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

172,000 people died on the roads in India in 2024, 35,000 of whom were pedestrians.

I cycle on the road unless I'm trying to take a turning and then I go on to the pavement and use a crossing as if I'm a pedestrian. Drivers' behaviour towards cyclists is pretty poor and if I'm not in the cycle path but in the road trying to turn then there is a high risk I won't even be noticed because the driver will be looking at their phone.

It's not only the lycra brigade. I occasionally cycle to work but I recently got hit by a car and am now scared to death. I stick mostly to cycle paths but there are a couple of roads I can't avoid, so I go on the path. I always give way to pedestrians though and am never entitled.

I don't mind cyclists on the pavement, even though I'm not one myself. I walk every day so it's a common occurrence to be passed by them. It seems to me that a pedestrian hit by a cyclist is in less danger than a cyclist hit by a vehicle on the road. The stats may show a decrease in cyclist accidents with motor vehicles but the injuries can be severe so the risk of harm is still very high.

https://roadsafetygb.org.uk/news/n-a-3319/

this is also worth a read - it has probably been the instigation as to why cyclists aren't fined or addressed when cycling on the pavements

The dangers on the roads are scary. It's not just the drivers but also the potholes. Councils don't have money to repair them and when they do, they focus on the ones in the middle of the roads. I am forever starring ahead for them, as I need to anticipate moving towards the middle of the road, which means making myself more vulnerable to being hit by a car.

The repercussions of a cyclist being hit by a car are much worse than a pedestrian being hit by a cyclist. The statistics are formal about this.

That doesn't mean you can cycle on a pavement like you do on the road.speed has to be greatly reduced. Those idiots who wizz between pedestrians are just selfish and don't care.

Having spent time in India, where pedestrians, bikes, mopeds, auto rickshaws, cars, cows share a narrow road space, it just works (mostly) with everyone looking out for everyone else.

I don't cycle on the pavement but I do let my kids do so which I think was fine when they were little but now they are a little older I do worry about it but the roads are very busy, the youngest is still very unreliable/wobbly and the eldest is autistic so struggles a bit. We would always stop and give space to pedestrians though and are not doing it on busy pavements. I don't think most people are on the pavement but if they are probably safety related

Again, I fully understand that. OP asked why some cyclists do it, not whether it was legal.

We have cycle paths, well marked ones. Yet every I would say 1 in 3 times I walk I am et by a surprise bike on a path coming at me from around the corner and have to quickly get out of the way. Because if they kept to their cycle paths, they would have to ride another 100m to a turn to get on our side of the road... It also works the other way around so you end up with bike suddebnly behind you on a pavement because they don't want to be behind the railing. One more twat will ring their bell at me on that pavement and I swear, I will shred that bike.

It’s illegal for a cyclist to cycle on a pedestrian footpath though.

‘I feel safer there’ doesn’t really cut it. Imagine if scooter riders decided the same.

I used to have this walking back from work when I lived in a city. Narrow pavement, ironically a cycle path on the road right next to it and still cyclists on the pavement.

I never moved for them, I just told them they should be on the cycle path.

Some of my favourites were:
“I can’t because I have a CHILD on the back of the bike”
“I can’t because im scared of lorries” which annoyed me because I chose to walk to work not cycle because I also don’t like lorries so I made a decision that meant I didn’t have to cycle next to them.

Oh and of course being told to fuck off a lot but I always stood my ground cuz it was such a narrow pavement.

One guy actually argued with me about it the whole length of the cycle path, ironically he had to cycle in the cycle path to do this as I just kept walking and stating facts at him. He didn’t like it cuz I just remained calm throughout while he was getting more and more angry.

I live by a fairly busy junction which gets a lot of cyclists.

I reckon one jumps the lights at least 50% of the time when I’m trying to cross.

I’ve been thinking about creating some sort of tool mounted on a lamp post to fire water at them or something.

Cyclists are vulnerable if they are struck by motor vehicles. Cyclists also know that they are not liked by many of those operating motor vehicles. Therefore, they are choosing to stay out of the path of motor vehicles. I'm sure you understand all of this, you're just arguing for the sake of it.

People just don’t care, and there are no consequences to doing it.

Absolutely huge problem where I live in London - now including delivery drivers on power-assisted electric vehicles which can go at some speed.

Call them out and you can expect a mouthful of abuse too.

Bless you x

Oh I do increasingly miss the funny reaction emoji 😄 🤣

Nor do i

i do think we were taught to dismount if there were pedestrians about but understand about kids on pavements

Actually tumbled off my bike a couple of days ago...I'm fine but snapped my bell mount when the bike went over. I had to call, "ON YOUR LEFT/RIGHT" all along the shared cycle path home, which I think is far more alarming than the ding of a bell.

Bought a new bell yesterday...I'm going to go and fit it on now.

Especially with the age of criminal responsibility....

because anyone over the age of 10 that cycles on the pavement is a twat.
Same as anyone that cycles and is either too visually impaired to see a red light, or too thick to understand that they are meant to stop at one.

It does, I see the local schools doing it.

Indeed, nor would I. But it's also useful to know what the law is.

What's that got do with cyclists riding on pavements? I mean a legitimate reason, not a flimsy one.