[BikeLongmont] another letter to Johnnie St. Vrain: Sidewalk riding

[Richard Masoner]

Today's Johnnie St. Vrain column in the Times-Call featured a cyclist 
asking about the lamp posts in the middle of the sidewalk on 17th Avenue 
east of Hover Street. This sidewalk is very narrow and features bushes 
sticking out all over it, lamp posts and numerous other obstructions in 
the middle of the walk, numerous curb cuts for driveways and several 
street intersections. In other words, it's a bike suicide zone. The 
cyclist also wrote that he was eastbound on this north sidewalk, hence 
he was going against traffic.

Below is a draft of my response. My intent is not to "preach" too hard 
at sidewalk riders and alienate them, but I do want them to at least 
think about bike safety a little. Let me know if I come across too hard 
or preachy. I am not anti-sidewalk or anti-path -- I have no qualms at 
all taking a sidewalk as a shortcut; and I'll ride on the sidewalk along 
Ken Pratt, for example, when it suits my needs. I just hear about 
cyclists getting nailed in crosswalks here in Longmont, and then they're 
surprised that the motorist isn't ticketed.

Also, I'm putting Lauren G on the spot with my mention of BikeEd. Let me 
know if that's okay to mention or not -- I'll be glad to remove that if 
you want me to. I'm also presuming that BikeEd class info will be put up 
on the Bicyclelongmont website :-).

RFM

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    Johnnie recently responded to a bike rider's concerns about the lamp
    posts in the middle of the sidewalk on 17th Avenue near Hover.

    Riding on sidewalks is legal in Longmont and the ability of a
    cyclist to instantly change from a vehicle to a pedestrian and back
    is very handy. Riding on the sidewalk, however, presents challenges
    beyond just physical obstructions that the sidewalk rider should be
    aware of.

    A pedestrian on bike can move faster than the walker, but he lacks
    the walker's ability to almost instantly reverse, step sideways or
    change direction. The numerous driveways on this section of 17th
    results in more opportunities for a conflict with traffic. Sidewalk
    riders should watch for turning traffic in all directions at these
    conflict points to avoid collision.

    Sidewalk riders must be aware of other sidewalk users and yield the
    right-of-way to them. As noted in other recent letters to Johnnie,
    pedestrians are rightfully upset when they are passed closely by
    cyclists. The experience is frightening and potentially dangerous to
    the pedestrian. While such events are rare, pedestrians do get
    killed by sidewalk cyclists. Pedestrians should be able to use their
    paths and sidewalks without fear and without needing to signal their
    intentions.

    The simple safety steps of courtesy, awareness, and defensive
    cycling may seem like common sense, but, surprisingly, the risk of
    death or serious injury for sidewalk riders is about three times
    that of road riders per mile of activity. For those who ride on the
    sidewalk against traffic, the risk of a collision is even higher.

    Much more safety information for cyclists is available from CDOT in
    their Bike Manual at http://www.dot.state.co.us/bikeped/. "BikeEd"
    -- a safety class for adults presented by an instructor certified by
    the League of American Bicyclists -- will soon be available in
    Longmont. Watch www.bicyclelongmont.org
    <http://www.bicyclelongmont.org/> for for dates and details.

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