A friend of mine walked out of John Stockhill a couple of days ago
and got run over by a young man on a bike. It knocked her down
and hurt her to where she had to go to the Doctor. He was kind enough to stop and ask if she was alright and after she told him you are not suppose to ride bikes on the sidewalks he continued on his way on the sidewalk.
Miles City DOES have an ordinance against riding bikes on the sidewalk anywhere in town. Please explain that to your kids and others, so someone else does not get run over and hurt.

Miles City also does not have bike paths set up for people to safely ride in the street without fear of getting running over.

I hear ya Jim! I walk EVERYWHERE and have had numerous near misses. I've gone and talked to the police ~ to no avail. As for the second comment on this page, perhaps you should stay on the side streets where there's less traffic. Or ride against the traffic if all else fails. I hope your friend feels better soon Jim. Too bad she'll forever be gun shy when exiting a place of business on Main.

Maybe Miles City needs to look into setting something up for the bikers to safely ride.

At this point its a no win. The bikers can either risk getting a ticket or "near missing" someone on the sidewalk or they can play chicken in the street. Pretty sure I know what path I'd take when riding my bike.

As someone who has ridden a bike thousands of miles on city streets, a good number of them in San Francisco, bikes do not belong on the sidewalk. There are maybe 3 streets in MC where there is any traffic whatsoever, and if you don't feel safe riding on Main with traffic, then take a side street or walk your bike, but don't go around endangering pedestrians because you don't know how to ride your bike legally.

[This message has been edited by Levi Forman (4/23/2011)]

Bikes are allowed on sidewalks in Montana...don't know city to city if there is any law against it:


61-8-608. Bicycles on sidewalks. (1) A person operating a bicycle upon and along a sidewalk or across a roadway upon and along a crosswalk shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and shall give audible signal before overtaking and passing any pedestrian.

(2) A person may not ride a bicycle upon and along a sidewalk or across a roadway upon and along a crosswalk where the use of a bicycle is prohibited by official traffic control devices.
(3) Except as provided in subsections (1) and (2), a person operating a vehicle by human power upon and along a sidewalk or across a roadway upon and along a crosswalk has all the rights and duties applicable to a pedestrian under the same circumstances.

Definitely not legal in Miles City, at least on Main Street. It used to be painted on the sidewalks.

Or ride against the traffic if all else fails.

No, don't do this. Often it is just as illegal as riding on the sidewalks and it can be dangerous as drivers don't expect something fast coming toward them in their lane.

Drivers need to learn to get the hell over when passing. I was about clipped by some hicks pickup mirror last fall.
I literally saw my self in it, he was that close.

that's funny, because the school resource officer tells the kids to ride on the sidewalks!!!

You are kidding!! the resource officer is really telling them that?

I wish they would put the signs back on the side walks stating No bike riding. Course can't say it helped much before when they were there.
It is very scary to have to dodge bike riders.
Bikes riders are suppose to follow the same rules as cars.

But you also have to look at the other side. There aren't the bike paths like stated. My 6 year old is just learning. I DO NOT! want her to ride in the street. She would get ran over. So, just teach them rid right, to watch out for people.

Wow..this has become such a complicated thing for something so simple. It's MILES CITY. Adults ride in the streets. Little kids shouldn't be riding on Main Street, in the street or on the sidewalks. When I grew up there riding on the sidewalk was a city statute..it was forbidden! You rode on the street when it was safe, you walked your bike the few blocks on the sidewalk where you needed to. Kids rode on the sidewalks on their own blocks when they were little. It's a safety issue for them. All the neighbors knew there were little kids and bikes and took extra precautions.

For the adults who are whining about needing a bike lane, grow up. You should be alert enough to ride a bike in Miles City without harm. Ride on the side streets if you're not a good rider. But NO ONE should be riding on the sidewalks on Main Street by the businesses.

Right on Kacey! As much as I walk, it's truly a question of not 'if' but 'when'.

From what I've seen, its the same kids riding up and down Main, hanging out on the corners and doing jumps off the curbs, that seem to be the main problems. The kids that are going some where (Library, etc.) go on their way, respectful of others. I had to wait for 3 of these 'curb' jumpers yesterday, as they jumped out in front of my car, caring less if I was there or not.

Yes, the kids are told they can ride on the sidewalk but they also get told they have to stop and let the people who are walking have the right aways. I to remember main street use to have NO BIKES painted on the sidewalks on main street. Parents just need to take more responsibility for there children and teach them not to ride on sidewalks if they are old enough to ride with out an adult. Secondly the older kids who ride bikes need to be fined for riding on the wrong side of the street. I see so many kids ridding on the wrong side of the street let alone down the middle like they have the right away, and againts don't walk signs just because they are on the sidewalk. Yes, we are small town that most people conisder safe. But we have a lot of parents who don't care what there children do as long as they don't here about. These are the parents who need to REALLY WAKE UP and find out if what they are teaching there children is really the law or not when it comes to riding bikes. I am someone who will fight a ticket in court if I ever get told that I "hit" a biker all because they didn't stop at a stop sign, or are riding on the wrong side of the street.

let alone down the middle like they have the right away

Uhm... they do. A bike in the road has all the rights (and responsiblities) as any other vehicle.

Well, Kacey then lets get rid of allt he ones outt ehre in San Fran too! I guess they are just too dumb if they ned them!

Could you decode your post.

Where is the spelling police when we need her?

At least she used 'too' in its proper context.

Perhaps threads such as this are why no one wants to discuss peak-oil theories.

It's unusual, but I agree with Kacey's post 100%. There is no need for bike lanes in Miles City, there just isn't the kind of traffic that makes them necessary. You are much safer in MC without a bike lane than you are in San Fran with one (although there aren't many bike lanes in SF either). I don't have a problem with a 6 year old who's just learning to ride being on the sidewalk as long as they know that they need to stop and get off when they see a pedestrian, but once they are capable of going more than 5 mph there's no reason for them to be on the sidewalk and no one should ride on the sidewalk on Main under any circumstances.

Just to clear a few things up. The city ordinance on bikes states no bikes on the sidewalk in the business district not the whole city. So if he ran you over downtown Main Street he was in the wrong if it was residential your fair game

No, you're not 'fair game.' The pedestrian ALWAYS has the right of way, no matter what. Bicyclists need to be held accountable.

The clearing up of the ordinance was fact, the fair game was sarcasm.

Fair Game = 50 points!!!

25 points for Crosswalk Fair Game

10 points for puddle splashes

-100 points if it was a police officer

-50 points if the police officer laughs

-150 points if he laughs THEN tazes you

People on bikes are not pedestrians the only time ur a pedestrian is when ur walking roller blades skate boards bikes even the shoes with wheels is even considered technicaly non pedestrian and pedestrians have right away weither in the right or wrong

+200 points... if:

you can get a Fair Target

AND

can write something with proper grammar, or at least a couple of commas or periods here and there.

It is called a sideWALK for a reason. It is not a sideBIKE or a sideSKATE. The concrete sidewalks are for the pedestrians. and the street is for the rest - skaters, bikers, and drivers.

I'm pretty sure that Officer Loomis just cleared this up... There really is no more debate. Its a sideWALK in the business district, and a sideWALKorRIDE everywhere else. Pretty easy.

The problem I've seen are those teens on bikes riding like bats out of hell right in front of storefronts on Main - that is where the danger comes from, and was the reason for this thread (clearly). Someone walks out of a store and gets smacked by a 13 year old kid riding as fast as he can down the sidewalk? Not good.

Sure wished the police would give a few of the bike riders that ARE riding their bikes on the sidewalks in the business district some tickets. Maybe the ones ticketed would get the word out to their friends.

I agree.

That said, they will have irate parents who will raise hell over it...

Police have a tough job.

Bicycling tips that get broken: 1)obey all traffic laws
2) Ride on the right side of the road, "WITH" traffic, "NOT AGAINST". 3)Stay as far to the "RIGHT" as posible. 4) "RESPECT" trafic signals, "STOPPING" at "ALL" stop signs and stop lights. 5)Cycling should be restricted to off-roads (e.g. "SIDEWALKS" and paths) until the age of 10. Here is proff that all the kids who are riding on the sidewalks up town are in the wrong.

I'd rather have my children on the sidewalks and get slamed on this site than in the street. Have you seen the drivers in this town. It's amazing there isn't more pedestrians getting run over. NO ONE pays attention!!! Drivers are worse than bikers!

Oh ya and Kacey, when was it you grew up here because I have been here a long time and I don't remember signs being posted not to ride on sidewalks, but I never rode anywhere but my neighborhood so I must have missed them. You should come back sometime and stay awhile with all your opinions on Miles City. It's not the same. It has changed greatly over time just like everything else.

I remember when we were in 7th grade, Tom Letke (son of the legendary Mr. Howard Letke) got a ticket for riding his bike through a stop sign. I think all WMS bike riders were a little more careful after that, for awhile anyway, 'cuz it was about that time when bike riding became so totally NOT cool.

momofthree,

Your kids won't get "slammed" on this site for riding on any sidewalk other than the the sidewalks on the West half of Main.

When some 80 year old woman walks out of Stockhills Jewelers, gets shmucked by one of your kids on his bike, and DIES, little Johnny will be getting "slammed" on this site and all over town, by name. "Did you hear that little Johnny KILLED Mrs. Smith when he was riding down the sidewalk at 20 miles per hour as she walked out of Stockhills?"

Encouraging your kids to avoid main street if they must ride on sidewalks seems like the logical solution to me.

Well...Mrs. Smith was about to die anyway, wasn't she? And what a better story to tell her Angel friends in heaven when they start with the "How did you buy it?" questions.


FH

Stockhills has terrible customer service. No checkers and lines out the door. No wonder Mrs. Smith left.

Wendy,

I think that there is a thread dedicated to how terrible customer service is at every establishment in Miles City.

And, screw Mrs. Smith. These kids need to ride their bikes up and down the sidewalks on Main street with total disregard for the safety of others.

I really don't think its too hard to be walking down the sidewalk while looking around at the same time. And maybe think to yourself, hey there's a bike I might want to get out of the way.

That's a fairly silly statement. Bikes can go fast, people, not so fast - particularly if they're older, younger, carrying stuff, etc, etc, etc.

I really don't think its too hard to be walking down the sidewalk while looking around at the same time. And maybe think to yourself, hey there's a bike I might want to get out of the way.

Umm... except that pedestrians legally have the right of way.

Shut up you guys. Granny should have done a shoulder roll and made way for whatever life-threatening emergency that 13 year old was probably on his way to.

And, Cameron also misses the point. Someone takes one step out of a storefront and BLAM!, little Johnny just killed Mrs. Smith. This isn't about seeing the bike coming from two blocks away, then diving in front of it. I've almost had some tween take me out when walking out the front door of a main street establishment on several occasions.

At least Mrs. Smith died happy, knowing that her last place on terrestrial earth, she was in the House of Diamonds.

momofthree...
I am frequently in Miles City. You have no perspective on my life so you have no right to make any comments on me. AS for your children riding on the sidewalk, as their parent it's your choice if you want to teach them to obey the law or not. If not then you will be standing in court with them when they get caught doing something illegal. Miles City is not that big that your children have to ride on the sidewalk downtown to get anywhere. But go ahead and teach your children that they are above the law!

I looked through the Stephenson's Obituaries for a Mrs. Smith Age 80. Hmmmm. Couldn't find anything. Could you give more information regarding the incident, like 1st name, date of demise?

Mrs. Smith died two weeks from tomorrow after being pancaked by little Johnny Momofthree. Hopefully Tom Cruise the guys at pre-crime will prevent it from happening.

Kacey, I am not sure that there is an actual correlation between violating a city bicycle ordinance and a life of crime, but if it is there, you've certainly spearheaded the theory, and should consider being a sociology professor.

I'm sure little Johnny was driven to his life of scofflaw antinimonism by early exposure to Sarah Palin.

Driven to buy hand lotion, maybe.

This is an awesome thread. I have nothing to add. My work here is done.

[This message has been edited by Bob L. (6/13/2011)]

Nancy Drew,

You won't find Mrs. Smith on the Stephenson & Son site, because they sell agricultural land in England.

http://www.stephenson.co.uk/

BUT, you might watch the Stevenson & Sons site about two weeks from today.

http://www.stevensonandsons.com/

And, I suppose that there is a small chance that she could end up here:

http://www.funeralhomesgu...hapel.html

Driven to buy hand lotion

I'm pretty sure I used that joke just last week.

I demand royalties.

No no no, that was entrapment. You totally baited me.

That said, let me know where to send the hand lotion.

My children are 9, they are not going to be in court anytime soon. We live six miles out and when they ride in town I tell them to ride on the sidewalks with the babysitter with them. They are not going 20 MPH. They barely go fast enough to stay upright. I have also taught my older son to use the streets but go on the opposite side of the street. He rides very careful and is very polite to others. When you come to town next maybe we could get together for tea and discuss ALL you views on Miles City and what it is like now. I'd be more than happy to meet you.

That is of course if I'm not in court with one of my delinquent children.

I have also taught my older son to use the streets but go on the opposite side of the street

This is actually quite dangerous. Bikes in the street should ride with traffic, not against.

This is actually quite dangerous. Bikes in the street should ride with traffic, not against.

+1

Don't ride the wrong way on the street. It's more dangerous for the cyclist and the drivers.

Actually signs were painted in yellow paint on the corners downtown. The one in front of what is now the Star but was C to C read, "No ridding on walk", which really bugged me. The city never remedied the error so it was there for years.

I'm cracking up reading this post!

;D