Cyclists on pavements

[origamiunicorn]

Ok, please tell me if I ABU.

What's your opinion on people cycling on pavements? I don't mean young children who are clearly learning or parents who are accompanying them but adults. Full blown, fully grown adults.

Where I live it seems common place and I don't get it. AIBU to say if you are an adult and aren't comfortable on the road you shouldn't be riding a bike. It always seems to be middle aged men too who whizz past, so not an adult learner or someone who is gaining confidence.

Just now I was walking home from work and I hear this bell ringing and as I turn around this man in his 40s? whizzes past me and shouts "out the way!" to which I throw my hands up in the air at him and tell him to get off the pavement and then as I walk past him further up the road at a crossing he says something, calls me the C word and rides off. I mean what?!

I actually feel a little shaken with the confrontation so AIBU in my reaction? I thought it was justified considering. I mean if you're going to ride on the pavement like a child at least give people a chance to get out the way and... should people even be on cycling on the pavement?!

Many pavements are for both cycling and walking

It’s not easy to tell the difference between pavements that are shared use and pavement that is not.

This is a local road - which part is shared use and which is not?

So how many deaths are enough for you to consider it a problem, since apparently "only a few" is just fine and dandy?

1800 deaths a year equating to 5 every day by drivers is to many

I was interested in the shared space situation being described as working very well and just had a look to see if I could find any accident report stats on it. I found this study which says that in their findings, accidents by cyclists hitting pedestrians was very under reported and it was seen as a negative experience by lots of pedestrians.

www.theihe.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Holmes-Report-on-Shared-Space-.pdf

Being hit by a cyclist is indeed a negative experience - being hit by a car is a deadly one. Cyclists on pavements are annoying (especially bell ringing ones) but mostly not deadly.

My bicycle is still in the garage; the same one I used to cycle through the centre of a major city to university and back. My route took me along the extremely busy main dockside road that connected the southern side to the northern side of the city, with ginormous lorries all over the place. It also took me along the main centre street and up a major route north, past the access roads to the football stadium of the Premier club. Yes, it could be bloody dangerous and a friend was knocked down at a roundabout but we weren't stupid enough to cycle with headphones and paid attention to the road without trying to undertake lorries or jump red lights. I HATED having to stop at the foot of the hill but I did because it was the rule of the road.

I never once cycled on a pavement because it is both fucking illegal and because pedestrians are entitled to walk in safety. If I took my bicycle on a pavement, I was wheeling it. I have no sympathy for whinging dangerous cyclists; far too many of them are plain dangerous to their own safety. I am also a driver and am aghast at some of the dangerous and life-threatening antics some cyclists get up to.

That article refers to the shared space scheme involving all traffic which is completely different to the shared cycle paths being discussed on this thread!

That article refers to the now suspended shared space scheme, involving traffic and pedestrians sharing same space including cars, lorries etc. That's completely different to the shared cycle paths being discussed on this thread!

Sorry for double post. First came up as unsuccessful

Where I am (not UK) nearly all pavements are shared for pedestrians and cyclists, sometimes with a line separating the cycle half and sometimes completely shared. I am always very careful when there are people walking, slow right down and pass them carefully, dismounting and walking if necessary, rather than ring my bell. Most other cyclists do the same around here. Riding on the road terrifies me, been forced into a ditch by a car when I was a child riding on the road, and hit by a car on another occasion, so I don't ride on the road unless I have to.

.dirtylittlemonsters no, I was specifically referring to the part concerning the cyclist sharing space with pedestrians. I did try to C&P that part as I thought people wouldn’t bother reading it properly.

Anyway, there is so much whataboutery on this thread. Cyclists shouldn’t be on pavements, ROSPA says that accidents are under reported, it’s not safe for people with disabilities, particularly hearing and sight ones, plus it’s illegal.

Plus, that study refers to over 100 shared spaces, some which are just cyclist sharing spaces with pedestrians.

YANBU!

I walk to uni regularly and the pavement is shared with no line. Fine, annoying for pedestrians and cyclists at times but the road is very busy.

However, there is a narrow path across a bridge with signs telling cyclists to dismount. Do they ever? NO. It actually infuriates me and I’ve been hit multiple times when I physically can’t get any further against the wall of the bridge!
So now I walk down the centre of the bridge (stepping aside for pedestrians coming the opposite way) and they ring their damn bells behind me the whole way but I’m past caring
That probably makes me U but I’m sick of every single cyclist ignoring the signs!

So to all those saying cycling on pavement is illegal how come shared pavements are made then if it’s illegal what’s the point?

people moan about cyclists on pavements (rightly so). But going off the majorities of drivers on this threat, cyclists are a menace/idiots/slowing down the traffic, i.e. should not be on the road either.

with cycling lanes largely absent in the UK, where o earth do people suggest cyclists ride their bikes??? I am genuinely intrigued.

We are suffocating in bad air, are a land full of obese people, don't see people the value on cycling?

Don’t assume everyone on a bike can dismount and walk, many people use bicycles as they can’t walk

I’m sure every cyclist who refuses to dismount is doing so because they are unable to walk!

They do it because they can’t be arsed and don’t care if they barge passing pedestrians with their elbows or bike handles. Not even a glancing sorry as they cycle off!

I have never seen one cyclist dismount and walk their bike across the bridge since September, I attend 3/4 times a week and use the bridge to and from where I park my car and there is at least one cyclist per journey, maybe more. I cba to do the maths but please feel free!

Plus nothing in that video suggests inability to dismount or stay seated but ‘walk’ the bike does it? Poor one-legged man is just trying to go about his business and is getting filmed by a rando... weird.

It also still doesn't give people the right to endanger others. If a cyclist is unable to dismount they they absolutely should not be cycling on the pavement or they should make sure to cycle extremely carefully and, if needed, slowly on a shared path.

I used to cycle to work and for leisure a lot and unless there is a specific cycle lane on the pavement or a shared pedestrian lane I’d be on the road. I’d walk my bike on the pavement. When I was not very confident in early stages of cycling I used the pavements sometimes but made sure there were no pedestrians around, however I was once stopped by a police man who gave me a warning. He was right to do so as that specific pavement clearly stated no cycles.

YANBU.

in their findings, accidents by cyclists hitting pedestrians was very under reported

Well yes, but that's understandable. Good luck with expecting police or LAs to consider any cyclist/pedestrian accident which doesn't involve actual death ... and even better luck reporting a cyclist when you haven't a clue who they are because they're speeding off into the distance yelling "f**k off" over their shoulder

And no, I'm not suggesting every cyclist would do this; I'm one myself, for pity's sake, except I don't ride on pavements

Nothing to suggest that a one legged man can’t walk - except he’d have to hop on one leg to try and walk I guess

My point was that not everyone using a bike can walk, not everyone on a bike can’t walk

The bigger picture is that we need more bikes and less cars. All this hating on cyclists because some sometimes go on the pavement is so narrow in thinking. Jeez I've had my ankles bashed by shopping trolleys/pushchairs/scooters in the past. Can't we just learn to share the space without getting all fired up and angry. Not every cyclist on the pavement is a granny bashing maniac.

Ah. Ok. So the most vulnerable people in this scenario should all just suck it up for the greater good. Sounds great masterandmargarita. Narrow thinking ffs.

Honestly, I’m sure there are rude people in every ‘group’ but I can honestly say no one has ever hit me with a trolley or pram at the force a cyclist hits you as they pass and not attempted a sorry or sympathetic oops look.

Of course not all cyclists are granny bashers, but all the ones who ignore signs telling them to dismount or ride on pavements that aren’t shared/ride on shared pavements dangerously fast are putting people at risk for no good reason.