BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

I can say I looked up the laws. In residential (where there is a setback for houses / house doors) it is legal. Commercial, not so. Having said this, I'll give my observations / personal rules. If / when travel with or against traffic (against is legal on one way btw, on correct (drivers) side) is not as SAFE as riding on sidewalk at reasonable speeds etc. (4mph ish?) Example would be either direction on Forbes or 5th ave. through uptown or most of Oakland. I also always run the sidewalks on the bridges to northside / east ohio st. Those cases are also the only place I run my 1800lm light on blink, in the evening it helps shoo the earbud dingbats out of the way. (they see stuff in front of them lighting up when I'm approaching from rear. In an ideal world we all stop at every stop sign / light and cars always see us / leave us room. Sorry, that is too rare around Pittsburgh.

Commercial, not so.

It depends on township. They have a right to regulate it. But it should be specified in the law.

I never salmon so besides bridges i stay off if possible or reduce speed . I feel it sets a bad example Bikes Belong on the Road all drivers need visual reinforcement

@n3glv "If / when travel with or against traffic (against is legal on one way btw, on correct (drivers) side)" this is not my understanding of the law. can you tell us where you found this?

I am not sure if it was city of pittsburgh for the sidewalk rule, think the one way as long as you are on drivers side (wrong way up 1 way) was state law though. Found it via google of course, wanted to know because I was often coming up through Market Sq from Gateway T-Stop the 'wrong way'. I try to know what rules I'm bending or not, forewarned is forearmed etc. Btw, Avalon on their main street (at some points is called California ave) is VERY fussy about riding on sidewalk, so take the lane, there's not enough space to run right side of lane and still clear parked cars etc. Pisses cars off but hey?

There is no state law that lets cyclists ride the wrong way on one way streets. Cyclists are supposed to follow the laws for motorists, except where noted, and this isn't one of the exceptions. It is a good idea in general to avoid riding on the sidewalk, and it is illegal to ride on the sidewalk in business districts or where there are those stupid "Share the Road" signs. And you should take the lane whenever there is not enough space for motorists to pass you safely while staying in lane. It is safer to do that, as well as being permitted under state law. There is a good book ("Bicycle Driver's Manual") describing all this, published by PennDOT. You can get paper copies at some DMV centers, or see the online version here.

WRT the graphic, I'm not so sure why it's always super uncool to take the sidewalk when it is a lot faster or during rush hour. Sure, it's important not to inconvenience or unnerve pedestrians by getting in their way, and if traffic is just a bit slow and it's an extra light cycle or two, then patience is in order. But why should I spend 10 minutes of my time sitting in a traffic jam that I could bypass in no time by taking the sidewalk, to the detriment of nobody? Bikes are great because they're versatile, light, efficient, etc. You can take a street, a trail, a bus, walk it, carry it. They have a lot of the benefits of vehicles without most of the drawbacks, so let's not self-impose drawbacks. I'm not even 2 feet wide on my bike with my bag on it. I'm not clogging up our big wide roads. Let those who cause the problem suffer and be jealous.

The state law concerning bicycles and sidewalks reads as follows [full link]: § 3508. Pedalcycles on sidewalks and pedalcycle paths. (a) Right-of-way to pedestrians.--A person riding a pedalcycle upon a sidewalk or pedalcycle path used by pedestrians shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and shall give an audible signal before overtaking and passing a pedestrian. (b) Business districts.--A person shall not ride a pedalcycle upon a sidewalk in a business district unless permitted by official traffic-control devices, nor when a usable pedalcycle-only lane has been provided adjacent to the sidewalk.

it is illegal to ride on the sidewalk in business districts or where there are those stupid “Share the Road” signs. The first part is right, but not the second. Towns can make it illegal to ride on some sidewalk, even outside business districts, but they do so with signs that specifically say that, not with Share The Road signs. richierich, I agree that riding the sidewalk can be OK in the situation you describe: when traffic is blocked, and there's little risk of alarming or hitting pedestrians (even if they turn suddenly). But that's only as long as the situation doesn't pose a risk from cars popping out from driveways into your path (which is a big reason sidewalk riding is usually discouraged) or turning into a driveway or at an intersection, or similar dangers, and it's legal to ride that particular sidewalk. But it's rare for the stars to align like that and make it a good idea. And few sidewalk riders are that careful.

@richierich - I expect a lot of it boils down to context. Want to ride on West Liberty in Pittsburgh during rush hour? Go for it. Want to ride on West Liberty in Dormont during rush hour? Too many pedestrians.

[mostly diatribe; you can skip. Dinner is still cooking.] As a rule, riding on the sidewalk is wrong. It's for pedestrians. Suck it up and get in there with the cars! You too are a legal vehicle. If the the traffic is backed up, work your way up between the curb and the cars as far as you can. Then take a breather. Don't annoy the pedestrians by hopping the curb. On the other hand some sidewalks are in name only. For example the outbound bit on E. Liberty leading from 31st to Herron. I have yet to see any humans on that stretch. It's fair game. I really wish the Smithfield Br approaches were properly sharrowed. There's way too much pedestrian traffic on the walkways for bikers to have to deal with (and vice-versa). As a rule sidewalks in Pittsburgh are a disaster: broken concrete, slabs sticking up, etc. They're more dangerous than the street; at least on the street you have room to swerve around stuff. On a narrow sidewalk you have to screech to a halt. Why?

Context +1 If I don't feel safe on road (5th ave uptown etc) I'm on sidewalk being as as courteous as I can to peds.

When/where to ride a bike on a sidewalk... Anytime you feel more comfortable riding on the sidewalk than any available alternative so long as the following two conditions are met: a) it's not illegal to do so in a given location and b) pedestrians ALWAYS have the right of way. That chart is useless in my humble opinion.

I am often trying to get from one place to another at midnight (or later) on a Friday or Saturday night.There is a high percentage of drivers that are drunk. I mean really drunk. The kind of drunk where police would take the drunkard to a hospital, not the jail. The percentage of people that are that drunk is high enough that I assume all drivers are that drunk. ALL drivers. Bus drivers, police car drivers, whatever. No discrimination necessary. If they are in a vehicle that is moving, they are fallling down drunk. Sometimes I might be wrong, but that won't kill me. I travel a lot on the sidewalk. OTOH, I don't go faster than a (very fast) pedestrian on the sidewalk. Maybe 6 mph. If there is any chance a car will be turning into a driveway, I stop and wait for them to pass. I don't dart out from intersection at 6 mph. I don't cruise past pedestrians on the sidewalk, so I'll get off and walk, if appropriate - I often walk my bike on Forbes between Murray and Shady. Traveling through the back streets of Oakland, I often have to walk.

In pittsburgh, where some stairs are streets, is it legal to ride your bike down (or up) them?

If I'm not commuting anywhere, just going around my neighborhood, where am I legally supposed to ride?

Short answer: Depends. Variables involved: Your speed, what sort of area is it, how wide is the sidewalk, how busy is the sidewalk, what do you do at street edges, how busy and/or fast is the traffic? That you're asking at all, I take to mean you are not comfortable riding in the street. I won't question that. The only hard and fast rule is that you may not legally ride on the sidewalk in a business district.

@cmr: I generally agree with @Drewbacca's advice, above.

The only hard and fast rule is that you may not legally ride on the sidewalk in a business district.

It is also illegal to ride on the sidewalk "when a usable pedalcycle-only lane has been provided adjacent to the sidewalk". I'm not sure if 'adjacent' is defined anywhere--for example, on Liberty Ave in Lawrenceville (i.e., west of 40th St., where it's residential) or on Beechwood Blvd in Squirrel Hill, where there are bike lanes but on the far side of the parking lanes from the sidewalks, does that count as 'adjacent to the sidewalk'? (The definition of 'usable' also seems to be up for discussion...)

anyone know where i can find laws of riding on the street? as far as turns, interacting with cars, crossing, etc? i dont drive- dont have a permit or license.

@multipleBuffaloes. It is also illegal to ride on the sidewalk “when a usable pedalcycle-only lane has been provided adjacent to the sidewalk”. I strongly dislike the idea of being killed by an impaired driver.  I also often travel east up Forbes form Braddock Ave at midnight on a Friday night.  I ride the sidewalk as long as there are no pedestrians.  Even though there si a bike lane inches from the sidewalk where I ride.   Too many drunks coming up Forbes. So, I'm (once again) a criminal.  Damn. Sooner or later I might be brought to justice.

What exactly is a business district? Are certain Pittsburgh neighborhoods designated as business districts, or does it just mean areas where businesses have entrances opening directly onto the sidewalk? Are the bridges downtown within a business district?

It's possible that provision applies only to business districts. The full text: "(b) Business districts.--A person shall not ride a pedalcycle upon a sidewalk in a business district unless permitted by official traffic-control devices, nor when a usable pedalcycle-only lane has been provided adjacent to the sidewalk." Linguistically, the prohibition most likely applies anywhere, not just in business districts, but on the other hand, it's in a section titled "Business districts". But on the third hand, I think section titles aren't supposed to figure in interpreting the law. (Still, if you get hauled before a judge for riding through Frick Park on the sidewalk, it couldn't hurt to point out the ambiguity. And that the bike lane at such an hour is not usable for those who want to minimize their risk of getting hit.)

@cmr - about three years ago, I wrote a blog post with a summary of the bike laws, similar to what you requested. Find it here. http://bus15237.blogspot.com/2014/09/pa-state-bicycle-laws-in-nutshell.html In it are links and/or references to the specific statutes. It may not answer all your questions but should be enough to get you started.

Remember, you can be doing something "illegal" like riding on a sidewalk for safety. But you'll need to 1) get stopped by police 2) cited, 3) have a magistrate agree you violated? the rule   The chance of 1 happening is very, very small and the chance you can't talk your way out of 2 or 3 is also tiny.