Cycle users on pavements.

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Cambridge, and specifically the Evening News is in permanent meltdown about stuff like this along with RLJing, 2 abreast, headphones, helmets.

Most of it is bollarks, apart from pavement & RLJing in my opinion*

Unless you’re under 10 years old you have no business on a pavement whilst on a bike and you should be sent to prison for ever if you jump a red light.
At a guess 'proper' pavement cyclists are out numbered by road cyclists 100+ to 1. It still amazes me that that 1 feels so insecure about being on the road that they are willing to go out of their way and be constantly stopped by peds and side roads.
Still out numbered thankfully (at a guess 15 to 1) you get numpties that just cut the corner regardless of who is on the pavement. Those numpties also tend to RLJ :wacko:
 

Dave 123

Legendary Member
At a guess 'proper' pavement cyclists are out numbered by road cyclists 100+ to 1. It still amazes me that that 1 feels so insecure about being on the road that they are willing to go out of their way and be constantly stopped by peds and side roads.
Still out numbered thankfully (at a guess 15 to 1) you get numpties that just cut the corner regardless of who is on the pavement. Those numpties also tend to RLJ :wacko:


There’s a lot of cutters in Cambridge. Most are middle aged, non foreign language students.
 

Drago

Legendary Member
I have no problem with people riding on pavements or pedestrian areas if done with respect and care. But there are many variables. Speed, density of pedestrians, courteousness, time of day etc.

But who decides what's respectful or careful? Bottom line is it's unlawful to cycle on the footway. If people can't obey even the most basic, simple, fundamental laws the we've no hope when it comes to the serious ones.

Footways are for transport by foot. I don't know what's so difficult to comprehend about that.
 
So, why do they do it - ?

For your casual cyclist, I think it is because they truly believe that is where they should be, and this is because they are continually being told that cycling on roads is a dangerous thing and the very last place they should be is on the tarmac mixing it with the cars.
 
Cambridge, and specifically the Evening News is in permanent meltdown about stuff like this along with RLJing, 2 abreast, headphones, helmets.

Most of it is bollarks, apart from pavement & RLJing in my opinion*

Unless you’re under 10 years old you have no business on a pavement whilst on a bike and you should be sent to prison for ever if you jump a red light.
Just got back from a day in Cambridge, can't say i saw too many cycling offences and the only bikes on pavements were the ones fastened to the street furniture, railings and stands etc in fact it was incredibly busy.
 

gbb

Legendary Member
Location
Peterborough
I'm an occasional pavement user....but with strict self discipline. For instance, on my old commute I had a roundabout to negotiate with a fast dual carriageway feeding onto it. I'd been nearly knocked off once by a driver who was blinded by his screen pillar (tbf, he stopped and apologised profusely...and I understood how it happened)
This r/a is on an industrial estate where there's hardly ever anyone on the path anyway so I use it as a safer option than the road. My safety is more important than blindly obeying rules (IF and only IF I'm not endangering anyone else)
If people are on it, I either get back on the road, or move waaay to one side to give them room.

Then in Peterborough, we are blessed with not perfect but extensive cycle routes / paths that are often not obviously so, so there's a culture of riding on paths here anyway. It's vague where some start, end, or exist at all.

But any nobber who expects peds to get out the way deserves a good slap.
 
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Milkfloat

An Peanut
Location
Midlands
But who decides what's respectful or careful? Bottom line is it's unlawful to cycle on the footway. If people can't obey even the most basic, simple, fundamental laws the we've no hope when it comes to the serious ones.

Footways are for transport by foot. I don't know what's so difficult to comprehend about that.

Being part of the system, you should be well aware that often the law is an ass and the rest of the time a very blunt instrument. If we address the causes of people riding on footways then perhaps we could reduce it, plus targeting dangerous riding on pavements in general would also reduce pedestrian anxiety.

I make no apology for riding my kids to school along the footway, if they don’t ride now perhaps they never would.
 

Jody

Stubborn git
But who decides what's respectful or careful? Bottom line is it's unlawful to cycle on the footway. If people can't obey even the most basic, simple, fundamental laws the we've no hope when it comes to the serious ones.

Footways are for transport by foot. I don't know what's so difficult to comprehend about that.

I appreciate what the law is and its not difficult to comprehend but I have no problem with people doing it in the right circumstance.
 

NorthernDave

Never used Über Member
My heart sinks a little every time I see an adult cyclist on the pavement. Bikes are transport and should be on the road.

But I'd agree that the situation isn't helped by sub-standard cycling infrastructure.
Lets not forget I live just a stones throw from Leeds' Cycle Superhighway and large parts of it are simply crap and wholly unfit for purpose (this cost nearly £30 million, officially, although I doubt we'll ever see the final actual cost).
There are the terrible 'shared spaces' with minimal signage and clear conflict with peds, while other parts are so narrow you've no chance of getting past a slower cyclist, or a mobility scooter user who've also been given carte blanche to use it, or the peds who constantly wander into the 'segregated' bits of it due to poor delineation.
 
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