Bicycles on pavements - why are they not being ridden on a road?

Yes, and was abolished in 1937

yet it’s got the caveat of not fining a cyclist on the pavement if they felt the road was busy and dangerous, it’s not clear cut.

It’s not the Lycra brigade who cycle on the pavement.

It used to be called the Road Fund license and was used to contribute to the cost of building roads.

I wish this were true. I never cycle on pavements, and I always cycle slowly on shared paths. Cycling slowly is the right thing to do to protect pedestrians, but unfortunately gives the arseholes more chance to have a go at you. I had someone get right up into my face and hiss a stream of verbal abuse when on a clearly marked shared path with my children on the back of my bike - I truly thought she was going to push me into the road. The reason she could do that was because I slowed down because I didn't want to alarm her. I also had someone deliberately jump in front of my bike in order to make me stop so that she could yell at me that I shouldn't be on the (shared) path and she was going to call the police. Again, I bet she wouldn't have leapt out at me if I'd been going faster.

I also recently saw a cyclist be screamed at by a pedestrian and told to 'get off the pavement' when the cyclist was literally on top of a huge painted image of a bicycle showing that it was a segregated cycle path.

Unfortunately, just as there are a lot of angry and aggressive drivers (and cyclists) around, so too there are some really angry and aggressive pedestrians.

Pedestrians were here first. Everything else has been built to accommodate vehicles including cycles

Roads are funded by council tax and motorways by general taxation. Vehicle tax is based on emissions, and is often referred to as road tax but doesn’t have anything in particular to do with building or maintaining roads

30 years ago as a kid we always cycled on the pavement in our village and were encouraged to keep off the road. I have to say when I see kids (not Lycra clad adults) cycling on the pavement now I breathe a sigh of relief, it seems so much safer.

I suspect that the answer to 'why are more cyclists using the pavements' near me is the same as the answer to 'why are more drivers driving dangerously near me', (which is something I massively notice in recent years) or 'why has there been such an increase in people being abusive to retail workers in my local shops' - there seems to have been an increase in self-centered and impatient/angry behaviour generally in recent years.

Cyclists are sometimes the proponents of this, and sometimes the victims of it. Just as are pedestrians and drivers. Cyclists aren't a separate species who need a different set of explanations.

Maybe slow down....I doubt they are shouting if you're not speeding along 🙄

That's not pedestrians' problem, though

Well quite, cyclists are lethal!

Ah, but according to MN, cars are a ‘proper’ mode of transport, so these things are regrettable, but tolerable. Whereas bicycles are children’s toys and a silly hobby, nothing more.

What is being done to “our roads” to accommodate cyclists? I see pavements wherever I go, a new footbridge was built near me recently. Should we start charging pedestrians a pavement tax?

I'm slightly biased as i was knocked over by a car and a friend was killed by one

Maybe cyclist should have to pass a road safety test before they can cycle on our roads and shared pavements. I’m slightly biased as I was knocked down on a crossing by a cyclist. We couldn’t see each other because a van had stopped to let me cross. I also think they should pay road tax as so much is being done to our roads to accommodate them

Yep can't stand bikes on pavements, they come at you at full speed as if you, the pedestrian, have no right to be on the pavement.

It’s a real problem in central West London, just very scary sometimes, often the roads are empty but the blokes still cycle at speed on the pavement. Also limes bikes are just left in the middle of the pavement everywhere. I can’t see it improving.

Glad to see the vote is in favour of common sense.

I think it’s okay but only if the cyclist gets off their bike (or at least stops) for pedestrians.

I don't mind sharing pavements with cyclists in general, if they feel safer, live and let live, but a few can be dick heads for sure

Do you also tell him to go very slowly & respect that on pavements pedestrians take priority, @Funkytuna?

I cycle on the pavement, the majority of our pavements are also cycle paths, no separation.

On ones that are, the number of pedestrians who walk down the cycle lane is bloody annoying especially when they refuse to move out the way. The number of pedestrians who glare at me as I'm cycling down a pavement with a lovely blue pedestrian and bike sign is also quite irritating.

My town has lots of cycle routes that don't require cycling on the road. People need to educate themselves on what that blue sign with a pedestrian and a bike means or the big white bike painted on the pavement.

People around me drive like absolute bellends and speed. Seen many cyclists be cut up or almost knocked off by some twat in a car.

But that’s not how it works (your ‘chances of being killed’ sentence), the choice for a cyclist is not endanger yourself or endanger others. The choice is: if you feel that the road is not safe, take another road or walk for this section, or take public transport, etc. NOT endanger someone else.

As a side note, I personally have no issue with young children riding slowly on pavements.

For some people, riding a bike is an only mode transport and they might not have the confidence to ride on the road and be a bit scared.
I am a hobby road cyclist (very much maligned on MN) and can confirm that being on the road can be quite scary but I have the confidence in my riding to deal with it.