Photo by Elvert Barnes.
A bill introduced by Councilmember Jim Graham proposes banning bikes and Segways from sidewalks in areas of the city where bike lanes have been installed.
The Sidewalk Safety Act of 2014 would extend the prohibition on sidewalk riding from the central business district to “wherever a bicycle lane is available,” the Ward 1 Councilmember said today.
While D.C. law prohibits bicycles and Segways from sidewalk riding if it “creates a hazard,” Graham said “that is in fact what has been happening.” Graham said he’s heard from senior citizens and “young mothers with children” whose walks become “very hazardous because of the way that Segway drivers and cyclists operate.”
Graham said he supports D.C’s bike lanes and infrastructure improvements, adding that he thinks the bill would actually encourage more bike lane creation.
“Many bicyclists and Segway operators operate safely. i don’t think there’s a question about that,” he said. “But the fact of the matter is, when you have these vehicles on sidewalks in areas where there are people who are elderly or otherwise vulnerable, there’s a hazard created.”
The bill, Graham said, would exempt children 12 years or younger, as well as bikes with wheels smaller than 20 inches. It was co-sponsored by Councilmembers Yvette Alexander and Tommy Wells, and Council Chairman Phil Mendelson.
While D.C. may move toward discouraging sidewalk riding, Alexandria last year legalized it, a decision that led one person to write a very unfortunate letter that compares bike lanes to the Reichstag fire.
“If we can get the bicycles off the sidewalk in our neighborhoods, outside the downtown area, it will be safer situation for everybody,” Graham said.
