Pavement Cycling Now Legal?

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Permalink Reply by Basil on January 29, 2013 at 22:36

I really couldn't give a toss whether cycling on the footpath was legal or not. Why would you want to deal with all that danger and difficulty, when riding as traffic on the roads is so much simpler and safer?

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Permalink Reply by LS on January 29, 2013 at 22:40

If someone wrote it in a letter to a local paper then that's a good indication that they haven't got a clue.

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Permalink Reply by LS on January 29, 2013 at 22:42

Most people are too scared to ride on the roads which is why we have around 1% of journeys by bike.

Basil said:

I really couldn't give a toss whether cycling on the footpath was legal or not. Why would you want to deal with all that danger and difficulty, when riding as traffic on the roads is so much simpler and safer?

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Permalink Reply by James Avery on January 29, 2013 at 22:55

It isn't always just about "most people" or pavement riders v road riders.

For example, I did a quick count one day at Hearsall Common, Coventry (replace with any other suburban road if you like).

Approaching junction from A45 / Canley - 16 ex 20 on pavement. This was a prime example of a cycle lane which ended, and on the other side a one way street with loads of room, but no contraflow.

Turn right, head towards Earlsdon - lots of junctions with side streets, less traffic, lower general speed (think limit is still 30 on both).

16 ex 20 on the ROAD.

So what does that say about cyclists being "ignorant" v. the conditions of the infrastructure they ride on?

Of course, if you built a cycle lane alongside the second road but it gave way to every side street, you could practically guarantee most people would still stay on the road. On the other hand, build a cycle lane on the other side, with bypasses behind the two traffic lights, and you can no doubt guarantee most people would use it.

If someone wrote it in a letter to a local paper then that's a good indication that they haven't got a clue.

True, but they must have picked up somewhere that there was some sort of change in the law, or maybe just a proposal. There was a senior academic in transport just last week asking why cyclists weren't "just allowed to ride on pavements".

The only actual change I can think of is to do with right to roam in Scotland, where I understand it is no longer technically illegal to cycle on footpaths. However, that just isn't very relevant to the West Mids!

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Permalink Reply by Basil on January 29, 2013 at 22:57

LS said:

Most people are too scared stupid to ride on the roads which is why we have around 1% of journeys by bike.

Fixed that for you. :-)

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Permalink Reply by James Avery on January 29, 2013 at 23:09

Basil - that really isn't always the case, just see above. If the only barrier to cycling was stupidity, then we'd have the same levels of cycling as the Danes or the Dutch, as every country has its fair share of "stupid" people.

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Permalink Reply by Simon on January 30, 2013 at 11:19

At BNB we've had a lot of people who were worried about cycling on the road.  I would not call them stupid at all. Perhaps, rather, they were somewhat ignorant (not using the term in a malicious way here) of the realities of cycling, but that is hardly surprising with the general view in society that cycling on roads is dangerous.  However, by using cycle paths and shared use pavements we have helped many of these people to gain confidence and now they are venturing out onto the roads.

Whilst still nervous of roads they will, no doubt, continue to use shared use pavements, etc but over time they will (should?) come to realise that roads are often quicker and much less annoying (shared use pavements in themselves are not dangerous as long as you keep the speed right down etc - this is why I use the term "annoying" because to be safe it's often lots of stop-start) .

Anyways. point is, I'm not sure that calling pavement riders stupid will help them progress onto using roads....we should probably be a bit more sympathetic and encouraging.

And, having said that, I still use shared use pavements when they are an advantage over the road....I'm not proud.

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Permalink Reply by James Avery on January 30, 2013 at 11:40

Simon - good points.

I have friend who hadn't cycled for ages. She said she wanted to try again but old bike wasn't useable. So she had a go on a Boris Bike in Hyde Park. Then realised it wasn't that bad, despite huge volumes of other "scary" cyclists and rollerskaters etc! Then Exhibition "Shared Space" Road.

On another session, suddenly she found herself in Euston station. Now bought a bike for herself back here.

Everyone is different. We don't all learn at same space, and some people will never want to ride in heavy traffic. That's why we should keep pushing for better infra all round.

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Permalink Reply by Kim on January 30, 2013 at 18:01

I agree with Simon.

While the vase majority of the time I prefer to cycle on the road, I know I'm not representative of the majority of cyclists, and not even close to the majority of potential cyclists.

I don't really like cycle paths, and shared-use pavements make me nervous (too much conflict with pedestrians, crap surfaces, and dangerous at junctions), but they're essential tools for encouraging more people to cycle.  Some of them may progress to a level where they're capable of vehicular cycling, others won't.  Facilities are important.

The other thing I'd like to see more of is the Dutch approach of blocking minor roads to through traffic, while allowing cycle permeability.  Bollards can be used for good, as well as evil.

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Permalink Reply by dexey on January 30, 2013 at 19:35

Cycling on the pavement has become normal around here.

I was walking into town last week and I heard a cycle bell tinkle behind me and assumed it was on the road and ignored it. Next thing I know it is right behind me and it startled me. It was an old pillock in his 60's (my age) on a crap bike who thought it was funny that he had made me jump.

I've stopped riding that particular road myself but use an on road quieter route that parallels it.

Also, a couple years ago I went on a ride with a local club and a Hungarian guy turned up for the start. He had ridden down from Sedgley without using the road once. We went off out into S. Staffs and if there was a pavement he rode on it. When told it was illegal he said that he did it for his daughter's safety (she was in a seat on the back)

They give the rest of us a bad name.

Rant over and I feel a little better now.

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Permalink Reply by Richard Smith on January 30, 2013 at 21:03

I don't think all cycling along pavements is automatically bad. As I've mentioned several times, the pavements between Spaghetti Junction and the City Centre are practically deserted. I use them sometimes, and if there's pedestrians around then I slow right down to walking pace or less. If you apply common sense and courtesy, it becomes much less of a problem.

The other angle is that if we seriously enforced the law on pavement cyclists,we would end up with far fewer cyclists overall. 

It's a tough one, because so many people feel unsafe on the roads. Can you really expect them to go on them if they genuinely feel unsafe?

Dedicated cycle lanes are the answer for me, and I would use them like a shot if they were available. The ones such as those on Hurst St could and should be put in all over Brum.

 

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Permalink Reply by dexey on January 30, 2013 at 21:14

You are right, of course. I was very upset by the toerag who startled me in a situation where he should not have been and, quite frankly, he was old enough to know better. 

As far as I am aware, all cycling on pavements is illegal unless specifically signed otherwise. While that situation exists I don't think these people should be riding, at all. They provide plenty of evidence for the anti cyclists.

At that moment I felt the very thing that many pedestrians complain of in relation to cyclists. I don't believe that safer cycling provision will happen, especially in towns and cities, until we make common cause with pedestrians. We haven't the numbers to be a force to be reckoned with by politicians.

Richard Smith said:

I don't think all cycling along pavements is automatically bad. 

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