That is what always gets me. Drivers do not realize it is illegal to ride on the sidewalk. We have to be in the road. It is not safe for a bike to be on the sidewalk.
Bicyclists fined $195 for stop sign violations
- Thread starter DSMCy
- Start date
That is what always gets me. Drivers do not realize it is illegal to ride on the sidewalk. We have to be in the road. It is not safe for a bike to be on the sidewalk.
When I used to manage a lot of people I had a lot of employees who didn't even own a car and their wages would make it tough for them to do so. Biking is transportation - not recreation - for a lot of people in the U.S. and even more people in other places in the world.
no, there is no set Iowa law, it's up to that particular city you're in. Some cities allow them, some don't.
Between inattentive drivers in cars, bikes with no rules, and pedestrians, driving on campus is an exercise in frustration...but if you're paying attention you can escape unscathed. I'm glad I don't have to drive on busy metropolitan streets; I don't think I'd be as lucky there. 
If bikes are on roads, they need to follow the driving rules. I understand the idea of the slow down and roll through, but I can also see the potential for abuse, both from bikers AND from those driving cars and arguing that if the bikers can, they can. No cop, no stop, right?
I don't have a good answer for the problem, except to say that none of us OWN the road - we SHARE it. And many of us may need to go back for a refresher course on the preschool rules of "sharing".
If bikes are on roads, they need to follow the driving rules. I understand the idea of the slow down and roll through, but I can also see the potential for abuse, both from bikers AND from those driving cars and arguing that if the bikers can, they can. No cop, no stop, right?
I don't have a good answer for the problem, except to say that none of us OWN the road - we SHARE it. And many of us may need to go back for a refresher course on the preschool rules of "sharing".
That's one thing that bikers need to be better at...you're NOT as visible as a car...so you need to be defensive! You're older & wiser, you probably got there by doing just what you said here...
True story: while attending ISU I rode my bike everywhere (I didn't trust CyRide to get me to football meetings, weightlifting and practice on time). One day while riding down Welch going from Towers to campus a cop on a bike rolls up beside me and asks me to pull over. I look at him and laugh, then he says he is serious. So I pull over by the Keg Shops parking lot. He asks me for my license (which I find weird because I am riding a bike not driving a car), I tell him it's in my dorm and he then tells me that I didn't stop at the stop sign back by the ADELANTE frat house and he can give me the same ticket a car could get for running a stop sign. Long story short I got a warning.
I usually drive but often bike my 15 mile one way commute to work. I am lucky in that there is a good portion of the route that is bike trail or bike lane but as I get downtown I have no choice but to ride in traffic on the streets. I get just as mad at the cyclists who ride like entitled ****** by not signalling, running red lights, riding the wrong way on one way streets - essentially expecting everyone else to yield to them regardless of what the law says. They just inflame drivers and some of those drivers don't need much prompting to drive aggressively around cyclists.
I admit that I will slow when approaching a stop sign and if the way is clear go through without coming to a complete and full stop. However, if there is a car with the right of way approaching, I will stop to allow them to exercise their right. I also will move clear over in a blended turn/bike lane to allow cars queuing up behind me to make their turn on red rather than making them wait behind me just because I can.
If we all start to think about being considerate when sharing the road it will turn out better for all of us.
I admit that I will slow when approaching a stop sign and if the way is clear go through without coming to a complete and full stop. However, if there is a car with the right of way approaching, I will stop to allow them to exercise their right. I also will move clear over in a blended turn/bike lane to allow cars queuing up behind me to make their turn on red rather than making them wait behind me just because I can.
If we all start to think about being considerate when sharing the road it will turn out better for all of us.
One time I was going down Welch on a bike and my brake line broke. I blew threw the intersection at Lincoln Way on a red light for me. I thought I was dead. I never rode a bike in Ames again.
I try to avoid busy roads because I don't trust speeding motorists to NOT hit me. If I have to take a route with heavy traffic and there's a sidewalk, I'm using the sidewalk.
I just assume any bike in Ames is going to blow through a stop sign at full speed, just like any pedestrian in Ames is going to walk into the street without looking because their noses are in their phones.
Hit the brakes for a kid that blew through one on the east side of campus. By the time I got over by Howe, there he was again, zipping between cars that were slowed for pedestrians. It was pretty clear by the turn signal that CyRide was going to pull back into traffic by Howe once the pedestrians crossed, but the biker was determined to blow past and almost hit a pedestrian first. Had to lay his bike on the pavement to avoid being hit by the bus. And I am sure I am a bad person for this, but it gave me a good laugh.
Hit the brakes for a kid that blew through one on the east side of campus. By the time I got over by Howe, there he was again, zipping between cars that were slowed for pedestrians. It was pretty clear by the turn signal that CyRide was going to pull back into traffic by Howe once the pedestrians crossed, but the biker was determined to blow past and almost hit a pedestrian first. Had to lay his bike on the pavement to avoid being hit by the bus. And I am sure I am a bad person for this, but it gave me a good laugh.
Except that bicycles are explicitly allowed to be on the road, with rights and responsibilities thereof, in the Iowa Code.
That stretch of Welch does have specific signs for no bikes...which makes sense due to high pedestrian usage.
However, overall there needs to be an overall rationalization of bike regulations:
--Allowed on roads, distinction between a vehicle stop (just hit gas to accelerate) vs bike stop (human powered acceleration, low speed rolling stop easy to make complete stop).
--Revise stopping definition for bikes, as described w/ other states 3 mph rolling stop. From a liability standpoint the trails cannot put Yield signs at realistically-rolling-stop-Yield crossings due to lack of true-yielding (all approaches can see each other) sight distances.
I fully agree with this and it is much safer to ride a bike on the sidewalk. You aren't going to go anywhere quickly (which if that is the goal then use the streets). Most bikes that are not road bikes with skinny tires can easily go around the few pedestrians that they may encounter. I rode my bike on the side walk to school all the time in elementary school (maybe 3rd through 6th).
Explain to me how it is different? For those that say they can't afford a car, that is why there is public transportation in every city in America. Buses, trains, subways, etc.
I ride all the time but I would never do it on a busy street for several reasons.
As someone who just got back from Eurobike convention, this is the biggest difference between cycling in the US and EU. Less cars on the road to ease traffic is good for everyone and the environment. I dont know how anybody can be against biking to work.
I think a 3 MPH through a stop sign is fine...but a bicyclist who flies through a red light like it's not there deserves what they get for a natural consequence.
Same for things like not yielding to pedestrians, other vehicles, or using a front light at night.
Same for things like not yielding to pedestrians, other vehicles, or using a front light at night.
It is not illegal in Iowa to ride a Bike on a sidewalk. Some city's may prohibit it, but it is not a state law. Ames disallows riding on the sidewalk in certain areas (ie Welch Ave between Knapp and Lincoln Way.. http://www.cityofames.org/index.aspx?page=939). Also, IMO, it is much safer for a bike to be on the sidewalk then it is in a street, and most cities have 6'-8' sidewalks/paths along busy corridors to encourage bikes to use sidewalks in a completely safe environment.
