To try to cycle inoffensively?

[Confrontayshunme]

My DD started a new school about 1.5 miles from our house. We don't own a car, and my husband and I cycle everywhere. I am a VERY law abiding cyclist and super conscientious not to make drivers or pedestrians angry. To this end, I never zoom around cars at intersections and endeavour to actually just get out of the way at all times. I frequently stop and just get off the road to keep from annoying drivers. Please don't just start with the cyclist bashing, as I am really desperately trying to do the right thing and not annoy people.

The problem is that the shared pedestrian/cycle path between our home and school is closed for about a year for building works. There is a partial cycle lane for a bit of our journey, but car parking on both sides makes it too narrow for cars to go around if DD and I both go on the road, but I can't be near her on pavement due to said cars parking and it being a very narrow pavement.

DD is 7 and very confident riding and stopping and listening to me, but I am struggling not to get shouted at by motorists. I am definitely NOT doing anything illegal, but I just think busy people near a school and industrial estate in a 20mph zone = a lot of verbal criticism and stress for all.

I have done all of the following and been shouted at by drivers for every option.

AIBU to ask which of these is the LEAST anger-inducing for drivers (particularly industrial vans, since we are by an estate)?

1. Child on pavement in neon jerkin and me on bike going a slowish 8mph (but cars can go around at 20 if no cars on opposite lane).
2. Child in front of me on road (not visible to drivers so I can see why they yelled at me for being slow). This feels the safest to me, fyi.
3. Child in neon jerkin to the left of me, visible to drivers but only small cars able to go around due to both of us being on narrow road.

OR (haven't done this)

1. Both of us on pavement (though technically against code for me to be there and there are pedestrians).

I really do welcome any advice as I can't seem to get it right. Recently, on a marked bike lane near us, a car screeched its brakes like it was going to hit my DD then laughed out the window and shouted "f---ing cyclists" so I am desperate to get it right so my DD is safe.

A friend said to just go on the pavement as long as the shared path is closed, but that feels like breaking the code and I really don't want to.

"Of course it’s safer for cyclists. How about the pedestrians? Wheelchairs? Children on scooters?

It’s really dangerous when you leave your gate, step in the pavement and a cyclist just speeds past you."

Hence the word 'considerately'.

Good luck with that.

Saying doesn’t mean people actually cycle considerately.

Good luck with what? Fact is, the majority of motorists simply do not know how to properly behave when they encounter vunerable road users, and until this is properly covered under the driving test any sensible cyclist will opt to travel along the safest route. If this means, say using empty pavements rather than busy roads then so be it.

No luck required, just a mediocrum of sense.

Hence the word 'considerately'.

I regularly use a road that is heavily used by cyclists. Considerate pavement cyclists are as rare as hens' teeth.

And I have never, in five years of walking up and down this road, had a cyclist dismount to give way to me.

I have nearly been run over by them. So has DD3.

As I said, pavements are for people. Roads are for vehicles.

any sensible cyclist will opt to travel along the safest route

Safest for them, not for pedestrians!

If this means, say using empty pavements rather than busy roads then so be it

By all means use a constantly empty pavement. How many of those are there? IME cyclists on pavements (that are not a shared space, where a pedestrian can reasonable expect to meet one) are rarely considerate.

Sorry, motorists being dangerous for cyclists doesn’t meant cyclists get to harass pedestrians.

Pavement are for pedestrians only, unless designated as shared.

Sorry, but fuck off from the pavement.

I can’t believe all the people suggesting 4. Really, the answer to motorists bullying cyclists out of using their shared space is to find the most vulnerable ones (pedestrians) and use their space instead??! 😡

Is that what you would tell your DC if they are bullied? Try to find someone weaker than you?

OP you sound very considerate, this is not aimed at you.

And before someone tells me how lovely and considerate they are, u just had someone speeding by on bicycle, nearly knocking me down and cheerily shouting ‘sorry love’ which I suppose was his concession to being all considerately

That's why I hate cycling on pavements. Even on the shared path, I have helmetless lads with earbuds in zoom around me with no thought for anyone else, and as a pedestrian it is just as bad. There is a section of our ride over a railway bridge and we push our bikes over it, as it just isn't wide enough for cars to go around us and it takes a bit of effort to get over it.

In which case you would be in prison and not posting on mumsnet

Depends on my phone smuggling skillz really

tbf the only time someone actually physically attacked me for being a cyclist was when I was sat by the side of the road on my bike, looking at my phone. I didn't thrash him however because I'm mostly about online posturing

Oh do what ever is safe enough for you and yours.

Ignore the pavement police - they will never be happy. (over anything in their miserable small lives probably).

You are behaving reasonably. Because car owners want to litter the streets with their belongings that doesn't mean life should be difficult for you.

Oh do what ever is safe enough for you and yours

It’s people who only worry about what’s safe for them and theirs who lead miserable small lives because they choose not to see how their actions can endanger others.

Not at all. I ride a lot on pavements - where the behaviour of drivers make it faaar too risky on the road - and no-one gets endangered. It can be considerately done and I am sure the OP is someone who would do this.

Stick to the pavement OP. Of course Peds get priority, but other than that get on with it.

It can be considerately done

These threads never allow for that kind of nuance

So because you think you ride considerately then you assume that everybody else does too?

This is a very odd way of thinking.

No, you're right - I know from experience it's an utter waste of key strokes.

Best of luck OP.

Good day.

Dos anyone know if it would be legal to wear a hi-vis with the big speed camera warning sign printed on the back? Then if you have a helmet cam, they know and might not risk giving you any grief in the first place. That might be enough to get you some space.

I agree with everyone saying don't ride timidly. I ride like I am a car and pull over only when its safe for them to pass me because otherwise people take advantage. You also need to hold more than a metre away from parked cars because if someone opens a door without looking it will throw you into oncoming traffic and quite possibly kill you.

Ignore the pavement police - they will never be happy

I'm a driver - i am quite happy for cyclists to be in the road where they belong and drive considerately around them.

These threads never allow for that kind of nuance

But you're missing the nuance. You're assuming because you suggest you ride considerately, everyone does so.

These threads are indeed always the same, it doesn't matter what behaviour a cyclist displays, people try and excuse it or someone extrapolate it out to blame drivers.

The simple fact is there are good cyclists and there are bad cyclists. Whilst I absolutely don't think every cyclist should be tarred with the same brush, it is naive to suggest that everyone on two wheels behaves considerately and everyone on four doesn't.

No one is suggesting that though. I always assume most other people are dickheads. The only thing I can know is whether I am one of them or not

Mostly people who said take the pavement stressed the importance of doing so safely

People who ride like dicks on the pavement are dicks and they know they're being dicks. These people ruin it for everyone

Likewise those that make inflammatory remarks about pushing people off bikes are just dicks

People who ride like dicks on the pavement are dicks and they know they're being dicks. These people ruin it for everyone

Sure. But given the prevalence of said dicks, I’m afraid I would be massively in favour of a ban on all cycling on the pavement.

It is banned

People do it anyway, thus it seems fair to go on a case by case basis

People do it anyway, thus it seems fair to go on a case by case basis

Ok then heavy penalties for people who do it.

Vehicles should be on the road. It’s very simple.

When they introduced fpn for cycling on the pavement in (I think 2009) they also at the time stressed the importance of using discretion in their issuing of said fpns

And they said issue them to the dicks and not to some woman going to school with her kid and getting them to ride on the pavement for a few hundred metres owing to roadworks