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AIBU?

To shout at these cyclists on the pavement?!!

107 replies

LeftMyRidingCropInTheMortuary · 29/07/2015 14:06

I travel between 2 different places for work so AIBU about either...?

City A: very busy tourist destination in UK. Cyclists riding on pavement amongst crowds of tourists (many look foreign themselves if this is relevant? Diff rules?). One nearly hit me. I yelled at her, she apologised. OK. Made me a bit wary though.

Town B: Quiet, long, straight, wide pavements. Teenagers on BMXs, they pass a wee bit close for comfort. One gave me lip when I asked her to move onto the road saying "it's legal for BMXs to ride on the pavement".

FYI: none of them have been wearing helmets either?!

Thoughts please.
Thanks in advance.

Now starting a thread about car drivers....I'm grumpy today!!!

OP posts:
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Sallyingforth · 29/07/2015 16:52

That link in full :

www.gov.uk/rules-for-cyclists-59-to-82/overview-59-to-71

Regardless of any home office guidelines, it is stillillegal. Only parliament can change the law.

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givemushypeasachance · 29/07/2015 16:52

Using hedgehog's approach to things next time a car or van passes within inches of my handlebars, rather than just shouting or even slapping at the side of their car with my hand in panic maybe I should unhook my hefty D-lock and swing it at their passenger window. That'll make them think twice about passing distance next time...

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NoSOHisadealbreaker · 29/07/2015 16:53

In that moment, frightened, I reacted in that way. As many people would.


I guess that per se is fair enough, but here you are, however much later, repeatedly justifying it, not to mention recommending that other people use it 'Maybe if other people did it...'

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hedgehog01 · 29/07/2015 16:55

As I popped out to the supermarket just now on a massively busy, congested high street with my small child I had to dodge several cyclists on the pavements who weren't paying enough attention. It's not a nice bit of road to cycle on - lots of buses, traffic and pedestrians stepping out, but for goodness sake, walk that stretch. Don't almost mow down people. My concern with even riding along wide, empty pavements is that if you're going at speed people don't see you coming, especially if they're wearing headphones.

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givemushypeasachance · 29/07/2015 16:57

Idiots who cycle around with their headphones in jumping red lights are frankly putting themselves forward as candidates for the Darwin Awards.

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sparechange · 29/07/2015 17:00

givemushypeasachance
The well-held orthodoxy is that vehicles will usually give you as much space as you give the kerb
If vans are routinely driving too close to you, it might be worth trying to ride further into the middle of the lane, or even smack bang in the middle of it. Both will stop people getting too close to you, and no window smashing required

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sonjadog · 29/07/2015 17:02

Do it, givemushy. Many people would.

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givemushypeasachance · 29/07/2015 17:07

That may be the theory but I very rarely get people giving me the full car-sized gap they should. I do try to ride reasonably far out, especially alongside parked cars, but you're always aware that you're basically holding up traffic behind you when doing so. I'm not a lycra-clad zipping along at 25mph cyclist, I'm on a town bike and do maybe 12mph on average. It's only fair to pull over and let people pass more easily where possible. It's more the areas where the road surface is so churned up from buses that you can't ride safely where you'd like to that get my goat - it's either right over on the yellow lines or right in the middle. There's one bit of bus lane in the centre here that's frankly dangerous, I don't know how they can get away leaving it in the broken state it is...

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LifeHuh · 29/07/2015 17:14

YANBU.It does annoy me to see cyclists on the pavement .I have some sympathy with people who feel unsafe on the roads , but really I think your choice is get confident or stop riding.
Though < hypocritically back pedalling> I do ride on the pavement for one stretch of my journey as it avoids me having to ride round a motorway junction roundabout ... there are never any pedestrians though and if there were I would walk.
Round here it seems to be youngish blokes and if I can ride on the road I really don't see why they can't, it's just selfishness and lack of thought.

Hedgehog - you pushed someone off their bike? Because they startled you? Good grief Hmm

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unlucky4marie · 29/07/2015 17:19

I used to get shouted at all the time by drivers for going the wrong way on a one way, buit was two way for bikes.

In London I regularly use the pavement (bow flyover) as its large, part for bikes and very very dangerous. I'm away very aware of other users.

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hedgehog01 · 29/07/2015 17:24

Lifehuh, shocking isn't it? Imagine! How utterly unreasonable of me!

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amarmai · 29/07/2015 17:25

I am 75 years old and have been cycling since i could walk , and on the road, until march when i was hit from behind by a car on an empty stretch of road in full daylight. I was close to the kerb, so why? Was it deliberate? Did she actually not see me? She is now charged with 'failing to share the road with a bicycle' and i am wondering what she will say in court. Any bets on her pleading guilty? I am scared now due to that car driver hitting me. But i am not a coward and am continuing to ride my bike on the road - except for when i come to that bit - then i go on the sidewalk.

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AvonleaAnne · 29/07/2015 17:25

YANBU. Cyclists should not be on the pavement. I don't drive, so I walk and cycle everywhere but if I need to go on the pavement for some reason I get off and walk. It's not difficult.

My 7-year old son got hit by a bike the other day and instead of apologising the man swore loudly and repeatedly at him. It was on a footpath that was clearly marked as no cycling. Luckily, as I walked home I spotted the same man actually lived on our street so I was able to express my thoughts on the incident. He now hides whenever he spots me. He is French though so I wonder if they have different laws about cycling on the pavement?

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hedgehog01 · 29/07/2015 17:53

I'm certainly not recommending that other people do the same as I did. I really don't feel the need to advise other people how to behave. Well, apart from not to ride on pavements! I acted like that on that day, in those circumstances. I don't regret it.

Some people would think twice about riding on pavements (not everyone, of course) if pedestrians behaved negatively towards them.

In no circumstances would I raise a D-lock (or any kind of weapon) to anyone. I can't say I wouldn't slam the door back, assuming I wasn't lying on the floor. In that hypothetical situation. I often have my toddler in a bike seat, so my first priority would be to make sure they were OK. It's a major cause of cyclist deaths.

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GoblinLittleOwl · 29/07/2015 17:57

What frightens me about cyclists is their unpredictability.
Watched one this morning whilst waiting for traffic lights to change.
One minute cycling on the road, then turned into a pedestrian by dismounting at the traffic lights, pressed the crossing symbol but cycled across the crossing despite it being red, dodging oncoming traffic, then continued his journey along the pavement.
All without any form of hand signal or notification of which way he was going.

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NoSOHisadealbreaker · 29/07/2015 18:42

I'm certainly not recommending that other people do the same as I did

I'm really sorry to harp on about this Hedgehog but with every possible respect, that's exactly what you ARE doing:


I pushed them off their bike. Maybe if more people did this, they would learn it's not acceptable...

this sounds like a 'way to go' kind of recommendation to me.

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NoSOHisadealbreaker · 29/07/2015 18:42

..and just to clarify, imho cyclists who ride on the pavement are WRONG WRONG WRONG!!

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SoupDragon · 29/07/2015 18:52

Surely people realise that, on MN, cyclists are untouchable.

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PurpleWithRed · 29/07/2015 18:54

Highway Code:

You MUST NOT cycle on a pavement.
Laws HA 1835 sect 72 & R(S)A 1984, sect 129

i.e. it is a LAW that you do NOT ride on a pavement. Punishable by a fine (+ civil action if relevant)

In case you wondered, you can't ride your horse there either, or indeed wilfully lead or drive any horse, ass, sheep, mule, swine, or cattle or carriage of any description, or any truck or sledge, upon any such footpath or causeway

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SoupDragon · 29/07/2015 18:55

Perhaps if people stopped driving like dangerous knobs, cyclists wouldn't use pavements sensibly or otherwise.

PMSL. Yes, because cyclists behaving like dangerous knobs on the pavement is absolutely the fault of drivers and not simply the cyclists for being entitled knobs.

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NoSOHisadealbreaker · 29/07/2015 18:58

Can't believe that having been on MN for something approaching seven years, this is the first time I've been sucked into a cycling thread.

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sonjadog · 29/07/2015 19:01

I will remember that, Purple, next time I am considering taking an ass pulling a sledge into town.

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IamPaulsMum · 29/07/2015 19:11

I'm very impressed by people who can run to exercise but my knees are now shot so cycling is my best way to enjoy toning up and burning calories if I'm looking to cover any distances. The provision for cyclists varies and there are times that it is necessary to cycle on shared paths to join up routes. There have been instances when cycling on the roads has been frightening with people shouting for us to get off the road because we don't pay any road tax (they're oblivious to the car that's parked quietly at home). I'd love to see cycling taken into consideration by people who plan how space is used - surely no one wants conflict? So much contrast between countries, too. It's not possible to walk along pavements in Naples without a scooter revving behind to encourage pedestrians to move out of their way and who's visited Amsterdam? I was amazed at how the cyclist rules there - no chance to wander freely as a pedestrian in that environment, we were constantly giving way to cyclists and virtually jumping into canals in the process. I'd love to see a driving test that requires every road user to spend at least an hour swapping roles with other road users - walking, cycling, car driving, horse-riding etc.

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unlucky4marie · 29/07/2015 19:29

Another car cut me up earlier, hedgehog I'll take your advice and ram them off the road next time shall I?

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Imustgodowntotheseaagain · 29/07/2015 19:37

It's quite dangerous for me to ride my motorcycle on the road. 2/3 of crashes where another vehicle is involved are the fault of the car driver, not the biker. Can I come and ride on the pavements too? I would be a lot safer....

Of course not. Pavements are for pedestrians.

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