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By Danielle Directo, Special to LAist
Bicyclists quickly shot down the city’s idea of possibly making it illegal to ride on sidewalks. During the Transportation Committee meeting last Wednesday, advocates said changing the vehicular code won’t ensure that all cyclists will be aware of the law. Instead, the city should develop safety education programs to inform casual or less experienced riders of the dangers posed by cycling on sidewalks.
“I would rather ride 10 mph on the sidewalks than ride 20 mph on the streets,” said one cyclist. “A piece of paint is not going to save my life when a 4,000-pound vehicle hits me,” he said.
Some recommended the city build barricaded pike paths to create a separate space for pedestrians and bicyclists and that education programs be geared at low-income Spanish speakers, many of whom are using the sidewalks to ride, said L.A. County Bicycle Coalition’s Aurisha Smolarski.
The committee will continue the discussion with the public during their meeting this Wednesday.
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This is a joke right? The city does absolutely nothing for bicycle riders as is. We livein the best cliamte for biking and there is no bike share, few bike racks, little to no bike lanes. In fact, the latest bike route proposal labels Fountain Ave. as "bike friendly" when just recently two riders were killed at the corner of La Brea and Fountain.
This city needs to get serious about urban planning starting with re-zoning the boundaries of the county, street signs, parking meters, parking lots, parks, sidewalks ,streets, public art, planting, community development and on to public transportation.
We need a 20 year plan here. If we continue to piecemeal this city together we'll continue to have puzzle pieces that don't fit.
I'm not a cyclist, but it really seems like the city is doing everything in its power to make sure no one is. Licenses/permits, now this? Why don't they focus on making the situation easier for current riders and working to recruit new riders instead of raising the cost and risk for current riders?
I've always been curious because sidewalk riding is illegal just about everywhere else: Santa Monica, Culver City, etc. Are little kids expected to ride on streets, too? Or do police just turn a blind eye?
Funny you should mention that, especially in this context, as I always thought it was illegal to ride on LA sidewalks. I've actually been pulled over before for riding on the sidewalk. The whole premise was silly, but the cop ended up letting me go with just a warning after harassing me for about 10 - 15 minutes.
I would second the point about education programs for riders. Just like riders complain about ignorant drivers, there are also a ton of inconsiderate riders that think they own the sidewalk.
The law gets very gray and confusing at times when it comes to bikes, and often reveals how dated legislation is. The way CA defines a bicycle, it is implied through wheel size and frame dimension that kids bikes would not be considered a bicycle for purposes of the law, and hence would not be allowed in regular traffic, and likewise be exempt from restriction of bicycle riding. However, since wheel size and frame size is one of the determining factors, technically any adult or teenager riding a BMX bike of small enough wheels and frame or a folding bicycle with extra compact wheel sizes and frame, would also not be riding a "bicycle" it would appear. Also, the law says only wheel meet the 20 inch requirement, and 3 or 4 wheels are allowed, so it seems to me a big wheel tricycle for kids may in fact be street legal... I'm not entirely clear how all this gets interpreted by the law.
From CVC:
39000. "Bicycle," for the purposes of this division, means any device upon which a person may ride, which is propelled by human power through a system of belts, chains, or gears having either two or three wheels (one of which is at least 20 inches in diameter) or having a frame size of at least 14 inches, or having four or more wheels.
Wow, Gary. I never even thought of looking at the definitions of what a bicycle is. That's very interesting.
Why ban bikes on sidewalks? My kids ride bikes to school, and ther eis no way I'd tell them to ride in the road. Especially with boneheads removing crosswalks and increasing the speed limit on the roads.
This is awful. LA is not bike-friendly in the slightest. If I was told I had to ride in the street (especially in downtown) I would be way too frightened to even start biking. Most people need to get used to biking before they head to the streets.
I don't even own a car. I walk and bus everywhere. I used to ride a bike until I got hit by a pickup truck, coming out of a parking lot in a hurry, he didn't think to look for anything larger than another motor vehicle.
Since then I lost my nerve, and gained about 60 lbs.
Although it is a little bit more of a hassle for pedestrians to share the sidewalk, I fully understand why bicyclists feel safer riding on the sidewalk. I'm happy to share, (operative word here bikers, SHARE)
I think if the city wants to ban bicycles on the sidewalk they should be prepared to get sued, everytime there are unsafe conditions, that they have failed to address, that cause a death or injuy for a bicyclist, on the street.
Motorist awareness programs need to be more numerous and common and the CA drivers test needs to include some questions that make drivers more aware of bicycles and their role in safely sharing the road with bicyclists.
"he didn't think to look for anything larger than another motor vehicle."
Oops, I meant anything smaller than another motor vehicle.
BTW I should mention that I have driven delivery for the company I work for, for the last 20 years, so I considered; "I didn't see you", a really lame excuse.
How does one not see a pedestrian or bicycle when you're driving, unless you're just not looking?
Didn't LAist once link to the ultimate and really easy solution of switching parked cars and the bike lane, so a line of parked cars shields cyclists from traffic? There's a youtube video and junk. If LA did that, I would certainly feel a lot more comfortable leaving the confines of my neighbor on two-wheels.
*Neighborhood
This is insane! Im feeling sick to my stomache reading this article. It makes me really upset that these bone heads dont have the descency to make Los Angeles a bike friendly city. Come on!!! The city really needs to start promoting biking. I ride my bike about 4 times a week for lesure purposes. Haven't really biked to work due to traffic congestion except when I stayed in downtown. Now I stay about 8 miles away. People around my neighborhood aren't aware that we have the right to share a lane. Also I see many of the latino community biking to work and they all ride the sidewalk. I'm sure the take that route because they fear getting hit. Our city really needs to get it together and focus on all the pros of riding a bicycle. The environmental aspect of it, Health aspect and even the cities traffic jams in the morning and after work. LETS WORK TOGETHER AS CITIZENS OF LOS ANGELES AND GET SOMETHING MOVING.
This contempuous move is the vomit icing on the triple-layer shit cake. After $450,000 and more than a year waiting for the city's bike masterplan to be "updated" (in which the word "infeasible" is used waaaaay too many times), now the city's considering banning bikes from sidewalks?!! I'm a dedicated street rider myself, but seriously: this is nuts!
They'll never be able to do that. I too am a full time street rider, but for kids in car heavy traffic areas, or riders with limited skill or technical ability the sidewalk offers a relatively safe route. IF, and IF is very, very operative, they would have to increase the amount of driver re-education to the point where it would be so costly it would rule out the "benefits". And anyway, the article says it was already "Shut down". whatever that means.
I've been hit by a bicycle before, as a pedestrian. While I would feel safer riding on the sidewalk, as a walker, I feel unsafe with bicycles around me. Especially those who come up behind me and just yell, "Watch out!" which gives me absolutely no direction or ability to move anywhere, with mere seconds before they either hit me or whiz by me. While not as horrible as being hit by a car, pedestrian-bike collisions are no fun. Bikes go much faster than pedestrians, period. And that's sort of the point.
People who ride on the sidewalk can be ignorant jackasses, like everyone else. I guess perhaps more education is in order: No riding bikes in crosswalks, using hand signals and bells, using verbal directions like "coming up on your right," etc. Couple that with more driver/bicycle education, perhaps through the DMV. But the education for anything like this in this city is pretty appalling.
If they gave warnings for first violations and then started ticketing thereafter, that would be okay. And only in places where it's not a hassle to ride on the street, such as side streets or in the middle of the day.
Growing up outside of Chicago, I learned to say "coming up on your left." When I say that here, pedestrians scramble out of the way, which is not my intention--I just want to let them know I will be passing them on their left, there's no need for them to move.
Pedestrians in general in LA are a scared species. They often flee across cross walks like gazelles amongst a wolf pack as the cars approach. And we have a lot less sidewalk space than many other cities, which certainly complicates sharing space even between other pedestrians at times, let alone skaters and cyclists. The state of sidewalks in LA is really bad and that needs to change.
As for cyclists on sidewalk, I don't think making it illegal is a good idea, however safety and etiquette concerns with sidewalk riding need to be addressed. Not to mention that as scary the street is at times, most cyclists hit by cars are in fact sidewalk riders. And most of the sidewalk riders hit by cars, were riding on the sidewalk opposite the direction of vehicle traffic, putting them in a position where drivers exiting driveways and going through intersections will almost never see the cyclist approach.
"And most of the sidewalk riders hit by cars, were riding on the sidewalk opposite the direction of vehicle traffic, putting them in a position where drivers exiting driveways and going through intersections will almost never see the cyclist approach."
Wouldn't they have also missed a pedestrian walking in the opposite direction? There is that "look both ways" thingie. I do when I drive.
Many motorists do not look both ways when exiting driveways, they only look to check they don't get hit by another car. However a pedestrian typically moves not much more than 3 mph and can stop instantly, and a bicycle even just cruising around is easily going 10 mph, this is more than 3 times faster, and motorists do not expect this speed on the sidewalk, and even if they do, have less reaction time. Likewise there is less reaction time for cyclists, and depending on the speed, the quality of brakes and the cleanliness of the brake pads, stopping distance may vary. Sidewalks offer very poor visibility for faster moving objects, especially where buildings block the view of exiting vehicles.
I say this with a lot of experience also as an inline skate commuter, where I am obligated to be on the sidewalk, but I can skate just as fast or faster than many cyclists as a former hockey player. I can't count how many times I had to swerve, hockey stop on a dime or other evasive action to avoid a car pulling out of driveway too fast and only looking one direction.
These are all good points Gary, but I still think that the, "I didn't see them", excuse is a really lame one. If a driver isn't looking for something of course they're not going to see it. To me this is a matter of defining a motorist's responsibilities better than they do now. This is exactly why the average person in an SUV drives like an asshole. After all, they're safe in their street legal tank, why should they give a shit about you?
See, I appreciate that. "Coming up on your left" basically just means, "Don't jump suddenly to your left or you'll get run over with a bicycle." Works for me. Someone saying, "Watch out!" doesn't. Do you want me to move? Freeze like a scared animal? I wouldn't be opposed to bike licenses for this reason - so ALL bicyclists know what they are doing. As long as the bike license was as "easy" to get as a driver's license. Meaning they're distributed through the DMV or city hall for a minimal cost and require a short written exam about safety issues, including proper hand turn signals.
I agree that bicycles should be licensed and periodically inspected, and licenses should come up for renwal at the same time interval that auto licenses have -- AND bicycle riders (of ALL ages) should have mandatory training and tests on a periodic basis -- a bicycle is a vehcle.
I understand your position, but I can get hurt a lot worse by a car than pedestrians can get hurt by me on a bike.
Baloney -- pedestrians have been killed from the impact by being hit by a speeding bicycle.
Typical of the city to act in an assbackward manner. Ban bicycles from the sidewalk before creating safe and sane bike lanes on the street. Children should never ride on the street, that's like telling them to play on the Freeway.
Pedestrians have a sense of entitlement in this city, they cross streets without looking (thus pedestrian vs. auto deaths are far higher than bicycle vs. auto deaths). They walk on the river bike paths and beach bike paths in violation of the law, especially when there is a pedestrian path a few yards away.
Most bicyclists that do ride on sidewalk are cautious and usually are forced to the sidewalk because of unsafe road conditions.
Gasoline is going to hit record highs in the coming months and years. We need alternatives, we need bicycles. Let's not create a transportation apartheid system. Separate and not equal.
"thus pedestrian vs. auto deaths are far higher than bicycle vs. auto deaths"
Or, it could be that there are many more pedestrians than cyclists.
And also what GarySe7en said.
Very true, drivers don't look or they can't see what's on the sidewalk until they pull onto the sidewalk. That's why I do not enjoy sidewalk riding one bit. Sidewalk riding is a slow way to travel if you want to keep yourself and others safe.
This is sad. I ride my bike to work, 4+ miles each way. Sometimes I have to use the sidewalk to avoid rough areas on the street. Riding down Venice Blvd is a nightmare. The bike path sometimes feels like riding off-road. Why not make it illegal to ride sidewalks only if there's a safe bike path. And make it ok for kids to ride on sidewalk but not make it dangerous for pedestrians. Another idea is to make the dividing lane for bikepath rigid and wide, so it makes noise if a car crosses over. It seems like the city wants to give it the least possible effort to solve this problem. Look at Portland, it's one of the best cities to commute on a bicycle.
The gubmint of Los Angeles hates bicyclists.
Here's the thing, there are too many hostile cars for street only biciyle riding.
oops, hair trigger mouse... ; >
*and* Numerous vehicular/bicycle fatalities occur each year from "hit and run" incidents which are rarely investigated. Scores more injuries result as well.
Many of the sidewalks are often virtually empty (ie: Wilshire at night in Mid-City/Koreatown, Wilshire on the stretch from Westwood to Santa Monica, etc., etc.) and make prime bikeways.
I agree that there should be "on the books", publicized rules for sidewalk riding, regarding right of way with pedestrians. (Obviously multi-language signs including the "universal cartoon icons")
They could even *require*:
*horns
*bells
or a clear verbal "on your left", "on your right" etc.
Yes, there are a few bicycling jackholes, who should be reprimanded. Though not implausible, I've yet to hear of a pedestrian fatality at the hands of a bicyclist. It's *hostile drivers* which are of the gravest concern to all. Plenty of pedestrians get killed by errant automobiles. Can't we have the presence of mind to dismiss their "divide and conquer" b.s. propoganda and unite against the true culprits?
So, I think cooperation between the pedestrian/bicycle contingent makes a lot more sense than an absolute regulatory guarantee for increased bicycle fatalities.
oops, hair trigger mouse... ; >
*and* Numerous vehicular/bicycle fatalities occur each year from "hit and run" incidents which are rarely investigated. Scores more injuries result as well.
Many of the sidewalks are often virtually empty (ie: Wilshire at night in Mid-City/Koreatown, Wilshire on the stretch from Westwood to Santa Monica, etc., etc.) and make prime bikeways.
I agree that there should be "on the books", publicized rules for sidewalk riding, regarding right of way with pedestrians. (Obviously multi-language signs including the "universal cartoon icons")
They could even *require*:
*horns
*bells
or a clear verbal "on your left", "on your right" etc.
Yes, there are a few bicycling jackholes, who should be reprimanded. Though not implausible, I've yet to hear of a pedestrian fatality at the hands of a bicyclist. It's *hostile drivers* which are of the gravest concern to all. Plenty of pedestrians get killed by errant automobiles. Can't we have the presence of mind to dismiss their "divide and conquer" b.s. propoganda and unite against the true culprits?
So, I think cooperation between the pedestrian/bicycle contingent makes a lot more sense than an absolute regulatory guarantee for increased bicycle fatalities.
Biking on the sidewalk presents many more hazards for cyclists than the street but it's the fear of cars that drives bikes to the sidewalk. If you don't see anything being done to promote and protect cyclist safety you only have your own paranoia to rely on which leads you to sidewalks where you are more likely to have an accident because of: non-cyclist traffic, poorly maintained sidewalk surfaces, trash/broken bottles/overgrown plants/other hazards, and vehicles crossing the sidewalks to enter parking lots and driveways.
quick, somebody start the quick fad of riding fixed-gear BMX bikes!
Sorry to the respectful bicyclists on this thread, but I absolutely support banning bicycles on sidewalks. Perhaps I live in the wrong part of the city, but it is rare for me to see someone on a bicycle respect pedestrians or even give an 'on your left'. As a pedestrian, I've been sideswiped and knocked aside more times than I'd care to recall and never received so much as a 'are you okay?' I have also been amazed at how many street cyclists think that they magically 'become' pedestrians the second they hit a red light. As a matter of fact, I used to be able to see a stop sign from my office window and my officemates and I had a running challenge to see a street bicyclist actually stop at it. Never did. Having lived in cities with strong bike cultures, I strongly feel that LA bicyclists (or at least the ones in my neighborhood) need some training before being set loose on pedestrians. Dare I suggest that pedestrians deserve a dedicated safe space more than bicyclists do - unlike both motorists and bicyclists, we are the only people getting around without the benefit of optional equipment.
I hear you. Still, if I witnessed what you speak of, I would be the first to stop and help calmly reprimand the rudeniks.
I agree that there are bicyclists who need training. I again put forth a suggestion for -cooperation- between the respectful cyclists and pedestrians.
Pragmatically, many rudeniks (not to mention immigrants/transients/etc.) will quite likely ignore a ban on sidewalk cycling - and the areas that are the most problematic now will not have the manpower to ticket a large portion of the offenders.
(Not to mention, the more flies with honey than vinegar adage.)
I believe civic cooperation, though archaic and not currently considered *hip* is going to be integral in the urban future (especially considering the dwindling metro funds).
The problem goes both ways, seeing as pedestrians use bike only paths walking 4 or 5 abreast and act pissed off when you politely suggest for them to make some room. For this reason many bicycle commuters along the coast prefer to tangle with cars on the street than ride the beach path and play try not to hit the pedestrians with headphones turned up.
So if you would absolutely support banning cyclists from sidewalks, I would absolutely support banning pedestrians from bicycle paths. Oh wait that is already the case and every one does it anyways. Legislation for issues like this is mostly meaningless when police have bigger fish to fry, what really needs to happen is a culture shock of people trying to work with each other for a change.
As a visually impaired pedestrian, I can see absolutelyNO REASON for ANYONE, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, to be riding their bicycle on ANY sidewalk. When I was younger, I was taught that bicycles DO NOT belong on ANY sidewalk. I can't tell you how many times I have been almost hit by some IDIOT on a bicycle. I agree, with some of you, that something needs to b e done to make the streets safer, not just for bicycles, but for pedestrians too. My suggfestion would be NOT RAISE the speed limit, but rather LOWER IT. I, feel, that this one thing will do one of the following: either make traffic so congested that no one can go anywhere or force people to use alternate forms of transportation, such as bicycling or using public transportation. Both of the latter would be good! PLEASE, PLEASE, ban ALL bicycles from ALL SIDEWALKS! To ALL of you bike "IDIOTS" out there, who insaist on riding on the sidewalks, GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM and GET THE H**L OUT OF CALIFORNIA!!!
JS - It's wrong to assume that those who insist to ride their bikes on LA sidewalks are from somewhere else besides California. I'm from Chicago, and they don't allow sidewalk riding there. However, the city is quite a bit more bicycle friendly than Los Angeles. And it's cold there a majority of the year. Personally, I feel that until Los Angeles creates more bikes lanes and tries to offer more education to drivers, sidewalk riding should still be allowed. I myself have almost been hit by a cyclist on a Los Angeles sidewalk but I'm not going to hold that against all cyclists. There needs to be more of an awareness by cyclists as well. Use a bell, say "on your right" or "on your left", etc. I promise to remain a safe cyclist every time I am on a Los Angeles street or sidewalk. I can't promise that for everyone, but I bet there are a higher percentage of safe, aware cyclists than there are safe, aware drivers.
Bottom line, banning won't work unless there are more bike lanes (at least on main roads) or safer alternatives for cyclists.
What about the mindless imbeciles who ride their bikes at TOP speed down the sidewalk -- weaving in and out of pedestrians AT FULL SPEED. NO ONE uses their horn-- NOWHERE is the "on your left/on your right" heard or used. This is selfish and stupid and DANGEROUS. Bicycles are vehicles -- if they are used on the sidewalks they should come with noisemakers that announce their presence -- unfortunately that would not protect deaf pedestrians, so maybe speed governers and a HEFTY fine (or maybe bike confiscation)for anyone caught speeding past pedestrians should be the norm.