RSS
June 23, 2008
WeHo to Allow Bicycle Riding on Sidewalks
Photo by HBuzacott via Flickr
Taking a note from a Los Angeles bicycle law, the city of West Hollywood has made the first steps to allow bicycles to legally ride on sidewalks, reports WeHo News. Currently, West Hollywood's law is consistent with LA County law stating that “a person shall not operate any bicycle… on any sidewalk or parkway except at a permanent or temporary driveway or at specific locations thereon where the commissioner finds that such locations are suitable for and has placed appropriate signs or markings, permitting such…riding.”
In Los Angeles, municipal code states that bicycles may ride on sidewalks as long as riders do not have a "willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property." The only sidewalk in the city where it is illegal to ride is on Ocean Front Walk in Venice.
Back in West Hollywood, the issue came to City Council last year when complaints from the community came in regarding worries of cyclists hurting pedestrians, something that has been lightly enforced by Sheriff's Deputies and unreported when incidents do occur. But at a hearing, a slew of bicyclists, including Sheriff's bike patrol officers, warned that road cycling has been dangerous for them.
West Hollywood will be working more on its policy as Sheriff's maybe reinvigorate educational programs to drivers. Of course, many cyclists agree that the use of sharrows and other educational signage and campaigns about "sharing the road" is probably the best tool. Some believe sidewalk riding and bike lanes teach drivers that bicycles do not belong on the road, which goes against the California Vehicle Code that states "bicyclists have all the rights and responsibilities of vehicle drivers."
| 
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
email this
add to facebook
add to del.icio.us
[ report this ]
Good for WeHo. It's easier for bikes and pedestrians to avoid each other than bikes and cars.
I avoid riding in the street as much as possible. To me, riding in the street is comparable to running along with a herd of elephants. Sooner or later, one of them is going to step on me. I don't think it's possible to change the attitude of all drivers. There are always going to be people who aren't paying attention.
I'll be happier when there are wider bike lanes, and other independent bike routes, away from cars and pedestrians.
[ report this ]
I disagree. I'll be happier when the city attempts to educate motorists on the rights of cyclists.
Putting us on the sidewalk is even worse, I think. We have to look out for both pedestrians and cars turning right/left when we leave a sidewalk to cross.
Sigh.
[ report this ]
Good post. I ride in the streets as much as possible, mostly because I want motorists to see more bikes on the streets (and hopefully, remember to share the road). Some days/roads are just more cyclist-hostile however, and it's nice to have the option to ride on the sidewalk. It's been quite annoying to remember not to ride the sidewalks when in WeHo, esp. when it's legal in the adjacent areas.
[ report this ]
Bad for WeHo. Sidewalk riding is dangerous and should be illegal. Cyclists making the transitions in and out of traffic at street crossings are so far out of the attention of cars that they might as well be asking to be hit.
[ report this ]
If you are riding a bike on a sidewalk don't ring your bell at me to move if you are in a hurry. Deal with it - you are on a sidewalk with people leaving shops and people with pets and baby strollers. slow down...
Bikes wanting to move fast belong in bike lanes or riding WITH traffic on the road.
this is stupid
[ report this ]
I ring my bell to let people know I'm behind them while riding slowly, but it's not to tell them to split and get out of my way. However, that's how they act as it is a natural reaction to a bell from behind them. I usually then pass nice and slowly hile smiling and saying thank you and telling them that I was just letting them know I was coming up on their right or left.
The hardest people to pass safely are the ones with their iPod earphones in or talking on a cell phone.
[ report this ]
I think a distinction should be made between casual cyclists, who travel slowly, and should be on the sidewalk, and commuter cyclists, who travel quickly, and should be on the street.
Commuter cyclists really need their own safe space. Bikes and cars are just too different in terms of size and speed to share the same lanes safely.
Drivers seem to have enough trouble avoiding other cars and trucks. I have a hard time believing that attempts to educate everyone about bikes will have much of an impact.
[ report this ]
hey cyclists -
what exactly would make you people happy? you complain about being on the road, and now (some) of you complain about being allowed to ride on the sidewalk. would you prefer everyone got rid of their cars and stopped walking on the sidewalks so you and your hippie friends can "safely" ride around the eastside on a friday at midnight with stupid costumes on?
"Putting us on the sidewalk is even worse, I think. We have to look out for both pedestrians and cars turning right/left when we leave a sidewalk to cross." holy shit dude...sounds scary!!!!! do you realize how fucking stupid that statement is? cars have to look out for people AND bikes. people have to look out for bikes AND cars. if you don't want to have to watch out for any other varieties of transportation, perhaps you should just stay home OR consider hovercrafting your way across LA.
many (not all) of you cyclists are quickly becoming the biggest fucking whiners and complainers ever. please, tell us, what would you like to happen (besides recognition of your "rights"...whatever the fuck that means)?
[ report this ]
I used to work in Anaheim and I live in Orange County. My bike to work was pretty nice--I had a bike lane along the road to the Santa Ana River bike trail that took me all the way up to Katella in Anaheim.
Katella, though, had lots of traffic and no bike lane. I rode it a couple of times and it was pretty nerve-wracking. The solution was to use the sidewalk. Much less traffic--especially in the morning. But it was pretty slow going when there was an Angels or--worse yet--a Mighty Ducks game (since the bike trail opens right next to the Honda Center).
The disadvantage to using the sidewalk is that it is considerably slower because of pedestrian traffic. If you're trying to make good time, the sidewalk is not the place to do it. Now, don't get me wrong--it was my choice to use the sidewalk because I'd rather be late than dead. But, if we're trying to encourage alternate forms of transportation such as bicycling, putting them on the sidewalks isn't much more effective than telling people to walk.
If I can get to work in 10 minutes in my car and, say, 30 minutes on my bicycle, I'll take my bicycle. However, if it takes me an hour-and-a-half to go the same distance because I'm riding on sidewalks, I'll probably just drive.
That said, I agree with you somewhat about the whiny bicyclists. "Oh, we don't want a dedicated bicycle lane because that tells drivers that we have fewer rights!" Screw that! I want a dedicated bike lane.
(Actually, I want a dedicated bike path from my house to my office that only I and a carefully selected group of large-breasted super-models in bikinis are allowed to use. But I'll settle for a dedicated bike lane... :^)
Ultimately, I would like to be able to bicycle someplace as safely and speedily as I could driving there. If that means that motorists somehow feel I'm a second-class citizen on "their" roads, that's fine by me.