Pavement riding
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standard-issue
New Member
- Location
- Sheffield
I've only been riding road bikes for a week, but i rode BMX for many years pre-university.
I have jumped on the pavement a few times on mt roadie, for instance, a bus pulls in and the car behind you drives within a few inches of the bus, your only option is to go left, but i dont realise i've done it until i'm on the pavement.
(incedently it became habit as 20" wheels are not legally allowed on the road BMX's are classed as childrens bikes, or so we were told by the local constabulary amidst being confronted for riding on the pavement by some old chap).
sorry i'm babbling, it's late, i'm tired.
my opinion is...if it has to be done it has to be done, i get less annoyed at a cyclist on a pavement than with pedestrians on cycle paths. (although my view is biased, im on 'CYCLE'chat!)
PRO
I have jumped on the pavement a few times on mt roadie, for instance, a bus pulls in and the car behind you drives within a few inches of the bus, your only option is to go left, but i dont realise i've done it until i'm on the pavement.
(incedently it became habit as 20" wheels are not legally allowed on the road BMX's are classed as childrens bikes, or so we were told by the local constabulary amidst being confronted for riding on the pavement by some old chap).
sorry i'm babbling, it's late, i'm tired.
my opinion is...if it has to be done it has to be done, i get less annoyed at a cyclist on a pavement than with pedestrians on cycle paths. (although my view is biased, im on 'CYCLE'chat!)
PRO
summerdays
Cycling in the sun
- Location
- Bristol
standard-issue said:
There isn't any law (AFAIK) that says what size wheels your bike must have to go on the road. My 7 yo has 20" wheel and goes on the road some of the time, and even when he had 16" he occasionly went on the road - though I generally felt he was too low down to see and be seen.
Soltydog
Legendary Member
- Location
- near Hornsea
Not sure of current laws, but the law certainly used to allow bikes with wheels upto or under 
20" to be ridden on pavements.
Personally i think it is acceptable, providing cyclists show some respect to pedestrians, which unfortunately not all cyclists do
I have a section on my commute which involves turning right on a blind bend, so i tend to cross the road before the bend & cycle on the opposite pathway, as i feel it is safer than negotiating the blind bend.
20" to be ridden on pavements.Personally i think it is acceptable, providing cyclists show some respect to pedestrians, which unfortunately not all cyclists do
I have a section on my commute which involves turning right on a blind bend, so i tend to cross the road before the bend & cycle on the opposite pathway, as i feel it is safer than negotiating the blind bend.
standard-issue
New Member
- Location
- Sheffield
Not being a lawer i'm 100% with law, but i do know in sheffield, it was illegal to be on the road and legal to be off, and for this reason they brought out a by-law preventing cycling in the city center. This came about as we were campaigning, through the council, for a skatepark, so they couldn't enforce the by-law until that was built. Then it was an on the spot fine if you got caught 'feet on pedals' in the city center.
Paul. Good point about folding bikes, coupled with what solty said about their kids, maybe it has more to do with frame geometry. not so much wheel size, as you are very low on a bmx, you'd be more visible and have better visibility yourself on a Strida folding bike which only has 16" wheels.
Also a lot of laws are enforced at the officers discresion, maybe the bobby who backed us had a son/daugher that rode BMX.
This is going back a good 10 - 12 years.
I'll second that!
Paul. Good point about folding bikes, coupled with what solty said about their kids, maybe it has more to do with frame geometry. not so much wheel size, as you are very low on a bmx, you'd be more visible and have better visibility yourself on a Strida folding bike which only has 16" wheels.
Also a lot of laws are enforced at the officers discresion, maybe the bobby who backed us had a son/daugher that rode BMX.
This is going back a good 10 - 12 years.
Soltydog said:
I'll second that!
Mr Phoebus
New Member
The pavement surfaces are a real disgrace around here where they've layed cable.
It's safer to cycle on the road.
It's safer to cycle on the road.
I thought rightly or wrongly that it was an age related thing. Under14 and you could ride on the pavement, no matter what size wheels. Over 14 and you had to be on the road. I can't find any thing out about it except that cycling is illegal on the pavement, so maybe that goes for all ages?
Smokin Joe
Legendary Member
- Location
- Bare headed cyclist, Smoker
Highway code Rule 64 - You MUST NOT cycle on pavements.
[Laws HA 1835 sect 72 & R(S)A 1984, sect 129]
[Laws HA 1835 sect 72 & R(S)A 1984, sect 129]
gbb
Legendary Member
- Location
- Peterborough
Here in Peterborough, they've just had (and still maybe having) a clampdown on cyclists using the pavements...why..i'm not sure, complaints perhaps.
I'm not averse to hopping temporarily onto a pavement..in an urban environment, where there are few or no pedestrians...i would not do it in the city itself.
When (temporarily) on a pavement, any of the few peds i meet are treated with the utmost respect and safety. NEVER have i been remonstrated against for doing so.
Why do i do it ?....sometimes for safety, sometimes because i'm late. Most of the time i dont do it at all, and take my place in the traffic. Depends on the circumstances.
To put it into context, i maybe spend 1/4 of a percent of my time on a pavement. It's such a small amount its almost impossible to quantify.
Is it right...no, of course not.
I'm not averse to hopping temporarily onto a pavement..in an urban environment, where there are few or no pedestrians...i would not do it in the city itself.
When (temporarily) on a pavement, any of the few peds i meet are treated with the utmost respect and safety. NEVER have i been remonstrated against for doing so.
Why do i do it ?....sometimes for safety, sometimes because i'm late. Most of the time i dont do it at all, and take my place in the traffic. Depends on the circumstances.
To put it into context, i maybe spend 1/4 of a percent of my time on a pavement. It's such a small amount its almost impossible to quantify.
Is it right...no, of course not.
summerdays
Cycling in the sun
- Location
- Bristol
I'm sure I will get some or all of the following wrong but this is my understanding:
The law is that it is illegal for everyone of all ages to cycle on the pavement.... as the law was created when it was only adults cycling.
However as we don't want 2 year olds on their 12" bikes on the road, the policemen ignore them.
If caught cycling on the pavement then you can get a Fixed Penalty Notice of £30. FPN's can't be issued to under 16 year olds so if you are under 16 you probably won't be told off. I think the police would be unlikely to prevent a child under 12 from cycling on the pavement. I don't know up to what age they would ignore it.
Even as an adult, the police have the discretion not to fine you if you fear for your safety on a particular bit of road. Someone may be able to find the correct quote.
Like I say ... this is my understanding but I've not actually put it to the test (well my kids sometimes cycle on the pavement).
The law is that it is illegal for everyone of all ages to cycle on the pavement.... as the law was created when it was only adults cycling.
However as we don't want 2 year olds on their 12" bikes on the road, the policemen ignore them.
If caught cycling on the pavement then you can get a Fixed Penalty Notice of £30. FPN's can't be issued to under 16 year olds so if you are under 16 you probably won't be told off. I think the police would be unlikely to prevent a child under 12 from cycling on the pavement. I don't know up to what age they would ignore it.
Even as an adult, the police have the discretion not to fine you if you fear for your safety on a particular bit of road. Someone may be able to find the correct quote.
Like I say ... this is my understanding but I've not actually put it to the test (well my kids sometimes cycle on the pavement).
Arch
Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
Probably not, since I doubt such a trike would be road legal in terms of brakes/refectors and so on (I also don't think wheel size is, or ever has been a stipulation, or thousands of people will have been breaking the law on Moultons and Raleigh shoppers since the 60's. If BMXs are a 'toy', I imagine it's to do with the same issues of brake and reflectors...).
I'd also be happy for people to mix carefully with peds, if they wanted to (I wouldn't generally), but the trouble is, many laws are pretty much there because of the idiots who can't be responsible - like the ones who bomb along weaving in and out of people - something I hate when I'm a pedestrian...
Here in Annecy (yes, I'm on holiday!), bikes seem able to mix with peds in most areas, but then over here, when a couple of teenage lads meet, they shake hands, so it's a different world! It restored my faith the other day to see four teenagers seated outside a cafe, baseball caps and tracksuits and all that, eating pizza with a knife and fork, and drinking Kir....
Putting aside the law, it's really an issue of practicality - width v ped numbers v issue involved. The pavement cycling I see is across a tram bridge to get into town as the options are somewhat limited. I don't particularly have a problem with this as there was I believe a network of bridges and cyclepaths that got ripped out when the tram came along. Moreover I can't really criticise too much as there is "pavement" driving that goes on on the bridge which if I was a bit more zealous might have tried to nail their lazy impatient arses.