Gloucester County Democrat., 1897-04-22
BICYCLES AND THE SIDEWALKS
Editor Of The DEMOCRAT:

E0ttOT q tne OEMOChAT'
AS citizen of this commonwealth, de-
sire to make short reply to the article
signed Wheelman," on the proposed pas
sage of an ordinance by our City Council
regulating the travel on the roads, streets
and sidewalks by bicycles and other SINH
lar vehicles. I perfectly agree with the
writer of the article that an ordinance
should be passed to restrict the rights and
privileges of bicy clists to reasonable bounds.
But after this short exercise of common
sense, "Wheelmen inferentially demands
that his colleagues should be clothed with
more rights and privileges than are now
held by some INSCRIPTIONS trusts This
attempted usnrpation of power is incident
to nearly all bicycle leagues, and the only
objections made against them by citizens
are for their attempts to coerce the law
making powers, and for their active partic-
ipation in political matters as class only.
The cou rts have nearly unanimously
held that bicycles, tricycles and tandems
are vehicles Bat whether this designa-
tion of them is accepted by the citizens in
general, there can be no doubt that the
riding of these machines on the side walks
is constant menace to one Of the great
common law rights of persons-that of
personal security. The law is exceeding
Jealous concerning the citizens rights of
life and limb, and will allow no means to
be practiced whatever, that have tend
ency to endanger them. The side walks
are designed for the use of the pedestrian.
and the riding of the bicycle upon than
is, in the opinion of the writer of this
paper, one of continued annoyance and
danger to the citizens. On this point
Justice Dean Of the Pennsylvania Supreme
Court in the case of Commonwealth vs.
Forrest, said: "The side walks are for
foot travellers, men, women aud children
A very few years of observation and ex
perience in the new mode of travelling by
bicycle has resulted in the conclusion that
this vehicle is fully as dangerous to those |
walking on the same road as the carriage |
drawn by horse. A carriage, with rider,
together two or three hundred
pounds, propelled with the speed of a
trolley car on side walk, is full of peril
to the life and limb of foot travellers. No
bicycler with due regard to the safety and
rights of his fellows, should demand the
use, in common with foot travellers, of a
walk with such a vehicle" Common
wealth VS. Forrest, 80 Atlantic Rep 653.
If we admit that such practices are dan
gerous to the pedestrians, then the practice
of riding bicycle on the side walks con
stitutes a nuisance, as laid down in its
definition by the great common law writers, |
Coke and Blackstone. A nuisance is |
anything that unlawfully annoys or works |
injury to any person, and as the practice of
riding a bicycle on the streets affects the
whole community, it is necessarily public |
nuisance, and an indictable offense at COM
mon law" See Bl. Com. 216, Burr.
837, Str 696, Sid. 1853, 2 Camp. Rep. SO,
3 B. & A., 184, etc. Again, "If it obstructs
the passage of the citizens, it is nuisance,
for the obstruction of public way is a
Rep 173 Bot Wheelman" pleads in
justification of this breach of law that it
is better riding on the side walks than on
the streets, and that the rights of W heel
men on the streets are not respected by the
drivers of wagons and carriages. This is
very poor excuse, as two wrongs never
make a right The law always affords
a remedy for the commission of wrong.
and if the rights of wheelmen on the pub
IIc roads are not respected by the drivers
Of wagons, or if the wheelmen suffer any
injury through the negligence or the will
ful obstruction of the road by wagon
drivers, the law will always, in such cases,
allow the injured party to bring an action
n tort for damages. If such acts as COM
planned of take place, the wheelmen must |
have grievance, but the con-
tention that Council should pass an ordi.
nance to remedy this wrong, when satis-
factory method is already in existence is
utter nonsense, and would be absurd, if it |
was not an attempt on the part of wheel
men to usurp power. The great trouble |
with the majority of bicyclists is that they |
are too rabid, thinking that the country |
was made for their special benefit, and there |
fore naturally expect all persons and cor |
porate bodies to grant them the most un- |
limited privileges. A citizens status is |
never determined on the ground that he |
rides bicycle, and the sooner little COM
mon sense is drilled in the minds of fanatl- |
cal bicyclists, the better will be their men
tai condition. They not only ride wheel, |
but at the same time several swiftly revolt
wing ones are continually In play in their |
heads. Now do not mean to include |
all bicyclists in the ranks of these rampant |
fan atics, only mean to say that a majority |
of them are bent on seizing too much |
power, and endeayoring to curtail the rights |
Of other citizens.
able space in stating that it is impossible |
to ride any distance on public road with
out enccuntering some driver OF wagon |
who refuses to give up any of the road in |
order that the rider might pass; that the |
laws of New Jersey directs both parties to |
keep to the right of the road, but allow the |
wheelmen no remedy unless some damage |
is sustained on his part, and concludes on |
this subject by asking Council to pass an |
ordinance compelling the driver to give |
wheelmen the right side of the road, and |
then the wheelmen would keep off the side |
walks. Now it is generally agreed that it |
is nuisance for wheelmen to ride on the |
side walks, and whether or not they would |
keep off, is not for them to say, |
for when a man breaks a law, a remedy |
is supplied to punish him for such action
The above statement that drivers of wagons |
are generally ugly toward wheelmen, and |
refuse TO turn out for them on the roads is |
a surprising statement and in need of an |
unusually large amount Of evidence in |
of the charge. In fact, this |
is the first time that such a statement has |
been charged within the notice of this |
writer. But admitting the charge of
"Wheelmenn to be so, the laws provide an |
adequate remedy. For whenever the |
driver of carriage, sleigh or sled refuses
to turn out or prevents another carriage,
sleigh or sled from passing, he shall forfeit
and pay ~ 90 to the person so obstructed
or hindered, etc. See Revised Statutes,
Top. Roads, section 81. Now this will
apply to bicycles, as they are generally
classed as carriages A carriage is vehicle
used for the purpose of conveyance, and
the method of its propulsion does not
enter at all into the consideration of its
IaG riksor Caa tho Narr VouL