Historic Article
Bicycling and Tricycling
Outing and the Wheelman
March 1884
The city ordinances of Jersey City, N.J., restricting bicycling in and upon the streets, avenues, and public places in Jersey City, shall be upon condition that the rider of any such vehicle shall keep and observe the following restrictions and regulations: -
First: A light shall be carried on each vehicle when riding at night.
Second: No vehicle when mounted shall be ridden on any sidewalk or footpath.
Third: Vehicles when mounted shall only be used on the carriage-way of any street, avenue, or public place.
Fourth: The rider of every vehicle shall keep to the right, and under no circumstances pass an approaching vehicle on the left, and on overtaking another vehicle shall ride to the left.
Fifth: Care shall be exercised in turning a corner of a street, and speed in riding through any main street or avenue shall not exceed ten miles per hour.
Sixth: In riding strict regard shall be paid to the rights of others to the public highway, and caution used in approaching horses, either standing or driven.
Seventh: In approaching a vehicle drawn by horse, or horses, the driver's raised hand shall be understood as a cautionary signal, and when repeated the rider of the bicycle or other similar vehicle shall immediately dismount.
SECT. 2 That any person who shall commit or omit any of the acts the commission or omission of which are hereinbefore declared necessary to be done or forbidden, or who shall violate any provision of this ordinance, he or she so offending shall, for every such offence, forfeit and pay the sum of not exceeding $20.
[Editor's comment: It is interesting to take note of the "... or she..." in the above Section 2. Women very seldom rode bicycles in 1884 - but they did ride tricycles. When the craze of the safety bicycle (bicycles having both wheels of the same size) took off in the 1890’s, women took to the new wheel gleefully; but in the mid 1880’s when this article was published, the cycling world remained very solidly dominated by high-wheelers. High-wheel bicycles were specifically sized to leg-length - just like a pair of pants - and a woman would have had difficulty finding one whose pedals she could reach when seated. Also, these Ordinary bicycles were virtually impossible to ride in skirts.
The glorious high-wheel tricycles of the nineteenth-century were as dramatically different from a modern child's tricycle as a genuine Lambourghini is from a Hot Wheels toy. They were comprised of two enormous wheels - each generally similar in size (or only slightly smaller) to the large wheel on a high-wheel bicycle - and one smaller stabilizing wheel. Designs varied between companies, but the rider's seat was usually situated between the two large wheels. They were extremely valuable precision-made machines, and ownership of one was a coveted symbol of status among upper-class women.]
First: A light shall be carried on each vehicle when riding at night.
Second: No vehicle when mounted shall be ridden on any sidewalk or footpath.
Third: Vehicles when mounted shall only be used on the carriage-way of any street, avenue, or public place.
Fourth: The rider of every vehicle shall keep to the right, and under no circumstances pass an approaching vehicle on the left, and on overtaking another vehicle shall ride to the left.
Fifth: Care shall be exercised in turning a corner of a street, and speed in riding through any main street or avenue shall not exceed ten miles per hour.
Sixth: In riding strict regard shall be paid to the rights of others to the public highway, and caution used in approaching horses, either standing or driven.
Seventh: In approaching a vehicle drawn by horse, or horses, the driver's raised hand shall be understood as a cautionary signal, and when repeated the rider of the bicycle or other similar vehicle shall immediately dismount.
SECT. 2 That any person who shall commit or omit any of the acts the commission or omission of which are hereinbefore declared necessary to be done or forbidden, or who shall violate any provision of this ordinance, he or she so offending shall, for every such offence, forfeit and pay the sum of not exceeding $20.
[Editor's comment: It is interesting to take note of the "... or she..." in the above Section 2. Women very seldom rode bicycles in 1884 - but they did ride tricycles. When the craze of the safety bicycle (bicycles having both wheels of the same size) took off in the 1890’s, women took to the new wheel gleefully; but in the mid 1880’s when this article was published, the cycling world remained very solidly dominated by high-wheelers. High-wheel bicycles were specifically sized to leg-length - just like a pair of pants - and a woman would have had difficulty finding one whose pedals she could reach when seated. Also, these Ordinary bicycles were virtually impossible to ride in skirts.
The glorious high-wheel tricycles of the nineteenth-century were as dramatically different from a modern child's tricycle as a genuine Lambourghini is from a Hot Wheels toy. They were comprised of two enormous wheels - each generally similar in size (or only slightly smaller) to the large wheel on a high-wheel bicycle - and one smaller stabilizing wheel. Designs varied between companies, but the rider's seat was usually situated between the two large wheels. They were extremely valuable precision-made machines, and ownership of one was a coveted symbol of status among upper-class women.]
Other historic cycling articles:
A Burglar, A Bicycle, and A Storm (Fiction—1896)
A Cycle of the Seasons: A Bicycle Romance in Four Meets (Fiction—1883)
A Cycle Show in Little (1896)
A Header (?) (Poem—1883)
A Modern Love Sung in Ancient Fashion (Poem—1884)
Bicycling and Tricycling (1884)
Cycling for Women (1888)
Cycling's Value As An Exercise (1879)
Is Bicycling Harmful? (1897)
The Evolution of a Sport (1896)
Foreign [Bicycling News] (1884)
On Wings of Love (Poem—1884)
Rosalind A Wheel (Fiction—1896)
Snakes in his Wheel (1895)
The Work of Wheelmen for Better Roads (1896)
Woman's Cycle (1896)
Back to Historical Articles Index
An article about us in Bicycling magazine:
"How To Bike Like A Victorian"
http://www.bicycling.com/culture/people/old-doesn-t-mean-bad-modern-conversation-victorian-era-cyclists
A few of Sarah's accounts of our Victorian cycling adventures:
The flower fields of the Skagit Valley:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/my-recent-trip-to-the-skagit-valley
A Trip to A Lavender Festival:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/sneak-peek-into-a-future-book
The Tricycle's Maiden Voyage:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/the-tricycles-maiden-voyage
The Chilly Hilly ride:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/chilly-hilly
Port Townsend to Port Gamble:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/port-gamble-wa
Sarah ALWAYS wears a corset—even while cycling. Here's an excerpt from her book about it:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/cycling-in-a-corset-a-short-excerpt-from-victorian-secrets
Rebuttal of an erroneous article:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/a-rebuttal-to-a-recent-article
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YouTube.com/@Victorianlady
You can show your support—and
learn more about the Victorian era at the same time—by buying Sarah's books!
First Wheel in Town:
A Victorian Cycling Club Romance
(Fiction)
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