Cyclists have made my home city too stressful to live in any more

[valianttortoise]

Cycling on the pavement (on e-bikes, racing bikes, whatever) at speed, silently, no lights often, no pausing for pedestrians to cross at zebra crossings or even green men. An e-bike nearly hit me yesterday while a policeman was literally standing there watching (outside a government building in case you're wondering where on earth I saw a live one) and he did nothing, just looked at me like "wow that was close!"

I can't handle it any more it's miserable. I can't drive so it's not a car thing it's a pedestrian safety thing.

I also think seeing that it's fine to do this, in balaclavas often, is sending a message that crime and bad behaviour in general are ok. No one will stop you.

Some men (boys? hard to tell in balaclavas) on e-bikes provided by the council took an angle grinder into a busy central square last week and just calmly cut out bicycles from stands to steal them (obviously a crime I feel conflicted about in itself but how long until they realise they can just mug pedestrians at knifepoint? It was 3pm, bright sunshine).

I find it kind of hard to believe what we're just supposed to live with now. No safe spaces for walking - forget about it if you're visually impaired.

If you live somewhere with no antisocial cyclists where is it please as I'd like to join you.

no children are fine, little children who wouldn’t be safe on a road. Admittedly I don’t live somewhere with these issues, cyclists , the adults are on bikes that are probably worth as much as my car. An adult on a pushbike on the pavement for no good reason id just keep going and assume they’d get out of the way and go in the road.

I was going to suggest is this Bristol? - drive my H nuts driving in the end ( I don’t drive) and it doesn’t have great public transport either -

I sympathise. I was actually an avid city cyclist. Once I had my baby in a sling and was standing in the middle of the pavement at traffic lights waiting and looking to the right where the cars were coming from. It was quiet and I was standing 3ft away from the road because I didn’t want to stand with the right next to the road. There was 3ft behind me and no cycle lane (you’re expected to cycle on the road in the bus lane).

The lights changed and I stepped forwards to cross still looking right. There was a huge screech and a cyclist hit me and the baby from the left. The s* had been cycling on the pavement and had tried to squeeze through on the pavement in front of me. I have never been so furious at someone. He mumbled a sorry and then carried on cycling on the pavement!!

And another here wondering if you're talking about Cambridge. It's a lovely city and I live 10 minutes away but I avoid it like the plague. I'm generally a happy confident driver but I stopped driving into Cambridge in the evening sometimes (no park and ride late enough) because it was so stressful trying to avoid all the cyclists in the dark. I seemed to be much more concerned about avoiding injuring a cyclist than the cyclists ever seemed concerned about being hit!

I'm so tired with the cycling twattery.

So many cyclists have no shame, no manners and no decency.

Yup, they (electric scooters/mopeds/quads) are lethal and too often used by balaclava clad idiots. Dangerous speeds, deliberate goading to traffic, lads having 'fun' in public places with families. Yet so difficult to do anything about with the lack of resources, physically stopping them etc.

To add, so many other countries have had fantastic cycle routes established for decades, an area we are lacking in. Not the narrow lanes which end half way down a road.

I was wondering this too.
whilst there are good and bad cyclists and good and bad drivers, the drivers ultimately carry all the responsibility for not hitting cyclists as they have the more ‘deadly’ machines. It’s very stressful driving in Cambridge.

My town was chosen for a mini Holland project. There are now proper cycle lanes on all the major arterial roads. They took out bus lanes to make room. It cost £30million!

Totally agree I love walking, and can no longer have s relaxing walk around our beautiful city. It’s not just the E-bikes, but school kids on lime bikes, the only place to walk safely is on the grass in the parks!

I know which city. The attempted theft was widely discussed on social media.

I'm a cyclist. And I am 100% with you on the issues that this significant minority of cyclists are causing.

We live in a university town and I’ve nearly been run over by an e-scooter and an e-bike on separate occasions. Obviously the riders were doing illegal moves-one cut across the pavement right in front of me. If he’d collided with me, I’d have gone flying!

I think they’re great inventions, but please remember the pedestrians!

Bikes on pavements make walking in Cambridge unpleasant and dangerous

I disagree.

It feels rare and notable when you see a cyclist not behaving like a total bellend. E bike or road bike.

• Going through red lights - particularly at pedestrian crossings
• Using the pavements at speed
• Expecting vulnerable pavement / path users to immediately get out of their way

the split for cyclists is only 50 / 50 dickhead to non - at absolute best! It’s no wonder they have a bad name whereas for drivers and walkers it might be 30 / 70.

I cycle on the pavements. There are too many potholes in the road - I feel my brain rattling in my skull. Also no cycle lanes. I do agree re the illegal e-scooters tho.

That's a cunty thing to do and you know it.

I wonder what that makes you.

Because it's impossible to ride on the roads.

If there were actual usable cycle lanes or paths (and 99% are not useable) then people wouldn't ride on the pavements.

Well no, because walking won't get me where my bike will get me. The whole reason for having a bike is that I can go much faster and therefore further than on foot.

In theory. If there was anywhere safe to ride.

Excellent. Keep the cars out!

What cycle paths?

Ans walking isn't a useful form of transport above about 3 or 4 km. Bikes get you much further.

Your city sounds like mine. The issue isn’t cyclists, or cycle lanes. It’s rampant anti-social, and often criminal, behaviour from youths.

This! Why blame cyclists? Cyclists are told by police that if their bikes are stolen it's tough shit!

Criminal pond life are the problem in our cities, not cyclists.

I don't think it's arrogant to take up your space on the road. A car has no more right to the road than a bike or motorcycle.

Cyclists act like they own the road, so I guess the roads belong to them now.

Every time I've come across people complaining about cyclists "acting like they own the road" it's been about cyclists just taking up the space on the road that they are legally entitled to have.

Honestly, if you cycle on the road, it's "terrible cyclists holding up traffic".

Cycle on shared paths and it's "hooligan cyclists terrorising pedestrians".

You can't win.

Agree and I’m not denying that

I was pointing out the irony