It’s safer for some cyclists to be on the sidewalk instead of the road

The Monday Road Warrior column noted that it’s illegal to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk in Las Vegas, and the same restriction apparently holds true where I live, in North Las Vegas. That very afternoon, a local bicyclist was killed when struck by a truck while riding on a roadway.

I’m an older man living in the suburbs, and I ride a bike a few miles a day for exercise. I use the sidewalk whenever possible (and always yield to pedestrians) for one simple reason: If I’m on the street, all it takes is for one driver — impaired by drugs or alcohol or distracted by texting — to stray 24 inches into the bike lane, and I’m dead.

Seven bicyclists were killed when struck by cars on local streets in 2017, according to the state traffic safety officials. I’ve yet to hear of a pedestrian being seriously injured or killed when struck by a bicycle on the sidewalk. So why do we have a law that forces bicycles onto the street? At a minimum, I hope our police use “prosecutorial discretion” in enforcing this law.

Serious bicyclists (those buff people in skin-tight suits) whiz along on the street, taking their chances with the cars. More power to them. As for me, I’ll continue being a scofflaw and tootling along the sidewalk. I’d rather pay a small fine than have my wife pay for my funeral.