Should cyclists ride on the pavements?

#sickofitalready
#dontrideont
#sickofitalready
#dontrideontheroad
#dontrideonthefootpath
#bikesdontpayroadtax
#carsdontpayroadtaxeither
#armchairracerisdementedandonlycameonthissitetoannoycyclists
#imofftocycleonafootpathjusttoannoyarmchairracer

I was down visiting family in
I was down visiting family in Hastings 2 weeks ago.The sea front road was packed with cars,all the people who would use the footpaths are stuck in traffic in said cars.The FOOTpaths were not in use.Where was I.On the footpath the new cycle way in effect.It’s just the way it is down there.Change of use needed perhaps? though in England that will take about 50 years

drfabulous0
Really How old
drfabulous0

Really How old are you ?

I think you are missing the point, we have a responsibility to obey the laws of the land and its common sense to know your rights, especially if you are scared of riding a bike on the road,

Why do you think they have rules and regulations in the highway code for cyclists.
you don’t seem to realise that the bike is a vehicle and as such, you are in charge of the use. The bicycle is not a toy !

The bicycle is a fantastic invention, it enables mankind to travel on his/her own steam to anywhere on the planet. It only requires food in your belly to keep going. The bicycle needs to be respected for what it is !!!!!

oldstrath wrote:armchairracer

oldstrath wrote:

armchairracer wrote:

Hi, Cyclists who ride on the payment should be heavy fined and have their bikes taken off them. I really don’t understand way they think riding on the payment is ok ? They have wheels and belong on road. As mentioned earlier, their is more dangers riding on the payment. I have had several arguments with cyclists who ride on the pavements.

Great. So any car obstructing a cycle lane will also be crushed? Not quite sure what you’d suggest for pedestrians who walk on cycle-specific paths. Presumably you always drive carefully near cyclists, but you do know not everyone does, which us one reason for pavement cycling?

I got taken off my bike by a pedestrian last summer, I had a bruise that covered my thigh and could hardly walk, my hip joint is still swollen which might not ever go away. But the general consensus was that it’s my fault, apparently I need to give them room even though they were on the cycle path. I have had some fast crashes on the mtb but nothing hurt as much as landing on my hip on hard tarmac.

Dave Atkinson

Dave Atkinson wrote:

armchairracer wrote:

People every year are killed by bikes on pavements

no they’re not. quite a few years in the last ten there have been no recorded fatalities of that description in the UK

let’s by all means talk about the issues surrounding pavement cycling. but let’s not pretend lots of people lose their lives. because they don’t.

True, I think if you are going to compare numbers though we can put it into perspective even more, this article (http://metro.co.uk/2009/08/12/cyclist-is-jailed-for-killing-by-1861-law-335527/) from 2009 states that on average 3 pedestrians are killed per year by cyclists (obviously some years there are none as you mention) and it also states that only 10% of those occur on the pavements so 0.3 a year.

In contrast, motorised vehicles kill around 40 pedestrians per year walking on footways or verges (not mentioning the 100s of others they kill) so without being known (and heavily criticised) for driving on footways or verges they still kill over 130 times more people than cyclists do.

So armchairracer, yes cyclists shouldn’t really ride on the pavement and yes some are dangerous (and those should be fined) but if you want to complain about people losing their lives I suggest you could start with the bigger cause of pedestrian death on the pavements – motorised vehicles.

armchairracer

armchairracer wrote:

drfabulous0 you need to read the Highway Code ? .

The police are issuing £50.00 fines for Adults riding on the Payment and thats the law.

Highway Code Section below

v64
You MUST NOT cycle on a pavement.
Laws HA 1835 sect 72 & R(S)A 1984, sect 129

Its my understanding that Children under 11 are ok to ride on the payment , once they reach 11 then they need training to be able to ride on the road.
The local council should be able to offer such a course.
I helped the local school in training Cycling road safety to 11 years old to get them ready for them to take to the road. This course was funded by the local council

drfabulou0
You need to have some basic training as it sounds like you are not cyclist, just an idiot on a bike and in charge of a minor.

I myself would like to see
I myself would like to see people cycling/using their bikes on the road, the more drivers see bikes on the road the more chance they will start to behave properly around us rather than some who seem quite surprised/shocked that I’m on the road and they have (should) to execute a safe overtake.

I believe the CTC did a campaign along these lines and can better make the point.

armchairracer wrote:Yes I do,

armchairracer wrote:

Yes I do, and the majority of cars do, There is no justification to mount the pavement and ride along the path. How would you feel if your elderly grandparents or young mum with a toddler was knocked down on the pavement by a cyclist ? People every year are killed by bikes on pavements

Shared Cycle Paths are a bad idea and its an accident waiting to happen, it also make frighten cycles scared of the road.
My son has just been cautioned by the police for riding on the payment. He only went on the pavement after his lights batteries ran out,

Don’t preach to me about its ok to ride on the payment.

Make the buggers prosecute and then wave the home office letter to ACPO in the magistrates faces.

And there are a shedload of justifications for folk to ride carefully on the pavement. Hence the aforementioned Home Office advice.