Here's the question:
It's not ok to ride on sidewalks in a "business district"
But what defines a business district?
One experienced cyclist claims that means "downtown".
But recently I heard from another authoritative source that it means this:
if there are more businesses than residences on a block, that's a business district.
A lot of experienced cyclists will avoid sidewalks anyway.
If you want to go 20 mph, you should too.
But if you're a beginning cyclist and/or unsure of yourself and going slowly,
I think it's ok to be on the sidewalks sometimes.
Just slow WAAAY down at intersections, take time to look ALL ways,
and please don't terrify the pedestrians. Get off your bike and walk past them, if necessary.
By the way, there are people out there who teach how to bicycle in traffic.
The League of American Bicyclists maintains a list of Minnesota instructors:bikeleague.org
(The link will take you away from this blog.)
Have fun and stay safe!
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1 comment:
Hi- I am looking for information on how to not pay /reduce a ticket I received for riding a bike on a sidewalk downtown- I just left my office in the warehouse district and rode on the sidewalk around the corner going very slowly, as the street in front of my office was an express bus lane onto Interstate 94 and very dangerous. as I turned the corner headed toward one + one bike shop on Washington ave one of 4 officers (!) on bikes in the road next to me on the sidewalk saw me and told me that I could not ride a bike on the sidewalk. I said OK loudly, and then continued to go toward the curb cut 2 cars ahead to get on the road- but he spoke at me again and said to stop - so I did and he pulled his bike up between two cars parked and asked for my ID- I handed my D. L. to him and then he preceeded to write a ticket for a "riding on the sidewalk in a business district" violation. Does anyone have a similar experience like this?
Thanks for any comment!
Mark
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