LexRides

brokebike · cutter Joined: 21 Oct 2007 Posts: 2434 Location: local

motion to move forward on the Tates Creek sidewalk project passed!

Only four council members voted NO, and they were the usual suspects: Beard, Crosbie, Ellinger and Feigle

The session lasted until 10:30pm, but was worth the wait because there was A LOT of really good discussion concerning bike and pedestrian facilities... and you could really start to feel that there is some sort of shift in attitudes - especially by those who have been to other cities where these issues are at the forefront, and are stressed. A few council members remarked that Lexington really does need to follow other cities lead when it comes to connectivity and accessibility.
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knuckles · Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 11:15 pm Post subject: YAY!

YAY! ... but... we aren't technically supposed to ride bikes on those (or any other) sidewalks, right? I haven't looked up the rules in a blue moon, but the last time I did, bikes are vehicles and should behave accordingly. Is that still true?
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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.
Nietzsche

brokebike · cutter Joined: 21 Oct 2007 Posts: 2434 Location: local

the real answer is yes - outside of the downtown business district - you are allowed to ride a bike on a sidewalk. Within the limits of the business district, you are technically not supposed to be on the sidewalk on a bike.

mostly because you might crash into a bike cop.

This is a hotly debated issue among seasoned cyclists and casual, more timid riders. Many believe that to be taken seriously as viable alternatives to cars, bikes should behave just as cars do if the two are to truly "share the road".

Others feel that in places where they feel unsafe on a street or in a bike lane, they should be entitled to ride on the sidewalk, separate from the danger of traffic.
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Tigger · Joined: 12 Jun 2009 Posts: 9 Location: versailles

this is good... I have to say concerning riding on sidewalks that while I choose to cycle on them if the roads feel unsafe I give an exaggerated right of way to pedestrians....it is frightening as a walker to have a bike whip past you from behind or even coming up in front....I'll get off the bike if I am passing a pram or small child.

knuckles · Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 8:43 pm Post subject: I guess

I guess this is good, I mean, that we are allowed to use the sidewalks. Although I am smugly perturbed at an exception being made in the "business district"... it makes far more sense, to me, to make an age-based exception:
Adults ride in the street, unless accompanied by a minor, for instance. No child, or person under the legal driving age, should have to contend with riding in the street, in any district.
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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.
Nietzsche