Sidewalk Cyclists Harassed

[Gillstay]

So they thought they were above the law! New York is a drivers' hell, anyway.

I bet its bad, but I think India is probably drivers hell, or one of the South American spots.

 

[CharleyFarley]

I think there was something similar - the association of Chief Police Officers issued a statement saying that they would not prosecute anyone riding a bike on the pavement (sidewalk) if they were doing do for safety reasons

Common sense prevails!

This obviously had riders (see what I did there!!) that cyclists need to give way at all times to walkers and ride at a reasonable speed for the circumstances - and all that

That applies to us in the US, too. The state classes bicycles as vehicles, and are subject to the laws applicable to motor vehicles, with the sidewalk exception.

 

[I like Skol]

I

Common sense prevails

Really not sure about this. You can't pick and choose your laws!
I'm breaking the law by riding a bicycle on the sidewalk/pavement, but I'm doing it safely so that's ok? I'm sure many mobile phone using drivers would use the argument.... Think about what you are wishing for!

EDIT: Likewise the safespeed lobby nutters! "We can safely drive above the speed limit on a regular basis because we are above average ability drivers in modern safe cars...."
Safe, yeah right. That explains why speed is so often the major contributor to serious RTAs

 

[Arrowfoot]

The sidewalks and pavements are the safe refuge of pedestrians that include the young and vulnerable. It was not designed for cyclists unless it a designated shared pathway. It will be a sad day if parents have to restrain toddlers to one side in case a cyclist is expected. Hence most countries have laws restricting use of sidewalks to just pedestrians.

Maybe build up the courage to ride in traffic or use another mode of transport.

 

[HMS_Dave]

The sidewalks and pavements are the safe refuge of pedestrians that include the young and vulnerable. It was not designed for cyclists unless it a designated shared pathway. It will be a sad day if parents have to restrain toddlers to one side in case a cyclist is expected. Hence most countries have laws restricting use of sidewalks to just pedestrians.

Maybe build up the courage to ride in traffic or use another mode of transport.

That would require parents to put their phones away though and so sympathise with them that they may have to watch their toddlers on the pavements...

 

[carpiste]

I remember several years ago a cyclist ran into an elderly lady who was walking, with a stick, on the pavement locally. She ended up with a deep gash in her forehead and a broken hip!
There is a reason why cycling on the sidewalk/pavements is not allowed except in designated areas.

 

[HLaB]

Slightly OT, Just to confuse things, the UK technical terms are the road pavement for the carriageway and footway (the equivalent of a sidewalk) or shared foot/cycle way beside it. Another area of confusion is when the pedestrian route veers away from the way of the road (eg, through a field) it becomes a foot/cyclepath. The new LTN1/20 has started using the term cycle track to emphasise I think its completely separate from the footway, confusing things further

 

[Drago]

Im sure LA cops have lots of better people to beat up things to do than hassle preople breaking the law.

While its relatively harmless compared to loons breaking the law in cars, it is still breaking the law and you cant really expect anyone else to observe the law if one doesnt do so oneself, no matter how altruistic the motive.

Put simply just because someone is being a chump that does not give us any right, mandate or moral authority to also be chumps, albeit more harmless examples.

Have a problem with that? Then get off and walk.

Petitioning the government and society ro make the roads a safer place for all os the answer, and nothing else.

 

[Punkawallah]

In the UK we have problems with vehicles parking on pavements. Causes problems for pavement users. I suspect adding cyclists to the pavements will not help matters.

So saying, I have advised new cyclists to use the pavement, even though illegal, rather than have a novice risk road riding. On the proviso that they use it as a ‘guest’, and give way to pedestrians. Better to pay a fine than with their life :-)

 

[rivers]

It really is a different culture over there, even in a reasonably provincial area of New England like Danvers and Peabody when I was there 2yrs ago, if walking and crossing the street I was looked at like a 3 headed alien!

I grew up in Central MA, and visit the family every couple of years. My aunt lives about a half a mile around the corner from Dad. Whenever we visit, my wife and I tend to walk between the two houses, and my family thinks it's insane.

 

[MontyVeda]

The sidewalks and pavements are the safe refuge of pedestrians that include the young and vulnerable. It was not designed for cyclists unless it a designated shared pathway. It will be a sad day if parents have to restrain toddlers to one side in case a cyclist is expected. Hence most countries have laws restricting use of sidewalks to just pedestrians.

Maybe build up the courage to ride in traffic or use another mode of transport.

A great many pavements around the Lancaster area were not 'designed' as shared use paths, but a bit of white paint and a few blue signs added in the last 10 or 20 years has 'designated' them to be shared use. The day when parents have to restrain toddlers to one side came many years ago.

 

[I like Skol]

The day when parents have to restrain toddlers to one side came many years ago.

I've mentioned this here on the forum a few times in the past,,,,

These individuals have a massive impact on the general public because even though they are only solitary individuals they will pass hundreds if not thousands of innocent path users dangerously and it is these incidents that stick in the mind. This is why even when a reasonable cyclist like me who may ride quickly but will always slow down or stop when meeting other users and announce my approach when coming up behind with a cheery 'hello, watch your backs please' or 'excuse me, can I pass you?' can be met with utter contempt and hostility when safely approaching. It is quite saddening to see parents franticly trying to clutch their toddlers to themselves as if they are about to be mown down by the galloping hordes of hell They must have a reason to be so fearful?

 

[HMS_Dave]

It is an interesting and polarising topic in the community...

If riding on pavements is so dangerous why are some shared use? There doesn't appear to be any correlation with width of path, residential build up as to whether they are granted 'shared use'... Here are examples:

Im not campaigning for pavement riding or advocating breaking laws but interested to know if there are any guidelines local authorities use to determine if shared use will be safe to use? Is there an element of accepted risk?

 

[I like Skol]

It is an interesting and polarising topic in the community...

If riding on pavements is so dangerous why are some shared use? There doesn't appear to be any correlation with width of path, residential build up as to whether they are granted 'shared use'... Here are examples:

View attachment 616509
View attachment 616510
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Im not campaigning for pavement riding or advocating breaking laws but interested to know if there are any guidelines local authorities use to determine if shared use will be safe to use? Is there an element of accepted risk?

Shocking p'poor examples there and in the first two the road looks perfectly acceptable anyway. I can see why less confident riders might not want to ride in the traffic of the third picture, but I would anyway.

 

[HMS_Dave]

Shocking p'poor examples there and in the first two the road looks perfectly acceptable anyway. I can see why less confident riders might not want to ride in the traffic of the third picture, but I would anyway.

Id ride on the road in all examples also, but that really isn't my point. The council seem to put little blue plaques on some pavements at random, where there is perhaps little safety concern on the road on some but perhaps some justification on others. Is there guidelines authorities follow? Or more cynically, are they just filling a mandated Government quota on "cycle lanes" and calling it a day and ignoring better solutions?