Is it OK to jump from the pavement to the road ?
- Thread starter draikin
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
mangaman
Guest
Hi draikin
Why would you want to jump from the pavement to the road?
I hate it when people bounce off the pavement into the road - it is nimpossible to predict when cycling or driving behind.
I'm always nervous when I see a pavement cyclist looking as if they are about to join the road - why use the pavement at all
Why would you want to jump from the pavement to the road?
I hate it when people bounce off the pavement into the road - it is nimpossible to predict when cycling or driving behind.
I'm always nervous when I see a pavement cyclist looking as if they are about to join the road - why use the pavement at all
Personally it shouldn't be restricted to anybody. Riding on the pavement is a bit daft and is illegal.
If you are going to get off the pavement (if it's a shared use one), I would stop and wait for the traffic to have a gap in it then merge. Don't just keep going and have a quick look behind - you never know what is coming and traffic changes so fast.
deptfordmarmoset
Full time tea drinker
- Location
- Armonmy Way
I don't know about folders - won't they just fold themselves up in mid-air? - but I reckon careful and considerate cyclists should be allowed to cycle anywhere.
mangaman
Guest
The Police reckon differently unfortunately and they are well within their rights to issue a £30 FPN if they catch you.
If you are going so slowly you aren't impeding pedestrians (which in its self is hard to believe because if you go that slowly you'll be swerving everywhere) just walk anyway.
Of course this is all pointless if you are younger than 16 as they can't issue FPNs to under 16s
[QUOTE 1887626, member: 45"]The number of pavements where it's quite rightly legal to cycle is fortunately growing all the time.
Bikes aren't just for roads.[/quote]
On the contrary, bikes should be away from pedestrians who may not be expecting a bike to come up behind them. Very often a bell doesn't alert them.
Certainly, if you are doing more than 10mph you should be on the road. Doing that speed on a pavement with people is really daft.
Bikes aren't just for roads.[/quote]
On the contrary, bikes should be away from pedestrians who may not be expecting a bike to come up behind them. Very often a bell doesn't alert them.
Certainly, if you are doing more than 10mph you should be on the road. Doing that speed on a pavement with people is really daft.
The guidance from the Home Office is that "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"
So, indeed, careful and considerate cyclists are in practice able to cycle anywhere provided they're being responsible and showing consiedration
It's not hard to cycle at 3mph without swerving everywhere, and on empty sections of pavement one might even reach 6 to 7 mph before slowing down the next time one encounters someone else. If you have clipless pedals you might find this far more convenient than dismounting
MontyVeda
a short-tempered ill-controlled small-minded troll
- Location
- Lancaster... the little city.
well said User... the voice of reason is seldom heard when riding on the pavement is mentioned.
As for the op... he's merely asking if the wheels of his folder will be ok if he bumps off the kerb... so why are people putting words into his mouth, assuming he must be tearing along the pavement then joining the road, getting a little bit of air off the kerb before forcing traffic to slow or swerve as he joins the carriageway.
My answer to the OP... go for it you want to, but be aware that the more of a battering your wheels get, the more maintenance they'll need in the long run, regardless of whether it's a folder, mtb or roadie.
As for the op... he's merely asking if the wheels of his folder will be ok if he bumps off the kerb... so why are people putting words into his mouth, assuming he must be tearing along the pavement then joining the road, getting a little bit of air off the kerb before forcing traffic to slow or swerve as he joins the carriageway.
My answer to the OP... go for it you want to, but be aware that the more of a battering your wheels get, the more maintenance they'll need in the long run, regardless of whether it's a folder, mtb or roadie.
marzjennings
Guru
- Location
- Houston, Texas, USA
I won't jump from pavement to road with folding bike wheels, but I would have thought you would be fine rolling off.
Also if you able to cleanly hop up onto the pavement without catching the rear wheel, you should be fine.
Is this off a curb?
From a technical point of view - don't drop 20inch or smaller wheelsize folders off a curb - the spokes get hammered (even more so with a wheelset with minimal spoke count). Additionally if you are heavy and riding a "side by side" folding bike like a Dahon, Tern, Dawes, Ridgeback, etc... then you put strain on the hinge joint.
The jump from the curb spikes your weight on the folder and puts strain on the joint. Don't forget that the "side by side" folders have a defined weight limit due to the hinge joint...
I have multiple Dahon folders in my garage including a 16inch Dahon Presto Lite - nice light bike - BUT lots of spokes have been replaced on the rear due to regular cycling on our rubbish roads (and no, I don't jump curbs with this). You would not believe the delay in sourcing spokes to fit the rear....
OTTH - Dahon Jack/Espresso 26inch mtb-lite/cruisers - no problems as the tyres are Big Apples - so cushions the ride and the wheels are strong.
YahudaMoon
Über Member
Well this is a new one on me. With children under the age of 14 yrs old yes, though a 18yr old + adult ?
So your'e saying it's OK to cycle on the pavement, where does the home office advise this then ?
