Ask the Amateur: 1

Yo, Amateur:

What's up with you guys? Why do you insist on riding on the road when there's a bike path two feet away? What is it, some sort of political statement?

Get Off My Road

Dear GOMR:

Chill, dude. I'm an amateur--how should I know? Though I do prefer trails to roads when I have a choice. To get a professional's perspective, I passed your question on to Mike Beadles, President of the Twin Cities Bicycling Club. This is what he had to say:

I actually do hear that question quite a bit from co-workers, family, and some friends that do not understand.

The safest place to be for a cyclist is "on the road."

Cyclists are twice more likely to be involved in an injury accident on a bike path, and 25 times more likely on a sidewalk.

I have logged over 5,000 miles per year since 1997, and I too believed before that year that I started that cyclists should only ride on paths and sidewalks. After my years of experience, I can personally say that the best place for me to ride now is on low traffic, well-paved roads.

Regarding safety, think of it this way, bike paths are full of others - kids with training wheels, roller-bladers, runners, people walking dogs, and there are no "rules" on a bike path, anyone goes whereever on the bike path they want to. Also, think of when a bike path crosses a driveway or street, do motorists stop before the path (like for the crosswalks downtown for pedestrians) to allow those are using the path to cross? I can say from experience that most do not.

Also, even though it's usually not enforced, there is a speed limit of 10 MPH on most bike paths, and I ride consistently at almost twice that speed all the time.

Also, bicycles are legal vehicles on the road (see Minnesota Statute 169.222) , and with that comes a legal responsibility. Obeying the rules of the road - i.e. riding on the right side of the road, stopping at stop signs and stop lights.