Please stop sharing my road.

[justhere]

Except the part where you can't seem to get your bike over 10 mph and you're riding in the middle of the travel lane so none of the motor vehicles can pass you.

He was still going faster than the woman driving the car down a busy street, during rush hour, that I got stuck behind the other day. Yes, there was snow out, and traffic was moving slower than usual, but when I say slower, I mean they were going 30 mph in a 35 mph zone, not going below 10 mph in a 35 mph zone*. I couldn't move over because there was too much traffic in the other lane, and since the roads were so bad I needed more room than normal. Fortunately, the car behind me was able to move over and then slowed down enough so I could also move over.

*At one point, I wasn't even sure if we were actually moving it was so slow. There were pedestrians on the sidewalks going faster than us.

[judecat]

I ride on the sidewalks, I don't care about the laws, I'd rather get a ticket (though I've never been stopped) than take my chances with some of the insaniacs in my area...

Even bike lanes are suspect if they're on the shoulder. I've seen people swerve into them for no real reason.

Unless you plan on riding no faster than a person can walk, then you are not entitled to ride on the sidewalk. Around here there is a reason why riding on sidewalks is illegal, and it has to do with the number of pedestrians who are hit by cyclists riding on the sidewalk. I will always walk with a cane because I was in the way of a sidewalk cyclist who couldn't slow down fast enough not to hit me. If it's not safe for you to ride in the street, and it's not safe for others if you ride on the sidewalk, them maybe you don't need to ride.

[Aragarthiel]

I DO know one reason why a cyclist might not bother using a cycle lane- some cycle lanes aren't large enough. (from what I've read, they tend to be a metre wide, when it really needs to be two)

I've never seen a bike lane more than a FOOT wide! Though, there are a TON of bicyclists in my area, and people tend to be pretty smart about driving around them. It helps, too, that the bicyclists tend to wear the full reflective gear and helmets.

[Chromatix]

Around here, the cycle lanes are part of the footpaths, either combined or segregated. This is a common pattern in European countries - apparently the road itself is designed for motor vehicles, and treated as such.

[SumGuy]

In Michigan bicyclists are never required to use a sidewalk, and are highly discouraged from doing so. In addition to the poor condition of them (if you think our roads are bad...) and the chance for hitting a pedestrian, bicyclists turn invisible to cars when on them, as I found out when someone hit me while flying into a parking lot.

In fact, Michigan DOT recommendations are that bicyclists "take the lane" by being at least 2 feet away from the edge of the road, to discourage cars from "squeezing" past them in an unsafe fashion. Sure, having to wait to pass a bicyclist is an annoyance, especially when you're in a hurry. But can you really be that mad at someone for wanting to save money, get healthier, reduce their carbon footprint, etc?

That being said I agree that it makes no sense to not use a bike lane if available and in good condition, and especially no sense when pedestrians aren't using the sidewalk 2 feet away from them, or walking 20 feet to a crosswalk, etc.