snowboarder
Active member
Dunno if this has been discussed. Didn't find any threads. So... Wut do ya think?
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Legal to push bike on sidewalk engine off?
- Thread starter snowboarder
- Start date
Under what circumstances?
If you ran out of gas and are pushing to a local gas station, I doubt there'd be problem. I'd imagine most cops would see it's safer to be on the sidewalk, then on the road at such a slow speed.
If it's some new form of exercise, who knows ...
No, motorcycles cannot legally park on sidewalks
if its the most illegal thing your doing i think your an ideal individual this society needs.
i would say its fine, even if it were not legal it would be under some obscure bylaw which cops wont bother enforcing. just make sure you have the ownership for it just in case as they may think your stealing it.
i would say its fine, even if it were not legal it would be under some obscure bylaw which cops wont bother enforcing. just make sure you have the ownership for it just in case as they may think your stealing it.
rideitlikeyoustoleit
Well-known member
How bout if you just bought it and you live down the street? It has no plates or insurance yet. Can you push it on the road/sidewalk?
Malks
Well-known member
Not sure if it is legal or not but there are a few dirt riders who push their bikes up our street to a walkway that leads to some off road trails. These riders are younger, likely non-licenced and probably have no insurance either.
Years before the M1 allowed you to ride on the street, I used to push my bike along the sidewalk on Dundas Street in Etobicoke in order to get to an area where I could practice riding. On a few occasions police cars passed me, yet they never stopped to tell me I was doing something I shouldn't.
As long as the engine is off, you should be OK.
I think it's because he's thinking of buying an '01 Kawasaki and wants to know if he can walk it home on the sidewalk every couple of days when it breaks down.
I've done it myself. Just my '01 Kawasaki weighs in over 600 pounds so I avoid pedestrian staircases now.
Can't beat the gas mileage of walking your bike home.
It is patently illegal to park a motor vehicle on the sidewalk. People keep bringing this up, here, and it is quite simply illegal. Full stop. Those scooters you see on the sidewalk are illegally parked. Just because they haven't been ticketed doesn't make it legal. Not every speeder gets caught either.
As to WALKING your bike on the sidewalk I know of no specific laws pertaining to it, but I'm sure that a creative officer could find something.
Whether or not you're likely to get ticketed for walking a bike down the sidewalk is the least of your worries.
The motorcycle, whether running or not, whether licensed or not, whether insured or not, is still a motor vehicle. You need insurance if you are off your own property, and if you hit a pedestrian while pushing your bike down the sidewalk or it falls on someone, you've just had a motor vehicle accident.
You'd better hope you have insurance in such an event. On or off the roadway, you'll still be liable for the other person's medical/rehab/wage loss costs, plus that big fine for not having insurance.
The motorcycle, whether running or not, whether licensed or not, whether insured or not, is still a motor vehicle. You need insurance if you are off your own property, and if you hit a pedestrian while pushing your bike down the sidewalk or it falls on someone, you've just had a motor vehicle accident.
You'd better hope you have insurance in such an event. On or off the roadway, you'll still be liable for the other person's medical/rehab/wage loss costs, plus that big fine for not having insurance.
Tornique
Well-known member
This thread holds a special place in my heart.
Two years ago there was heavy traffic, and an Island in the center lane preventing anyone from turning around. People were getting off the bus on steeles and walking, while I baked in the sun.
I turned off my bike and walked beside them waving at the cagers
However when I got to the holdup and saw the traffic officer I wasn't quite so smug, but decided to play this through anyway. I went up and asked him if its ok if I walk the bike along and he said sure.
Is that an official police response? No. But I don't see anything really wrong with it.
Two years ago there was heavy traffic, and an Island in the center lane preventing anyone from turning around. People were getting off the bus on steeles and walking, while I baked in the sun.
I turned off my bike and walked beside them waving at the cagers
However when I got to the holdup and saw the traffic officer I wasn't quite so smug, but decided to play this through anyway. I went up and asked him if its ok if I walk the bike along and he said sure.
Is that an official police response? No. But I don't see anything really wrong with it.
rideitlikeyoustoleit
Well-known member
I guess I'm pushing my bike home. Saves me $80. =)
robmack
Well-known member
When I was getting my bike licensed, the shop was just down the street. I could have risked driving there with no plates but nixed that idea immediately. The next alternative was trailer but the shop wanted way too much money for that. So, I pushed it there for the safety check on the sidewalks all the way. I used crosswalks to safely cross the street; got really strange looks from pedestrians.
I failed the first safety check because the speedo was acting up so I had to push it back home, fix the speedo, push it back to the shop and push it back home again once I got the safety certificate. My bike, as you can see, is a one litre touring. luckily it was flat so pushing 250KG was exercise but not too much exercise. I did not get stopped by any police and there were many who passed me during my exercise. So, if it was illegal, I 'm sure I would have been stopped during one of those trips.
I failed the first safety check because the speedo was acting up so I had to push it back home, fix the speedo, push it back to the shop and push it back home again once I got the safety certificate. My bike, as you can see, is a one litre touring. luckily it was flat so pushing 250KG was exercise but not too much exercise. I did not get stopped by any police and there were many who passed me during my exercise. So, if it was illegal, I 'm sure I would have been stopped during one of those trips.
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I'm no expert, but towing/trailering, at the very worst, an un-registered and uninsured motorcycle doesn't seem to be a problem on public roadways. I think the key is whether you appear to be operating your motorcycle on a public road or sidewalk. If you have a break-down or run out of gas, I'd rather see you with the motorcycle on the sidewalk than at the side of the roadway in traffic.
When the bike is being trailered, the liability coverage for damage and injury caused by that trailer and trailered load falls on the towing vehicle. Same goes for a vehicle hooked up to a tow truck.
Take a different track. If you're pushing a disabled car down a wide sidewalk, are you not "operating" the car even though it is not running? If you have a collision and cause property damage or injury, how do you think the incident would be categorized? And why would a motorcycle be fundamentally any different?
If you've modified the motorcycle so that it is obviously no longer used as a motor vehicle, say you turned it into a baby carriage instead, then you could walk it down the sidewalk without impunity.
However, if its obvious use is still that of a motor vehicle (whether operational, insured, or not), at the very least you need to consider the motor vehicle insurance ramifications if someone's property is damaged or someone is injured while you're pushing that motorcycle down the sidewalk.
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