Crosswords1 min ago
Cyclists on pavements
43 Answers
As someone who does a lot of walking it is no exaggeration to say that easily two thirds of the cyclists I see are not on the road. Every day I have to either wait or move to one side for people who should be on the road. I've even seen cyclists waiting to cross the road so that they can carry on riding - if they were on the road they wouldn't have to wait!!
This seems quite a modern phenomenon as when I grew up it was always frowned on so why is it so common now?
This seems quite a modern phenomenon as when I grew up it was always frowned on so why is it so common now?
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True pavements it is indeed illegal. However as a cyclist I have lost count of the times pedestrians have admonished me for riding legally on off-road routes that have designated cycling status.
I have also lost count of the times a driver has come past me with the window open and shouted some nonsense about getting out of their way and that I should "use the path!!"
No. I will not. It is illegal. However I can well imagine others have thought "..perhaps I DONT have a right to cycle here in the road?" and have switched.
I also think theres been a big shift in how people percieve the roads. Every mother likes to buy their child a bicycle, and its heart warming thing to see your child ride for the first time. However most will categorically state to their child "Dont you DARE ride in the road, its TOO DANGEROUS!"
These kids grow up with this fear as a result. Its not even a real risk when you look at the figures. 13 million UK cyclists, only 130 deaths a year on average.
I do think any problem with cyclists is both misunderstood (either people dont understand the rights and obligations of cyclists, or they get themselves into a fuss) and a result of how many have been treated. One guy on the radio the other day was talking about this being a knock-on effect - drivers create fear and risk, and so in doing so scare cyclists into non-motorised areas where they in turn create fear and risk (although much less of it).
Some further reading for all:
http://www.ctc.org.uk...law__4M__brf_rev_.pdf
I have also lost count of the times a driver has come past me with the window open and shouted some nonsense about getting out of their way and that I should "use the path!!"
No. I will not. It is illegal. However I can well imagine others have thought "..perhaps I DONT have a right to cycle here in the road?" and have switched.
I also think theres been a big shift in how people percieve the roads. Every mother likes to buy their child a bicycle, and its heart warming thing to see your child ride for the first time. However most will categorically state to their child "Dont you DARE ride in the road, its TOO DANGEROUS!"
These kids grow up with this fear as a result. Its not even a real risk when you look at the figures. 13 million UK cyclists, only 130 deaths a year on average.
I do think any problem with cyclists is both misunderstood (either people dont understand the rights and obligations of cyclists, or they get themselves into a fuss) and a result of how many have been treated. One guy on the radio the other day was talking about this being a knock-on effect - drivers create fear and risk, and so in doing so scare cyclists into non-motorised areas where they in turn create fear and risk (although much less of it).
Some further reading for all:
http://www.ctc.org.uk...law__4M__brf_rev_.pdf
