Sidewalk riding now allowed in Alexandria

[jonathankrall]

Hi All,

Just in case you didn’t hear the news, the Alexandria City Council approved a long-awaited update to Alexandria bicycle ordinance. Alexandria, like the rest of Virginia, now allows sidewalk cycling unless disallowed. They also repealed the not-enforced registration requirement (and the 25 cent fee). The reason for the change was that, on occasion, the police would ticket sidewalk cycling, which is a necessary evil in the many bike-unfriendly areas of town. Also, on occasion, bike-haters would call for enforcement of the 25 cent fee. In other words, this change turns some legal issues that are otherwise non-issues into both legal and actual non-issues.

http://delray.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/alexandria-opens-sidewalks-to-cycling?ncid=newsltuspatc00000010

Unfortunately, some of the media coverage has implied that this would result in a change in sidewalk cycling.

Jonathan

Topic

[FFX_Hinterlands]

“HEY, GET ON THE SIDEWALK!” (as heard on my bicycle commute in Herndon today)

[lordofthemark]

@jonathankrall 57459 wrote:

Hi All,

Just in case you didn’t hear the news, the Alexandria City Council approved a long-awaited update to Alexandria bicycle ordinance. Alexandria, like the rest of Virginia, now allows sidewalk cycling unless disallowed. They also repealed the not-enforced registration requirement (and the 25 cent fee). The reason for the change was that, on occasion, the police would ticket sidewalk cycling, which is a necessary evil in the many bike-unfriendly areas of town. Also, on occasion, bike-haters would call for enforcement of the 25 cent fee. In other words, this change turns some legal issues that are otherwise non-issues into both legal and actual non-issues.

http://delray.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/alexandria-opens-sidewalks-to-cycling?ncid=newsltuspatc00000010

Unfortunately, some of the media coverage has implied that this would result in a change in sidewalk cycling.

Jonathan

Are there any locations where it is currently disallowed? I only ride on the sidewalk in a few places, and I think the places where I would never ride the sidewalk probably include all the places where it might concievably be illegal, but I wanted to check.

[peterw_diy]

City code 10-7-4(d): “Bicycling on the sidewalk shall be prohibited in King Street/Union Street Commercial Zone. This zone is on King Street, from West Street east to the Potomac River, and on Union Street, between Prince Street and Cameron Street.”

Note though that state law 46.2-904 says “Signs indicating such prohibition shall be conspicuously posted in general areas where use of roller skates and skateboards, and/or bicycle, electric personal assistive mobility devices, motorized skateboards or foot-scooters, motor-driven cycles, or electric power-assisted bicycle riding is prohibited.” IMO the area where biking on sidewalks is not well signed, so you might have an argument if cited. Also it seems that Alexandria (inadvertently?) exempted e-bikes from the sidewalk ban.

[lordofthemark]

thanks.

I cannot imagine personally ever riding the sidewalk on either Union or (the old town part of) King, so I should be fine.

[Author]

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