To expect cyclists not to ride on the pavement and not expect pedestrians to move out of their way!

[ophelia275]

I am so sick of having to swerve the pushchair or move out of the way so that some idiot on a bicycle can avoid the traffic by cycling on the pavement and expect me to stand aside with my kids/pushchair/shopping so that they can ride past. Sometimes (when I am not with my kids) I stand firm and don't move out of their way so they have to get off or be patient and wait until I have walked past.

When I was quite heavily pregnant I was walking along and this guy on a bike came zooming up and shouted "move" and just pushed past me. Nob.

Grrr. Hate them!

er not a legal user if a footpath shame on you, someone falls of their bike and you rabbit on about nonsense - not a good example to your ds how to behave when someone has an accident, shout at them about legalities. footpaths you can cycle on pavements you can't

One day i will get knocked over by a cyclist (just lightly bruised i hope) & a good looking man will stop & kindly drive me home in his Aston Martin.
I'm thinking similar to Daniel Craig as James Bond?

Stinky thanks for reminding me how thick I am. Facts are facts after all and its good to have someone like yourself willing to take the time and trouble to point this out.

Ivykaty, I'm afraid you are not correct. Riding your bicycle on a footpath is as legal as driving your car or motorbike down a bridleway.

"Footpaths
This public right of way is meant for pedestrians only. You are allowed to walk your dog as long as it is under your close control. When walking a dog, you must ensure that it keeps to the public footpath and does not trespass into nearby properties. Prams, pushchair or wheelchairs can also be used on a footpath.
Bridleways
These are meant for walkers, horseriders and bycyclists. Bicyclists are expected to give way to walkers and horseriders."
from here

I think my attempt at lightening the atmosphere of this thread maybe failed.

Latara , we can live in hope eh?

seems you can ride on a footpath

i tried before - but if you can't beat them - join in!!

Ivykaty - from your link

"Paths away from the road

So if your path is away from the road, does this mean you can definitely cycle on it?

Unfortunately not ? there might be other specific rules banning it. For example, cycling on your path might be banned by local byelaws, and breaching them may be an offence ? this is especially likely in parks and pedestrianised zones, for example.

Alternatively if the path is on private land, and you use it in a way (like cycling) which hasn?t been permitted by the landowner or a public right of way, you might be trespassing ? which is a civil wrong for which you can be sued (although it?s not an offence, and you can?t be prosecuted).

So it?s very difficult to know in advance whether you?re allowed to cycle on a path which is away from the road. As a general rule there should normally be signs telling you what?s allowed, and your best bet will just be to obey them.

As for specific kinds of country paths ? bridleways, public footpaths and the like ? that?s a whole other post."

I'm not sure where this says that cycling on a public footpath is permissible? The link that I made (to an environmental law site, not a walkers site or a cyclists site) specifically indicates that cycling on a public footpath is not allowed. Your link suggests that for country paths, such as public footpaths - 'that's a whole other post' - not that its legal.

I am liking surroundedbyblondes' notion of behaviour being determined by vulnerability, relative at least.

Where I live there are some very wide stretches of pavement divided into a cycle lane and a very broad pedestrian lane. Every day without fail you will find dozens of pedestrians dawdling on the red cycle route, and when I ring my bell or shout "Excuse me!!" they do a dazed slo-mo reaction which forces me to slow down and wait for them. Would IBU to crash into them? It would certainly teach them a lesson. Pedestrians are all so f*ing thick.

Nancy I honestly can't see what your problem is with horses. I'm a learner driver, and recently passed a horse on a country lane. IMO I don't actually own the road, so I was more than happy to slow down and treat the horse & rider considerately. S'no big deal.

Clearly the problem here is not, as blondes said, particular modes of transport. The problem is that some people are self-absorbed, ignorant tossers who believe that the world revolves around them and should obviously bow to them in respect. Thank goodness most of us are not so dim.

Horses on roads only annoy me because of the shit. Wish I could put plastic bags under the bastards.

Get some duck tape and stick it firm - a sort of makeshit colostomy bag.

12 pages in, as usual I haven't read most of the comments but just popped in to say I ride my bike on the path all the time. I'm very mindful that I'm not meant to be there, I only go about 5 miles an hour and I'm terrified of going under a bus (already been hit by a speeding car once) and with my mobility issues the bike is a lifesaver. It's one of the few ways I can get some exercise and I can carry groceries I'd never be able to manage on foot. I'm not capable of driving and the cycle paths are a load of crap around my area and subject to a lot of cars tearing down them, so I don't really have any other options.

Ivykaty, I thought your post was quite sweet! I thought everyone knew that unless you were a pedestrian you couldn't be on the pavement. Cyclists aren't allowed any more than horse riders aren't.

I think the main point is consideration, or lack of. When I have a car waiting to pass me in a tricky place, I trot on and get out the way or when a car passes me in a suitable manner, I smile, wave and say thank you.

Most cyclists round here seemed to have lost the ability to ride single file when people wish to pass or even god forbid thank anyone for passing with a wide berth.

Maybe manners have just fallen by the wayside regardless.

Hmmm..why should cyclists be 'grateful' for someone doing something which is required of them? (giving a wide berth)? And how is this gratitude supposed to be expressed to a driver when you have both hands on the h/bars?

It gets a bit horsey round where I live and they are pretty annoying walking or rising trot two across which means you can't give them a wide berth very easily driving. (I can also ride, so I am not getting at riders per se, ...unlike some drivers..)

Pan is there any exercise that you don't do?

Plenty of cyclists manage to say thank you by either smiling (yes I live in the country it happens) or just raising a hand slightly off the handle bars. I wouldn't expect them to do that in heavy traffic, but on rural roads its nice. Sometimes I would ride two across if one horse, the inside one, was a bit spooky.

I always said thank you when I was on a horse so that next time they passed a horse they would, hopefully, pass giving a wide berth, slowly etc.

I wouldn't expect a cyclist to thank me for overtaking safely, as the vehicle overtaking its my job to ensure I do it safely.

I do expect cyclists not to cross in front of me across the road when my lights are on green and the pedestrian crossing they are using is on red as I experienced last night thankfully I could see the idiot wasn't going to stop so waited but I shouldn't have too!

Sirzy, I don't but its nice when it happens. Why not acknowledge someone, it may encourage them to do it again.

Cyclists riding on pavements is unacceptable if they don't give way to pedestrians - if the pavement is clear, then it is not a problem.

My objection to cyclists is that they are usually middle aged men in lycra, so at the very least the fashion police should be alerted.

A more serious bugbear is the number of them round my way that don't wear hi viz. Now, I do understand these are middle aged men in lycra (see above comment) and dark colours are more slimming. But I do think a bit of hi viz for cylists and horse riders should be mandatory.

I am a horse rider and I always wear hi viz. I find it makes car driver more courteous, so I would encourge cyclists to do the same.

Most cyclists I encounter are considerate, but there will always be a few bad 'uns. I think it is best not to judge a whole group on the basis of one or two bad examples.

"My objection to cyclists is that they are usually middle aged men in lycra...."

ithakathat stuff about middle-aged men in lycra. Think about how you'd sound slagging off middle-aged women in short skirts, or showing their bingo wings. Would like the ugly to wear bags over their heads?

Oh, I see, you'll say it's a joke.

Not fucking funny.

Calm down echt. I have never heard anyone sound so offended by so harmless a little joke.

Unless you are joking too of course?

My objection to hi viz being mandatory is that it puts the onus on the cyclist, and provides a simple insurance get out clause for drivers who simply don't pay attention.
Unless you're arguing that we should also paint cars and pedestrians yellow. That'd be a goer :)

yeah, I like my lycra! I have nice legs and am told a nice bum, so bugger awf with the middle-aged rubbish!'If not, lets have a little chat about middle-aged women in jodhpurs??