It’s called a sidewalk because you WALK on it. You don’t ride your fucking bike on it. It’s the law, asshole. $240 fine. If either of your wheels is larger than 350 mm, you use the road. Your little sister can ride her trike on the sidewalk. Your bike is a vehicle, and vehicles use the road. Next time I’m not getting out of your way. —Walker
This article appears in May 30 – Jun 5, 2013.
Call me crazy, but I’ve always kind of thought that bikes should be allowed on sidewalks, (not on busy sidewalks like SGR, Quinpool, or Barrington, etc.). Take a look at Bayers Rd at rush hour though, the road is packed with cars and there are only about 10 people using the sidewalk. Isn’t it more dangerous for a biker to be on a busy street with cars than on the sidewalk with hardly any pedestrians.
By that logic it should be perfectly acceptable to drive drunk on rural roads between midnight and 6 A.M.
Which is to say, morons logic.
Ivan, where did you come up with the connection between driving drunk and biking on sidewalks? There is absolutely no comparison at all. Driving drunk is socially unacceptable and sometimes punishable with jail time. Biking on a sidewalk on the other hand, not so much.
Do you really think that biking on the sidewalk is just as dangerous to human life as driving drunk? Now that’s what I would call “morons logic”.
There is simply no safe answer for the bikers. But I’d rather them wrangling on the road legally than running me down on the sidewalk. Exceptions to the cute little tykes fist learning to bike…training wheels and all.
Pretending that you aren’t committing an offence if there’s nobody to see you, if you don’t get caught or if you don’t hurt anybody is absolutely morons logic. And a cyclist riding on a sidewalk is exactly the same sort of self-entitled twat as the knuckledragger who gets behind the wheel with a skinfull.
Mr. Mayor, may we please have some more bike lanes?
gotta love halifax, car owners scream ‘get off the damn road’. pedestrians, rightfuly so, dont want us on the sidewalk. the only one who have it worse are the skateboarders
I’m not saying that bikers should bike on the sidewalk and pretend that they aren’t breaking the law. I am saying the law should allow biking on sidewalks which don’t have very much pedestrian traffic, so that would be just about every sidewalk in HRM except maybe 10 streets where signs would be posted saying biking on sidewalks is prohibited. Come on, this isn’t Hong Kong, the sidewalks aren’t packed with people.
Recreational paths can safely accomodated pedestrians and cyclists so i don’t have a problem with cyclists that slow down and decide to commute like pedestrians.
And, I also dont have a problem with cyclists that commute as a vehicle. Obviously, they need to follow a different set of safety guidelines.
What really tickles me is when they’re all decked out like fucking lance armstrong and they’re blitzing down the sidewalk because they’re too pussy to go in the street.
That’s the best thing ever.
Get smashed into by a bike while walking on a sideWALK and you’ll change your tune. Hurts a lot more and does a lot more damage than a walking person bumping into you. And bikes don’t just bump into you: they have a tendency to smash into you.
Cars can’t drive on the sidewalk, so why should bikes? They’re both vehicles. By m_kegg’s logic, cars should also be allowed to jump the curb and ride on the sideWALK when they aren’t crowded to help rush hour traffic. I mean this isn’t Hong Kong, guys.
Maybe if 9/10 pedestrians weren’t walking in the middle of the sidewalk, swerving side to side, music blasting, with their eyes down on their iphones.. they would realize what’s happening around them. And not be so startled when an old lady slowly swerves around them.
Also, I would really love to hear from someone who’s been run over by a cyclist on the sidewalk. Whenever I see sidewalk cyclists they’re barely moving faster than pedestrians. And they usually pull off way to the side when passing people. Bmx kids are more reckless but that’s not the same as commuting adults.
Basically we should just have more bike lanes, and in useful spots. I’m really sick of fearing for my life when biking on Rainnie.
Well I see I can’t really have a logical debate on here. Bikes on sidewalks equates to cars on sidewalks? Did I ever say anything close to that? If a biker goes on the sidewalk the most you’ll probably hear about it is in the form of a bitch on the Coast, likewise if a car was driving on the sidewalk it would likely end with a huge fine and loss of licence, and would probably be on the evening news.
I can see the logic in not allowing bikes on the sidewalk because it is the person’s choice to bike and thus they are really only risking themselves by following the rules and biking on the road. Whereas a bike travelling on a sidewalk would be putting pedestrians, who did not choose for you to ride a bike at risk. Truth be told, using a crosswalk is more life threatening than a bike passing you on the sidewalk.
Just think of the big picture, How many pedestrian deaths have been caused by bikes? Now how many cyclist deaths have been caused by motor vehicles?
By the way, I’m not a cyclist if anyone was wondering.
You don’t see much logic at all, dude. Bikes are VEHICLES and VEHICLES are legally obligated to stay off the sideWALK. It is illegal for a car to be on the sidewalk and it is illegal for bikes to be on the sidewalk.
Also: accidents DO happen and that’s why there are laws against bikes riding on the sidewalk. Crosswalks are bad enough, there should be at least ONE safe place for peds to walk withour fear of being hit with a moving vehicle. Should there be more bike lanes? Sure, why not, but as a ped, it’s not my responsibility to look after the bikes on the road. Can’t handle using the roadway? Then don’t ride a bike.
Bikes have been banned from sidewalks for decades, for Christ’s sake. Your argument, m_kegg, is so flawed, my head did several 360s on its stem in horror.
Better lay off that keg, huh? Most of us consume our brew in bottles.
How about this… paint a line down the middle of the sidewalk. Everyone stays on the right except to pass. If for whatever reason the cyclist behind you can’t go into the other lane to pass you.. they wait until they can. That’s safe for everyone right?
Wrong. Because although cars are supposed to always give you a meter or wait, they don’t. They speed by 6 inches from you in a 2000lb death machine. That’s a little more dangerous than a bicycle. Calling them both vehicles is like calling both a great white shark and a minnow, “fish”.
Again, I bike on the road, and prefer others do the same.. but this bitch is beyond close-minded. I thought this city was all about nature and eco-friendliness and being nice to people… yet everyone hates cyclists.
Pk, you’re talking as if laws are set in stone, never to be changed or altered. This isn’t the 10 commandments. I am not saying that cyclists should break the law that is currently in place and ride on the sidewalk, that would be illegal. All I have ever said is there is less danger to human life when a cyclist is on the sidewalk compared to the road and maybe the law should be changed to reflect that. Cyclists on sidewalks (only where there is not heavy pedestrian traffic), but right of way must always be given to pedestrians.
Law makers just love such a strict, definitively regulateable number like
“don’t have very much” and
“there is not heavy”
ped traffic.
People (granted, mostly the elderly) die each year from being hit by dewshes on bikes…
Keep them on the road where they belong.
If you don’t want to bike on the road, for whatever reason, WALK your bike on the sidewalk. I you’re frightened of biking in traffic, use side roads. I’m with the bitcher (and the law) on this one.
We can all agree though, that a cyclist on a city street is in greater danger than a pedestrian on a cycled sidewalk? Right? Okay.
So what it comes down to, is pedestrians feel their safety is more important than a cyclist’s. They don’t care about anyone else as long as they can commute with their earbuds in and eyes on the ground, glancing up occasionally.
When I bike my eyes and ears are constantly looking out for everyone’s safety, street or sidewalk. So don’t worry about me. If you walk straight and keep your head up like you’re supposed to, no one will get hurt.
Key Boogie,
No, that’s not what it comes down to. It comes down to It being the law. It’s just as illegal to cycle on the sidewalk as it is for a “2000lb death machine” to pass you without giving you your meter. Why is it always an “us against them” thing with cyclists? You seem to think that its everyone’s job to avoid you no matter what you do, and use “well there was this one time when this guy did that to me” to justify why you think you should own the road. You are the one that has the most to lose, therefore the onus of your own safety falls solely on you. People will always make mistakes, people will continue to get hurt. Human error is a constant, so get the fuck over yourself and your “right of way”.
As someone who walks almost everywhere I go, even if it takes me an hour (because fuck the bus, that’s why) to get there, I couldn’t care less if a cyclist passes me on the sidewalk. In fact, I probably wouldn’t even think twice about it.
What pisses me off are pedestrians walking side by side on the sidewalk who won’t step aside to let you pass them when walking in the opposite direction. Just fucking rude.
But yeah, bike lanes would be a real plus for the city.
Just as illegal, yes. Just as dangerous, or comparable? No way. Please stop using the word LAW as justification for your sidewalk selfishness. Law has never meant “right” or “common sense”.. anyone who isn’t an idiot knows this. I’m 100% certain that every cyclist-hating pedestrian breaks laws themselves, so using “the law” as an argument is asinine. The way people jaywalk in this city is ridiculous, they don’t even look both ways.
I’ll admit I’ve been a tad facetious, playing devil’s advocate.. but honestly.. cyclists have it shittier than everyone, for trying to be healthy and eco-friendly. So unless it’s a legit bitch, like a certain cyclist being a total prick, I’m going to stand up for the underdog. It would be nice if others did too.
Again, I’m waiting to hear from someone who’s actually been struck, not frightened, by a cyclist. I get scared by asshole drivers multiple times a day, where a collision could mean death or serious injury, not a couple scratches.
Also, I never said I think people should stay out of a cyclist’s way. I implied everyone should look out for everyone. Most cyclists are simply trying not to die. While being blasted by everyone around them for either being in the way (road) or dangerous (sidewalk).
We try to accommodate one and get bitched at by the other. We’re in the middle just trying to survive. Give us a break for crying out loud. Or better yet, get off your car seat/grow some balls and try biking in Halifax yourself.
“Or better yet, get off your car seat/grow some balls and try biking in Halifax yourself.” – Hells yeah! Get healthy and save the Earth too!
share the space, be polite and try not to spit
Yes, Boogie. Because barrelling down a sidewalk on a bike with children, pets, disabled people, etc (even if there are only a few of them) is soooo different than buzzing past a cyclist. Equates to about the same thing in my eyes. Just because YOU believe the law is stupid, and YOU think its YOUR right to disobey laws YOU think aren’t worthy of paying attention to, doesn’t mean they aren’t laws. I roll through stop signs, speed, and am guilty of proceeding through red lights at 4:00 in the morning. I break them fully knowing that I may get a ticket. I don’t make excuses for myself or try to justify the illegitimatelacy of laws I think are stupid. Obey or break whatever laws you want, its your choice but, your personal feelings do not make them any less of a law than the rest of them.
It’s a law for a reason, Kev Boogie, the reason being: VEHICLES (of which a bike qualifies) are a threat to pedestrians on the sideWALK. It’s called a sideWALK for a reason, dude. No matter how careful you think you are, accidents happen, and when a bike ‘bumps’ into you, it can cause a lot more damage than if another human being ‘bumps’ into you. A bike smashing into a little kid or granny with her walker is pretty much a death wish.
Like I said: if you can’t handle biking on the road, then don’t bike. Pedestrians are not and should not be responsible for your inability to feel safe on the roadway in which you are legally obligated to stick to.
And to all those crying about ‘wahhh the traffic is heavy the sidewalk is freeee why do I have to wait in traffffffic”: shove it up your arses. You’re driving a VEHICLE and you gotta wait it out like everyone else who’s driving a VEHICLE.
Just to be clear, there is a difference between Disobeying a law and Disagreeing with a law (some people seem to be having a lot of trouble with this concept). None of my posts have suggested that cyclist should break any current laws and ride on the sidewalk. If cyclists were allowed on sidewalks (by law) maybe it would double the number of them in this city, but it would probably also increase the number of pedestrians wearing full hockey equipment for protection. I have tried cycling on the streets of Halifax, not really a fan of it, so I walk on the sidewalk or drive (on the road PK).
So anyway, sorry to ruffle your feathers… er… I mean fur PK.
there is lots of room to roam in this city, it’s not like we’re cheek by jowl. i don’t mind giving quarter
Cyclists are just one of the many tools of the Devil.
And if cyclists want to ‘not die’ then don’t cycle. Dumb-asses. Bunch of beak-wetting Liberals.
^ What ShittyD said.
I love it when morons call people liberals like it’s some kind of insult. Not only is it outdated, it’s just ignorant. “You care about the environment? Well you must be a Liberal then. Because conservatives like me don’t give a shit about anything other than big business and war and gasoline. Ruh-right guys? And fuck you, ya Liberal. Dang hippies.” Get a fucking grip on reality and read a book for the love of god. (No, not the bible.)
You have a point,Hoist. It’s kind of like calling someone a “fascist” for disagreeing with your social agenda. Overused and under-comprehended. It should be pointed out ,though, that todays “liberal” is pretty far removed from Voltaire’s “I disagree with what you say (think, believe) but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it” Not defending Conservatives, mind you, but they tend to be a bit more upfront about their bigotry, even if their justifications for it are just as specious. I enjoy talking with “liberals” because you can always tell when you’ve made a point they can’t challenge. That’s usually the time that they accuse you of racism, sexism, homphobia and hate speech. >; )
Also, I’m pretty sure that Biscuit at least is just being a wascally wabble-wouser.
Tired of Liberals or Conservatives? NDP’s or Green Party’s? The Tea Party or The Senate?
Then Vote Captain! He’s none of those!
Yes but what ARE you, sir?
He’s the box labelled ‘other’.
At least he isn’t as bat-shit crazy as this lady..
http://0.tqn.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/o/C/…
The Captain is exactly who you wish your leader was, SpuriousGiles!
He’ll provide you with what you need and get rid of what you don’t!
… but seriously, vote for and me experience the end of the world as we know it – because, “Every End is a New Beginning”
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na Captain!
I mean -Leader!
Lol no, no ruffling here, m_kegg — just some fun ol ltwwb debate!
right on! all in good fun.
Yes Ivan ‘fascist’ and ‘liberal’ are both terms that get tossed around a lot these days. In the case of the former it is even worse because fascism does exist in many area’s of the world, so when you use it to describe a politician (or a person) that you simply don’t like, it detracts from instances where it is being used appropriately.
Biscuit may have just been trolling, I don’t know that user well enough to be able to tell – but there certainly are people on these boards that say crap like that with a straight face. Really, though, I think that MOST people don’t fit neatly into either ‘conservative’ or ‘liberal’ categories. The conservative voter who cares about the environment, for example.
Liberals tick me off sometimes, too. Particularly when they assume the holier-than-thou attitude as if they are the moral king or queen of the universe because they went on a school trip to Africa once. Such hypocrites sometimes. But Conservatives are no better because when you stump them on a topic, they pull the same crap.
Fuck it. Vote Captain. 😛
Fascism does exist in *some* area’s of the world, I meant.
Biscuit and I are the original Point-Counterpoint Duo except we get the “Fascist Beast/Commie Pinko F@g” name calling out of the way at the start and then get stuck in to the serious business of murdering braincells.
You want to fuck up us conservatives – try to steer the conversation around to science or wimmin problems. That’s like frickin’ kryptonite to us.
>: (
Science fact: Women evolved from dinosaurs.
Bastard!
http://radiovalencia.fm/nosehairlintgland/…
That’s the spirit, Hoist!