To think that adults should cycle on the road

[LoopyLou1981]

It’s been a long time since I’ve been organised enough to get up (and get 2 kids up) and out early enough to walk to the station instead of getting the bus.
On a 2 mile walk, I’ve been ‘dinged’ at by 3 cyclists to get me to move over on the pavement so they could get passed.
Is this a new thing?! Our roads aren’t narrow or any more dangerous than any others. AIBU to think they should be on the road?!

It's time cyclist had to have insurance and a number plate to show they have. Then the idiots could be held to account for their stupidity

Nonsense. They generally only hurt themselves if they do something stupid (the case above of the child notwithstanding). It's car drivers who need stricter regulation, not cyclists.

There are three on this thread, including me. I walk a minimum of five miles a day. Similar to myself. As I've said in a PP it is annoying when a cyclist whizzes by with no warning. A runner passing close by with no warning also can make one jump. Do we need to do something about them too.

I once saw a guy walk out of a shop and straight into a cyclist, who was not only on the pavement but close to the store fronts and going fairly quickly. The cyclist ended up falling off his bike, and shouting at the other poor guy.

If part of the road is too dangerous to cycle on, it's best to get off and walk on the pavement with your bike.

If more cyclists are forced off the paths, surely you can see this will stop more people cycling.

For once, I haven't RTFT because the excuses people on here come up with as to why it's fine for THEM to be selfish and break the law because xyz drive me crazy.

If it is too dangerous to ride a bike on the road- you can't cycle in that area. Walk, bus or drive instead. There isn't a third option where you get to zoom along on the pavement illegally and then accuse people who don't like it of being anti cyclist. We're just anti getting-knocked-down-by-a-vehicle-mounting-the-pavement.

A bell should give the message "I'm here" as a warning when needed, not as an entitled "Get out of my way".

There are some paths near me that take both pedestrians and cyclists. (No specific cycle lanes, cyclists just need to make their way around pedestrians. There are official signs on lamp posts asking cyclists to watch out for pedestrians, from which I deduce that cycling is legal.) The paths do not run alongside a road, so there is not a road alternative for the cyclists. There are plenty of both cyclists and pedestrians on the path.

It works fine.

I think it's reasonable for cyclists and pedestrians to mix. There is some risk to pedestrians from reckless cyclists, but it's not greater than the risks to cyclists on roads, from reckless motorists.

Given that a cyclist can slow down to walking pace, it's ridiculous to suggest they actually dismount to pass pedestrians.

(I'm not a cyclist.)

@Vitalogy - I actually don't believe you're a cyclist, as there are v few I know who would be so incompetent they could only cycle on pavements while at the same time doing so do regularly they feel the need to defend their rights.

Cyclists don't get to cycle on pavements, with the possible exception of under 7s, though even there I've had a few near misses with kids on scooters.

I'm not an amazing cyclist: i am a competent one. I go at a moderate pace, I don't take any chances, i allow myself room and if a route is too dangerous I avoid it. I'm not out in Lycra on Sundays doing 50 miles an hour down a hill. But I still manage to cycle on the road, and be considerate of pedestrians.

Except for the fact I’m deaf. And.
As I said before, I'm not a cyclist, mostly walk, I agree it is irritating when cyclist aren't considerate but if they are surely we can all get along just fine. In an ideal world they'd be cycling paths everywhere but until then. Peace.

@Vitalogy- I actually don't believe you're a cyclist, I'm not a cyclist. I do care for the environment though. I do a lot of walking and would rather walk along roads with less traffic on.

Cyclists are welcome to cycle on the pavement near me. I'd rather they were safe to save a few seconds of annoyance on my part.

Sometimes pavements are actually shared cycle lanes too. It’s not always that clear. There’s one near me that has small blue signs showing it’s for both bikes and pedestrians but there are no white markings so its not that clear.

It’s on a part of road that goes narrow and up a hill so I guess the reckoning is it’s safer to have bikes off the road at that point. Didn’t stop someone shouting at me when I was cycling at just above walking pace with a baby on the back.

As a bike rider I use shared cycle lanes sometimes - when I do I ‘ding’ my bell to let someone know if I’m going to overtake so they know I’m there - it’s not meant to scare someone. I’m not expecting a pedestrian to get out the way but I am expecting them to hold their course so they don’t meander into where I’ll be coming through. That’s adults though. I would expect toddlers to do whatever they wanted!

It’s been explainedthree timeson this thread why deaf people are specifically at risk from people cycling on pavements. Please expand if it's not too much trouble.

I've decreed, as King of Everything, that a person on a can ride on a pavement, considerately, where the risks of riding a on a road are unreasonably high. So we all are safe and happy, and no-one needs to start a goady thread on MN. Unless they are just bored and so we can mock them for having no imagination to do anything else with their precious time.

In other words.....as you were.

when I do I ‘ding’ my bell to let someone know if I’m going to overtake so they know I’m there - it’s not meant to scare someone. That's exactly how I take it too, as a courtesy.

I've decreed, as King of Everything, that a person on acan ride on a pavement, considerately, where the risks of riding aon a road are unreasonably high. So we all are safe and happy Exactly, common sense.

Vitalogy may I offer you the opening of Sec of State for Transport in my new Cabinet?

It would be an honour MrPan