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San Luis Obispo debates allowing bicyclists to ride on sidewalks

February 27, 2023

By KAREN VELIE

After installing bike lanes through much of the city, San Luis Obispo is debating whether or not to allow bicyclists to also ride on sidewalks.

The city’s Active Transportation Committee last month debated the pros and cons of allowing bikes on sidewalks before voting 5-1 to bring the topic back, with Jonathan Roberts dissenting. On Tuesday, the committee will again discuss recommending changes to an ordinance that bans bicycle riding on sidewalks.

Currently, officers ticket bicyclist caught riding on the sidewalk, a consequence of the ordinance committee members worry could dissuade people from riding bikes.

The city currently has a goal of increasing the share of citywide commute trips made by bicycles to 20% by 2030. City staff estimates that currently 8.3% of city traffic is by bike.

Proponents of allowing bike riding on sidewalks voiced concerns about bike safety on several arterial roads, including Foothill Boulevard. They also argued that children are safer riding their bikes on the sidewalk.

Several committee members voiced concerns that motorists backing out of their driveways will not be looking for bike traffic on the sidewalk. Another member worried about bicyclists crashing into and killing pedestrians.

The committee members were looking at three options:

  • Continue ban on riding bikes on sidewalks
  • Allow bike riding on some sidewalks, with a ban in business districts
  • Allow only children to ride their bikes on sidewalks

The committee provides oversight and policy direction on matters regarding pedestrians and bicyclists. If the committee votes in favor of changing the ordinance, their proposal will require approval by the SLO City Council.


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Better ask yourself this country do I still live in a free country? Yes you do if you what the government tells you can do.I see them banning walking soon to protect the pedestrian from getting hit by the bikes or maybe the could spend Billions building a walking bridge on all sidewalks so the walking class will be same.


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“I see them banning walking soon “

“building a walking bridge on all sidewalks”


wtf


3

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SIDEWALK: a usually paved walk for PEDESTRIANS at the side of a street.


Wait, let me get this straight, millions were spent for bike lanes in SLO City, and surrounding areas, where you hardly see any bikes using them downtown in the first place. Then, the City Council wants to let bikes on pedestrian sidewalks, I repeat, pedestrian sidewalks and the danger that imposes?! 


If this is such a good idea now by the City Council to allow bikes to ride on the pedestrian sidewalks, then why didn’t they think of this in the first place? Therefore, millions of tax payor dollars could have been saved in making the more so than not, unused bike lanes in and around San Luis Obispo!


If you are going to infringe upon the pedestrians using their sideWALK, key word, “WALK,” then at least install “Bike Parking Meters” if they want to go into the businesses in the city, where there’re no free rides! (no pun intended).  


We have to put up with the Mercury helmeted and the tight-fitted pastel colored attire of bicyclists not following DMV rules on the streets and highways in the first place, where the geometry of them riding bikes vs cars is unsafe, especially making right turns. Then the City is thinking of letting them overrun the city in allowing them to ride upon city sideWALKS which precludes that the Bike lanes are not working?


What has the City Council have against the businesses downtown? Isn’t their rent and operating expenses high enough? Then you want said businesses to have their clientele to dodge bicyclists on the sideWALKS to be able to visit them, as if finding parking spaces in town wasn’t hard enough?


Oh, any update on the parking structure that was to be built on the corner of Nipomo and Palm that was okayed in 2019, when the city removed hundreds of parking spaces that were never replaced, to allow two Hotels to be built?


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14

“We have to put up with the Mercury helmeted and the tight-fitted pastel colored attire of bicyclists not following DMV rules on the streets and highways in the first place.” These are not the type of bicyclists that would be riding on a sidewalk. Not defending them, just know how they roll. The sidewalk riders would be kids, college students, and homeless. And of course many of those would ride the wrong way on the sidewalk creating even more havoc for cars entering from the side streets and driveways, let along the peds themselves.


4

Wait — There’s a “right way” to ride/walk on a sidewalk?


-1

It is not codified into law, but there is frequent adherence to generally understood convention and accepted norms. Do you randomly drive on the wrong side of the road or do you generally stay to the right lane?


2

If bicycles are allowed to ride on SLO sidewalks where will the homeless sleep?


17

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matthwy58,


If you are a TRUE Christian, then maybe the homeless can sleep in a place you find for them?


“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)


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-16

I wonder what the city council has been smoking the last couple years, everything they do in downtown has been a mess, they should step back and take a breather on the mess they are making and see if these schemes they have put together work or if they are flops, there is no need to get in a hurry to run more shoppers out of the downtown area, that is what has happened with the parking kiosks and the parkletts that have popped up.


18

Ok, why not? They ride wherever they like anyway; sidewalks, against traffic, old creek road, etc. But two items need to be added to this measure; a no-fault provision to indemnify any driver who runs over someone, and a secondly a safety horn alert to alert bicyclists that danger approaches. A 3 second long horn blast will help riders to know you are there, crossing into an oncoming lane for their safety (sharing the road :-), and perhaps in time time they would “pick a better road” and ride in more appropriate places and hear fewer horns as a result.


5

Real, informed cyclists, knowledgeable of the vehicle code, don’t want or need combined bike/pedestrian/jogger/skater/baby stroller/homeless paths (like the Bob Jones Trail). Dedicated, isolated bike lanes are generally unnecessary and a waste of public funds. Roadway bike lanes and the roads themselves are all that are needed. Cyclists in SLO City and County have traveled just fine with such accommodation since before there even were delineated bike lanes on city and county roads.


Small children riding bikes on sidewalks is a different matter. Ever since little kids have learned to ride tricycles and bicycles, adults are aware that they likely may be seen on a sidewalk. Usually on a sidewalk IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD! This is nothing new, it’s been that way ever since there were sidewalks. Children on bikes generally don’t belong on boulevard or downtown sidewalks where high volume pedestrian traffic is likely to create conflicts. Adult cyclists, however, most certainly should not use sidewalks as their conveyance corridors.


Bicycles are vehicles and need to be responsibly ridden as such. This is why their operation is addressed in the California Vehicle Code. Leave it to the superior and entitled lifestyle control freaks in SLO City to want to implement ever more regulations, especially when common sense and current regulations suffice.


37

I agree with some of this, it seems silly that an 8 year old with training wheels would get ticketed for riding on the sidewalk. However I disagree in that we don’t need dedicated bike paths or protected bike lanes – ask cyclists and they’ll tell you. Cars don’t want to ride with bikes and bikes don’t want to ride with cars (for the most part) – we need more infrastructure like the improvements made on Marsh Street and on Madonna – grade separated or physical barriers between bikes and motor traffic.


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“Real, informed cyclists, knowledgeable of the vehicle code, don’t want or need “


We don’t make laws or rules based on the best drivers or best doctors but the worst clueless idiots.


“Bicycles are vehicles and need to be responsibly ridden as such”


Just like drivers, I see idiot drivers every day who don’t drive responsibly this is why their operation is addressed in the California Vehicle Code.


0

I think it’s a great idea if they make pedestrians walk in the street.


16

Hey, why not? Governor Newsom has legalized jaywalking now!


10

I urge others to email the committee at advisorybodies@slocity.org expressing your opposition to this poorly thought out plan.

Do we expect elderly pedestrians and kids to dodge bicycles? How many injuroes and lawsuits will result? How much money is going to be spent altering every single sidewalk to a roll up and off situation? Didn’t we already spend literally millions to install bike lanes and change intersections etc? Just to go unsused? Absolutely ridiculous and frankly appalling.


61

I’d like to know where the 8.3% comes from. There is no way that number is accurate on a citywide basis. Do you see one bike for every 12 cars driving down the road?


64

I believe it. Bikes take shorter trips and therefore aren’t on the roads as long compared to cars. They also take up way less space and zero parking, so if you only experience the city from the seat of a car, it would be possible to miss.


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