Should I ride my bike on the path or road?

The path. I don't even drive and I fuckinghate cyclists on the road. I don't mind them on paths, they're quite easy to dodge and don't exactly get in my way.

@haffy said:

@big_jon said:

I hate when bikes are ridden on the road.

Where else am I meant to ride my fucking road bike?

You've got to be careful on roads. Some people are full on fucking pricks. Whether it's people on foot, bike or car. Just don't let people intimidate you. The same people who bitch about people on bikes, are the same idiots who bitch about people in cars... actually idiots like that just like to be cunts and complain about everyone in their immediate area.

Did I hit a nerve? Quit ranting about something so stupid.

@TheHumanDove said:

@Microshock said:

IT IS ILLEGAL TO RIDE ON THE SIDEWALK WITH A BIKE. It's either we ride on the road/bike path or we stop riding bikes, and nobody is going to stop for your impatient asses.

Once again, since so many people don't understand, it is ILLEGAL to RIDE A BIKE on the SIDEWALK. It does not matter if you disagree with it, take that up with the government, not with cyclists.

Break a law. YOLO!

I literally got stopped once by a cop because I was riding my bike on the sidewalk with no one else around

@Animasta said:

@TheHumanDove said:

@Microshock said:

IT IS ILLEGAL TO RIDE ON THE SIDEWALK WITH A BIKE. It's either we ride on the road/bike path or we stop riding bikes, and nobody is going to stop for your impatient asses.

Once again, since so many people don't understand, it is ILLEGAL to RIDE A BIKE on the SIDEWALK. It does not matter if you disagree with it, take that up with the government, not with cyclists.

Break a law. YOLO!

I literally got stopped once by a cop because I was riding my bike on the sidewalk with no one else around

You should have told the officer YOLO. Surely then he would have went on his way

Stay off the fucking road.

You should drive it whereever you want. I like the road, because it's smoother easier to cycle, but sometimes, in the search of a shortcut, I use paths and black roads.

It's unfortunately illegal to ride bikes on the sidewalk, but you'll see some people do it, like families, because it'll be for their own safety. If I ever have to ride my bike again, I'm taking the sidewalk. I've never ridden on a busy street, and I don't ever plan on it.

Ride it to the pawnshop and sell it.

@TheHumanDove said:

@Microshock said:

IT IS ILLEGAL TO RIDE ON THE SIDEWALK WITH A BIKE. It's either we ride on the road/bike path or we stop riding bikes, and nobody is going to stop for your impatient asses.

Once again, since so many people don't understand, it is ILLEGAL to RIDE A BIKE on the SIDEWALK. It does not matter if you disagree with it, take that up with the government, not with cyclists.

Break a law. YOLO!

I literally got stopped once by a cop because I was riding my bike on the sidewalk with no one else around

Soooooo, inspired by this thread, I checked out my local ruling in Redmond, WA.

"Bicycle Laws

Bicyclists riding on the road have all rights and responsibilities of a motorized vehicle and are subject to the same citations as motorists. Bicyclists should always ride with the flow of traffic (RCW 46.61). Bicycles are permitted on sidewalks and have all rights and responsibilities of a pedestrian."

So I'm going to continue riding on the sidewalk. :)

@Spoonman671 said:

@Animasta said:

@TheHumanDove said:

@Microshock said:

IT IS ILLEGAL TO RIDE ON THE SIDEWALK WITH A BIKE. It's either we ride on the road/bike path or we stop riding bikes, and nobody is going to stop for your impatient asses.

Once again, since so many people don't understand, it is ILLEGAL to RIDE A BIKE on the SIDEWALK. It does not matter if you disagree with it, take that up with the government, not with cyclists.

Break a law. YOLO!

I literally got stopped once by a cop because I was riding my bike on the sidewalk with no one else around

You're right, getting stopped by a cop is much worse than getting bulldozed by a 5 ton truck. It must have been very traumatic for you.

I mean that I got stopped by a cop once and spent 10 minutes getting dressed down by him rather than him doing something actually meaningful, it was really really dumb (I've passed plenty of cops since then that haven't cared)

it's like getting a ticket for jaywalking, dumb dumb dumb

Now that I think about it, it is a stupid law, I mean so what if its annoying for pedestrians its also annoying as hell for drivers and hey way more dangerous if I fall off or get hit.

If you ride that fucking bike past me on the pavement, I will fucking push you into the god damned traffic.

Obviously, if no one is around, ride wherever you bloody well please.

Learn to do this...

You should do it on the road, it really annoys me when you're walking down a narrow footpath and there's a cyclist and you have like a stand off to see who'll move first.

I always base it off of traffic. If there are a lot of vehicles on the road i'll stick to a sidewalk if available and if not i'll just ride on the road. it also depends on how comfortable you are with vehicles driving by you. most of them are nice enough to give you some room but some tend to ride close which can be a little annoying.

@Hizang said:

Now that I think about it, it is a stupid law, I mean so what if its annoying for pedestrians its also annoying as hell for drivers and hey way more dangerous if I fall off or get hit.

Yeah, I walk quite a lot and I can't count the amount of times I've nearly been hit by some jackass riding on the footpath. It's not just "annoying" for pedestrians; it can be downright dangerous.

@bushpusherr said:

Soooooo, inspired by this thread, I checked out my local ruling in Redmond, WA.

"Bicycle Laws

Bicyclists riding on the road have all rights and responsibilities of a motorized vehicle and are subject to the same citations as motorists. Bicyclists should always ride with the flow of traffic (RCW 46.61). Bicycles are permitted on sidewalks and have all rights and responsibilities of a pedestrian."

So I'm going to continue riding on the sidewalk. :)

That doesn't actually say you're allowed to ride on the sidewalk; just that bicycles are allowed on the sidewalk. There is a big difference in the wording.

It's interesting to hear that there are countries that allow grown-ups to ride their bikes on the sidewalk. Actually it was pretty cool as a child, you were always able to save time by basically driving wherever you wanted.

@FlarePhoenix said:

@Hizang said:

Now that I think about it, it is a stupid law, I mean so what if its annoying for pedestrians its also annoying as hell for drivers and hey way more dangerous if I fall off or get hit.

Yeah, I walk quite a lot and I can't count the amount of times I've nearly been hit by some jackass riding on the footpath. It's not just "annoying" for pedestrians; it can be downright dangerous.

@bushpusherr said:

Soooooo, inspired by this thread, I checked out my local ruling in Redmond, WA.

"Bicycle Laws

Bicyclists riding on the road have all rights and responsibilities of a motorized vehicle and are subject to the same citations as motorists. Bicyclists should always ride with the flow of traffic (RCW 46.61). Bicycles are permitted on sidewalks and have all rights and responsibilities of a pedestrian."

So I'm going to continue riding on the sidewalk. :)

That doesn't actually say you're allowed to ride on the sidewalk; just that bicycles are allowed on the sidewalk. There is a big difference in the wording.

I would very much doubt that they would include the phrase "Bicycles are permitted on sidewalks" if what they REALLY meant was "They are only allowed if you are walking them, and not riding them". If they wanted to express that riding bikes on the sidewalk was illegal, they would have said it. Your objection seems pretty absurd.

I have been biking for the better part of the year, and I've found that people get more pissed off if you're on the sidewalk, but as long as you can shift off before getting close they don't really care.

@bushpusherr said:

@FlarePhoenix said:

@Hizang said:

Now that I think about it, it is a stupid law, I mean so what if its annoying for pedestrians its also annoying as hell for drivers and hey way more dangerous if I fall off or get hit.

Yeah, I walk quite a lot and I can't count the amount of times I've nearly been hit by some jackass riding on the footpath. It's not just "annoying" for pedestrians; it can be downright dangerous.

@bushpusherr said:

Soooooo, inspired by this thread, I checked out my local ruling in Redmond, WA.

"Bicycle Laws

Bicyclists riding on the road have all rights and responsibilities of a motorized vehicle and are subject to the same citations as motorists. Bicyclists should always ride with the flow of traffic (RCW 46.61). Bicycles are permitted on sidewalks and have all rights and responsibilities of a pedestrian."

So I'm going to continue riding on the sidewalk. :)

That doesn't actually say you're allowed to ride on the sidewalk; just that bicycles are allowed on the sidewalk. There is a big difference in the wording.

I would very much doubt that they would include the phrase "Bicycles are permitted on sidewalks" if what they REALLY meant was "They are only allowed if you are walking them, and not riding them". If they wanted to express that riding bikes on the sidewalk was illegal, they would have said it. Your objection seems pretty absurd.

Well from what I seem to be able to gather doing a little research, there is no law specifically stating you aren't allowed to ride on the sidewalk in Washington. I just thought it the law you posted was weirdly worded, referring to bicyclists (people who ride bikes) when talking about the road but using bicycle when talking about the sidewalk.

I did find this:

Shoulder vs. Bike Lane - Cyclists may choose to ride on the path, bike lane, shoulder or travel lane as suits their safety needs (RCW 46.61.770).

So I would say that it pretty conclusive.

Personally, I don't really care if someone rides on the sidewalk; just assholes who believe pedestrians should jump out of the way to let them through. It's especially annoying, since I like to listen to the Bombcast when I walk, and really cannot hear anything coming up behind me.

Personally I say ride on the path. Esp if people arent walking on it. I really fucking hate ppl who bike in the fucking road like they are driving a car.

In New York City, the sidewalks are filled with people, and the roads tend to be wide enough to allow for a cyclist. I do live in Brooklyn not Manhattan so it's not as crazy.

Want to hear complaints? I fucking hate when idiots open their car doors without checking their mirrors first. I hate when people double park in such a way that I have to swerve to the left to get around them.

I hate when the cars don't put on their turn signals and you can only see they're turning at the last second.

Also, the roads tend to be a LOT smoother. My arguments obviously vary from place to place, but if i were to ride on the sidewalk even if it was LEGAL, it'd be bumpy and full of people.

It is a fact that every cyclist is a dick. They always ride in the fucking middle of the road and you can't get around them and they go so slow and I just want to fucking die.

That's my input.