Sidewalks or Street?

The sidewalk may seem safer but it is not. This blogger has reviewed the research. The bottom line is cyclists in traffic are safer when they behave like cars. Be both visible and predictable. One issue is the courteous driver who blocks traffic to allow you to cross the street. Be careful since the car behind him may not extend the same courtesy in a  multilane situation. If you wouldn’t perform the maneuver as a driver, don’t do it as a cylcist.

I promised a long time ago to post on the findings of studies on the risks of sidewalk versus on-road bicycling. From a 1994 paper by Wachtel and Lewiston studying bicycle-motor vehicle collisions in Palo Alto:

~ by crosetti on June 12, 2008.

Posted in safety