Shared path??

[Markymark]

Sorry, only ride on roads where I live/work and am a bit confused by when I read 'shared path'.

Is that a path that has a solid white line with a bike on one side and peds on the other (which I occassionally see), or is it something else where both a sharing the same tarmac with no seperation?

 

[MontyVeda]

...
Is that a path that has a solid white line with a bike on one side and peds on the other...

yes.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Can be both.

 

[procel]

It can refer to either.

 

[Brandane]

It can vary. Sometimes there is a white line to separate pedestrians and bikes, sometimes not. There might be a blue sign somewhere showing a pedestrian and a bike, which means shared path. Sometimes it might just look like a footpath, but with the occasional symbol of a bike painted on the surface, so shared path... Canal paths are generally shared, as are disused railway lines which have been surfaced for pedestrians and cyclists.... Sustrans paths are all shared paths. So, no set rule! In the absence of anything to say otherwise though, best to assume it's for pedestrians only.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Sounds just like Australia. Here on the 'shared' paths, pedestrians can and do walk anywhere they like, quite often in a completely unpredictable fashion, and our laws support this.

 

[Markymark]

Ta all!

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

The normal shared path I refer to has the white line down the middle and pictograms of a cycle one side and ped he other.

This normally equates to cyclists getting abuse for going on the wrong side -or - getting abuse for passing too close/too fast when peds walk on the wrong side or have their dogs strung across the cycle side.

Had one last month where the dog owner was on the central reserve and her mutt was on its trip-wire all the way over my side across the road, cycle section and on the ped side of the 100 metres of shared path I use!

 

[Sara_H]

I generally just go wide of the peds on shared paths - I don't care wher they walk, but there is one shared path on my route to work where the peds/cyclists are seperated with a large kerb down the middele. Easy for peds to step across (and they do) but not so easy for cyclists, so I tend to tinkle my bell as I go along. In most cases peds very politely step back off the cyclepath. Bit annoying if they don't though as its quite a steep hill and if I lose my momentum I've blown it!!!