Japanese cyclists are finding it hard to follow new rules that require them to ride on roads instead of sidewalks. They call it “scary”, and only 0.2% live in areas with dedicated bike lanes.
by jjrs
Japanese cyclists are finding it hard to follow new rules that require them to ride on roads instead of sidewalks. They call it “scary”, and only 0.2% live in areas with dedicated bike lanes.
by jjrs
26 comments
In some areas it’s entirely impossible to follow the law and rules for bikes, the infrastructure varies way too much nor do some of the rules make any logical sense
Good news. Nobody cares, even the cops. I witness infractions every single day. Worse when it rains. Still, I would recommend to be careful and obey the rules.
I never quite understood forcing cyclists to bike on the road. It’s really scary for the cars as well because no driver want to anticipate how cyclists will move in close range. And pedestrians here are already used to walking alongside cyclists so it’s not a hassle.
I suspect the core issue is that there were too many pedestrian accidents with cyclists where it was often the cyclists’ fault. It’s one of those laws that force everyone to be inconvenient because a few people caused accidents.
If they really force everyone to cycle on the road, it might actually reduce cyclist population as most would just not bother.
That would be impossible in Japan. The roads are narrow, and there’s no space to build new ones.
yeah I agree.
I think they should just make it a penalty to ride the bike very fast on sidewalk, using smartphone, umbrella. Japan road is not built for bicycles.
Here in Saitama, i see people riding on sidewalk like nothing changed. Might see a few people riding on the road, but it’s narrow, dangerous, and most are just riding it like nothing changed.
Yeah it is scary lol. I moved from a country with pretty good focus on bike lanes to a country where you have to legally go on the road with cars. Its been 14 years and I still hate it 😂
Yeah, I’d rather use the sidewalk than die, thanks bro
Give it a month or two and the public will collectively memory hole this pageantry of the police trying to show everyone they do their jobs .
Remember all that talk about wearing a helmet?
I’m not one to normally claim “revenue raising”, but it sounds like revenue raising.
This is typical Japan. A black and white hard written rule that doesn’t apply to all situations.
With the way people drive I don’t blame them for be g scared to ride in the street.
the issue is that drivers are not prepared fror the sudden increase in road users. There is very little awareness as it was with all the TVs and keitais being watched as they drive along, now they have the added issue of more vulnerable people using the same roads.
Quite frankly, I don’t blame them for saying it’s scary.
Hopefully they put their helmets on. Not everyone is a named character.
Here’s an idea, build the infrastructure first, then enact the laws.
Mm, rock and a hard place. On one hand, as a cyclist myself, I fully agree with “get the FUCK off the sidewalk and into the road,” but on the other learning to ride with/in traffic can be an ordeal. If there were bike lanes, this wouldnt be nearly as much a problem.
They also seem to find it hard to not eat, use keitai, umbrellas, wear headphones, and ride 2 to a bike based on everday observations.
Can they please turn off their flashing headlights if using the sidewalk?
Scary, huh?
Well I find it scary when a mamachari bolts past me with 30 km/h, carrying two kids and holding a phone in the left hand and an umbrella in the right hand
Yeah. I’m not going to ride on the road when there’s a sidewalk that is hardly used by pedestrians. I get in busy areas, but outer suburbs, I’m asking to get hit by some old folks that didn’t see me.
In my country, when you pass a bicycle while driving, you need a metre between you and said bicycle. Here, they just whoosh past them and I have anxiety for the cyclist. Anything could happen. I think that the sidewalks are big enough most of the time for cyclists, so I don’t mind them in theory. But they ride their bicycles like they’re alone and not dangerous so I’d rather they were fined for that and educated a bit more at least, as a matter of principle.
Recipe for disaster. The way bikes ride there … and cars not used to having cyclists in lane… people gonna die. Not good
I don’t mind sharing the sidewalk with cyclists. I mind them riding like some Mad Max-offshoot looking to get another notch on their war mamachari.
My wife and I actually went to the police station to ask clarifying questions regarding the new bicycle laws as they aren’t exactly clear in every scenario.
Anyway, according to the police chief, cyclists are banned from turning right while riding their bicycle on the road, if you do need to turn right, you have to 2 options:
1. Get off the road, dismount and cross the road while walking with the bike. (do not stop in the road and dismount, that is also illegal, even if there is no way to get off the road there)
2. Cycle until a crosswalk (traffic light or otherwise), cross, then walk back on the pavement (you are not allowed to cycle because it would be the opposite direction of traffic) to the road you wanted to go down, and then you cycle again. (This is regardless of the distance between your turning and the next available crosswalk or lack of pavement…)
The police themselves were unhappy with the new laws and fully appreciated that some are impractical or outright stupid (some are sensible, umbrellas etc), they also made it clear that officially these are the rules and we should follow them, but as of now they are giving out warnings to help people learn. In reality they haven’t stopped or enforced anything because the majority just don’t work in our city.
Dumbass law honestly
Makes no sense to implement such a dangerous law for places where the road is clearly too narrow for bicycles
I almost got hit by a car not once but three times
This country is so braindead
I agree, but in every other country I’ve been to, bikes are on the street, not on the sidewalk. (My internal “humph!”, died years ago in Japan about this matter).
What’s crazy is tons and tons of Japanese drivers don’t know the highway code, even for bicyclists. Even if they want to turn right into an intersection or crossroad, they will freak out and blow the horn, thinking you don’t know the law and rules when actually you do, and even doing hand signals. Tons have forgotten that bikes have rules too. So you are screwed and risk getting hurt or frightened because of the driver’s neglect.
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