Should cycling be allowed on the pavement?

[Slick]

I did it regularly on about a 50m section of pavement to get on to the Erskine bridge without interrupting traffic joining the M8. I still do it on my new commute on a slightly longer section. The alternative is cycling up hill on a dual carriageway in the fast lane to negotiate a right turn on a roundabout. I know that I should be able to do that, but my risk assessment tells me to remove the risk entirely and cross over on the pedestrian crossing and do a short burst on the pavement.

 

[GGJ]

Nope, pavements are for pedestrians, roads for bikes and motorised vehicles...let's keep it that way

 

[Pat "5mph"]

I did it regularly on about a 50m section of pavement to get on to the Erskine bridge without interrupting traffic joining the M8. I still do it on my new commute on a slightly longer section. The alternative is cycling up hill on a dual carriageway in the fast lane to negotiate a right turn on a roundabout. I know that I should be able to do that, but my risk assessment tells me to remove the risk entirely and cross over on the pedestrian crossing and do a short burst on the pavement.

Your risk assessment was spot on: did you hear about the 2 cyclists that died recently, on separate events, where you mention?
A ghost bike is on that spot now.

Most shared paths in and around Glasgow were just pavements originally.
The most recent one in my area was a concession to cycling because they have enlarged one already fast road: it was scary before, worse now, so they decided to put some signs up, voila', a cycling infrastructure.

 

[mjr]

Most shared paths in and around Glasgow were just pavements originally.
The most recent one in my area was a concession to cycling because they have enlarged one already fast road: it was scary before, worse now, so they decided to put some signs up, voila', a cycling infrastructure.

They should do it properly and rebuild them so they're consistently wide enough and don't have any of the blind corners or turn-on-the-spot bits that pavements often have. There always seems to be money to enlarge roads but rarely money to build cycle tracks.

 

[User32269]

I teach my 9 year old lad to ride in the road on quiet residential roads. He still has the potential to drift out right without looking behind. I teach him to not ride too close to the kerb in case he clips a pedal. He can spot crossroads and ride accordingly. We encounter plenty of cars, and I believe this will give him a good grounding for his cycling future. We live on a manic dual carriageway and there is no way I am letting him take his chances on it.
We use the pavement for our final leg. Lights on when dark. Bells sounded for dog walkers and pedestrians. He is courteous and slows down.
I honestly don't care if it's illegal. It's the only way for him to get home in safety.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Get a few more cyclists to fill out the forms/attend the meetings/whatever method the local plod use to determine the community policing priorities. It's simply a numbers game, and if the cyclists ain't making up the numbers...

In my direct experience from four years ago you are wrong. "Cyclists as a group are not recognised as a community and therefore their collective views on community policing priorities cannot be considered."

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Seriously, it is. I used to be one of the poor schmucks that used to have to hob nob with the public gathering such info.

and had you gathered the info then, in Sussex, your superiors would have disregarded it.

 

[Slick]

Your risk assessment was spot on: did you hear about the 2 cyclists that died recently, on separate events, where you mention?
A ghost bike is on that spot now.

Most shared paths in and around Glasgow were just pavements originally.
The most recent one in my area was a concession to cycling because they have enlarged one already fast road: it was scary before, worse now, so they decided to put some signs up, voila', a cycling infrastructure.

I did hear about both incidents, scary stuff. I don't particularly like being on the pavement, no matter how short the duration, but it can be the difference between getting home or not. I honestly considered giving up cycling to work after both those incidents.

 

[clockworksimon]

There are lots of things that you should be able to do and be safe but the real world means having to be pragmatic. Just because you have a right to ride on the road and to be safe from other road users doesn't mean it is sensible in many situations. 15 years of riding in Manchester city centre and one 999 trip to A&E bashed the pompous, politically correct university student cyclist attitude from me. Making your children or inexperienced riders ride in high risk situations is highly irresponsible.

Tactical, prudent riding on pavements is fine by me whether legal or not. I have never been challenged or caused a problem to anyone else. If the pavement is too busy I become a pedestrian until it is safe to get back on the bike and back on the road.

The rise in cycling deaths is awful and the place to make a difference to get more cycling lanes etc isn't whilst putting your life at risk (unless you want to contribute your posthumous statistic!)

Agree completely that the situation should not be like this!!!!

 

[mjr]

If the pavement is too busy I become a pedestrian until it is safe to get back on the bike and back on the road.

That one aspect I don't understand: if I wheel the bike, I am wider, wobblier, in the way for longer and much more likely to hit someone with the offside pedal or possibly drop the bike on them. If the pavement is too busy for walking-speed cycling, I'll use the carriageway (possibly pushing the bike on the carriageway while I walk on the pavement) or change route.

 

[MontyVeda]

They should do it properly and rebuild them so they're consistently wide enough and don't have any of the blind corners or turn-on-the-spot bits that pavements often have. There always seems to be money to enlarge roads but rarely money to build cycle tracks.

the pavements that have been designated 'shared use' around Lancaster and Morecambe are plenty wide enough. I was using them rather than the busy carriageway long before it was 'legal', and that was when there was already a bus/cycle lane running alongside, which in my book, are one of the worst types of cycle lane. In certain places, there's the advisory 'cyclists dismount' signs where a bus shelter narrows the path, but otherwise, the very broad pavements that have been designated shared use are fine around here.

 

[mjr]

In certain places, there's the advisory 'cyclists dismount' signs where a bus shelter narrows the path, but otherwise, the very broad pavements that have been designated shared use are fine around here.

Bus shelters are one example of where purpose built tracks differ from lazy signs-only jobs. Another is side road crossings where cycles should cross either in front of the give way or one car into the side road but pedestrians are often aimed at the wing mirrors of cars waiting to emerge... which I suspect is not helpful for walking too actually but still very common.

 

[MontyVeda]

That one aspect I don't understand: if I wheel the bike, I am wider, wobblier, in the way for longer and much more likely to hit someone with the offside pedal or possibly drop the bike on them. If the pavement is too busy for walking-speed cycling, I'll use the carriageway (possibly pushing the bike on the carriageway while I walk on the pavement) or change route.

there is that. My most used stretches of pavement aren't much use between 8am and 6pm so i'll go the longer route within those hours, which admittedly adds no more than a couple of minutes to my journey time. My use of the pavement is lazy and selfish, but barely any peds use them when i'm using them so it's no problem, in my tiny mind.

 

[MontyVeda]

Bus shelters are one example of where purpose built tracks differ from lazy signs-only jobs. Another is side road crossings where cycles should cross either in front of the give way or one car into the side road but pedestrians are often aimed at the wing mirrors of cars waiting to emerge... which I suspect is not helpful for walking too actually but still very common.

The stretch i'm talking about does have a purpose built track on the opposite side of the road too, so one might think making the pavement shared use was pointless (especially since it already had a bus/cycle lane). Pinch points caused by bus shelters and stopping points at side roads aren't a problem either. It doesn't matter what the mode of transport is, at some point you have to stop, look and wait before resuming the journey. This is often cited as a problem, but it really isn't.

 

[clockworksimon]

Yes, wheeling the bike takes some care. Bit like wheeling a child buggy does too when it is busy. Like I said, it's taking a tactical and pragmatic approach fo each situation. I have never had any problems with either cycling or wheeling. Despite all this sensibleness I regularly despair of drivers doing crazy things when I am on the road.