Cyclists often assume that pedestrians and other non-motorized users are their allies — this blog is named after that assumption. But alliances are flexible. A cyclist on the sidewalk is a speed vehicle, more like a car, from the pedestrian’s point of view.

Speed limits are not just for the other guy. When cyclists are on the sidewalk, they should not exceed 10 mph at any time, and should not exceed 5 mph when passing a pedestrian.

Where I live — Illinois — cyclists occupy a unique place in the transportation spectrum: legal on most roads, and legal on most sidewalks. If cyclists want to continue having the best of both worlds, if they want to continue having pedestrians as their allies, they need to behave themselves.