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Is it illegal to bike against traffic on a sidewalk?
It was kind of funny. I got a call from my girlfriend, and she told me
that she was pulled over by a cop on her bike. The cop said that it was illegal to bike against traffic, which made sense to me. The thing that didn't make sense was that she was biking on a sidewalk, not the road. This got me a little interested in the bicycle operation laws of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where I live. I looked through the Minnesota statutes, which said that it is illegal to bike against traffic. However, all those laws applied to only the road, and not specifically sidewalks. My girlfriend was also biking in an area where it was o.k. to bike on the sidewalk, i.e. not a business district. So I was wondering if this is as strange to others as it is to me. I have never heard of a cop pulling over a bicyclist for biking against traffic while on a sidewalk. I'm thinking that this cop was having a slow night. I don't think I'll stop biking against traffic while on a sidewalk, and if I do get stopped I think I will bring up this issue with the peace officer who thinks I am doing wrong. I think before I do that, though, I'll have to make sure I'm up to code on all the other bicycle laws that I found out I was breaking while reading the statutes. XD -Xtowers |
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#2
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Is it illegal to bike against traffic on a sidewalk?
Xtowers wrote:
It was kind of funny. I got a call from my girlfriend, and she told me that she was pulled over by a cop on her bike. The cop said that it was illegal to bike against traffic, which made sense to me. The thing that didn't make sense was that she was biking on a sidewalk, not the road. This got me a little interested in the bicycle operation laws of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where I live. I looked through the Minnesota statutes, which said that it is illegal to bike against traffic. However, all those laws applied to only the road, and not specifically sidewalks. My girlfriend was also biking in an area where it was o.k. to bike on the sidewalk, i.e. not a business district. So I was wondering if this is as strange to others as it is to me. I have never heard of a cop pulling over a bicyclist for biking against traffic while on a sidewalk. I'm thinking that this cop was having a slow night. I don't think I'll stop biking against traffic while on a sidewalk, and if I do get stopped I think I will bring up this issue with the peace officer who thinks I am doing wrong. I think before I do that, though, I'll have to make sure I'm up to code on all the other bicycle laws that I found out I was breaking while reading the statutes. XD -Xtowers Bored cop? Stopping some for riding the wrong way on a sidewalk makes about as much sense as stopping people for walking the wrong way. Let us know, sounds like it might be harassment. Bill Baka |
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Is it illegal to bike against traffic on a sidewalk?
On 3 Oct 2006 00:38:20 -0700, "Xtowers" wrote:
It was kind of funny. I got a call from my girlfriend, and she told me that she was pulled over by a cop on her bike. The cop said that it was illegal to bike against traffic, which made sense to me. The thing that didn't make sense was that she was biking on a sidewalk, not the road. This got me a little interested in the bicycle operation laws of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where I live. I looked through the Minnesota statutes, which said that it is illegal to bike against traffic. However, all those laws applied to only the road, and not specifically sidewalks. My girlfriend was also biking in an area where it was o.k. to bike on the sidewalk, i.e. not a business district. So I was wondering if this is as strange to others as it is to me. I have never heard of a cop pulling over a bicyclist for biking against traffic while on a sidewalk. I'm thinking that this cop was having a slow night. I don't think I'll stop biking against traffic while on a sidewalk, and if I do get stopped I think I will bring up this issue with the peace officer who thinks I am doing wrong. I think before I do that, though, I'll have to make sure I'm up to code on all the other bicycle laws that I found out I was breaking while reading the statutes. XD In some jurisdictions, the sidewalk is considered part of the highway; you should check if that is so where you are. Riding on the sidewalk is dangerous to both the cyclist and pedestrians. Riding against the flow of motorcar traffic is also dangerous. Your sister should have been on the roadway proper, on the other side. |
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Is it illegal to bike against traffic on a sidewalk?
Xtowers wrote: It was kind of funny. I got a call from my girlfriend, and she told me that she was pulled over by a cop on her bike. The cop said that it was illegal to bike against traffic, which made sense to me. The thing that didn't make sense was that she was biking on a sidewalk, not the road. SNIP Dear Xtowers: Last week I saw someone who'd been riding wrong way on the sidewalk get clouted by a Volvo station wagon while crossing a busy intersection against the red light. Basically, your girlfriend got a ticket for misdemeanor stupid -- the young lady I saw compounded the misdemeanor and came quite close to earning more frequent flyer miles on LifeFlight. Oh, she rolled away, but not before she'd been deposited on the asphault and nearly kissed a bumper. Your local laws may vary, but sidewalk riding the wrong way is at least as bad as sidewalk riding..... Robert Leone |
#5
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Is it illegal to bike against traffic on a sidewalk?
Xtowers wrote: It was kind of funny. I got a call from my girlfriend, and she told me that she was pulled over by a cop on her bike. The cop said that it was illegal to bike against traffic, which made sense to me. The thing that didn't make sense was that she was biking on a sidewalk, not the road. This got me a little interested in the bicycle operation laws of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where I live. I looked through the Minnesota statutes, which said that it is illegal to bike against traffic. However, all those laws applied to only the road, and not specifically sidewalks. My girlfriend was also biking in an area where it was o.k. to bike on the sidewalk, i.e. not a business district. So I was wondering if this is as strange to others as it is to me. I have never heard of a cop pulling over a bicyclist for biking against traffic while on a sidewalk. I'm thinking that this cop was having a slow night. I don't think I'll stop biking against traffic while on a sidewalk, and if I do get stopped I think I will bring up this issue with the peace officer who thinks I am doing wrong. I think before I do that, though, I'll have to make sure I'm up to code on all the other bicycle laws that I found out I was breaking while reading the statutes. XD Your girlfriend derserves every single citation she gets, even a "reckless driving" charge would be in order. Sidewalks are for *walking*. Duh. Streets are for vehicles. Brilliant way to get yourself killed is to zoom through an intersection wrong way when riding on the sidewalk. It's not funny or "aw, man, it's no biggie", nope, it's just downright stupid. It's about 5 notches of stupid above driving drunk. This is of course assuming you're over 12 years old. In many jurisdictions you may ride your "My little pony" bmx bike on the sidewalk if you're under that age, and by the sound of things you may be able to argue with a judge that you're 10--on an emotional level. |
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Is it illegal to bike against traffic on a sidewalk?
Xtowers wrote:
It was kind of funny. Actually, no, not particularly. I got a call from my girlfriend, and she told me that she was pulled over by a cop on her bike. The cop said that it was illegal to bike against traffic, which made sense to me. The thing that didn't make sense was that she was biking on a sidewalk, not the road. Whether it is legal to cycle on the sidewalk varies. Cycling on the sidewalk is always a bad idea unless the cyclist is too young to understand basic traffic laws (and then should be restricted to walking speeds). What your girlfrined was doing was almost certanly not illegal, but was certanly unwise, no almost about it. Austin (lives and works in Metro Twin Cities) |
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Is it illegal to bike against traffic on a sidewalk?
landotter wrote:
Your girlfriend derserves every single citation she gets, even a "reckless driving" charge would be in order. Sidewalks are for *walking*. Duh. Streets are for vehicles. Brilliant way to get yourself killed is to zoom through an intersection wrong way when riding on the sidewalk. It's not funny or "aw, man, it's no biggie", nope, it's just downright stupid. It's about 5 notches of stupid above driving drunk. This is of course assuming you're over 12 years old. In many jurisdictions you may ride your "My little pony" bmx bike on the sidewalk if you're under that age, and by the sound of things you may be able to argue with a judge that you're 10--on an emotional level. Damn, give it a rest you ninnies. Sidewalk riding is no more dangerous than any other kind of riding, provided the cyclist recognizes the particular hazards involved. We all ride on sidewalks occasionally. That's part of the beauty of the bicycle, the ability to outperform in the pedestrian as well as vehicle realms. If you never ride sidewalks, you simply aren't riding enough. Scratch the surface of those who give anti-sidewalk speeches and you will find cyclists who occasionally ride sidewalks, when it is useful to them. You see, it's ok for them, the self-righteous safety ninnie, to do it, but not for anyone else. To the OP, I'm sorry you got rudely kneejerked on this newsgroup, you aren't the first. The cop was wrong, unless perhaps he observed her riding in a way that was particulary dangerous, besides her simply riding wrong way on the sidewalk, maybe he saw her cut somebody off or just looking particularly oblivious. Robert |
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Is it illegal to bike against traffic on a sidewalk?
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Is it illegal to bike against traffic on a sidewalk?
bill wrote: {snip]
Bored cop? Stopping some for riding the wrong way on a sidewalk makes about as much sense as stopping people for walking the wrong way. Mother holding a baby walks out of a store-front. BLAM! Guess what, it wasn't a walker that creamed her. HTH |
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Is it illegal to bike against traffic on a sidewalk?
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