Should bicycles be operated on sidewalk in Japan?

01-17-2007, 06:07 AM

Hello,

I posted an article "Bicycle tour in Japan will be impossible" last month.
(news:newscache$0l6haj$z6$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]-net.ne.jp)

The National Police Agency opened the Road Traffic Law revision tentative
plan to the public.
They are gathering public comments against the tentative plan now.

The last proposal contains this sentence --"When the bicycle ride is
dangerous in the roadway, the bicycle traffic is prohibited there."
They removed the sentence from the tentative plan.

But a sentence--"Based on the proposal, a bill is submitted to revise the
Road Traffic Law to the ordinary session of the Diet this year."-- is
written in the tentative plan.

We cyclists must not relax our guard.
We are now acting to spread our opinion.

An article was published on Asahi Shimbun(a major newspaper in Japan).
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Japan Times also published a letter from a reader.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

I'd like to know your opinion.
Thanks in advance,
--
Kaz, Japan
hkaz1807[at]olive.livedoor.com

01-17-2007, 06:20 AM

Kaz wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I posted an article "Bicycle tour in Japan will be impossible" last month.
> (news:newscache$0l6haj$z6$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]-net.ne.jp)
>
> The National Police Agency opened the Road Traffic Law revision tentative
> plan to the public.
> They are gathering public comments against the tentative plan now.
>
> The last proposal contains this sentence --"When the bicycle ride is
> dangerous in the roadway, the bicycle traffic is prohibited there."
> They removed the sentence from the tentative plan.
>
> But a sentence--"Based on the proposal, a bill is submitted to revise the
> Road Traffic Law to the ordinary session of the Diet this year."-- is
> written in the tentative plan.
>
> We cyclists must not relax our guard.
> We are now acting to spread our opinion.
>
> An article was published on Asahi Shimbun(a major newspaper in Japan).
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
> Japan Times also published a letter from a reader.
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
> I'd like to know your opinion.
> Thanks in advance,
> --
> Kaz, Japan
> hkaz1807[at]olive.livedoor.com

I lived in Japan for almost 3 years(Yokosuka) and altho I owned a
bicycle, it was generally so crowded, riding on the road OR sidewalk
was essentially not possible.