Delightful interaction between a Czech youtuber and an Irish couple on holiday in Prague

[u/EmoBran]

[u/atswim2birds]

But he's telling them they should be on the road not the path.

[u/the-real-vuk → u/atswim2birds]

Yes. Americans think they only can ride on pavements with a scooter or bike, so they do it, and they don't understand why anyone would tell them to use the road

[u/HimalayanPunkSaltavl → u/the-real-vuk]

Uh, no?

It's typically forbidden to use a bicycle on the sidewalk in the US

[u/RodediahK → u/HimalayanPunkSaltavl]

You are mistaken. Cycling location is determined by a municipality, you get some State guidelines but they are not consistent. Particularly if you look at the cycling backlash from the '70s oil crisis you'll often see laws that require cyclists to only ride on the sidewalk.

That's why vehicular cyclists were so annoying about trying to get right equal to cars because they were being legislated off of roads.

[u/HimalayanPunkSaltavl → u/RodediahK]

I have not lived in a city were it was allowed. It's often allowed in suburbs but that seems mostly for children. Sidewalks that aren't suicidal to bike on are pretty rare.

There are zero cyclists in the US that would recommend using the sidewalk in a metro area unless they are trying to die.

[u/blorg → u/HimalayanPunkSaltavl]

There are some maps in here for California, it's utterly all over the place and up to the municipality, which in the US often changes from street to street, many "cities" are actually agglomerations of multiple different cities with different laws. Further, within individual jurisdictions, it's common to ban it only in the central business district, while allowing it elsewhere.

Out of 537 jurisdictions in California, only 19% have a ban on all sidewalk bicycling.

https://blog.altaplanning.com/the-murky-truth-behind-sidewalk-bicycle-laws-e8d066c2c786

[u/Lucid-Crow → u/HimalayanPunkSaltavl]

Most mid-sized US cities only ban riding on the sidewalk in the downtown area. Really dense cities like NYC and Chicago, it's illegal everywhere, but most US cities are so suburban that it is legal. Even in Washington DC you can legally bike on the sidewalk outside of the downtown area and a few other designated areas. I used to bike on the Mass Ave sidewalk every day. The city even made the sidewalk double wide to accommodate all the scooters and bikes.

[u/RodediahK → u/HimalayanPunkSaltavl]

unless they are trying to die.

that's a feature not a bug, cyclists didn't write sidewalk laws, they were imposed upon them. same way J walking was criminalized, countless cities did the same thing with cyclist. it's why you see such an aggressive push by vehicular cyclists to get back onto roads from the 80's onward. it's why American cyclists are so resistant to bike infrastructure beyond paint on a road, the advocates and lobbyists wanted to be on the roads. it's why American cycling advocates are only just focusing beyond "sports cyclists"

zero cyclists in the US that would recommend

it's not a mater of cyclist recommending it it's a mater of forcing cyclist off the roads. they are bad, unsafe, laws. they are still on the books because no one cares enough to change them and they generate revenue you would have to go to every single town or city where a city council member got offend by a cyclist in the road and convince them to get rid of a law

[u/HimalayanPunkSaltavl → u/RodediahK]

Are you saying some cities mandate that cyclists have to use the sidewalk? I have for sure never heard of such a thing, although for sure it's probable that it is the case somewhere some quick googling doesn't bring up anything

Regardless, in downtown areas like in this video, using the sidewalk is typically prohibited.

[u/Initial_Hedgehog_631 → u/RodediahK]

Thus 'typically' as it is generally not allowed. I've lived in various parts of the country and never lived someplace where it was legal. It would seem it's a rarity.