Should cycling be allowed on the pavement?

[MontyVeda]

I tend not to turn my front light on until I'm on the road, the cycle track is well lit and it saves the battery. I always turn it off when i mount the pavement.

 

[ufkacbln]

I tend not to turn my front light on until I'm on the road, the cycle track is well lit and it saves the battery. I always turn it off when i mount the pavement.

I do that too, being an occasional pavement cyclist in a place where I'm riding towards oncoming traffic for a hundred yards or so to get to a safe crossing place on a dual carriageway.

 

[mjr]

I tend not to turn my front light on until I'm on the road, the cycle track is well lit and it saves the battery. I always turn it off when i mount the pavement.

I run the lights on at least low power (the ones I can switch) when on the cycle track at night because it's the law and hopefully reduces the number of people calling phone-ins like this morning's ranting about unlit cyclists. Walkers really don't like unlit cyclists, even on cycle tracks.

But @Cunobelin is about right with an appropriate severity of the penalty IMO.

I do sometimes switch my lights off in fog when the cycle track is to the right of the carriageway in my direction of travel because I worry that if the roads are quiet, my generally big/bright rear light might mislead a motorist off the carriageway or into the oncoming traffic lane on a blind bend.

 

[MontyVeda]

Never had (or heard) a complaint from a ped on a shared use track due to me not having my front light on... and there's no shortage of them. It's one of several laws that I'll happily ignore. PLUS... the people who call 'phone-ins' clearly don't get out much. Otherwise they'd have better things to do.

 

[mjr]

Never had (or heard) a complaint from a ped on a shared use track due to me not having my front light on... and there's no shortage of them. It's one of several laws that I'll happily ignore.

In this morning's phone-in, it seemed to be lumped in with not using bells as unnecessarily surprising to people walking on/near cycle tracks. I think when one was asked whether they said anything, their reply was something like "what can you say? By the time you do, they've gone" so I don't think I'd take never hearing a complaint on the street as proof no-one cares. Loads of people seem so scared about being the victim of a Kenneth-Noye-style road rage attack if they criticise another road user.

I don't much care about it either way personally, but it seems to really upset some people and I have the lights anyway (the batteries last >10 hours, or I often use dynamos) so I don't see much reason not to light up.

 

[MontyVeda]

if they're complaining about us using bells, then they're nobbers and best ignored.

PLUS... people who phone in to 'phone-ins' don't get out much, they've probably never even been on a shared use path.

 

[ufkacbln]

In this morning's phone-in, it seemed to be lumped in with not using bells as unnecessarily surprising to people walking on/near cycle tracks. I think when one was asked whether they said anything, their reply was something like "what can you say? By the time you do, they've gone" so I don't think I'd take never hearing a complaint on the street as proof no-one cares. Loads of people seem so scared about being the victim of a Kenneth-Noye-style road rage attack if they criticise another road user.

I don't much care about it either way personally, but it seems to really upset some people and I have the lights anyway (the batteries last >10 hours, or I often use dynamos) so I don't see much reason not to light up.

Bells are even weirder with reactions

I have a couple of "pingy" small bells that seem to upset pedestrians, yet the mahoosive and loud "ice cream bell" on the Christiania and Delibike seem to invoke a nostalgic response

 

[User16625]

Yeah... our urban areas are designed round them to the detriment of others. The true costs of their motoring is underwritten by society. They appear to be able to kill with relative impunity. How awful for them.

Thats a justice system issue. Murder should generally be a mandatory life sentence. In this country minor issues are over enforced. Major crimes are nowhere near punished enough.

Probably worth reading a little more in future... if only to avoid posting nonsense.

Didn't post nonsense. You just disagree with me about expecting the police to be sensible.

"The courts should use chickens. The judge should slap defendants with dead chickens and my armpits smell of pasta."

Learn to differentiate "nonsense" from something you simply disagree with in future. It makes you sound like a pillock even tho you're probably quite lovely.

 

[MontyVeda]

Er... I think you'll find that your post I was referring to was indeed nonsense.

The only reason they dont dole out fines to dodgy cyclers is...

(quote edited to remove the bulk of the nonsense)

But you don't read entire threads do you, so you probably missed your own post.

 

[mjr]

PLUS... people who phone in to 'phone-ins' don't get out much, they've probably never even been on a shared use path.

Or are councillors, or so it sometimes seems! Anyway, I've an excuse for being on the phone-in: they called me!

 

[jefmcg]

Or are councillors, or so it sometimes seems! Anyway, I've an excuse for being on the phone-in: they called me!

That's the only way I have ever ended up on a phone in: they called me and prearranged it.

I wonder how many people on phone ins are genuine callers? Ok, topic for a different thread.

 

[mjr]

I wonder how many people on phone ins are genuine callers?

Probably none of us. Especially not that former UKIP candidate for police commissioner. The Conservative has shown himself loony enough about cycling - just imagine!

 

[jefmcg]

Probably none of us. Especially not that former UKIP candidate for police commissioner. The Conservative has shown himself loony enough about cycling - just imagine!

Mine wasn't about cycling, it was about Moomba

 

[GrumpyGregry]

False equivalence.

We all agree that walking on pavement is safer. We are not talking about walking, we are talking about cycling.

Repeat the same experiment on a bicycle at walking pace.

What is your dataset to support a claim that cycling on the pavement isn't safer than cycling on the carriageway?

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

Oh dear BBC News is running this question today.
Cue the patronising hate fest.