Cyclists on pavement

[Rentergob89]

So this week a lady has been riding her bike on the pavement whilst children and their parents are attempting to walk in the opposite direction. She does not stop for anyone and yesterday had knocked a small child over grumbled something and carried on riding her bike on the pavement. Today I could see her coming towards me so I stopped where I was and refused to move for her. She stopped and said I was an inconvenience and I should move my fat a### out the way. I replied " you should not be riding your bike on the pavement you should be in the road" she then rode off swearing and shoving her two fingers up at me. Charming!! Two other mothers witnessed this and said thank you to me for saying something another however said I was in the wrong for not moving out of the way for her.
The pavement gets really busy after school as its the only way children and parents can walk to either their cars or the bus stop. All I am concerned about is the safety of the children but she seems to only care about herself. Was I in the wrong??

[ShotsFired]

wasonthelist But it won't shut haters up, next it will be compulsory insurance, tests, bike MOTs etc etc
And still the few bad apples will carry on.

Yes, you are sadly right. My prev post was more in jest than anything.

We'll just have to go on doing our bits individually to try and make people see that we are the majority, and the minority are not welcome by us either. In fact I'll have another go at it by having a short ride this afternoon!

[MitzyLeFrouf]

Yeah, it's always about the poor little cyclists. They do a great line in self pity.

[ShotsFired]

thatwouldbeanecumenicalmatter I use a pavement frequently that has a cycle path right next to it all the way along, yet cyclists still insist on using the pavement hmm

I wonder why - I can almost guarantee you there will be a valid reason for it if every single cyclist you see 100% avoids the entire thing. Maps link?

Or could it be that it's actually just the odd person being a dick on two wheels; and all the cyclists who do use it or the road, you just don't notice?

[Cloudspider]

Yes poor cyclists in 2014 21,287 people were injured and 3514 killed. Of those killed only 16% did not involve a collision with a motor vehicle.

[MitzyLeFrouf]

Awful. Still no excuse for cycling on the pavement though.

[SpookyRachel]

Near me we have a river walk which has separate paths for cyclists and pedestrians. They are physically separated by a grassy bank so you can't nip from one to the other. Yet there are always cyclists bombing down both - far too fast to make it safe for a toddler to wander along, for example.

Not interested in the poor oppressed cyclists thing. I don't even drive. I just want to walk along with my kids without having someone bomb into us, or shout at us to get out the way.

[whatsthecomingoverthehill]

How many threads on here are started by cyclists complaining about other road users Mitzy? When so many threads are started about cyclists you begin to get defensive and wonder why cycling gets such disproportionate attention.

[MitzyLeFrouf]

I don't drive either Spooky. Us pedestrians seem to be the lowest on the transport food chain though.

[MitzyLeFrouf]

I can happily join in threads about inconsiderate drivers. There are more than plenty of them.

[whatsthecomingoverthehill]

Indeed there are. Yet not many threads about them.

[Hedgehogparty]

Not many threads and those that are, don't tend to descend into
"I hate drivers type rants.

[squoosh]

I don't drive either so have equal beefs with drivers and cyclists.

Cyclists on the pavement and drivers speeding up to get through an amber light are daily rages I have.

[user1474548809]

When I cycle, I always ensure i'm respectful of any other user around me, and tbh the "correct" action is normally highly dependant on context!

e.g. although i know it's technically illegal, i do cycle on the pavement for 200m on my normal way home from the shop, because it's up a very very steep hill and it's narrow, but has no/rare pedestrians... if you try and cycle up it on the road, evne going flat out, you end up blocking a rat run for several bus routes, trucks getting onto the motorway, etc... basically you end up with a massive queue of traffic behind you, all getting very angry, attempting to over take you on the bends... so despite it being illegal, i do cycle on the pavement there (as do most other people when i've occasionally seen them). would the same bile exist if you saw me in that situation on the pavement as has been shown here?! i'd hope not?!

second, there's a large number of shared use cycle routes around here - basically what look like wide pavements but are actually legally shared use pavements.

i.e. they're part of the recognised cycle network.

can i suggest that to some of the posters who are posting about seeing cyclists on pavements, and them being in the wrong.. please do check. look out for the recognised cycle route signs (they tend to be quite small, blue) before shouting at cyclists that they shouldnt be on the pavements.

i've been shouted at/sworn at a number of times in the last years where i live because the cycle route i use most often has a section of shared use pavement (it IS a cycle route though), but not many of the pedestrians seem to know.. you get a lot of glares and unhappy glances, and they generally don't stick to the left or use common sense about where to move when i ring my bell (to let them know i'm there, as you should... some of them seem to think that means "get out of my way"..!).

anyway, please check before you think a pavement means there should be no cyclists it isn't always obvious what's legal.

that doesn't excuse cyclists doing dangerous stuff illegally though, of course.

[user1474548809]

oh, i should have added - that also applies on the green/red man crossings around here. a number of them are for pedestrians and bikes to cycle across legally.

but they don't look terribly different to pedestrians, and again, i think most of them don't realise they're actually on a shared use cycle/pedestrian path (i.e. where everyone should be considerate of other users, no exception).

[WheelofPan]

A good reason as to why cycling threads do not descend into " I hate drivers" thing is because the vast majority of adult biking commuters are also car owner/drivers. As the reverse is not true, car drivers do not have the same understanding re how vulnerable and how 'defensively' one needs to ride in order to stay safe, esp in busy traffic.

I ride 22 miles in and out of a major city most days (or at least 11 miles one way) and you need to have the very thickest of skins to ride that and actually get some pleasure out of it. When driver poster complain about the ocassional pavement bikist or riders going through red lights I tend to have a.....'relaxed' attitude towards them.

[Mumski45]

I don't understand why cyclists stir up so much hate.

Firstly there is nothing 'illegal' or wrong with wearing lycra. It is purely for comfort which is important on a long ride. Why do people (including some posters on here) seem to think that this is a valid reason to criticise cyclists. It just makes you sound aggressive when you describe cyclists as "lycra clad' why does it matter to any one else what they wear - it devalues the point you are trying to make which may be valid.

I cycle on average 100m a week and whilst I have had the occasional incident where a driver has seemed pissed with me 99% of the time drivers, cyclists and pedestrians exist together on the roads and shared pavements without any issues. It just takes a bit of tolerance and courtesy and empathy which thankfully most people possess.

In any walk of life we are likely to come across people who do not have common courtesy for others but I find that the vitriol directed at cyclists on threads like this is completely out of sync with my experience of real life.

Could I ask you all to please "Share the Road"

[squoosh]

Yes share the road.

But only pedestrians can share the pavement.

[Mumski45]

Oh and for the record OP YANBU and even as a frequent cyclist I would have done the same as you.

She showed herself up by reacting badly when you challenged her and I would also have thanked you for standing up to her.

[Mumski45]

Absolutely Squoosh unless it is a shared use pavement in which case my comments about tolerance and courtesy are still relevant.

I would actually make an exception for young children who I would not like to see cycling on the road until they are old enough or responsible enough to understand how to do this safely.

[squoosh]

Child cyclists on the pavement are fine as long as they're not going full pelt.

[witchywoohoo]

So no, if stretches of road are safer for me to ride in the pavement than on the road as drivers cannot be trusted then that is what will happen. Appeasing dickhead drivers isn't top of my pops. Staying safe is.

So if you feel unsafe riding your bike on the road you will ride it on a pavement - thus making the pavement completely unsafe for pedestrians. As long as you're alright eh? Pavements are for pedestrians - who are often children and older people, who are often unpredictable and stop and start and meander. You are risking their lives. So utterly selfish.

[Mumski45]

As I said if everyone including children cycling on the pavement and those supervising them are tolerant and courteous then I don't see the problem.

Being courteous would include not going at full pelt and slowing down when approaching pedestrians, dogs etc. It would include making people aware that you are behind them and if necessary getting off the bike to walk.

I would also recommend that children take a bikeability course as soon as they are able to so that they have the skills and road sense to be safe and they will no longer need to use the pavements. I would only make an exception for young children.

[whatsthecomingoverthehill]

"You are risking their lives. So utterly selfish."

You have no concept of risk.

[WheelofPan]

It's odd isn't it?

How life real, experienced life is sooo different to MN 'life'. In real experienced life people generally negotiate and give and take, understand and rub along. In MN 'life' is all pressured, risk averse and sometimes sounds inauthentic and fictional.