right... that section is not safe. I opted to take 14th ave, which paralleled 17th nicely most of the way home. Also, it is nice to know that even police officers recognize that it can be better to break the law than to put yourself in danger.
The part that I object to is the idea that the sidewalk is a safe haven. I agree, I take the sidewalk from time to time when I don't feel safe on the road - but I realize that when I'm on the sidewalk, I need to slow down and act more like a pedestrian. I certainly wouldn't fly down that hill into downtown on the sidewalk without being very careful about driveways. How many people recognize that riding on the sidewalk requires a different approach?
I see too many people treating the sidewalk as a bike path where you don't have to pay attention to cars, and I think the recommendation to use the sidewalk adds to that false sense of security. I should have been more clear in my original post; I appreciate that the police officer was concerned and cognisant of the risk, and it indicates just how aware people are of the infrastructure issue. However, I would hesitate to recommend "riding on the sidewalk" to everyone without some caveat of "you still need to look out for cars" and "slow down".
Sidewalk or MUP?
Submitted by RichieRich on
Magically a number of sidewalks in NW Calgary have been transformed into MUPS merely by having a bright yellow line painted down the middle. Not sure if this means that there are now magically more "bike path kilometers" being recorded somewhere.
In any case, there are definitely quite a few places in Calgary where riding the sidewalk is preferred over becoming a hood ornament. In some cases, but certainly not all, there are alternate routes. Sometimes these alternate routes are only viable in the summer and not during snowbound winter. I'd rather be alive and wrong, than dead right.
more coming
Submitted by mikewarren on
this seems to be,the city's preferredtreatment for larger roads going forward...
Safer on the Road
Submitted by MissionMan on
I have the sidewalk vs. road discussion with friends often.
For whatever reason, that prevailing idea that the sidewalk is safer is hard to convince others against - especially those who are new to cycling. I guess once they start trying dodge strollers, kids, dogs and the like on the sidewalk they might see my reasoning.
On a similar note, I realized how truly dangerous is for cyclists on the sidewalk when riding through a crosswalk. I was driving and turning right at a light, my signal was green and I was waiting for two pedestrians to finish crossing before I turned. Once they had crossed I started to turn but not before a cyclist blazes infront of me from the sidewalk to the crosswalk without slowing down. I was able to stop without incident, but had my reflexes been any slower I would have hit the cyclist.
This site (http://www.bikexprt.com/bikepol/facil/sidepath/sidecrash.htm) does a good job of backing up why it's safer on the road.
Interesting Link
Submitted by RichieRich on
If it's on the internet it must be true... nevertheless the concluding 2 remarks (cc'd below) seem to reflect what the City has been doing quite frequently the last couple of years:
Here are a few important tips from the current AASHTO Guide:
Don't put two-way bikeways on one side of a street. Such facilities cause serious conflicts at intersections and driveways. Two-way bike lane use has led to a number of fatal head-on collisions . And such facilities encourage wrong-way riding.
Don't designate sidewalk bikeways. These also cause serious car-bike conflicts at intersections and driveways, as well as conflicts between bicyclists and pedestrians. Eugene, Oregon, and other cities have found that sidewalk bikeways have extremely high accident rates.
The Future
Submitted by mikewarren on
This will continue to happen, and get encoded in design guides for "bigger" roads.
In my opinion, the City needs to hear more complaints about sidewalk "bike ways". I noticed last night that they just *litereally* painted yellow lines on all the cement sidewalks leading east from the Greyhound station. Yay! More "bike infrastructure"!
Tried out the bikeway along
Submitted by Julie Gregg on
Tried out the bikeway along 29th street NW for the first time last week. I live in Parkdale but rarely ride up to theTrans Canada and back so tho't I would use the "new" bikeway in place along the west side of 29th. Yikes - it was terrible - staying on the road would have been so much better - I almost got nailed at 2 separate intersections with cars coming and going from the hospital property. This bikeway is perfect for families visiting patients who need to get out for a ride in a wheelcahir, but not good as a bike path at all.
agree
Submitted by snowandscience on
that pathway is the worst. It's a sidewalk with a yellow stripe (since there is actually no sidewalk in this area). I ride that route every day and have only ever taken the pathway once. It's a terrible, dangerous design that doesn't contribute anything to safe cycling infrastructure around Foothills hospital.