Can You Legally Walk or Bicycle Along The Interstate in ND?

Pedestrians Along the Interstate

You probably witnessed this a time or two in your life. I know I have, both walkers and people riding their bicycles on the shoulder of the Interstates we have here in North Dakota. I personally have seen this numerous times on both I-29 AND I-94, which runs through Bismarck-Mandan.

Just the other day, on a rather chilly and slippery day, a young man was walking along the side of the road at dusk near Menoken. I was coming back from some dog training with my pups when I saw this kid way too close to the road, in my opinion. It's especially dangerous these days for two reasons.

One, distracted drivers messing around on their phones while they're driving 80 miles per hour, and the second would be you have to question how good of drivers we actually have in these parts. It's well documented that we have some questionable drivers in North Dakota who don't use their blinkers, don't know the basic rules of the road, and then throw in road rage to the mix; it's a recipe for disaster for a pedestrian walking along the Interstate. And, I didn't even take into account that we often deal with slippery roads in our state.

But, is it Technically Legal to Walk or Bicycle on the Interstate in North Dakota?

According to an article on KVLY, as it turns out, it's completely LEGAL. It's not advised by authorities, but you are legal to do so. Keep in mind, a pedestrian was just killed not that long ago west of Valley City in a hit-and-run incident.

If you do walk along the Interstate, it is suggested that you keep as far as you can to the far shoulder or walk in the ditch. Better tip altogether, just don't do it. Sorry, it's the dad in me coming out.