If you’ve already shouted “What pros?”  then you might want to go read something else. But I’d like you to be able to stay, read on and give me your opinion. When you’re finished reading.

It’s probably not a good idea to ride on the sidewalk, and in the end not even worth the hassle, and incidentally in Toronto, also illegal, but you might  find that there are some good reasons to do it. Hear me out.

well, let’s talk about this

Let’s first take a look at the reasons not to. The sidewalk is a minefield of opportunities for collison.  If you’re moving at a fairly regular bicycle speed, you’re doing it wrong. If you’re passing pedestrians, get off the sidewalk now. There’s no safe way to pass an unsuspecting pedestrian. I woudn’t bother ringing my bell, you’ll just be seen as the rude trespasser asking the proprietor to kindly lurch out of your way. For more detail on the dangers of collision on the sidewalk, you can take a look at my article about the peculiar behaviours of pedestrians.  And kids! A little kid can break free from his parent’s hand and be under your wheel in a second, when you thought you had ample room to do your thing.

Pedestrians can suddenly appear from out of doorways, and from behind corners. Plus, to a pedestrian you’re taller, and harder, and faster than he is, and threatening, and just not supposed to be there at all. People will get pretty protective of their turf. Some pedestrians will glare at you even if you’re meters away just because they feel that you are getting away with something.  and some just because you HAVE a bike on the sidewalk, even if you’re not sitting on it.

The dangers to you:  Curbs and driveways! You can get seriously killed coming off a curb at a speed a driver doesn’t expect from something on a sidewalk!

Oh,… fines! I haven’t met anyone who has been fined, but they are steep, last I researched.

So then, why would you want to ride on the sidewalk?

Some people are too scared to ride on city streets. With very good reason! The bike path infrastructure in Toronto is very limited!

My aunt for example has terrible pain in her feet, but gets around wonderfully on a tricycle. She’s very nervous in traffic, as one would be, when one goes slowly and is wide. Midtown streets are narrow. Drivers can be aggressive. So she rides on the sidewalk. We never discussed it, but I’m sure she has good judgement and rules she lives by. She wants to be safe, and respectful, and she is no doubt patient and ready to stop and give the right of way. She is after all aware of being in someone else’s territory.

Single lane traffic. It’s a construction zone and the lane is so narrow, nobody can safely pass me. If there are a dozen cars lined up behind me all bubbling with rage and resentment, and the sidewalk is empty and about the same width as the lane, I will opt for the sidewalk. It’s just the better choice!

During a heatwave, when there is shade on the other side of the street, and i’m about to wilt or be turned into a crispy cracker, I will find room on that sidewalk on the other side. If I see an available bike rack down the street on the opposite side, but my chance to cross is now I will end up on the sidewalk for a small stretch.

Ok, so maybe you’re thinking they are pretty good reasons to be on the sidewalk, but why not get off and push? Well, beside the fact that it would defeat the whole purpose for my aunt, I don’t think I should have to. Many townships don’t make riding on the sidewalk illegal. Riding on the sidewalk should work perfectly well. Bike paths through a park can be no wider than a sidewalk and there are easy rules that make sharing possible.

• Don’t go slower than you can manage balancing.
• Don’t get close to anyone without warming. Speak, don’t ring. Stop when uncertain.
• Be aware of everything that could happen around you, 360 degrees, and be ready to jump off.
• Be patient. If you must pass someone, ask politely to squeeze by.
• Say please and thank you, and smile.

If you conduct yourself respectfully with a well-thought-out code you can be safer than a personal mobility device, or a stroller, a child on a scooter or roller-blades, or a person pulling a suitcase. I see nothing wrong with scooting along, one foot on a pedal, bike under me, the other foot pushing off on the other side, ready to stop on a dime. Have you ever noticed that you actually take up less space that way, than if you pushed your bicycle beside you? You can lose your balance trying not to hit your ankle! The only time I will ever collide with a pedestrian on a sidewalk is when a multi-tasking pedestrian trips and falls right into me, but as a wise friend has pointed out, it would still be deemed my fault.

So, are we cyclists really arrogant rule breakers? Apart from riding on sidewalks we do a whole lot of other illegal and insolent things, make rolling stops, run red lights, cross intersections diagonally, sometimes cutting things really close, inconveniencing others or putting them in danger, squeeze past a row of cars on the right (cause it’s just so difficult for us to have to wait in traffic), go down the wrong way on a one-way street (cause we’re special, and we shouldn’t have to do detours). And some of us expect the rest of the population to make way, and even to be the ones to pay attention and protect our safety from our own foolish carelessness. How often have you seen a cyclist do something so dangerous, like swerve around a pothole or pass another cyclist in dense traffic without looking over his shoulder? And how often have you seen a cyclist go through a red light, almost hit a pedestrian whose turn it was to cross the street, and then yell at them? Who wouldn’t be paranoid and full of indignation!

My friend says: “I’m a conscientious rule breaker.” Sure, me too. I get the Using Your Judgement, and the Rules Are For The Thoughtless.  But what we conscientious rule breakers need to keep in mind is, well, first off, that we’re breaking the rules, and it doesn’t matter now much we think these conscientious things we do make sense, or how much sense they really do make, or how careful or how respectful we are. There are two things to consider when breaking the rules, there are the things we do, and there is the impact we have on the people who see us do them.

Some say we should follow the laws, and everything will be fine. I’m not sure that would solve the confrontational aspect of the situation. Besides, it doesn’t sit right with me. Am I to stop at every stop sign even when nobody’s around? Well, yes, but will I? I don’t think so especially since there are communities that have such exceptions actually written into the by-laws.

But somehow we do have to reverse the damage we’ve done by taking liberties. I don’t blame anyone who feels intimidated and retaliates. We’ve stopped communicating. We’re all impatient with one another. We don’t think about others as much as we should. We’re always in a hurry. We’ve become resentful and we’re up in arms about the smallest things. We have to give, not take. We have to show appreciation and understanding. We have to use forethought. We have to educate ourselves, and we have to show respect, and kindness, above all.

If I’m anywhere near a person on the sidewalk you can’t tell me apart from a pedestrian, a weird polite pedestrian, because I talk a lot more and I yield to everyone. Also I’m strangely bicycle shaped, and well, my feet may be off the ground at times.  So, that’s one problem solved, you’d think. The other problem is the much bigger one. To a previously terrorized pedestrian, it doesn’t matter how loving a pit bull I am, I’m still a pit bull in a yard full of bunnies!