A few things:
To clarify: It is *not* illegal to ride in
"commercial" areas. In fact there are no bicycle law
relating to zoning. Rather, as two folks have already
pointed out, the laws relate to the entrances and
exits of buildings and whether or not they directly
ubut the sidewalk. (For instance you could ride on the
sidewalk in front of Willy Street Co-op but not in
front of Schafer's Pharmacy) This no-biking on the
sidewalk law is not exclusive, nor limited, to
"commercial" areas. In addition, the city may post
signs prohibiting bicycle riding on sidewalks which do
not directly ubut buildings.
The walk located between the captol square and the
capitol lawn has, at least in terms of building
materials, three seperate sections. There is the
sidewalk, which directly ubuts the lawn. There is the
wide are containing the trees and benches made up of
some sort of rock bound with a brown binding material.
Then the narrow strip of conctrete between the brown
stuff and the street. I have successfully wormed my
way out of a ticket for riding on the sidewalk by
arguing that I was in fact riding on the "terrace"
(the brown stuff) and not the sidewalk. It has been
pointed out that the distinction between "terrace" and
"sidewalk" is more likely exclusive to city planning
and landscaping rather than municipal law.
Once upon a time, maybe it was the summer of 2002,
there was one lone "no bicycling on the sidewalk"
sign, attached to a steel stand (not cemented into the
ground) resting just off the sidewalk which abuts the
capitol lawn on the south side of the building. An
identical sign stood on the opposite side of the
street near the new Justice building. I have not seen
either of these signs in some time -- though I must
admit that I rarely find myself on that side of the
square.
It *is* typically safer to ride in the street than on
the sidewalk. However the capitol square is an
exception to this. Driveways, cross streets, tall
bushes, and walk ways leading from front doors to the
sidewalk attribute to the dangers of riding on the
sidewalk but these factors are all but non-existant on
the square. I find the capitol square sidewalk to be
quite a safe place for riding but never the other side
walks in town.
I'm sure a phone call or two would be able to
determine whether or not bicycling on the capitol
square sidewalk is in fact illegal. If it is illegal,
I'm sure the same phone call could determine under
which ordiance this is covered. If there is no
ordiance, the city needs to understand that they
*must* install signs stating that riding on the square
is illegal. Without the ordinance and without the
signs, the police have no business stopping
bicyclists.
-Martin
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