I observe most dog owners to be responsible and clean up after their pets.
This generalisation is no more valid than ones about cyclists jumping red lights.
That's a very liberal philosophy. I wouldn't ever base my defence on it in court, though!Who cares what's legal and what isn't?
No, but if we were all just generally nice to each other, the law would never need to get involved.That's a very liberal philosophy. I wouldn't ever base my defence on it in court, though!
it could be a narrowish road with lots of HGV traffic alongside a very wide pavement with barely any peds on it... what's wrong with riding on the footway if I'm not bothering anyone? There's a good handful of such road/pavement set ups around here and I've always opted for the pavement in such circumstances. The fact that many of them have been designated shared use in the last few years means i must have been right all along.What's wrong with riding on the road next to the footway? We'd only moan if pedestrians were wandering around all over the road.
How can you tell whether a pavement is shared use or not?
There's a point on my commute where there is a road with a cycle lane, then a roundabout, then a busy road with no marked cycle lane. I used to (guiltily) go onto the pavement on the second road as I need to cross the road in less than 100m anyway, and I don't feel particularly safe on that road. (There are rarely pedestrians, and if there were I would dismount rather than get back on the road)
I noticed the other day that the traffic light at the crossing has a "green man and bike" light, presumably meaning the pavement I was riding on is shared use, but how would I have known this if I hadn't come up onto the pavement anyway?
You might moan. I'd welcome it.What's wrong with riding on the road next to the footway? We'd only moan if pedestrians were wandering around all over the road.
The pavement was originally conceived for the use of pedestrians, and was therefore optimised for that purpose. The carriageway was intended for everything else, including vehicles such as bicycles. It's hardly surprising therefore that (volume of other traffic notwithstanding) the road is a better place than the pavement to cycle.Paths are horrible places for bikes. Pedestrians, obstacles, junctions and kerbs...all good reasons why cyclists often eschew cycle routes painted onto existing footways.