Bicycles on pavements - why are they not being ridden on a road?

[FinallyMovingHouse]

I've only moved to near the centre of a town in the last 6 months and hence hadn't really noticed this where I used to live, which was more rural.

Can someone tell me why it seems now to be acceptable for people; all ages from schoolkids to 60 odd, to ride their bikes on the pavements and never seem to go on a road? I was trying to explain to my youngest DD (20) how my DH and I would have been shouted at by police and pedestrians if we'd tried that 30 years ago and definitely when we were teenagers (we're mid 50s).

Many have been very polite, waiting for me to notice them and then saying thank you when I've moved for them, but I've also had bells rung at me endlessly from a distance away until right behind me or the handlebars tapped to move me out of the way on a narrow pavement. So far I've stopped myself from retaliating but I do feel an overwhelming urge to shout "get off the effing pavement" more and more.

I do appreciate that yes, the roads are dangerous etc, etc but they're making the pavements dangerous, especially when you can't see them or they're going too fast. It's also illegal.

AIBU or am I just getting old and crabby?!

Let’s hope he never does

hope you tell him to ride carefully

I don't cycle any more because I just don't feel safe, but as someone who walks a lot, I know how unsafe pedestrians can feel when bikes are whizzing past them at high speed and appearing out of nowhere, so that's that.

I do feel for cyclists because drivers seem to be getting worse and worse. I nearly got knocked down crossing the road the other day because a car couldn't be bothered to indicate that it was turning into my street, and when I'm driving, I've noticed fewer and fewer cars indicating and more and more of them speeding dangerously, as well as cyclists behaving dangerously, too. Seems you can't win however you choose to get around!

Very lucky that he didn't land badly.

Cyclists shouldn’t be on the pavement.

But about 18 months ago someone stopped their car and gave me a load of verbal abuse when I was cycling with my kids. He told me I didn’t deserve kids, and that I should cycle on the pavement with them.

Then last week I was cycling on the road and I stopped to give way to a bus who was overtaking a parked car, it was my right of way. The bus driver made no effort to say thank you nor pull in back to his side when he had finished overtaking. He must have missed me by about half a metre.

So, I understand why people do it.

I walk, cycle and drive.

Im significantly more likely to be killed on a bike cycling on the road, than I am to kill someone on my bike while they’re on the pavement.

Im a respectful citizen regardless of how I travel but I’ll risk assess the situation and decide which route to take accordingly.

Maybe. But far less likely to be injured by that than to die cycling on the road like many cyclists do everyday. Plus that’s someone going out of their way to try and deliberately injure a child.

My dd and I witnessed an old woman being run off the pavement by a Deliveroo cyclist last year, it was either fall into the road or be hit by the bike. The cyclist didn’t even stop. We waited with her whilst the ambulance came, she had a nasty head injury and what looked like a broken arm. I can’t see how cyclists can claim any right to the footpath. It’s shockingly dangerous.

I won't say too much because it would be outing, but a family member had a fatal accident whilst cycling. That's why I'd only ever use cycle paths.

I wouldn't cycle on pavements intended for pedestrians only - I've seen too many near misses of elderly folk (including my late husband).

He was alway fit and healthy...until he wasn't. I'm making that point because of the snotty comment made by a pp about people not using paths.

He ran in his youth, did weight training, lifted for his university, ran the London Marathon and half marathons and took up karate in middle age. Also cycled (but never on pavements - he was very strict on that).

Following his stroke at the age of 75, he spent 4 months learning to walk again. On top of his mobility problems, he was left partially sighted. As he said, "Everything [was] difficult."

Having to watch out for heedless cyclists whilst he walked from our garden path onto the pavement in front of our house didn't exactly help his confidence.

There has been a cultural shift to cycling on the pavement being the norm in recent years for sure. It's not great if you're a pedestrian, especially as some of the cyclists are using heavy, fast ebikes. A lot of pavements aren't wide enough for all the pedestrians, let alone throwing bikes into the mix. I'd like to see more cycle lanes as a solution.

No. That's someone trying not be injured or trying to stop a family member from being injured.

I agree that cycling lanes are the solution.

I've seen electric bikes speeding on pavements, which are definitely not shared - even in crowded places like central London. It's so dangerous, but they don't care.

Or you could follow the law and stay off the pavements?

I'm very sorry for your loss.

Like I said, you really can't win, however you decide to get around. It's impossible to mitigate all the risks, and I totally get why people would want to cycle on the pavement, but it's not necessarily fair or right for them to do so!

I wish the government would take it more seriously and invest in more cycle lanes, and make them actually safe, but I don't think that's going to happen any time soon.

Don’t pretend you wouldn’t miss me!

Imo, everyone has lost patience. Cars driving too fast, cyclists zooming along - why the need for speed?
Also think better education is needed for drivers and cyclists.

that doesn’t mean they should be on the pavement.

Well that's all true.

Children no, the parents? Yes I mind that. Pavements are not for adult cyclists

Bikes on the pavement unless it's young children annoys me BUT I understand why. I wouldn't want to cycle on most of our roads either. It's not even about the speed of cars, it's the volume of them, the lack of respect for cyclists and pedestrians, the amount of cars parked along every road.

Sometimes it’s confusion about the route too.
I live a mile from our city centre. Going to the centre is clear and straightforward. Coming back is confusing and a longer way because of the road layout.

Why don't you just get in touch with your local councillor? Take it up as an issue. Make a bit of personal effort and actually change something for your community?
Or do you just like all the love from the MN bicycle haters?

This boils my piss…..

It’s illegal (according to the Highway Code) to cycle on the pavement. Yet - somehow it’s now the norm and grown adults seem incapable of riding on the road.

And don’t start me on the cycle paths where I live which are empty 90% of the time and bigger than the pavement (so pedestrians are forced to walk in a tiny area).

Honestly the roads are so dangerous I can understand why they don't want to ride on them. But if they're on the pavements they need to slow the fuck down, make themselves known before trying to overtake and still wear helmets/hi-vis etc. Far too many just zoom along oblivious, we have near misses round corners almost every day!

I always cycle on the road unless I'm with one of the kids and then we go very slowly and give way to pedestrians.

However, i do think that the chance of being killed or seriously injured are much higher if you are a cyclist being hit by a car than if you are a pedestrian being hit by a cycle.