Bicycle Accident

[tokyojoe]

Lots of sensible advice here. Just to add a few things:
This is why I nearly always cycle on the road, and not on the pavement!
Where I live the pavements are wide enough so that most cyclists
opt to use them, which has the advantage of taking all the cyclists (and
of course pedestrians) off the road, which means if you cycle on the road
you only encounter cars. Although this may sound like it is upping one's
danger levels, in practice I don't have many problems with car drivers
whereas I find other cyclists much less predictable (they are often looking at smartphones etc.).
I also like to cycle quite quickly (on a road bike), so it isn't really suited to
weaving through pedestrians.
One other advantage I noticed that, certainly where I used to live in Kansai
the police would often conduct spot checks on cyclists - but I noticed
that they would situate themselves on the pavement and only stop cyclists
coming down the pavement (they weren't even looking at the road).
I didn't have anything particular to worry about, but it's nice to get home a bit earlier
without the check ...

[RetireJapan]

Lots of sensible advice here. Just to add a few things:
This is why I nearly always cycle on the road, and not on the pavement!

I feel much safer cycling on the road. As long as you obey traffic rules, much more predictable.

[TokyoBoglehead]

Lots of sensible advice here. Just to add a few things:
This is why I nearly always cycle on the road, and not on the pavement!

I feel much safer cycling on the road. As long as you obey traffic rules, much more predictable.

The police officers ride on the sidewalk in Tokyo. It is what they recommend, and so do insurance companies generally it seems. I think this advice is regional.

We do tend to have more bike lanes here though, but definitely not everywhere.

[Nancy]

I used to hear the Tokyo police give a bicycle lecture to kids every year, and they said that in principal people are supposed to ride bicycles on the road. (although kids can be the exception). I found this list on a travel web site and it looks like they translated the Japanese police list that they used to share with us every year.
https://en.japantravel.com/guide/cycling-rules/58088

[Moneymatters]

Lots of sensible advice here. Just to add a few things:
This is why I nearly always cycle on the road, and not on the pavement!

I feel much safer cycling on the road. As long as you obey traffic rules, much more predictable.

The police officers ride on the sidewalk in Tokyo. It is what they recommend, and so do insurance companies generally it seems. I think this advice is regional.

We do tend to have more bike lanes here though, but definitely not everywhere.

I've not noticed the police cycling on the sidewalk near me (Suginami-ku).
And I'm confident that cycling on the sidewalk will only be recommended for kids and elderly. As per @Nancy's link.

We have a pitiful amount of "dedicated" cycling lanes and even less protected cycle lanes.
And whoever decided on the blue painted arrows didn't realise they are clearly the mating plumage for the average Alphard driver.

Whilst I don't personally feel safe on the road in built up areas, I still typically cycle on the road even popping to the station. For the same reason RJ provided.

And the last time I used the sidewalk for convenience I had a new experience.
An obatarian was waiting at the bus stop and as I was about to pass behind her she leapt backwards. This was fine, as an experienced cyclist I'd basically expected this. What I didn't expect was her to leap backwards again a moment later! I imagine you're wondering what unexpected event could have spooked her to this degree. Well. It was an approaching Bus. I know. To a bus stop no less!
I was still just able to apply the brakes in time to stop. Then as I let out a large sigh of relief some air must have traversed my vocal chords in such a way that, to the untrained ear, may have sounding like the harshest eikaiwa lesson ever conducted.

The obviously solution that people aren't talking about is to enforce elderly pedestrians to wear helmets at all times when outside. (And the ones that can still move like a frightened cat get 20Kg stachels to wear!)

tldr; Be careful on the sidewalk as old people do occasional jump back from bus stops to show the driver he doesn't need to stop for them. Why they can't use the index fingers batsu sign over the heart and forlorn expression I simply don't know.

[Gulliver]

On the sidewalks where I live my biggest fear is the dreaded e-powered Mama-chari, inexorably carrying a family of three. The speed and momentum of these things keep me in a state of hypervigilance whenever i’m walking in certain areas. Are they coming from the back, the front or the sides- who knows ?

Although I am concerned for my own health, I am even more worried about what will happen to the the poor child passengers when they bite the dust. The guilt of being involved in their disability, or even worse, is too horrible to contemplate.

On the other hand, I feel sorry for anyone who has to bike on the roads in Tokyo. The general disregard drivers exhibit and lack of safe bike lanes is truly frightening.

[zeroshiki]

I have a pavlovian response to hearing a bell ring to stop and move to the side

[sutebayashi]

On the other hand, I feel sorry for anyone who has to bike on the roads in Tokyo. The general disregard drivers exhibit and lack of safe bike lanes is truly frightening.

I only use roads that I am familiar with but I find that cars are extremely cautious. My kid on his bike could be on the white line at the side of the road, but a car passing us from the rear could be more or less driving on the right hand side of the road as they give us a width berth when passing.

My biggest fear is insane bicycle riders going down the wrong way of the street (while sometimes reading their smartphones). Would love to know the stats about accidents.

[Moneymatters]

On the sidewalks where I live my biggest fear is the dreaded e-powered Mama-chari, inexorably carrying a family of three. The speed and momentum of these things keep me in a state of hypervigilance whenever i’m walking in certain areas. Are they coming from the back, the front or the sides- who knows ?

I have a theory this is why we see electric scooter accidents. Other pedestrians and road users can’t process what we are seeing vs expectation. See the top half of a someone “walking” behind some cars just for them to start moving at running speed over a crosswalk, or see a stationary scooter or bicycle but don’t expect it to have F1 launch capabilities. I get caught out by this and as a previously motorcyclist and now cyclist I’d say I’ve got higher than average awareness.

Our mind just isn’t ready to process how a 150cm rider can propel a heavy bike + other occupants from 0-20kph within a few meters. Let’s fit them with a 3 meter pole and yellow hazard light. As they move faster than ambulances[citation needed] it’s only fair.
Maybe younger people growing up with this as the norm will handle it better both when using them and when sharing space with them.

Saw a blond haired guy gliding up a hill on an electric skateboard yesterday. As an 80’s child I immediately wanted to go out and buy one. I know it’s illegal, I know I’ll fall. I know that will hurt. But the heart wants what the heart wants! (Also, pain is temporary, bones heal and chicks dig scars right.)

And whilst I’m on this tirade, where are our damned exoskeletons! The first patent was in 1890. They’ve been in movies for over 100 years [citation available] and whilst Boston Dynamic’s “kill dogs” aren’t currently hunting us in the sewers their biped brethren are already capable of hip-hop dancing and parkour.
And what do we have? An armchair that helps people stand... I don’t want to become Iron Man (A lie. Obviously I do.) but it would be nice to approach a bus stop safe in the knowledge the elderly person will simply leap vertically landing on the bus stop roof thus keeping the sidewalk free. Dare to dream.

[RetireJapan]

Saw a blond haired guy gliding up a hill on an electric skateboard yesterday. As an 80’s child I immediately wanted to go out and buy one. I know it’s illegal, I know I’ll fall. I know that will hurt. But the heart wants what the heart wants! (Also, pain is temporary, bones heal and chicks dig scars right.)

I showed my granddaugher Casey Neistat's electric skateboard collection and now she wants one (as well as a jetpack). Crazy times.