Is "scooting" cycling?

[LOGAN 5]

By "scooting" I mean one foot on the pedal, the other leg dangling on the same side, not sitting on the saddle, not propelling the pedals (not able to in this position in any case) and probably gaining momentum by pushing the dangling foot on the ground. Is this "cycling"?

Would it be RLJing to do this across a red light?

What about doing this on the pavement when not busy of course?

Reason for asking is got stopped doing this on a service road (where lorries drop supplies and maintenance vehicles gain access) at my local railway station where cycling on the station premises is prohibited. This wasn't a platform next to a train by the way.

 

[ChrisKH]

Probably. Might depend on what country you are in as well. I recall reading about a court case in Scotland where it was held that cycling was "an aid to pedestrianism" and was no different in certain situations as walking. Although I would have thought in your circumstances that scooting amounted to cycling. But that's a personal view rather than anything legal. I also recall reading that pushing a bike down the street with the bike in the road and the 'rider' on the pavement also amounted to cycling under the law.

Someone may be able to be more definitive than me.

 

[John the Monkey]

Anecdotally, I've heard of people being done for it as though they were cycling on the pavement, so I'd say "yes" on that admittedly shaky basis.

 

[llanberispass]

Pretty sure this is treated as cycling.

Anyway if you come up before magistrate they are certain to convict so why take chance. (Not anecdotal!)

 

[summerdays]

Wasn't there a court case where a cyclist was defined as a pedestrian when crossing the road because he had neither feet on the bike and was just walking along pushing it. Can't remember the reason why they needed to define what he was but from that I would take it that scooting could be classed as cycling.

 

[numbnuts]

....well it's not walking

 

[In trouble]

Sitting astride a motorcycle, and pushing it along with your legs is classed as "riding/driving" so therefore, I would imagine the same will apply for the bike. If you sit on it and propel it in any way, that would be classed as riding, and I would imagine that having one foot on the pedal, and pushing off with the other foot would be the same as you are propelling the bike foward and using that momentum to 'glide' for a short distance until you need to propel again.

 

[Will1985]

After the Canterbury stage of the TdF, I was forced to walk 2kms in cleats as certain police considered scooting at 6km/h (to save cleats) as riding. Not much logic with both hands on the brakes and not many peds around.

Luckily after that a couple of us got a sort of escort behind an official car back to the open roads.

 

[Arch]

I personally would count scooting as cycling, yes. I don't know about the law, but it seems logical that it is so.

 

[RedBike]

On Saturday I was being well behaved and pushing my MTB along a footpath. I still got grief from a group of ramblers for 'cycling' on a footpath. - Grrrrr!

 

[ufkacbln]

Wasn't there a court case where a cyclist was defined as a pedestrian when crossing the road because he had neither feet on the bike and was just walking along pushing it. Can't remember the reason why they needed to define what he was but from that I would take it that scooting could be classed as cycling.

Wasn't that something to do with a driver who had failed to stop t acrossing on the grounds that he didn't have to because cyclists shouldn't be using the crossing?


My thought on the OP is that you are in motion on the cycle and therefore all the rules apply

 

[summerdays]

Wasn't that something to do with a driver who had failed to stop t acrossing on the grounds that he didn't have to because cyclists shouldn't be using the crossing?

Thank you - thats the one.

 

[col]

I think its still classed as cycling,even though its a cheeky way of bypassing a red light on a path,i have done this myself a long time ago but dont bother now,its a few seconds longer to just walk it? I was once pulled by a security man in our local shopping centre,i was pushing my bike as there is no cycling allowed,aimed mainly at the groups of youths who used to try and see how far they could skid down the centre with their back wheel locked up,and was told firmly no cycling in here,to which i politely said i wasnt,im pushing it as i didnt want to lock it outside and was going to a wh smith for a magazine.He said oh ok then.Strange that he classed walking with it was cycling too?

 

[LOGAN 5]

Got stopped once walking with my bike on to a South Coast Pier by security who said no bikes were allowed even though I was walking with it. Yet they allow push chairs and large buggies.

 

[Amanda P]

When I was a 13-year old paperboy, PC Marlowe would never let me get away with scooting through the pedestrianised bit of town - even at seven o'clock in the morning when only paperboys and PC Marlowe were about.

So by the PC Marlowe test, yes, it's cycling.