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?!

[thatwouldbeanecumenicalmatter]

Our street had to endure months worth of disruption to create a cycle path - that hardly gets used. I've had adult (I say adult, I mean men because I've never seen a woman cyclist on the pavement - funnily enough they manage to use the cycle path just fine) cyclists go bombing down, doing wheelies or bizarrely riding handsfree whilst texting and nearly collide with me or my DC.

[dirtylittlemonsters]

I live an 8 minute cycle from work and with traffic it's around an 8 minute drive too. There really is no reason for me to add to the traffic with my car if I don't need to. There's a cycle path most of the way, I use my bell to let people know I'm there and always say thanks. There's a horrible junction which makes me feel very vulnerable so I will go on the pavement for a few yards before the same pavement turns into a cycle path as it widens. I I'm not an evangelical cyclist. I just cycle to get from A to B as it's cheaper and healthier and no slower than driving. Can't say I enjoy it all that much. I'm reluctant for my kids to cycle as I'm worried for their safety due to us being such an intolerant society. Id love for us to be more like Europe where it's a proper way of life and they don't get personally affronted by a bike bell. Unfortunately we do have some absolute arseholes racing around on bikes who give everyone else a bad name although I guarantee they are arseholes behind the wheel of a car too.

[Fleetwoodsnack]

It's horrible. I'm hearing impaired and my hearing aids cant amplify what's not there so ive got no higher ranges. So generally I become aware of the cyclist when they're about to snack into me and have begun shouting profanities.

[Femaleassassin]

Its annoying but I forgive them for their misdemeanours because they're not polluting the atmosphere and also they're keeping healthy which saves the nhs money

[Fleetwoodsnack]

also they're keeping healthy which saves the nhs money

Its dangerous and as pps have explained, plenty of people end up injured off the back of others being dicks. Monitoring a pregnant mother costs the NHS money....

I work near a school, the sheer number of parents I see riding giving their kids "backies" without helmets on a daily basis is scary.

[user1498572889]

Where I live there are cycle lanes on both sides of the road and cyclists still use the pavement and the road. It drives me mad. I understand why they had to completely fxxk up the road to stop people being killed and cause more pollution because traffic now queues from midday till 9 at night and the emergency services get stuck in the road because they cannot get through but it adds insult to injury when the cyclists obviously don’t feel the cycle lanes are safe so don’t use them.

[Giggage]

I'd rather they were on a pavement than on an extremely busy roundabout during rush hour.

This morning a lycra clad idiot nearly got flattened by a lorry that barely stopped in time as he's shot past waiting traffic right into the lorry's path.

Not sure who shit themselves the most, the cyclist, the lorry driver or the rest of us watching.

[Giggage]

they're not polluting the atmosphere

Lol.
No, just holding up busses, trams, cars, lorries as they are all stuck at crawling pace behind them. The line of traffic now pumping out more pollution than they would be if they were not stick behind that cyclist.

[thatwouldbeanecumenicalmatter]

Unfortunately we do have some absolute arseholes racing around on bikes who give everyone else a bad name although I guarantee they are arseholes behind the wheel of a car too.

Yep, wish both set of arseholes would just walk or get the bus - although tbf I'm sure busdrivers already get their fare share of those too!

[Puzzledandpissedoff]

"The road is busy/dangerous" is such a stupid argument!
Of course you can go on the pavement, just get off your bike and walk during this part! That is what the pavement is for!!!

This ^^

Not exactly rocket science is it?

[Femaleassassin]

Cars are lethal, and statistically the biggest killer, yet a couple of bikes on the pavement gets everyone in a stew.

[nrpmum]

I'm happy if it is a joint cycle / footpath. Absolutely want to push them into oncoming traffic if its a footpath.

So many times I've had cyclists knock into my children's pushchairs when they were young or career into me or my dogs when out running.

[Femaleassassin]

Giggage - really?!

[user1471453601]

I completely understand why cyclists cycle on the pavement. The roads can be so dangerous for them. Where I loose understanding is when they cycle the wrong way down one way street. I was run over by one doing that a couple of months ago. I'm a bit old 😊 and a bit frail, so it was a big thing for me. All she could say was, well you should have looked both ways, I suppose I should, expecting some people to obey the highway code is, clearly unreasonable

[Femaleassassin]

Nrpmum - you want to murder people ?

[SuziQ10]

It's unbelievable selfish of any teen or adult cyclist to be on the pavements.
Pavements are for pedestrians.

I live on a fairly busy road and there frequently seem to be cyclists on the pavement. I have to warn my DC that they are not to open the gate before double checking for cyclists (who seem to go very fast!) it's a danger.

[JacquesHammer]

I'd rather they were on a pavement than on an extremely busy roundabout during rush hour

Learn some patience

[bridgetreilly]

Sometimes when I'm out on my BMX and say with a friend on foot and just rolling along at walking speed people come up and give me proper abuse though

Because you are breaking the law.

[Fleetwoodsnack]

@Femaleassassin do you know what hyperbole/exaggeration is?

[Giggage]

Learn some patience

Learn to read the post in full. I wasn't the impatient one.

[OffToBedhampton]

I don't mind young adults and children cycling on pavement or even adults where roads are terribly busy. We've had a number of cyclist deaths near us at certain junction/busy road points and these are sections of pavements inbetween where LBC can fit in cycle paths which then resume.

But what they should do is cycle slowly & carefully if on pavement and slow RIGHT down as they approach corner or any pedestrians.

On a cycle/walk path a school boy cyclist knocked a disabled child out of his wheelchair and his toddler brother over, injuring both and just cycled off last year. It was all over our local FB page including photo of child's injured/scraped back.

It's the speed that's unforgivable, as a cycle can be a deathly weapon.

[JacquesHammer]

Learn to read the post in full. I wasn't the impatient one

I read it. Your implication was the potential disruption to you rather than care for the cyclist

[megletthesecond]

They shouldn't be cycling near pedestrians on busy paths.

Round here so few people walk that we can cycle on the paths. I take a longer route around the town centre and cut through parks and quiet estate paths to avoid people. The police cycle on them too.

Roads are too small and dangerous for cyclists, loads of people drug drive and use their mobiles. I'm not putting my life in their hands. There's no way of building extra cycle lanes though, I don't know what the the answer is to be honest.

[PinkGin24]

YANBU!!! Cyclist fuck me right off. They have no right to be on the pavement cutting up and endangering pedestrians. They are ewualky utter twats on the road though cycling 3/4 abreast