Bicycling on Sidewalks: Misconceptions and Advisories. Also: Crosswalks, and “What Pedestrians and Bicyclists Want Each Other to Know”

2023 update – This post includes crosswalks info (Step 4 below), along with a variety of other sidewalk and crosswalk info in Steps 1-6 below. Before checking out the info below, we suggest that you first:

Go to our 2023 post “BIKING ON SIDEWALKS, plus examples of ordinances from Monterey County, California” – https://bikemonterey.org/biking-on-sidewalks-plus-examples-of-ordinances-from-monterey-county-california.html. Then return to this post to listen to the 90-second audio in Step 1 below, and to read Steps 4, 5, 6 below. (Steps 2 and 3 are covered by our 2023 post https://bikemonterey.org/biking-on-sidewalks-plus-examples-of-ordinances-from-monterey-county-california.html.)
The same 2023 post is also provided in Spanish, along with a video reading in Spanish: “ANDAR EN BICICLETA EN LAS ACERAS además de ejemplos de ordenanzas del Condado de Monterey, California” – https://bikemonterey.org/andar-en-bicicleta-en-las-aceras-ademas-de-ejemplos-de-ordenanzas-del-condado-de-monterey-california.html

“Get off the sidewalk!” then “Get on the sidewalk!” People who bike hear both. Is it legal to bike on sidewalks? Safe? And what about crosswalks?

Below, take 6 steps to better understanding—for people who bike, and for those who walk and drive too.

Step 1. Listen to a 90-second audio about biking on sidewalks.

The audio, written and recorded by Mari Lynch and produced by Guy Lasnier, was broadcast on KUSP Independent Public Radio on 1/14/15. (For more of Mari’s bicycling-related audios, click here.)

Step 2. Read the related article about biking on sidewalks in the Monterey County seat and elsewhere.

Click here for “Bicycling on sidewalks: misconceptions and advisories,” by Frank Henderson and Mari Lynch (Salinas Californian, Oct 15, 2014, pg 2).

Caution! Besides the fact that at driveways and intersections, drivers typically are not expecting a bicyclist coming off a sidewalk, people on sidewalks or entering crosswalks are often hidden from view by motor vehicles (and that’s not limited to big trucks – https://bikemonterey.org/making-eye-contact-with-drivers-vehicle-size-and-other-perils.html).

The 10/15/14 Californian story points out that California law leaves biking on sidewalks up to local jurisdictions. Here’s the Salinas sidewalk ordinance referred to in that story.

Step 3. Learn what the local ordinances are where you ride.

As highlighted in Bicycling Monterey’s “Local ordinances” post, regulations about bicycles on sidewalks vary around Monterey County, as is true for other California counties too. Learn what the local ordinances are for Carmel, Del Rey Oaks, Gonzales, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Salinas, Sand City, Seaside, and Soledad, and for unincorporated Monterey County. How? Refer to “Bicycling Monterey’s “Riding Skills, Safety, and CA Bike Laws—for Children, Teens, and Adults” section. For outside Monterey County, learn about local ordinances by contacting local police departments or local sheriff’s office, or your local city manager’s office or a county supervisor.

Step 4. Learn about crosswalk laws and safety

In most cases, crosswalks are for people who are walking, not for people biking. And stop your bicycle before the crosswalk, not in it (CVC 21455). If you are on wheels—unless you’re in a wheelchair—you do not have pedestrian status. If you want the legal rights of pedestrians, i.e., to travel in a crosswalk, then your best bet is to hop off and walk your bike through the crosswalk.

For an exception, see North Fremont, Monterey.

Related update: The California Bicycle Coalition has stated, “It’s often safer for people on bikes to cross an intersection during the pedestrian walk signal if that phase differs from the green light for cars. The OmniBike Bill [AB 1909] makes this safe choice legal.” On September 16, 2022, California Assembly Bill 1909 (Friedman-Haney-Portantino) was signed by the Governor. Among its bike-related provisions, it amends CA Vehicle Code Section 21456. See details, as well as when this and other bike-related provisions of AB 1909 become effective: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB1909

Also be aware that coming off a sidewalk into a roadway requires extra caution. Questions? Feel free to contact Bicycling Monterey.

For more on this topic, see “Is the Crosswalk a Safe Way for a Bicycle Rider to Cross the Street?” from Bike Walk Alameda’s Dr. Sprocket. [Updated source link: https://patch.com/california/alameda/bp–is-the-crosswalk-a-safe-way-for-a-bicycle-rider-t110edb3937.] And see “IS BICYCLING IN A CROSSWALK LEGAL?” on the following page: https://bikeeastbay.org/sidewalkcycling/.

Refer also to Bicycling Monterey’s “Riding Skills, Safety, and CA Bike Laws—for Children, Teens, and Adults.”

Step 5. Play nice! Share sidewalks and crosswalks

Bike polite, and with a mindfulness about the safety of others as well as your own safety. “Share the sidewalk” and “share the crosswalk” education is needed for people who bike or walk, just as “share the road” education is needed for people who bike or drive. It’s a matter of both courtesy and safety.

Richard Masoner shared in his Cyclelicious blog on 6/2/16, “What Pedestrians and Bicyclists Want Each Other to Know,” the work of Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission’s Elderly and Disabled Transportation Advisory Committee. Please take time to read that valuable brochure shared in Rich’s post.

Step 6. Watch for signs on school campuses, private property, etc.

Shopping centers, school campuses, and other property apart from public streets—such as the Monterey Peninsula College campus, pictured below—may prohibit bikes on sidewalks.

For a related post, see “Where the plazas are in the City of Monterey.”

As also alerted in the info shared above, watch for “no bicycling on sidewalks” signs on public property too. For example, in the City of Monterey, there are such signs on Calle Principal (pictured directly below)…

and Alvarado Street (pictured below).

And in the City of Salinas, watch for such signs too, e.g., on Main Street in Old Town.

Beyond bikes on sidewalks in Salinas, you may also be interested in other Bicycling Monterey resources and stories about Salinas. Here’s a sampling:

For over a decade, the Bicycling Monterey site and projects have been provided as a public service. Volunteers and contributions are welcome and appreciated.

This post was published on 16 October 2014. One or more changes last made to this post on 11 November 2024.