Heavy handed approach to pavement cycling counterproductive?

[domd1979]

A colleague showed me an email earlier on, which detailed a scenario that recently occurred: A woman who cycled to work every day in town was in the habit of using the pavement on part of her journey - on an urban A-road where she felt intimidated by cycling on the road in rush-hour traffic. Last week a copper stopped her and threatened her with a fine. Not wishing to risk that happening, the woman now drives to and from work every day.

Whilst I wouldn't personally cycle on the pavement, nor would actively encourage it, it does seem that the result of this situation has been counter-productive. Thanks to PC Plod (in the first instance) there's now an extra car on the road in rush hour that needn't be there. As far as I can gather, she wasn't cycling round at high speed terrorising pedestrians.

Not sure what the answer is. Offering cycle training might be a solution, but depends if that would solve the confidence issue. Road layout means that offering a viable alternative route is tricky.

 

[Yorkshireman]

Pity that she didn't have a copy of this with her :-

On 1st August 1999, new legislation came into force to allow a fixed penalty notice to be served on anyone who is guilty of cycling on a footway. However the Home Office issued guidance on how the new legislation should be applied, indicating that they should only be used where a cyclist is riding in a manner that may endanger others. At the time Home Office Minister Paul Boateng issued a letter stating that:

"The introduction of the fixed penalty is not aimed at responsible cyclists who sometimes feel obliged to use the pavement out of fear of traffic and who show consideration to other pavement users when doing so. Chief police officers, who are responsible for enforcement, acknowledge that many cyclists, particularly children and young people, are afraid to cycle on the road, sensitivity and careful use of police discretion is required."

Almost identical advice has since been issued by the Home Office with regards the use of fixed penalty notices by 'Community Support Officers' and wardens.

"CSOs and accredited persons will be accountable in the same way as police officers. They will be under the direction and control of the chief officer, supervised on a daily basis by the local community beat officer and will be subject to the same police complaints system. The Government have included provision in the Anti Social Behaviour Bill to enable CSOs and accredited persons to stop those cycling irresponsibly on the pavement in order to issue a fixed penalty notice.

I should stress that the issue is about inconsiderate cycling on the pavements. The new provisions are not aimed at responsible cyclists who sometimes feel obliged to use the pavement out of fear of the traffic, and who show consideration to other road users when doing so. Chief officers recognise that the fixed penalty needs to be used with a considerable degree of discretion and it cannot be issued to anyone under the age of 16. (Letter to Mr H. Peel from John Crozier of The Home Office, reference T5080/4, 23 February 2004)

Copied from here :- http://www.bikeforall.net/content/cycling_and_the_law.php

 

[domd1979]

Interesting - ta!

Pity that she didn't have a copy of this with her :-


Copied from here :- http://www.bikeforall.net/content/cycling_and_the_law.php

 

[Pete]

I'm guessing here, but she sounds like the type of person who, even if she had been armed with the relevant document, would probably not have stood her ground. She sounds like someone hesitant about cycling in the first place, taking what she saw as the 'safest' option albeit knowing it to be illegal, getting a single reprimand, and this being enough to tip the scales for her, back to four wheels. Another cyclist lost to us. How many other nervous cyclists or potential cyclists would react likewise? There are plenty of people out there who don't want a stand-up fight with a copper, even if they're in the right.

This looks like it could develop into an argument in favour of shared-use pavements, which I detest personally. There is no easy answer to this. Had such a facility been there, it would have resulted in this lady remaining in the cycling fold. Simple logic. Which I am embarrassed to have to admit to.

 

[summerdays]

Pity the policeman couldn't tell the difference between the cyclist who is scared by their in-experience, and the ones who routinely use the pavements cos ... actually I'm not sure why they do ... but you know the ones I mean ...

That lady could probably just do with someone to cycle with her a couple of times and may be some training too. (And cycle craft as well!!! - perhaps the police could issue fines unless they produced a copy of cyclecraft).

 

[surfgurl]

Confession time. I cycle on the pavement for a short stretch of my commute.
I cycle on the road through town to the roundabout on the edge of town. The road from here on is national speed limit up over a railway bridge and down to a roundabout where it meets the traffic coming off the M5. I used to cycle on the pavement between these two roundabouts. I now feel confident enough to cycle on the road here.
However, I cycle on the pavement from this big roundabout to my turnoff a short way up the road. I stop and push my bike across two lanes of traffic and then cycle on the country lanes all the rest of the way to work.
I just don't feel confident enough to cycle on the main A road with all the traffic, some of which has just come off the motorway. I also don't feel confident about the right hand turn at a notorious accident black spot. Also a cyclist was hit last year on the big roundabout. He died three days later in hospital.

 

[bonj2]

Few comments:
a) The 'utility' cyclists who cycle on the pavement 'because it's safer', and I'm not being sexist but they are usually women, are often not actually that safe.
Not saying this particular woman was, but they often do themselves more harm than good by making themselves a rule to stick to the pavement 'where possible', as it's NOT always possible. It's the transition from pavement to road that's the dangerous bit. For instance, I saw one woman today who thought she was being the safest cyclist on the road with her helmet and all her high viz and umpteen reflectors on her bike, but she thought nothing of meandering from pavement to road without looking behind at all, with traffic going past, in order to get round something on the pavement - she obviously thought it was totally fine as long as she only encroached onto the road by a foot 'because cars don't use that bit'.

If she now drives, then she probably wanted an excuse to drive anyway.

c) An elaboration of (, it's probably actually an urban myth, the sort of which as often arises when people think of something that could happen, so decide to tell it as a story of something that did happen. Unless you actually know this woman first hand and know that she now drives because she was threatened with a fine for cycling on the pavement, then I'd be tempted to take it with a pinch of salt/as an excuse used by people who drive who have never actually cycled at all.

 

[bonj2]

If you do it safely, then i suppose i've no real problem with you, but in principle, i'm not really sure i agree with pavement cycling at all. If there's an area you 'don't feel confident' about, and you don't see your way to getting some confidence about it, then that should be an excuse to take a more scenic route, thus getting fitter.

 

[surfgurl]

That's a fair point Bonj.
I have looked at alternate routes, but it would double my commute as it takes me in completely the wrong direction.
I'm not sure how I can increase my confidence on this stretch of road. But you have got me thinking about this. I'll take another look at Cyclecraft and the Highway Code and have another think.
I think part of the problem with it is it is quite an unusual bit of road. There is traffic coming off the motorway, lots of heavy lorries use it, as well as all the tourists who are about to descend for the summer. It's a fast bit of road.
And everytime I pass this roundabout and bit of road I think about the poor guy who was wiped out last year.

 

[gambatte]

Lost faith in cops last night. Once again, I was in the cage

As I left work, I saw a couple of cycle coppers. I stopped and complained to them about cars crossing the ASL and stopping in the forward box on the new ring road, which starts about 2-300 yards away.

I then went off towards the same area. Bit of standing traffic down there.

Couple of minutes later they filter past, up to the forward box. They sit there, doing nothing, as a builders van moves forward in the lane to their left and sits 100% in it. They didn't even give him a second glance.

Seeing a 'tap' on his window would have been something......

 

[domd1979]

I know it happened. I'm confident that thanks to the actions of that copper there's one more driver on the road, and one less person cycling to work.

Unless you actually know this woman first hand and know that she now drives because she was threatened with a fine for cycling on the pavement, then I'd be tempted to take it with a pinch of salt/as an excuse used by people who drive who have never actually cycled at all.

 

[redjedi]

When I first started cycling, about 8 months ago, I used to cycle on the pavement to get around a busy-ish roundabout.
This was because I lacked the confidence to stay on the road. I would always ride slowly and give peds right of way, until I could get back onto an easier part of the road.
It took a couple of months to get the confidence to do the roundabout properly, but now it's second nature.

I think this woman just needs more confidence to use the roads, not a fine for being scared. Perhaps some advice from the copper on how to handle the traffic would have been more effective.

 

[fossyant]

The CSO's are always on the bloody pavements round work, and cycling through the pedestrian areas....

 

[Tynan]

We don't know if she was a danger to peds or not

other than a professional taking exception to her riding there

 

[John the Monkey]

Seeing a 'tap' on his window would have been something......

Make a complaint, Gambatte - or at least suggest that seeing someone commit a traffic offence (whether it's that van in the ASL, or a cyclist jumping the light) should at least have merited a quiet word from the officers involved.