(no subject)

Weather Underground says that it's 98.5 degrees today and it feels like 115. So of course, I rode my bike to school. It was pretty hot, and I did a ridiculous amount of sweating, but other than that I was fine. Even down by the lake it was hot and lacking cool breezes, and on the way west on the last leg of the trip, there was a strong headwind and it was slow. But regardless, it was an enjoyable ride and I got to see an area of Kenosha I don't go through much since I'd chosen a new route.

Why did I choose a new route? Because Kenosha is not a very bike-friendly city. I was southbound on Sheridan road on Tuesday when a police officer pulled up next to me and told me I should get on the sidewalk, and that "This isn't a bike lane." He drove off immediately, leaving me calling out that the law says I need to be on the street. But he did hear me; he turned around and came back my way to talk to me from the oncoming traffic lanes. His response was that he could also write me a ticket for obstructing traffic. I asked if that meant I should only be on this road at certain times of day, and he told me to "Just stay on the sidewalk."

So I got off of Sheridan and made it the rest of the way home. I had plans with todd_riverden and serinthia that evening, but later on, I looked up Kenosha laws concerning bicycles. It turns out I was wrong. Bicycles are legally allowed on sidewalks in Kenosha. But there's also nothing specifically about not riding on the street. The closest I could find is this:

No person operating a bicycle shall ride at an
unreasonable or imprudent rate of speed under the
conditions and having regard for the actual and
potential hazards then existing. The speed of the
bicycle shall be so controlled as may be necessary to
avoid colliding with any object, person, vehicle or
other conveyance on or entering the street, alley,
highway, public thoroughfare or bicycle lane in
compliance

I suppose it could be argued that I'm not operating at a reasonable speed, though I think this is more concerned with the bicyclist not hitting something than being too slow for traffic.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation's website has this to say about bicycles:

Sidewalk riding for bicyclists past the learning stage and being closely supervised by adults can be more dangerous than on the road, obeying traffic laws. It is also illegal unless the community has passed an ordinance specifically permitting sidewalk riding. This can be age-restricted, location-restricted or based on the type of property abutting the sidewalk.
Obey all traffic laws.

And further on:

Take the lane

You will fare better with other road users if you function like a legal vehicle operator, which you are.

I'm frustrated by this encounter because in my personal experience, riding on a road is safer than on a sidewalk. That experience is backed up by just about every resource easily available online that has information for bicyclists. I think I'm going to go visit a police station, explain my issues, and ask for clarification.

In the meantime, I'm going to stay off Sheridan road for the foreseeable future.

On a side note, I'm amused to note that Kenosha specifically makes riding a unicycle on city streets, and even on sidewalks in business or industrial districts, illegal, "irrespective of" the size of the wheel. I'm really interested in the story behind that getting onto the books.