Cycling On The Sidewalk

[amdg]

Awesome, a new psychopath.

Oh, wait a minute...cyclepath.

*ducks and runs*

[Captain Japan]

Originally Posted by ttjereth

2. They should be ridden on the left side of the road

Doesn't that mean with the flow of traffic? There are two left sides just as there are two directions.

[ttjereth]

Originally Posted by Captain Japan

Doesn't that mean with the flow of traffic? There are two left sides just as there are two directions.

Not all roads go two directions nor do all one way streets go the same direction. By my way of thinking ALWAYs riding on the left side would have you going against traffic in some situations. Am I wrong? I still have to stop and think whenever people ask me which side of the road we drive on (in Japan or America)

[Captain Japan]

Originally Posted by ttjereth

Not all roads go two directions nor do all one way streets go the same direction. By my way of thinking ALWAYs riding on the left side would have you going against traffic in some situations. Am I wrong? I still have to stop and think whenever people ask me which side of the road we drive on (in Japan or America)

But if we look at the image that started this thread - a two-way street - that bike lane is technically illegal, right? Well, that is if we were in that prefecture you pulled that law from.

[ttjereth]

Originally Posted by Captain Japan

But if we look at the image that started this thread - a two-way street - that bike lane is technically illegal, right? Well, that is if we were in that prefecture you pulled that law from.

If we look at the image that started the thread the person in it is a riding a bike over an arrow pointing the direction opposite they are riding with an umbrella out

[Visitor K]

i dont think it is possible figure out what logic they followed in implementing the bike lane: to be sure, there was none.
a two way bike lane? you would have thought (or at least hoped in vain) that tokyo would have looked at other metropolitan bike lanes for examples. im originally from portland, oregon which is often voted as one of the most bike friendly cities in the world, and it has more miles of bike lanes than any other american city (at least as far as i remember) and it was depressing as hell to move to japan where everybody rode bikes (especially out in the inaka) but there were no bike lanes or any sort of system in place..
i remember being so frustrated whenever i got behind an old obasan with her black darth vader sun mask coasting down the sidewalk slower than she could walk, not to mention the high school baseball teams riding around taking up the whole sidewalk and not yielding for anybody coming the opposite way..
i love bicycles, but riding in japan was always a hassle, and unfortunately it doesnt look like they are taking bike lanes seriously.

[Greji]

Originally Posted by Visitor K

i love bicycles, but riding in japan was always a hassle, and unfortunately it doesnt look like they are taking bike lanes seriously.

Wait till they get all the bike lanes in and you have to compete with the Izuzu Dump Trunks which will also be cruising in them!

[Mulboyne]

Yomiuri: Nation lacks sufficient bike lanes

An increasing number of people are calling for the introduction of more bicycle lanes to protect pedestrians and cyclists. Although some manufacturers are developing bicycles equipped to carry an adult and two small children--one in a seat on the front, the other in a seat on the back--current road conditions often make using such two-wheeled transport a nerve-racking experience. Although some bicycle lanes have been built, there remain many issues to address, such as devising rules governing the use of the lanes and ensuring cyclists abide by them.

As debates have begun over whether to allow three-seater cycles, the Bicycle Usage Promotion Study Group, a Tokyo-based nonprofit organization, interviewed mothers of small children in about 10 areas across the nation this spring and summer. Some respondents called for better-designed bicycles. One said, "I want a bike that makes it easier to carry children," while another commented, "I want a bicycle that doesn't wobble when I start pedalling." Many respondents also urged that road conditions be improved to make riding a bicycle safer. "I want lanes in which I can ride a bicycle without worrying about pedestrians," one respondent said. Another said, "I want police to crack down on drivers who harass cyclists when we ride in car lanes." Shigeki Kobayashi, head of the NPO, said: "Mothers want the means and conditions for them to be able to transport their children safely. Even if three-seat bicycles are developed, there remain fears that cyclists could crash into pedestrians or that the riders could fall on the pavement. The debates should proceed in a manner that clearly sets aside separate spaces for pedestrians, bicycles and cars."

Many respondents to a National Police Agency survey on three-seat bicycles in May called for bumps and holes on roads to be mended and for roads to be generally improved to ensure cyclists can pedal to their destination more safely. According to the Construction and Transport Ministry, only about 3 percent of roads nationwide have bicycle lanes separated from sidewalks, and there have been many accidents and collisions between bicycles and pedestrians. In principle, bicycles ridden by adults should travel on the road. However, many cyclists feel uncomfortable--and at risk--riding on narrow streets as cars pass by only a whisker away. The ministry began setting up bicycle lanes in 98 model districts across the country this year. In Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, a 1.5-meter-wide lane was carved out of car lanes and painted blue on about 1.2 kilometers of road in March. "Before the lanes were set up, many cyclists rode on the sidewalk and posed a risk to pedestrians," an official of the Tokyo metropolitan government's construction bureau said.

However, establishing bicycle lanes alone will not ensure safety for all road users unless rules governing their use are devised and obeyed. Although the bicycle lanes in Shibuya Ward are meant for use in only one direction, many riders use them to travel against the flow of traffic. Additionally, cars are often parked in the bicycle lanes, impeding riders. Many people also still ride bicycles on the sidewalk. "In Europe, wide bicycle lanes run alongside car lanes," Kobayashi said. "Many people carry two or three children in seats with safety belts on the front of bicycles that have two front wheels. We need to redistribute road space by returning sidewalks to pedestrians and parts of car lanes to bicycle riders."

Osaka City University Prof. Yasuo Hino, an expert on urban traffic problems, has called for clearer rules on road use. "For pedestrians, cyclists and car drivers to safely coexist, it's necessary to clarify the division, priority and restrictions on road use [for all three parties]," he said. "As the issue of three-seat bicycles is being discussed, I want the authorities to rethink the current situation in which car traffic is given priority."

Prefectural public safety commissions have rules prohibiting bicycles from carrying three or more persons, citing the Road Traffic Law. But when the NPA announced a policy to apply the ban more strictly, many mothers with small children complained. This spring, the NPA decided that three persons riding on a single bicycle would be tolerated if bicycles able to carry three safely are developed. The government plans to review the regulations, if safe three-seat cycles are developed