Why do bikers insist on biking on the road?

Question

why do bikers always do this. i was with my girl friend driving around and the road is like hill after hill basically. and then while we were going up the hill we saw a biker just riding closer to the middle then the side so we couldn't pass at all cause we were going up a hill and there might have been a car coming. so my question is why do bikers do that when there is clearly a sidewalk on the side of road.

Answer 1

Well, first of all, it's illegal for cyclists to ride on sidewalks.  Second, can you imagine someone going 20 mph on a sidewalk?  That would be irresponsible and dangerous.  Just so you know, cyclists are supposed to obey the traffic rules same as drivers of cars.  When a cyclist is on a hill riding toward the center, he or she is just making sure that the irresponsible car driver behind him or her does not attempt to pass illegally which could result in the driver of the car having to swerve suddenly back into the lane to avoid an on-coming car.  Cycling is the second most dangerous sport behind basketball, and primarily because of impatient and inattentive drivers.  Try riding a bike for 10 miles on the road someday and you'll have much more respect and concern for your fellow man/woman.

Answer 2

The cyclist may have been showing you a courtesy.  Experienced road riders will take the center of a lane (or even farther left) to alert autos approaching from the rear to a hazardous situation.  Had the cyclist been to the far right and an oncoming car approached as you attempted to pass in the partially vacant lane, what would you have done.  The choice between hitting another vehicle head on and taking out a cyclist is not a good one.  You may also encounter this same procedure on curving roads.  The idea is to keep everyone safe.

As for the shoulder or dirt path, this is generally not a safe place for a cyclist to try to enter.  I attempted it once (I was really a novice at that point), my front tire bogged down, and I slammed against the pavement.  Fortunately, the auto driver was able to swerve rather violently and avoid hitting me.  All of this because I thought I was being courteous by vacating the roadway.   I'm sure the driver would have preferred waiting a few seconds to clear me rather than the near heart attack I caused her.

In the US we are just beginning to sort out the best ways for cars and bicycles to share the road.  It will take patience on everyone's part.

Answer 3

sidewalks are for walking.. you are supposed to bike on a road enless of course your 3 years old. than i propose you stay in your driveway.  however if you have such a problem with people riding their bikes on roads why don`t you stay off them.

Answer 4

Ditto what others said: in most places it is illegal to bike on the sidewalk, and it is certainly not safe for pedestrians at any rate!  If driving in a hilly area like you described, it is often advisable to bike more to the middle of the lane. Biking on the edge often makes it difficult to drivers to see you.

Bicycles are traffic. While not as fast as most cars, they still move fairly fast, and as such belong on the road. As more folks bike (i'm sure rising gas prices will help increase that!) the infrastructure of our roads will get increasingly better equipped to handle both slow and fast vehicles. In the meanwhile it is important to bare in mind that while bicycles taking up a little more of the road slows traffic down a bit, when cars take up a little more of the road people get seriously injured and even killed!

I've had a friend kill someone in an auto accident -- believe me, you don't want to run the risk! It'll tear out your insides. Drive safe and share the road!

Answer 5

Here's a better question...

Why do pedestrians walk 4 abreast on a BICYCLE PATH and get upset when a cyclist tries to get by them?

Answer 6

It is illegal in some states to ride on the sidewalk.  It's a really dumb law, though.  Chances are if you accidentally hit a pedestrian on a bike, he/she is not going to die.  However, if a bicyclist is hit by a car, he/she has a much higher chance of dying, and if he/she doesn't die, he/she would be much worse off than the pedestrian would.  I think that bicyclists should have the option.  If you want to ride in the sidewalk, fine.  If you want to ride on the street, that's fine too, but obey the freaking laws of traffic.

Answer 7

Cyclist follow the same rules as cars do. The law states that they are to ride on the roadway. The law also states that cars need to share the road with cyclist. Dirt paths are not fun to ride on with a road bike, and depending on the path not always on a mountain bike. I suppose you could have drove your car on the dirt path to go around the cyclist.

Answer 8

Unless you're under 12 years old, you should'nt be riding a bike on the sidewalk. In many areas it's illegal. A friend of mine got a $275 ticket for this.

You could of lightly tapped your horn and he probably would have moved over.

Bike riders have as much right to the streets as you do.

BTW, "bikers' ride a Harley, not a bicycle.

Answer 9

I ride my bicycle in the street for the same reason I drive my car in the street. That is where the California Department of Motor Vehicles mandate I ride/drive. If I rode/drove either on the sidewalk I would get a ticket.

Answer 10

Sidewalks were made for walking not bike riding.  Most sidewalks can damage roadbikes because they get uneven due to tree roots growing under them.  The gaps between the cement also can get uneven just due to the changes in the weather.  It might not seem like much, but it doesn't take much to pop a skinny little tire filled to 115psi.  Now I wouldn't recommend riding in the middle of the road though.  Maybe he didn't want you to pass him on the hill.  Did he move over after?

Answer 11

...because bicycling on the sidewalk is usually illegal...

Answer 12

In many areas it's illegal to ride on the sidewalk, but I say s***w that I've been hit by a car once. I ride on the sidewalk now, people are idiots when driving their cars and if there's no sidewalk I ride against traffic so I can see the traffic coming.

F. the law I ride in a way that I stay safe