By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Ninety percent of the bicycle accidents in Bowling Green occur on sidewalks.
The Bowling Green Bicycle Safety Commission was recently issued a report from the BG Police Division looking at bike accidents in the last 10 years in the city. (This report was made prior to the fatal crash involving a pickup truck running off South Main Street and hitting a bicyclist on the sidewalk. The driver has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide.)
The bulk of the car-bike crashes in the city occur at “intersections” of sidewalks and driveways.
“They happen when bicycles are on sidewalks,” said Steve Langendorfer, president of the city bike commission. “People perceive that’s a safer place to be. But every driveway is an intersection.”
Bicycles are prohibited from sidewalks in the downtown area, but otherwise are allowed on sidewalks throughout Bowling Green, Langendorfer said.
While roads have obvious potential hazards from motor vehicles, riding on sidewalks comes with its own risks since most drivers aren’t looking for bicycles on sidewalks as they exit or enter their driveways.
“It’s not as safe as they assume,” Langendorfer said of riding bikes on sidewalks.
The bicycle safety commission has also heard from citizens reporting concerns about bicycles not making way for pedestrians on neighborhood sidewalks.
“Pedestrians always have the right of way,” Langendorfer said.
The concerns are heightened with electric bikes, which can reach speeds of 20 mph.
“They are very fast and very quiet,” he said.
In some communities, motor vehicles and bicycles coexist peacefully. But in many, they are at odds, Langendorfer said.
“Motorists think bicyclists are scofflaws, and bicyclists think motorists want to run them down,” he said. Neither are true, he said.
Since April, the Bowling Green Police Division has been targeting areas of concern with bicyclists. No citations were issued, but three warnings were issued for bicyclists riding at night without lights, “which is particularly concerning,” Langendorfer said.
Four other warnings were issued in the downtown area for cyclists riding on sidewalks, with one also warned for riding under the influence of alcohol.
And one other warning was issued for a bicyclist not yielding the right-of-way at a stop sign.
“You have to follow the rules of the road,” Langendorfer said.
The bicycle safety commission is also looking at making the city’s vague ordinance on micro-mobility devices – such as e-scooters and e-bikes – more specific.
Also at the bicycle safety commission’s recent meeting, members discussed a citizen suggestion that the city adopt a mandatory helmet law for juveniles, similar to the one adopted in Columbus.
Bowling Green bike commission members were opposed to the idea, with one member citing an Australian study showing that when helmets are mandatory, people stopped riding their bikes. The members also talked about the difficulty enforcing such an ordinance, and the negative approach to helmet wearing.
The commission already gives away child bike helmets each year, with 144 available this year.
The issue may be discussed again at the commission’s August meeting, but Langendorfer said, “we’re not going to issue citations to little kids.”
