Cycling on pavement

What has happened to the bicycle bell? I am deaf so don't hear the ordinary noise of a bike, but would hear a bell. Numerous times I have so nearly been knocked over in places pedestrians should be safe. I understand the reluctance to cycle on the roads, but if cyclists are going to be on the pavements the least they can do is go slow and have a bell

Someone I know was knocked over suffering a broken arm and concussion, by a teenage cyclist who appeared round a corner suddenly. She's very nervous now when she goes for a walk.

This thread is such a depressing example of the kind of intolerance that is found in the UK and not anywhere else in Europe. I think people who favour large, powerful, metal vehicles should just stop and consider the power and danger of those when they insist that people who ride bicycles should endanger their lives by mixing with them. Roads are shared spaces and if people care so little for the lives of others, perhaps we should all just drive cars and then you can complain about the traffic!

jane10. Yes I do!!

find cyclists an utter nuisance . Those on the road don’t keep into the left

Police advice is not to stick too close to the curb because that just encourages some drivers to overtake you too closely and possibly bump into you with dire consequences. Also close in to the kerb there are often hazards such as sunken drain covers and suchlike, over which it is not good to ride because you can be thrown off balance.

And of course cyclists go too slow for vehicles that have engines! Or maybe vehicles with engines go too fast for cyclists?

I find it hard to believe that people's lives are so ruined by cyclists exercising their right to use the highways that belong to us all! It's a very low percentage of the population who cycle at all. VERY low. I can't remember the last time that, as a driver, I was angered, or even irritated, by a cyclist and, relatively speaking, they are quite common here. Sometimes one has to go slow behind them for a while. It's not a big deal but anyone'd think it was the way people go on.

I admit to be quite intolerant to being knocked down, especially when an "Excuse me" would prevent it happening.

I'm not condoning those who cycle without care for others, I do care that that some are happy for others to die to satisfy their self righteousness. I've been knocked of my bike three times by careless drivers and I've cycled all my life. I have friends who have similarly been run over. Times are changing and we need to change with them.

I am disabled, i wear calipers and use special crutches. I have twice been knocked down from behind by cyclists who then, instead of dismounting their bikes to offer assistance have just ridden off telling me i should look where im going and get out of the way! Sadly, though my DS and DGS would not agree I dont have eyes in the back of my head. On one of these occasions it was when I worked for the Met police and I was knocked down outside the nick where I worked. One of the PS s saw it, rushed out and caught the culprit and charged him with a very ancient crime of 'furious pedalling'!

Two youngsters in my village have died as a result of being hit by cars

17 year old boy was cycling along the main road at 7am. Car pulls out of side road, clips the bike, boy falls into the path of another car . The driver of the first car was never traced .

Newsagent's niece was cycling down a small hill. Van driver opens his door, 15 year old girl hit the door and went over the top. Her cycle helmet didn't help and she died after a few days in ICU

I quite agree that cyclists shouldn't be on the pavement. Especially if they're going at speed and oblivious to everything around them

But I do wonder why cyclists are so demonised in this country. In other parts of Europe they embrace and encourage cycling but we don't seem able to accept them

There are bad cyclists. Bad drivers. Bad pedestrians

But always remember. You are far more likely to be killed by a car on the pavement than a bike

Between 2005 and 2018, 8.6% of the 5,835 pedestrian deaths in England, Scotland and Wales occurred on pavements, the University of Westminster’s Active Travel Academy, a new academic think tank, has found. The majority (542) involved motor vehicles, with six pedestrian-cycle footway collisions.

I was driving some years ago and indicated that I was going to turn into a road on the left. As I began to turn a cyclist came into view on the passenger side and yelled that I was a menace as I could have killed him.
Bells are old hat these days. Very few cyclists seem to have them. When my children rode their bikes I made sure they had bells and mirrors. When did you ever see a bike with mirrors? They allow a rider to see what is coming up behind them.

Scentia - you should be ashamed of yourself setting such a bad example to children. What goes around comes around though. Beware Karma!

And something only new drivers know is that cyclists are now taught to take up a central position on the road when speeds are low. A fit cyclist can easily ride at 15-20mph. As traffic speeds up, the cyclist returns to the left in the way that other slow moving vehicles do.

New drivers are also now being taught something called the 'Dutch reach' which is to use your left hand to open the driving seat door. This means you must turn to your right in your seat and thus you will see another road user who may be in your blind spot.

If you've driven for years, it may be worth you looking at the new Highway Code and at the new theory test on www.gov.uk/take-practice-theory-test. The times are changing all around us, we need to know what's new.

annaram1 mirrors are useful but all mirrors have blind spots. If you take a cycle instruction course (called Bikeability these days for adults and children), you will be taught to look over your shoulder too.

On my regular commute to work there are cycle paths but no cyclists ever use them. They prefer to hold up everyone as they slowly and very wobbly make their way up hill. I don’t mind in a car but I know how difficult it is in a HGV or bus.

We have groups of wannabe Bradley Wiggins who cycle two and three abreast in large groups on very narrow winding country lanes they are slower moving then a large vehicle and sometimes the groups are twice the length of one too. I have had cyclists wave me pass but I will not overtake u less I can see the way is clear they get very cross with me but if I hit something I done think they will be paying damages or my lost wages.

Gagjo, animals, if you mean dogs I think you will find that dog owners are responsible for keeping their dog under control. I have lost count of the times I have been cycling along a shared path and a dog has run out in front o me. So if I had injured myself the dog owner would be responsible. Same with young children, I slow down when approaching young children but they will always do the unexpected. So I suggest you stop passing the blame onto cyclists for every accident.

When I was a child, a cyclist, on the pavement, came hurtling around a corner and knocked me over. The rider was a teenage boy and I was aged about eight. No apology or concern expressed and I was really shaken up and hurt.
Last week when walking my dog with DGD, three teenage lads came hurtling along the narrow path in the wood. I shoved my DGD away from the path and called my dog who was close by.
The lads did shout sorry but what if any of us had been hurt? They are not allowed to cycle there and the quad bike I encountered a couple of months previously isn’t either.
It’s not safe to cycle carelessly on pavements.

Not a fan of cyclists either. I’ve
spoken before of them riding on the A167 dual carriage way, (forcing traffic, especially buses to almost bring the road to a standstill to overtake) literally alongside a very wide cycle/pedestrian path, which runs for miles with dropped kerbs etc etc. DH was almost knocked over recently - stepped aside for an oncoming cyclist who thankfully shouted at him as two others hurtled towards him from behind!

My main gripe is that as I live in a University City, many of the students use bikes, but not only do they ignore road signs/traffic signals etc most don’t use helmets or have lights which by 3.30 in the Winter months is an accident waiting to happen.

Our children are always our precious babies, and I wonder if their parents are aware of the risks they take, so far away from home?

This is a real problem nowadays. I gave up walking in my woodland park due to cyclists. I was mowed down by 4 cyclists on the street where I live just going round a corner. I have already mentioned this. No cyclist stopped, a van driver did. It is illegal for anyone to cycle on a footpath adjacent to any roadway. The Highway Code is very clear on this. There should be no cyclists on pavements. I would though accept a very young child escorted by a walking adult perhaps just for learning. If it's not safe to be on the road, the usual excuse, then hard luck - walk like the rest of us.

Both my GSs (15 & 12) did the equivalent of Cycle Proficiency in the last year at junior school.

One of the reasons OH gave up his private hire driving was the cyclists, particularly in central London, buzzing all over the road, criss crossing behind and in front of him with total disregard for their own or anyone else’s safety. He’s always very calm even in crisis but just found it too risky.

'There are bad cyclists. Bad drivers. Bad pedestrians'

This is so true! We all need to show consideration for other road and pavement users. I have been walking on a shared pavement, clearly marked for cyclists one side and walkers the other, and have strayed onto the wrong side. My son, who is a cyclist, rightly told me off - I just wasn't paying attention.

A friend was knocked off his bike, while waiting at a junction, by a motorist who cut the corner badly and hit him head on! He was quite badly injured and was off work for many weeks as a result. His sight has been affected and he has had to give up driving.

My son was cycling down a hill on a road in Leeds when a car overtook him then turned left across his path! He went over her bonnet and was injured. Although she stopped and offered her details, he was in shock and thought he was OK. He didn't take her details as a result so had to foot the bill for expensive repairs to his bike as well as coping with painful injuries, thankfully not long lasting.

The fact is we all make mistakes but anyone can do a lot of damage to someone else when driving a car or riding a bike. Pedestrians and cyclists usually come off worst.

As thegovernment encourage more of us to get on 2 wheels the situation is likely to get worse as people get back on the road after maybe many years of not cycling. I'm considering getting my bike fixed up but won't be going on any busy main roads and I know I'll be very nervous, but as long as I choose my routes carefully I hope the exercise will do me good.

Milest0ne

Our driveway"a mile long" has been "downgraded to a bridleway" We are now in constant fear of being hit by a speeding cyclist going downhill from over 800ft to 50ft with no obstructions. Our GS tested with his GPS that he could reach 40MPH, he could have gone faster. We have almost been hit head on by 2 cyclists racing round a blind bend. We were lucky to be able to get onto a bit of grass. Did they have any insurance if they had hit us? As the driveway is only wide enough for our car the cyclists have to decide if they are going into the ditch or the barbed wire fence. There is also the problem of dogs on long leads which can get tangled in bike wheels. I'm ambivalent about cyclists as my GS, a bike mechanic, is one of the "good guys"

I don't really understand this. If it is your driveway, isn't it private property? Why are cyclists using it? Are they not trespassing?

I think that cycles should have number plates and that cyclists should pay road tax and insurance, in the same way as car drivers (albeit at a reduced rate, commensurate with the value of the cycle).

I think that cyclists over a certain age (or maybe a certain size of bike) should not be allowed on pavements, and if they re on pavements (because of the age of the cyclist or the size of the cycle) they should be subject to speed restrictions. No bikes should be allowed on public roads/pavements without a functioning bell and they should be subject to the equivalent of an MOT test annually, to ensure that things like the brakes are working properly.

I also think that before cyclists are allowed on the road they should pass a proficiency test, showing that they are in full control of their vehicle and that they are aware of the Highway Code as it affects cyclists, and that it should be an offence to ignore cycle lanes where they are available.

I am a firm believer in public transport, and think that cars should be discouraged for all single-use and/or short journeys, in favour of subsidised, safe, regular and clean public transport, but that is for another thread. Meanwhile, I think it is madness to have a bus with up to 70 people on it (pre-Covid at least) held up for miles because of a cyclist who will not use the cycle lane and who is puffing along at 10 MPH, and I see no reason why pedestrians should have to leap out of the way of a cyclist, just because he or she is ringing a bell and assumes right of way.

As for Gagajo telling the boy to use the road, I don't blame her at all. There would hardly have been time for a nuanced discussion as Gaga hauled her pushchair out of the danger zone, and he was legally in the wrong - his mother should have known better.

Cyclists should stay on the road unless it's a cycle path or cycle path and footpath all in one (some have signs up). Either way if someone is cycling on a footpath they need to ring their bell to warn people walking on the path or round a corner. I've nearly been knocked over numerous times by cyclists hurtling past closely at speed...you can't hear them coming up behind you. If a cyclist bashes into at speed they can break your leg or worse. I suppose as they were young teenagers you probably have to give them a bit of slack, as we've all been young once. . In my experience it's the adult cyclists, guys generally, that are the most inconsiderate.

My observations are that cyclists are by and large colour blind and demonstrate this at traffic lights all the time.
They are far more important people than those in the 40 cars crawling behind them at 10mph on narrow country roads because they have the right to travel two or three abreast uphill so that they can chat.
They cycle on the pavements because the law does not apply to them as they are scared to cycle on the road so they get priority over pedestrians.

Around here we have a plague of middle aged men in tight tight and I mean tight Lycra who race each other all over the road. If you are going in the same direction you are treated to the sight of sweaty wobbling bums going up and down, and if you are going in the opposite direction you are treated to the sight of damp bulging groins going up and down. The difference in sizes and shapes is quite amazing! Not that I look, of course. ?