Cycling On The Sidewalk

[southwater]

You are being overly generous to me. Not sure why I decided to create the new Tokyo district of Edo-ku when Koto-ku has served as the correct name for generations.

Visit map of MK. answer? Now 1/4/o8. It now law to Recycle everthing. bob

[Charles]

...only 400 meters...

WTF? That's less than a quarter mile, what is that, like 3 or 4 city blocks?

[Ol Dirty Gaijin]

WTF? That's less than a quarter mile, what is that, like 3 or 4 city blocks?

and not that necessary in this case either.
MAP
Keiyo dori is not that bad to ride on around Kamedo, except for the crazy intersection at Meiji dori. Plenty of parallel streets also. The side walks are very wide and a shared path would have been fine if people wouldn't park their pike everywhere and pedestrians could walk straight.

[omae mona]

Here's another photo.

This doesn't make any sense. For one, having two bikes pass so closely is dangerous as hell. And two, since this is only 400 meters, a rider entering this thing and riding against traffic will be on the other side of the street and will not bother crossing over for such a short distance. There should be two of these fence things, each one meter wide and on both sides of the street.

I think it's also amusing that this cyclist is riding in the wrong lane even within the bike lane (note the arrow on the pavement). And carrying a nice potentially eye-piercing umbrella, even though the new bike rules are likely to outlaw that. Great way to demonstrate the increased safety!

[ttjereth]

You are being overly generous to me. Not sure why I decided to create the new Tokyo district of Edo-ku when Koto-ku has served as the correct name for generations.

Just goes to show how much faith I put into your posts Mulboyne. I live 10 minutes from the area in question and still made sure to double check before posting the correction just in case I was somehow mistaken for the past 10 years or so.

There's a really good Mexican restaurant right around there. The only problem with it is that the owner (a Japanese fellow) really likes to drink and whenever I go he's foisting beer and tequila boiler makers on me (I don't drink). Somehow I doubt this would prove a problem for most of the people in here though

[sublight]

http://search.map.yahoo.co.jp/search?fr=top_ga1&ei=UTF-8&p=%E4%BA%80%E6%88%B8%E9%A7%85

Koto-ku. Ryogoku is in Sumida-ku.

Damn. I have to go re-label a bunch of my Flickr photos now.

[ttjereth]

Damn. I have to go re-label a bunch of my Flickr photos now.

Either that or petition the municipal government to change the ward boundries.

[Captain Japan]

It's been awhile since I actually read through any of the traffic law crap, but I thought in Japan you are always supposed to ride against traffic. If I recall correctly the reasoning was that allows you to see the cars coming towards you rather than having them come up from behind you or some such.

A bike traveling 20 mph going against a car traveling 50 mph would mean a relative velocity of 70 mph. Whereas for both going the same direction, it is 30 mph. That's a huge difference in maneuverability if there is a problem.

I see quite a few bikes riding against traffic but it would be less than 10% of the bicycle volume. I don't have an easy way to look up the law.

[ttjereth]

A bike traveling 20 mph going against a car traveling 50 mph would mean a relative velocity of 70 mph. Whereas for both going the same direction, it is 30 mph. That's a huge difference in maneuverability if there is a problem.

I see quite a few bikes riding against traffic but it would be less than 10% of the bicycle volume. I don't have an easy way to look up the law.

Please note, I'm not arguing in favor of the concept, just pointing out what I remember reading. The same thing is stated for pedestriations walking along the side of roads with no sidewalks. It was in one of the various books/pamphlets/etc that I received when I first started "studying" for my license here.

I "imagine" the idea being that facing towards oncoming traffic allows both parties (car and bike or car and pedestrian) to react, whereas maneuverability is sort of moot for the bike/pedestrian if the car is barrelling up from behind them and they can't see it

But what percentage of people you see doing what doesn't really prove much since it's also technically illegal to:
ride with more than one person on a bike
ride while talking on a cellphone
drive a car while talking on a cellphone
park a bike anywhere other than designated areas
etc. etc.

I probably still have the books from when I first got my license somewhere around here, but I'm not terribly inclined to dig for them. A quick search on the net leads me to believe that the actual direction of travel for a bike in relation to the flow of traffic isn't stipulated in a law.

I did find this on the Yamaguchi-ken police website:
http://www.police.pref.yamaguchi.jp/0410/jitensya/index.html
[quote]自]
5 rules for safe use of a bicycle
1. Bicylces should be generally be ridden on the street and only on sidewalks in rare exceptions
2. They should be ridden on the left side of the road
3. Pedestrians have right of way on roads, speed should be reduced when approaching roads
4. Obey safety rules
Riding while drunk, riding with 2 passengers and riding side by side (2 or more bicycles I assume) are forbidden
5. Children must wear helmets

I am making some assumptions on number 2 there because right next to it they have an image of a girl riding a bike on the left hand side of the road (the road being to her right) but it can be read as keeping the road to your left as well


On this page it also has a list of major legal infractions as well as associated penalities and laws.
http://www.police.pref.yamaguchi.jp/0410/jitensya/jitensya3.html
A quick rundown for the less Japanese literate:
１．信号を無視したり、踏切で一時停止をしなかったら
Ignoring traffic signals, not stopping at intersections
Underneath it also notes parking the bike illegally (in areas other than those designated for such)
All up to 3 months imprisonment or 50,000 yen fine
２．二台横に並んで走っていたら
Riding two or more bicylces side by side
Up to 20,000 yen fine
３．二人乗りをしていると
Riding two or more people to a single bike
Also mentioned requirements for safety equipment and limits on number of young children (under 6 and under 4) that are allowed to ride with a single adult.
Up to 20,000 yen fine
４．右折、左折の時に合図をしないと
Not signalling when making left or right turns
Up to 50,000 yen fine
５．手放し、傘さし運転をすると
Riding while holding an umbrella or other item which prevents holding onto the handlebars and/or obstructs vision
Up to 50,000 yen fine
６．夜、ライトをつけないと
Riding without a light at night
Up to 50,000 yen fine
７．酒に酔って乗っていると
Riding while intoxicated
Up to 5 years imprisonment or 1,000,000 yen fine


Also found a site called Cross Road which is on road/traffic safety in Japan, but I couldn't find anything about actual direction in which bikes are supposed to travel. It does however have this great section of free non-for-profit images which I'm sure could be put to wonderful use here.
http://www.cross-road.go.jp/disp_category.php?corner_id=5&category_id=3


Riding against traffic is bad, or just jumping out in the street suddenly?



Which one is supposed to have the right of way?



Old people + bicylce = menace to society

[eddie]

i like that they're trying. i need bicyclists to fucking stop hitting me in the hip and wrist.

[amdg]

Awesome, a new psychopath.

Oh, wait a minute...cyclepath.

*ducks and runs*

[Captain Japan]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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