Tried to knock a bloke of his bike today

[dondare]

Cyclists should not be on the pavement, but that does not make them a legitimate target for assault if they are. In a thread like this one someone simply once asked "are you the pavement police?" to someone who seemed to think that they were.

 

[NigC]

Why not? If it's ok to slow down and be careful on a bike, why not in a car?

With regard to postmen and paperboys - no I don't think they should be on the pavement either, if the law says otherwise. Ideally, the law should be better framed, but that makes enforcement more complicated. And I'd rather the roads weren't intimidating places to so many people.

Look, I'm not perfect in this respect either, I admit, I cut across bits of pavement sometimes to get to a cash machine, and on the work trike I sometimes pull up onto the pavement to leave room for traffic to get past while I'm stopped - I'd rather not, but then I'd rather not get beeped and sworn at. I just think it's not a good thing to say it's alright for us, because we're on bikes and very careful.

With regard to the OP, if I thought I could barge someone acting like an idiot, without hurting myself, then yes, I might. But I suspect I'd come off worst.

Mainly because the pavements in my area aren't wide enough for a car to drive on them and still leave pedestrians a decent space. Plus a car is many many times heavier than a cyclist (maybe not that much in my case ) and much less manouverable.

Cars on pavements have been highlighted to me recently, where I've seen 2 cars and a van parked entirely on the pavement (at different locations and times), each with all 4 wheels on the pavement and each time completely blocking the pavement and forcing pedestrians into the road - the van had it's photo taken and reported, but I never got any response

Anyway, I'd prefer to stick to the roads too and if the traffic queue is not ridiculously long or if there's room to filter, then I do. But there's one junction in particular where, thanks to a combination of parked cars and road width, the queueing traffic make it impossible to filter on the left, and on the right there's barely enough room for traffic coming the other way and I often see irate drivers who cannot get past when they have a clear road in front of them.

By way of an example that I see as OK (not legal obviously), I walk 1, 2 or 3 times a week and almost every time, I see the same guy cycling on the path. I don't know why he does - maybe a bad expeience while cycling on the road? - but he's always considerate to pedestrians and doesn't ride at high speed. We cross along the same stretch of road and I've never felt any anger towards him cycling or any fear that he might cycle into me.

If I'm ever stopped by the police and told I should stick to the road, then I will (seriously, I would).

I agree, the law could use a rethink, but it would be so very difficult. There's so many variables, such as young children - another example: I rode along with my daughter yesterday. She rode on the path, while I was on the road - she's not competent or confident enough yet to take to the roads, but I suppose she is still breaking the law. But what policeman in their right mind would force her onto the road?

There's a whole debate just waiting to happen (and probably has many times before, if I know this forum ).

 

[Arch]

I agree, the law could use a rethink, but it would be so very difficult. There's so many variables, such as young children - another example: I rode along with my daughter yesterday. She rode on the path, while I was on the road - she's not competent or confident enough yet to take to the roads, but I suppose she is still breaking the law. But what policeman in their right mind would force her onto the road?

Depending on her age, no policeman would do that - I believe it's already taken into account within the framework of the application of the law.

I don't actually mind people on the pavement cycling carefully (although I know that fear of a collision is very real for a lot of elderly or infirm people), but I just question their need to do it. Not confident on the road? Well either find a quieter route, or get yourself sorted out with some training. And I suspect very very few of the people I see on the pavement are actually worried about traffic. They all seem perfectly competent grown ups, or are the sort of louts who just weave about at their own convenience.

I still don't quite get your filtering thing. If you need to filter, you're going at the same speed or faster than the cars. So just wait in line until you can get by. I see drivers who want to turn left, but are held up by a queue of right turning traffic, mount pavements to get by - that's just what you're doing as far as I can tell.

I was sitting by the kerb (I have short legs, so it's easier to get a foot down on the kerb) the other day, behind a bus that was too close to the kerb to filter past on the left, and anyway, it was a bus, so not a good idea to go down the inside. A chap came up behind me, bunny hopped onto the pavement to pass me (doing so quite closely), and then wiggled down the inside of the bus. Just plain impatience.

 

[NigC]

Depending on her age, no policeman would do that - I believe it's already taken into account within the framework of the application of the law.

She's only 7 and we rarely get out on the bike - something I keep telling myself (and so does the wife) we need to do more often.

I still don't quite get your filtering thing. If you need to filter, you're going at the same speed or faster than the cars. So just wait in line until you can get by. I see drivers who want to turn left, but are held up by a queue of right turning traffic, mount pavements to get by - that's just what you're doing as far as I can tell.

Maybe it's just my impatience and the fact that I can take to the path. But the junction I'm talking about can get very badly gridlocked - it's only a small side road that emerges onto one of the busiest roads in the area. It's rare, but sometimes traffic gets backed up 2 or 300 yards and if you're in a car, you could be stuck for a long long time. The problem for a cyclist at this point is that cars are often parked both sides of the road, leaving only just enough space for 2 cars to squeeze by each other. So when there's a traffic queue, the drivers get as close to the parked cars as possible, leaving no space for a cyclist. And on the other side is barely enough room for the opposing traffic, so taking to this side is just not possible either. Without the parked cars, it would be simple to filter down the left and that is what I do when I can.

 

[Arch]

So then you could still be faster by getting off and walking!

I like doing that, it's one more "sucks boo, I can do this and you can't" to the fools stuck in the traffic!

I think at 7, your daughter is fine. I did think there was an actual exemption due to age, but others here have told me that the child is simply too young to get any kind of legal punishment, so no one will bother them.

 

[NigC]

So then you could still be faster by getting off and walking!

I like doing that, it's one more "sucks boo, I can do this and you can't" to the fools stuck in the traffic!

I think at 7, your daughter is fine. I did think there was an actual exemption due to age, but others here have told me that the child is simply too young to get any kind of legal punishment, so no one will bother them.

True - I'll give it a try next time It's not a huge distance, but my brain has always been in "cycling" mode at that time, "walking" mode is reserved for other days

 

[NigC]

Impossible to filter? No road is impossible to filter down. If you find yourself unable to filter then youn should wait - not break the law.

Well I RLJ because I can, I know it pisses off motorists and I get away with it everytime.

When I need your advice, I'll ask for it. Somehow I don't think that day will ever come

 

[NigC]

So then you could still be faster by getting off and walking!

I like doing that, it's one more "sucks boo, I can do this and you can't" to the fools stuck in the traffic!

I think at 7, your daughter is fine. I did think there was an actual exemption due to age, but others here have told me that the child is simply too young to get any kind of legal punishment, so no one will bother them.

As it happened, today was one of those days, so I got off and walked the path I think I held up a cyclist behind me though

 

[Arch]

As it happened, today was one of those days, so I got off and walked the path I think I held up a cyclist behind me though

Good, instill a little enforced patience in him/her at the same time...

 

[winstonsmith]

I'm a bit confused as to what the law is with regards to cycling on the pavement. On this page
http://www.bikeforall.net/content/cycling_and_the_law.php
it states that "[cycling on pavements is] very much against the law." However further down it says

"On 1st August 1999, new legislation came into force to allow a fixed penalty notice to be served on anyone who is guilty of cycling on a footway. However the Home Office issued guidance on how the new legislation should be applied, indicating that they should only be used where a cyclist is riding in a manner that may endanger others."

So does that mean that cycling on the pavement when done slowly and with regards to pedestrians, although illegal, is tolerated?

 

[Cyclist33]

The rules also say you must have pedal reflectors and a rear reflector but most people don't.

 

[winstonsmith]

The reason that I ask is that my local police force, who have been issued with the amazing looking Smith and Wesson bikes, one of their officers regularly and habitually cycles on the pavement. I believe this sets an incredibly bad example to the local kids.

 

[Cubist]

If I'm ever stopped by the police and told I should stick to the road, then I will (seriously, I would).

.​

So you pick and choose which laws to break, and only consider complying with the law if/when there's a cop about?​

 

[NigC]

So you pick and choose which laws to break, and only consider complying with the law if/when there's a cop about?

Nope - I've changed my ways. Take a look at my later post

 

[Cubist]

Nope - I've changed my ways. Take a look at my later post

My work here is done......