Riding bikes on sidewalks at night?

Question

I'm afraid that one day I'll lose track of time at a friend's house and have to ride home in the dark, which would be hard since there are a lot of cars going around and I only have a small reflector on the back of my bike. I live in the suburbs so it's not like there are that many people walking around on the tiny sidewalks at that time anyway. I'm okay going in the road on side streets, but on my street, it can get very busy. Do you think the cops would cut me some slack for riding on the sidewalk if it's at night?

P.S. I've tried looking for the statutes in my town but I can't seem to find them.

Answer 1

In most cases, cycling on the sidewalk is illegal. It is also more dangerous as cars will not see you.

The key to cycling safety is visibility. Have a safety vest and get a headlight and taillight. Make sure they are very bright. Follow the rules of the road and always ride with traffic.

The cops will probably ignore it, but if you ride on the sidewalk, you should get a ticket.

Answer 2

Unless you're under 12 years old, you should never ride on the sidewalk, period. You're also required to have a headlight and flashing tail light. What the police here would do is give you a ticket for riding a bike in an unsafe manner.

Answer 3

Carl's right about the lights - in most all jurisdictions they are required at night - whether you're on the sidewalk or roadway.

In the U.S. sidewalk riding is permitted except in designated areas - so you have to check the local ordinances.

Generally though when riding the sidewalk there are some requirements:

You must not exceed the pace a jogger would run and you must slow at all driveways and intersections (this rule is in place to give drivers a chance to see you - they're expecting pedestrians).

Also - if you approach pedestrians you must alert them you are coming.

These are general rules that I think apply most everywhere and if they don't they're still good rules to follow.

Get the lights!

P.S. I ride 16 miles/day to and from work and there is a 4 block portion right near my house where I take the sidewalk.  There's a bike lane... but the street is so darn busy during the evening that I almost have no choice!  I would not be able to safely get to my side street without this short hop on the much safer sidewalk.  I'm wayyyyy older than 12 yrs old!

It's always a good idea to ride a route you are comfortable with.