Pavement

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harveymt

Well-Known Member
Do any of you cycle at any point on the pavement?

I never have and know it's against the highway code but I have just moved house and my commute has changed. It's a two lane road for most of the way and for say 75% of it there is a mixed use pavement for both cyclists and pedestrians or advisory cycle lanes. There are two crossroads, one of which is probably around the busiest in Belfast. The other is two lanes on one side but narrows to one lane on the other. The cycle lanes stop before these junctions and restart the other side. It looks like it would have been too much hassle to continue them through the junction so they've just stopped and started them where was convenient.

The first junction has a mixed use pavement approaching it so I'm going to use the pedestrian crossings to cross over that junction and rejoin the cycle on the other side. The second one is where I'm not so sure what to do.

There is a dedicated cycle lane at this bit which finishes before the junction and I don't know whether to risk staying on the road or to cycle on the pavement for this short stretch. If it was flat I'd be fine about staying on the road but it's up a steep hill so I'll be slowed right down on a section of road that's very busy with cars jostling for position.

Is it ok to cycle on the pavement for this stretch of road?
 
uclown2002

uclown2002

Guru
Location
Harrogate
:popcorn:
 
Spinney

Spinney

Bimbleur extraordinaire
Location
Back up north
I think most folks on here will say not to ride on the pavement.

But there may be other constructive suggestions - a link to the streetview of it might help?
 
shouldbeinbed

shouldbeinbed

Rollin' along
Location
Manchester way
With your description, do what you gotta do to stay safe, but accept if the cops spot you you'll be lucky to get any sympathy and will probably pick up a fine for your trouble.
 
GrumpyGregry

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
If you have a genuine fear of riding on any particular stretch of road because of the traffic and so choose to ride on the pavement for the sake of your safety, and provided you ride carefully, i.e. slowly, around any pedestrians you encounter and show them consideration then long-standing Home Office advice to UK police forces, recently reiterated (Jan '14) by Robert Goodwill MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, is that plod should leave you well alone.

(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...oads-are-dangerous-minister-tells-police.html)

But you may need to learn all the references off by heart, and recite them to any PCSO who waddles past, and if need be refuse to pay the fixed penalty and spell out your case to a magistrate. (as happened hereabouts last year)
 
D

Dan B

Disengaged member
Not seeing why riding at walking pace is necessarily less considerate than pushing the bike at walking pace
 
D

DrLex

merely the moocher
Location
Zummerset
Yes; I daily ride along about 60m of pavement from the end of a shared path to the back gate of my workplace, which is opposite the town's police station. To date, no officer has seen fit to speak to me about my wilful
transgression.
 
GrumpyGregry

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
DrLex said:
Yes; I daily ride along about 60m of pavement from the end of a shared path to the back gate of my workplace, which is opposite the town's police station. To date, no officer has seen fit to speak to me about my wilful
transgression.
Click to expand...
Come to da 'sham. Try it on a regular basis stretch of pavement less than 60m long not 500m from where I'm typing this. You'll get your collar felt. It's a 'scourge' according to the locals and thus a community policing priority. :rofl:
 
Roadrider48

Roadrider48

Voice of the people
Location
Londonistan
GrumpyGregry said:
IMHO you're not the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport nor a member of ACPO so, thank goodness, your opinion on the matter is utterly irrelevant.:whistle:
Click to expand...
Neither are you, and so is yours!
You are just one of the few cyclists who want it all their own way. Cycling on the pavement is dangerous, if you can't see that you should stick to walking everywhere.
People like you want equal rights on the road, but think it's ok to to cycle where you like when it suits you.
And don't bang on about some rule# whatever! that was thought of by some overweight quaffing politician who has never cycled. Pavement cycling is a dangerous and stupid occupation.
 
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