To cycle ON the pavement?

[Hum2]

Haven't ridden in years and just getting back on it. Do not trust some of the cars on the road to overtake me with enough space. I'm still wobbly on it.

AIBU to ride on the pavement? Even when there is a cycle lane on the road (which was a locked at two points today by parked cars!).

I also use the 'green man' to cross the roads rather than moving to the road and crossing like a vehicle.

How many of the posters on here ripping into cyclists for the risk posed to toddlers are also drivers? Are you also worried about the fumes and particulates you belch out at toddlers on the pavement?

This is just a goady post. What response was she expecting?

@findthegap I rarely drive in central London but in other cities and places I tend to position myself to the left* to make it difficult for cyclists to pass if I'm going to be turning left or I'm stuck at lights at a junction and the vehicle before me is turning left. I then get amused my the idiots with a death wish who try to scoot using the kerb to go up my LHS and give me angry looks as there is no room, when at least two other cyclists go down my RHS to get in front of me then stop or stop clearly behind me.

I had a former cycling colleague who use to shout at other cyclists if they tried to go down the LHS of left turning large vehicles. He use to be sworn at all the time.

Personally I rather be sworn at then spend hours dealing with an RTA I just witnessed.

One of the issues is lots of cyclists with poor road position don't drive, have never riden a scooter/moped or have never done bikeability courses. I've had some interesting conversations with a few cyclists who later got a driving licence about how they didn't realise how much danger they were putting themselves in doing things like that as they didn't realise the blind spots in other vehicles.

Oh and I fucking hate coach drivers, taxi and Uber drivers while on a bike. I also hate the latter when driving.

*These places don't have cycle lanes.

I have lived where people often cycle on the pavement and never felt threatened as a pedestrian. However, I have felt extremely unsafe as a cyclist riding on the road. A close relative of mine was killed riding on the road.

How many of the posters on here ripping into cyclists for the risk posed to toddlers are also drivers?

Well, two of us have said we're non-drivers so far. And I'm equally if not more concerned about the risk to elderly and / or disabled people who can't get out of the way quickly & might be seriously hurt if some idiot on a bike crashed into them.

It doesn’t bother me if the pavements are quiet, you give priority to pedestrians and you’re just pootling along slowly.

You missed a trick with this one, OP.

If it had been about a transwoman cycling a bike in the women’s toilets, you’d have had everyone shouting ‘bingo!’

I am not sure why you would bother starting a thread to be honest.

I got a bike some years ago. I had to cycle it back from the place I bought it which meant three miles on main roads with no cycle paths. After spending what felt like an eternity with a bus right up my backside I moved onto the pavement in complete terror. I got home, got off my bike and never got back on it again.

If the only way I feel I can comfortably and safely cycle is to endanger the safety and comfort of others then I won’t cycle.

It’s not a right

OK, maybe I should have specified I meant the people who have replied who Do drive.

Was there not a teenager killed by a cyclist on a pavement a few years ago?

And I am sorry but I genuinely don’t understand the argument about drivers. If the cars are on the pavement then fair enough but they aren’t.

Now drivers who park over pavements - that’s a whole other issue

YABVU. Nervous pedestrian who also has to 'jump' out of the way of kids on speeding scooters whose mothers are walking yards away!

There's a lot of "you shouldn't cycle on the pavement because people cycle inconsiderately on the pavement near me"

The OP isn't going to cycle inconsiderately, she's said so.

The equivalent argument of "some drivers speed/drive drunk so no you shouldn't drive" would rightly be called as false, as would "no you shouldn't have one drink because my friend got beaten up by a drunk guy" etc etc.

Why the grouping of all people on bikes into one group?

Some people are dicks. They will remain so irrespective of their form of transport. Not all people riding bikes are dicks, despite all the anecdata on this thread. Similarly not all car drivers are dicks. Nor all dog walkers, or pedestrians.

When I'm riding on my own, I ride on the road. Luckily roads near me are largely suitable for a competent cyclist, provided you have a thick skin to avoid the inevitable abuse from (some) dickish drivers at some point. When I'm accompanying my 5yo to school, we ride on the pavement. Where there are any pedestrians we are at walking speed or below, and give them full priority. I can honestly say I've never "whizzed" past anyone or wobbled near anyone or scared anyone. If coming up behind someone who hasn't heard me (usually the free wheel ticking frantically as I stop pedaling attracts attention - if not I say "excuse me", pedestrian looks around, moves slightly over, I say thank you and smile, and ride on), I come to a complete stop if needed. I certainly wouldn't be yelling at anyone to get out my way, that's just bloody rude.

It doesn't have to be an us Vs them battle, we're all people.

Sorry, I had line breaks, blinking app.

The equivalent argument of "some drivers speed/drive drunk so no you shouldn't drive" would rightly be called as false

You’re not comparing like for like.

Driving drunk or speeding is illegal.

Driving (with insurance/license) isn’t.

But at the moment there's no comeback for the dangerous cyclists, Kitchen. They can just vanish into the distance.

If there was some form of accountability for cyclists (bike numberplates?) & they knew that bad behaviour on pavements - going above walking speed, yelling at people to move etc - would be reported & get them in shit, that would be different.

@KitchenFloor some people seem to think because they have experienced/heard about some cyclists speeding along the pavement and scaring/injuring people that every single cyclist is the same.
A bike doesn't have a single fast speed, you can ride as slowly as you want. For the OP, practicing slow control would be a good idea. I did it as part of my motorbike CBT course, learning to manouevere a 150kg+ bike whilst barely moving was a good transferable skill to bicycling.

This country would be a far better place for lots of reasons if more people cycled rather than took the car. The space we have needs to be shared and cyclists should be accommodated somewhere. The easiest way to do that is to default all paths to dual use and indicate where that's not allowed e.g. very narrow pavement. Pedestrians to the left and cyclists to the right.

Town centres aside most pavements are not busy, most roads are.

@KitchenFloor I don't care if she's got every intention of bring considerate. She's too "wobbly" to be out on her bike in an area not designed for cyclists with kids, elderly people, dogs etc all in her path.

Drivers pose far more danger to cyclists than cyclists ever have to pedestrians

My daughter has never been hit be a car, yet has been knocked into the road by a cyclist on the pavement.

I drive. I am extremely careful. I don’t run red lights, I don’t speed and I pass cyclists with the recommended passing width.

Does that mean I’m allowed an option

• opinion

This country would be a far better place for lots of reasons if more people cycled rather than took the car. The space we have needs to be shared and cyclists should be accommodated somewhere. The easiest way to do that is to default all paths to dual use and indicate where that's not allowed e.g. very narrow pavement. Pedestrians to the left and cyclists to the right.
I agree

The problem with that solution (which seems entirely sensible) is that there is rarely consensus over where it cannot be safely allowed. Near me there is a foot bridge which is rather narrow. I feel it is simply too narrow to allow cyclists and pedestrians. The cyclist lobby disagree and insist that they can ‘share with care’. In fairness the vast, vast majority do but the ‘share with care’ sign gives license to a tiny bit dangerous minority who weave in and out of elderly people and children.

I have also been hit and knocked over by a cyclist. On the pavement.

It was a middle aged man. He said he was "too nervous" to ride on the road. That doesn't mean he can just cycle on the pavements though

Having also been hit by a cyclist and knocked to the ground whilst on the pavement I believe that adult cycling on pavements should be banned and it' well overdue that they should have to have insurance in the same way motorists do