Sidewalk cycling is dangerous (& so are pit bulls)
 

The Province of Ontario is considering a ban on pit bulls (the dogs)
after several rather nasty attacks by pit bulls in the last year. The
Ottawa Citizen had a letter to the editor supporting such a ban

The letter writer was commuting to work when he encountered two
muzzled pitbulls and their (presumed) owner on the sidewalk. He
stopped to let the trio go by but as they passed one of the dogs
managed to stretch its muzzle enough to bite the rider in the arm.
Dogs and person ran off.

Of course, what the rider did not seem to notice that he was already
breaking a municipal bylaw by riding on the sidewalk. I have seen and
heard of many reasons for not riding on the sidewalk but this is a new
one to me.

John Kane
Perth ON

"JRKRideau" wrote in message
om...

Of course, what the rider did not seem to notice that he was already
breaking a municipal bylaw by riding on the sidewalk. I have seen and
heard of many reasons for not riding on the sidewalk but this is a new
one to me.

Of course, the dogs were part of the new "Sidewalk Riders Enforcement Squad"
and they were punishing him for riding on the sidewalk. He deserved to get
bitten.

Cheto

"Cheto" wrote in message
...

"JRKRideau" wrote in message
om...

Of course, what the rider did not seem to notice that he was already
breaking a municipal bylaw by riding on the sidewalk. I have seen and
heard of many reasons for not riding on the sidewalk but this is a new
one to me.

Of course, the dogs were part of the new "Sidewalk Riders Enforcement
Squad"
and they were punishing him for riding on the sidewalk. He deserved to
get
bitten.

Cheto


around here even the cops ride on the sidewalks. i'd like to tell them how
to ride safely but on second thought...

(JRKRideau)

wrote in part:

The letter writer was commuting to work when he encountered two
muzzled pitbulls and their (presumed) owner on the sidewalk. He
stopped to let the trio go by but as they passed one of the dogs
managed to stretch its muzzle enough to bite the rider in the arm.

Either those muzzles were improperly used or the letter writer has *awfully*
skinny arms.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

alan wrote:

around here even the cops ride on the sidewalks. i'd like to tell them how
to ride safely but on second thought...


I used to run into a female bike cop when I'd cycle home from work.
Really nice lady. I asked her how many miles she did a day, and she had
no idea. When I told her I did about 16, she looked at me in amazement.

She was also a sidewalk rider, and didn't obey stop signs.

**sigh**

On Thu, 28 Oct 2004 02:59:50 -0400, Mike Baron
wrote:

alan wrote:

around here even the cops ride on the sidewalks. i'd like to tell them how
to ride safely but on second thought...


I used to run into a female bike cop when I'd cycle home from work.
Really nice lady. I asked her how many miles she did a day, and she had
no idea. When I told her I did about 16, she looked at me in amazement.

She was also a sidewalk rider, and didn't obey stop signs.

**sigh**

In amazement? You mean as though 16 miles was a lot?

I've often wondered if bike cops, riding around all day put any decent
mileage in. I presume they have to train on a bike outside of work to keep
in shape.

When I rode the CBBT, the bike cops were riding the middle section back and
forth all morning, so they must have put on a very slow 30 miles from 0700
to 1400 when they closed it. Haha, reminds me of an anecdote from that
ride.

On the way out, 0730ish, among the first couple dozen riders, there's about
10 ppl out in front that are beginning to make the turnaround at 8 miles. I
see the pair of cops on typical knobby tire MTBs in front of me and they've
drifted to the wrong side of the road which isn't delineated actually, but
that everyone knows we'll eventually be sharing with the returning riders.

Anyway suddenly they both stop, in what would be the opposite land, and one
lays his bike down -in- the road helterskelter and proceeds to lying down
on the road, completely prone, reaching out of the drainage vent on the
bridge (must have dropped their keys or something).

Well, oblivious to the fact that there were a pack of fast early riders
bearing down on them, having made the turn and on the way back, the cops
just kept screwing around and at the last minute the other cop, completely
oblivious, doesn't even look, lays -his- bike down almost completely
blocking the entire road, and the returning pack almost has to come to a
screetching halt and funnel around these, uh, nice gentlemen. Sheesh. Talk
about clueless to all things biking (apparently). The cops never did look
up and see what was happening all around them, lol, as they continued to
crawl around on their bellies. ;-

-B

Mike Baron wrote in message ...

She was also a sidewalk rider, and didn't obey stop signs.

**sigh**

I hope you never run into me. I just starting riding again at 50 and
my 100 lb Labrador Retriver pulls me up the hill on the sidewalk. I
should be in jail soon. Between my poor riding skills and my anti
social dog....I better find a bail bondsman or increase my life
insurance. ;-)

On 28 Oct 2004 06:22:00 -0700, (Maggie) wrote:

Mike Baron wrote in message ...

She was also a sidewalk rider, and didn't obey stop signs.

**sigh**

I hope you never run into me. I just starting riding again at 50 and
my 100 lb Labrador Retriver pulls me up the hill on the sidewalk. I
should be in jail soon. Between my poor riding skills and my anti
social dog....I better find a bail bondsman or increase my life
insurance. ;-)

Dear Public Menace g,
You may be missing the point. You are free to ride the sidewalks like this
all you want from a cyclist's point of view. In fact that's where you
should be if you're doing dog sled training g, though not necessarily
correct from a legal standpoint. If you're in a housing development with
wide sidewalks, sounds like fun if the neighbors are aware when you're out
and about.

But you should be aware of ordinances, such that walking a dog on a leash
often has an overlooked codicile - "leash length must be six feet and no
more" (or sometimes eight feet). In addition you're not likely to bother a
cyclist but you may run over a 5 year old coming down his driveway, or you
may run over a mother with a baby carriage turning the corner. Hope not.

The danger/problem with the sidewalk from a biking or driving point of view
is that you may be coming from the 'wrong way' or unexpected direction or
other than a driver may expect. If you drive, note where you look at stop
signs and cross streets entering a thoroughfair. Typically you're looking
out into the street, often to the left, then to the right, but you would
not expect a bike coming towards your 3 o'clock from the right sidewalk.

Ask yourself 'where did I stop? is the stop sign behind me at the passenger
side rear door? Am I in the crosswalk, or where a crosswalk would be before
stopping? In that case you may have run over a person biking on the side
walk and entering the crosswalk area before you can stop.

Self-endangerment may come because you may ride across a driveway, too
close to the car rapidly backing out, or you may cross a side street at a
stop sign and a high hedge and you or your dog may get hit by a driver
looking out in the street, passing the 'intersection' and stopping "late".
At that point you might be under the front wheels - be careful!

The upshot is not that you will go to jail. It may be that if you have an
accident, or cause an accident and if the ordinance prohibits one or more
of your fun behaviors, you will lose the case. Normally, with care, you
should be fine riding around your block. Good to hear you're back on the
bike!

-B

In article ,
Badger_South writes:

But you should be aware of ordinances, such that walking a dog on a leash
often has an overlooked codicile - "leash length must be six feet and no
more" (or sometimes eight feet). In addition you're not likely to bother a
cyclist but you may run over a 5 year old coming down his driveway, or you
may run over a mother with a baby carriage turning the corner. Hope not.

Actually, I was envisioning the lab spotting a swimming pool
and bee-lining for it posthaste :-)


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

On Thu, 28 Oct 2004 07:48:02 -0700, (Tom Keats) wrote:

In article ,
Badger_South writes:

But you should be aware of ordinances, such that walking a dog on a leash
often has an overlooked codicile - "leash length must be six feet and no
more" (or sometimes eight feet). In addition you're not likely to bother a
cyclist but you may run over a 5 year old coming down his driveway, or you
may run over a mother with a baby carriage turning the corner. Hope not.

Actually, I was envisioning the lab spotting a swimming pool
and bee-lining for it posthaste :-)


cheers,
Tom

The newest Trash Sport! Canine-Assisted WalBike-Submarine Races

-B