Bicycles on sidewalks in Tokyo
 

I visit Japan every year or so but, on this visit, I'm finding the number of bicycles riding on sidewalks has increased dramatically. Has this become a thing? It's kind of a pain to be dodging bicycles on the crowded sidewalks of Roppongi and Shinjuku, both of which I did today.

I haven't noticed a significant increase in Tokyo, Osaka, or anywhere else I've been recently in Japan.

As you may know, it is not illegal to ride one's bicycle on the sidewalk provided it does not interfere with the passage of pedestrians -- but the enforcement of this varies.

Don't know if it has gotten worse, but in general these sidewalk-riding bikes are a right and venerable nuisance and many times a true danger. More than once I've knocked some shmendrik off the conveyance in situations where common sense would have dictated said shmendrik should have dismounted and walked his (or her, just as bad) bike.

Ditto. With a vengeance.

Wheels belong on the road. It is called a sidewalk for a reason. That the Japanese cannot get their heads around common sense issue like this is a shortcoming. All societies have them. This one stands out here dramatically.

On increases in cycles, yes I have seen a noticeable increase since 3/11 and no we have rentable cycles everywhere too.

It's appalling that so many of these cyclists seem to lack basic common sense and manners. One young woman once came careening around the corner and very nearly hit me as I walked past a convenience store. After she skidded and swerved she managed to stop, and seemed to be terrified when I started to shout at her in English using a few expletives.

Even if these people are entirely selfish, don't they fear for their own safety? I almost never see any of them wearing helmets, and they often dart through pedestrian traffic.

Actually it is illegal, unless there is a bicycles allowed sign.

People in Japan are generally terrible at driving, so I assume it has some relationship with terrible bike skills as well.

Naru houdou.

They seem to be trying to enforce the traffic regulations for cyclists but without much success.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/n...es-into-effect

Alright, if you had to pick one, which should be addressed first?

Bicyclists on sidewalks
Bicyclists using a cellphone while riding
Bicyclists carrying umbrellas while riding.

:-)

Or my particular favorite, when they do ride on the sidewalk, the incessant pinging of their little bells from behind to tell you, the pedestrian on the same sidewalk, to move. One guess how often that happens when I am involved. :-)

Can we add these to the options? ;)

Riding a bicycle while intoxicated
Riding too slowly on sidewalks and obstructing pedestrian flow

I've always seen bikes on both the sidewalk and the street, I thought it was a simple fact of Tokyo life. After all, during the time when all those bikes are parked, it saves the Tokyo metropolitan government a huge amount in public trash receptacle purchases.

My wife just got her driving license renewed, she said that the mandatory lecture she received was mostly about riding bicycles.

You are not allowed to ride a bicycle on the side walk. My wife was saying that this was repeated again and again. How there has been too many accidents involving bicycles and this trend is on the rise.

Children under 13 are allowed to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk at all times.

In practice, unless it has directly resulted in an accident, police are even less likely to enforce bicycle laws than to enforce laws restricting smoking.

The guidance from the police allows the following exceptions:

The last one is sufficiently vague that riding one's bicycle on the sidewalk is de facto tolerated. I wish this would change, but sadly unless a bicycle hits a group of schoolchildren and someone dies as a result I doubt anything will happen.