To think cyclists should ride on the road, not on the pavement?

[AgeLikeWine]

Every day, I go walking along our local country roads, which are very popular with cyclists, and every day I am forced to walk on the road or in the weeds to maintain social distancing from cyclists who are riding on the pavement.

I’m not criticising proper cyclists; the Lycra brigade invariably ride on the road. I’m referring to families, couples and teenagers out for a bike ride who think they are entitled to use the pavements and force pedestrians to choose between getting run over by them or take the risk of stepping onto the road. Why don’t they ride where they are supposed to ride?

YABU = Cyclists should ride on the pavement and force pedestrians to get out of their way.

YANBU = All cyclists should ride on the road.

Francis I totally get it if the parent is allowing their child to zoom all over the place. That's irresponsible.

There's a learning phase and most people aren't going to get het up over it because most adults understand that children are children and adults are adults, and when they're learning they aren't going to go from just getting going to zooming around confidently.
For example, my friends put a video on Instagram. They were walking to the park with DC. One DC had their scooter, the other was recently learning to ride a bike. Both early school age. Some on this thread would be itching to throw the book at them because it's illegal. In reality, nobody is going to care.

I walked the dogs this morning. I saw a family going between some shared use paths that for whatever reason haven't been properly joined because cycle path infrastructure is terrible in this country. Parent on the road, child next to them on the path. Was anyone tutting about how terrible it is? No.

It’s so frustrating. There’s some lovely walks near us but they’re always ruined by groups of people on bikes. Sick of having to constantly be alert to when someone is coming up behind me on one, or having to leap out of the way, even hearing that bloody little bell jingling. I wish there could be separate trails for cyclists or something, it’s starting to put me off going for walks

Here the pavements are shared use and clearly marked as such so yabu. Bikes are not safe on the roads

Problem with it's just children learning on a scooter or bike is just that they are learning they have little control and dont react quick enough to avoid people. They just expect the person to move out of the way of if going fast and coming up to someone panic and either end up hitting the person, having a narrow escape or worse coming off.

I would know since I live on a road with a primary school and the amount of times I've almost been hit cos of kids on scooters or bikes on way to the school is not funny and sometimes even had to step into the road to avoid being hit.

But as always the mantra is why wont we think of the children!

Where I am they have cycle lanes on the pavements and it works well. I'd be scared to cycle on a road.

I think if they're under 10 it's ok but they should be willing to give way to pedestrians.

I wouldn't move out of the way for a cyclist on a normal pavement though, if they want to ride a bike there then pedestrians should have priority, and the cyclist should stop and wait if it's not safe to pass with the appropriate distance. Re children on bikes, then perhaps they should also be taught that the pavement is actually not for bikes, and to stop and wait. Then they won't grow up to be entitled idiots.

I have a very ballsy 70yr old friend. If she's walking along a path and a cyclist approaches her on the path, she stops and spreads her arms out as wide as she can and refuses to move