Pavement cycling

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Hi everyone,

I'm thinking about cycling to work in London and I spoke to my friend who started a couple of months ago said she said she started off cycling the difficult bits on the pavement.

I personally don't like pavement cycling as I know it's illegal, but there are bits of my route which are horrendous so I won't have a choice.

For those who've cycled on the pavement, what are your thoughts? Any tips?

Also, what was getting into cycling like for you? I'm hoping once I get going I'll feel more confident.
 

Old jon

Guru
Location
Leeds
For those who've cycled on the pavement, what are your thoughts? Any tips?

Hello and welcome to Cycle Chat.

Thoughts in plenty, but few of much use. I tend to take the longer way around, when possible, of any bits of a route I do not feel happy riding.
 

dodgy

Guest
Welcome!

I very very rarely feel the need to get on the pavement, I've been riding for many years, but I can completely understand why a novice finds it tempting.
This makes me quite angry really, there must be so many people who would commute by bike if they felt safe :sad:

My only advice is use your discretion, if the police see you, they'll probably turn a blind eye as they, too, can show discretion with these matters. As long as you're not speeding along and posing a threat to pedestrians. Just make sure you take to the roads whenever possible and try to reduce your dependency on the paths over time.

Finally, if you are challenged by a policeman/woman, make sure to tell them you did it as you felt in danger and you aren't posing a danger to any other path users because there aren't any. And if there are other path users, you're on to a loser.

Have fun.
 
Look at different routes. My route is lovely but not the most direct. Plenty of advice and options for picking a route.

Also, link to a particular bit you don’t want to ride and you should get some advice as to have to navigate it safely.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
You could always walk the bike on the pavements if there’s no alternative. Don’t ride on pavements in central London, too many peds.
As above, where are you going from/to?
 

annedonnelly

Girl from the North Country
As others have said if you're careful & considerate to others it shouldn't be a problem. I wouldn't do it in a town centre or residential area. I'd get off and push if I had to.

However, there's a stretch of pavement that I do cycle on - it runs alongside a road with 50 mph limit & the boy racers often use it as a test track. There is also a shared use cycle path running parallel through the dunes. This is very popular with cyclists, walkers, dog walkers, joggers, etc. The actual pavement that I ride is much, much quieter than the shared use path. So I reckon it's more considerate of me to use that. I also leave the footpath & join the road as soon as it enters a 30 mph stretch.
 

Slick

Guru
Hi Alice, :welcome:

The last 2 commute routes involved cycling a very short distance on a pavement to avoid a particularly dangerous section of dual carriageway and I make no apology for it. Both times the pavement was almost empty and on the odd occasion I came across a pedestrian I just gave them priority. Take it easy, join the pavement when you feel the need and enjoy. :thumbsup:
 

Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
Take a look at the quieter roads parallel to the roads you plan to use. Traffic is pretty used to bikes in London. Be wary of riding up the side of large vehicles at junctions. Enjoy your new commute and vary it a little as you get to know the best routes.
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
If you want to know the instruction issued to police, plus an example of it being ignored, see https://lcc.org.uk/articles/ministe...ter-1057-fines-for-pavement-cycling-in-london

There's one bit of pavement that I ride that's longer than I'd like, to get from the end of a road that's been blocked off for cars at a junction to the nearest drop kerb onto the other road! My habit is to ride at walking pace and not overtake any walkers. It hasn't drawn complaint in 6 years or so.

I am not pushing my bike because some council is too inept to provide a rideable junction.
 
Pavement I though means a paved area which would include the road, the walk way and the cycle path, the problem I find in my area is a lack of signs saying when a cycle track, or bridal way stops, however there are some bits where it is clear anyone cycling would very easy hit people leaving shops or stopping to survey what is on offer. We should ride with due consideration for other road used be it be a dirt track or paved. And unless there is a no cycling sign then if due consideration is given then unlikely to get a fine.

It is when cycling at 16 MPH where pedestrians share that paved way when there are likely to be problems, after all at 4 MPH your not allowed to ride a mobility scooter on the pavement for motor vehicles and at 8 MPH you must join the part of carriageway reserved for motor vehicles. So if cycle riders reduce speed to 4 MPH can't see a problem.
 

Milzy

Guru
Quick story. A women jumped off the pavement straight in front of my work friend on her BSO. She swore at him lots & said how have you got a license etc.
The air ambulance came down but wasn’t needed. The armed response turned up then left when the regular police arrived.
She prentended to go all dizzy when all she had was a hair line foot fracture & a grazed knee. The police breath tested the driver but seemed to be on his side. Driver reported the incident to his insurance ASAP but no matter if she fails to claim or claims against him you can bet his insurance will now go up.
Jumping between path & road constantly is wrong, you can’t have it both ways. Stay on road & adere to the Highway Code.
Our foreman witnessed the incident & said it looked like she jumped off the pavement to avoid a big puddle. Luckily the car was only going very slowly behind a tractor.
 
Where the pavement markings move the cyclist from side pavement to main pavement one would hope either a well signed demount or it is safe to do so, I know some times parked cars force one to transfer to the road, but that parked car is as visible to road user as cyclist, however I would not ride off a non dropped curb as there is a chance I could be demounted and fall into the traffic.

I have watched a video of a pedestrian leaping over a barrier into a bus, some people do some daft tricks, but it seems also the council do daft tricks leading the cyclist from the main carriage way before traffic lights then no pedestrian lights and you can't now see who has priority with the road traffic. I ignore the circular blue sign to use side pavement and stay on the main road.

One has to use common sense, however it seems council workers who put up the signs don't have much common sense, so one if forced to ignore some signs.
 
Hi to alicebimbles! A little surprised that no one so far has mentioned that pavement cycling has its own hazards: The two main ones being 1) having to give way constantly when crossing side roads, and 2) vehicles suddenly emerging from driveways to cross the pavement.

To improve skills of riding on the road, and develop confidence, look for an adult cycle training course.

Hope this helps.
 

icowden

Veteran
Location
Surrey
If you let us know your rough start and end point in London or the bits you think are most scary, we can probably help you find a quieter route. It's surprising how many easy backwaters there are in the city. The second thing is that if you are cycling at peak times you will almost certainly find yourself with a crowd of bicycles, which always feels a lot safer.
 
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