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

There are a lot where I live too. And no, I'm not talking about shared paths. Some of the worst defenders are delivery riders; or, to be fair, maybe I feel like they're the worst offenders because I see a lot of them, but there's just a lot more delivery riders around than ordinary cyclists.
I just stand still on the pavement and let them navigate around me. I get shouted abuse and sarky laughter. I don't care.

What the heck has "road tax" (there's no such thing) got to do with this?

Cyclists do pay for the roads. We all pay for the roads whether we use cars or use our feet or our wheels.

It's mainly cos of dangerous car drivers to be honest.

I have no beef with any careful and respectful person on a bike sharing the pavement with me but as with everything else there are arses on bikes too. Arsehole drivers, arsehole pedestrians.

That's too much like common sense for @Dangermoo.

I do think that the vast majority of motorists don't give a shit, and no motorist is taught as part of learning to drive/ the driving test in the UK how to properly behave around all types of vunerable road users, be that cyclists, bikers, horse riders or whatever.

If a cyclist feels in danger on a busy road, there is an empty pavement next to it and they adjust their speed etc for pedestrians etc, then as far as I am concerned they can crack on.

Edit - and that's exactly what the guidance re: penalties says as well.

No one pays road tax. Vehicles are taxed based on their CO2 emissions: bicycles generate zero CO2. A car can easily destroy a bicycle (and its rider), whereas a bicycle can do little more than dent a car. No country in the world, with the exception of North Korea, requires bicycles to display number plates, and there are very good reasons for that.

Exceptional circumstances, granted. However, you originally stated the vast majority of motorists don't give a shit about motorists.

That's one hell of a lot of exceptions then.

No such thing as road tax.

I've not RTWT, but bikes on the road should be liable to road tax as they want a safe road to drive on like cars do, and they should have to pay insurance as they are just as liable to crash into a car/damage a car, likewise a car into a bike. Bikes should have a number plate type process and/or have to display the tax & insurance on the bike

Did you miss where I said I have no issue? Me? Personally? That's my opinion and - shocking, I know - I get to have that opinion.

Not withstanding the fact that when FPN were introduced for pavement cycling, the home office issued the following guidance.

“The introduction of the fixed penalty is not aimed at responsible cyclists who sometimes feel obliged to use the pavement out of fear of traffic and who show consideration to other pavement users when doing so. Chief police officers who are responsible for enforcement, acknowledge that many cyclists, particularly children and young people, are afraid to cycle on the road, sensitivity and careful use of police discretion is required.”

So, yeah.

No, it's not fair enough at all. The law disagrees with you.

As long as they take sufficient care to give way to pedestrians etc I have no issue with people cycling on pavements next to busy roads etc.

Let's face it, the vast majority of motorists don't give a shit about cyclists, so if they need to ride on pavements then fair enough.

Kids aside, cyclists have no business being on pavements and endangering pedestrians. Selfish behaviour really. The law is clear and penalties should be enforced.

I always cycle on the road unless I'm with one of the kids and then we go very slowly and give way to pedestrians.

However, i do think that the chance of being killed or seriously injured are much higher if you are a cyclist being hit by a car than if you are a pedestrian being hit by a cycle.

Honestly the roads are so dangerous I can understand why they don't want to ride on them. But if they're on the pavements they need to slow the fuck down, make themselves known before trying to overtake and still wear helmets/hi-vis etc. Far too many just zoom along oblivious, we have near misses round corners almost every day!

This boils my piss…..

It’s illegal (according to the Highway Code) to cycle on the pavement. Yet - somehow it’s now the norm and grown adults seem incapable of riding on the road.

And don’t start me on the cycle paths where I live which are empty 90% of the time and bigger than the pavement (so pedestrians are forced to walk in a tiny area).

Why don't you just get in touch with your local councillor? Take it up as an issue. Make a bit of personal effort and actually change something for your community?
Or do you just like all the love from the MN bicycle haters?

Sometimes it’s confusion about the route too.
I live a mile from our city centre. Going to the centre is clear and straightforward. Coming back is confusing and a longer way because of the road layout.

Bikes on the pavement unless it's young children annoys me BUT I understand why. I wouldn't want to cycle on most of our roads either. It's not even about the speed of cars, it's the volume of them, the lack of respect for cyclists and pedestrians, the amount of cars parked along every road.

Children no, the parents? Yes I mind that. Pavements are not for adult cyclists

Well that's all true.

that doesn’t mean they should be on the pavement.

Imo, everyone has lost patience. Cars driving too fast, cyclists zooming along - why the need for speed?
Also think better education is needed for drivers and cyclists.

Don’t pretend you wouldn’t miss me!

I'm very sorry for your loss.

Like I said, you really can't win, however you decide to get around. It's impossible to mitigate all the risks, and I totally get why people would want to cycle on the pavement, but it's not necessarily fair or right for them to do so!

I wish the government would take it more seriously and invest in more cycle lanes, and make them actually safe, but I don't think that's going to happen any time soon.