I’ve been asked before and seen in the paper, “Why do cyclists ride on the roadway when there is a bike trail next to it?”
Sometimes we are asked questions and don’t have quick answers. Here are some answers: If the cyclist is riding on a good shoulder and not in the way of traffic, what’s the difference?
If the cyclist does slow a driver down, how long does the driver have to slow; a matter of seconds? Many bike trails that look just fine from the road at 60 miles an hour may not be that great on which to ride.
A lot of the trails have a trail stop sign at every intersection, often every block. Even if there are no stop signs the cyclist has to stop or slow way down to make sure no driver who does not see a bicycle as he/she drives through the intersection does not hit them and many drivers do not stop behind the stop sign, driving through the crosswalk without even checking for traffic on the trail. How many drivers want to come to a stop at every intersection? The Minnesota Alliance of Bicyclists has shown that riding on a bike trail is more dangerous than riding on the roadway. Also, many bike trails aren’t that well maintained. There are often many hazards on the trail that can’t be seen from the road. Large cracks and holes in the pavement make it difficult to ride and are sometimes even dangerous. There are also many other hazards along the trails (see photos).
The cyclists are just trying to get somewhere the same as the driver is, a little empathy would be appreciated.
That having been said, if the cyclist sees that traffic is being held up by his/her presence maybe the cyclist could have a bit of empathy, too, and try to find a spot (parking lot, driveway, a short wider portion of the road), to pull over and let traffic get past.
Examples of the hazards on trails to mention to the person who is questioning your decision to not use the trail:
