Pavements for people?

I certainly don’t want to discourage cycling because I really admire their fitness levels and it’s preferable to being stuck in front of a screen. If all road users were considerate there wouldn’t be such an “anti” feeling (I hope). I would love to cycle but as a driver I am way too nervous to be on the open road on two wheels. Parked cars can be an annoyance to pedestrians of course. Again, it’s about consideration. People want to park as close to their destination/house as possible. Walking a bit further wouldn’t hurt them. Older houses were not built for car owners so street parking is the only option. A lot of new build estates have such narrow roads that it creates problems - that’s down to planning and builders trying to squeeze as many houses into the space as possible (money)!!

Now, my real gripe is HORSES. Why do they even need to be on a road? No-one uses them to go to the shops or go out for a meal or pull a carriage (unless you’re the queen). Yes, they need exercise but aren’t there enough fields around?

I am hearing impaired cyclists have no idea that the person in front of them may not be able to hear them. My friend who is partially sighted says cyclists are a nightmare on pavements and she cannot see them. They also just sail gaily through traffic lights when they clearly are at red. They just don't give a s* about anyone but themselves. The other problem is many bikes don't have bells now. I think there should be an enforced ban on pavements. I also think cyclists should be tested, registered with some sort of body and contribute a small fee as they do use the road( or pavement). I flatly refuse to get out of the way for a cyclist on the pavement. The difficulty being if one does knock me down, how do I prove who they are?

Planners for new housing estates have a lot to answer for. In rural areas like mine, poor public transport means there is a requirement for more cars per household than parking spaces. Of course cars are going to end up where they shouldn't. We need imaginative, joined-up thinking by planners and local councils. It wouldn't be rocket science to include transport solutions for residents at the time of building new estates and it would help the environment. After all, new builds have to be energy efficient, it’s a pity that requirement stops outside the house.

I can understand cyclists feeling vulnerable on the road (so is that why they make pedestrians vulnerable on the pavement?), but what really annoys me is lycra-clad males getting in the way on the road when there's a perfectly good, and clearly marked, cycle path. Are they too good to use it?

And then there are the combined foot/cycle paths with the lanes clearly differentiated but pedestrians blithely stroll along the cycle lane....

Really cross this morning as I had to walk on the road as cars were parked right across the pavement, with no space left.

I can understand that it can be dangerous cycling on the road but do feel that cyclists if they do ride on the pavement should acknowledge that pavements are for pedestrians and the should get off their bike and walk past them not ring their bell loudly and expect rightful users of the pavement to get out of their way. We have loads of cyclists on pavements where we live and it worries me that if I take a step sideways one day I could be mown down by a bike I didn’t even realise was there

Rules for Cyclists in Cambridge:

Do not cycle on pavements that are not marked as shared use
Always give priority to pedestrians
Never speed past pedestrians, especially from behind
Always be ready to slow right down and make sure you can stop if anyone unexpectedly moves sideways - children and dogs are particularly unpredictable
Use your bell or a friendly voice to let pedestrians know you are there but remember that they may not step the right way and that some may not be able to hear you
Slow down near blind spots like bends, entrances and trees
When passing oncoming cyclists it is normal to pass on the left
Be polite, ­ say thanks if a pedestrian moves for you, especially on a narrow path
As a pedestrian its usually safest to assume that cyclists will make their way around you if there is space, so avoid making sudden movements or change in direction as much as possible

Grannycool one of the local schools here does some sort of cycling proficiency every summer. They do it in large numbers and go out on the roads en masse with their adult trainers stopping the traffic so they can practice on the roads. Getting stuck behind 30 cyclists learning to turn right one at a time is not fun. The trainers dont seem to have the sense to do it a few kids at a time or to stop them somewhere safe every few minutes for any cars to go past.

It's interesting that in places where there are many bikes ie central Cambridge, cyclists have to push their bikes between 10 and 4pm to avoid crashing into pedestrians! It must have been a problem before . They don't always obey the rules but it makes sense to have them.

I don't like to see cars parking on pavements either but I guess it's a hazard of modern life.
Our pavements are frequently blocked by parked cars and we live next to a residential home for disabled people.
Every now and then I rush out in a fury and write an angry note on the windscreens.

In our little town the pavements are too narrow to cycle on. Or push and push chair or walk with crutches. I heard the other day that pavements were built narrow so that poor people were unable to walk two abreast and chat to each other!

Cyclists really annoy me. It is becoming very common for young men to ride very fast on pavements in quiet side roads where there is no danger for cyclists on the road.
Many cyclists on the roads cut up cars, causing drivers to brake suddenly and they ignore red lights causing pedestrians to swerve out of their way. I know a young man who was quite seriously injured by a cyclist doing this.

Scottish Government has just made a law to prohibit pavement parking apart from certain categories eg emergency vehicles. Hopefully will be rolled out over rest of UK (if it still exists next year!).

It is not cyclists on pavements that annoy me (although they do), it is cyclists on the road when there is a perfectly satisfactory dedicated cycle path running alongside it.

personally I don't mind cyclists on pavements but then, never had any bad experiences.

Pavements are for people. Not cars.

I think we have to be reasonable about this on both sides these days. I mean the cycling thing. The roads are very dangerous for cyclists and often a bike means one less polluting car.

I agree that cycling is better for the environment than cars, particularly single-person cars, but that doesn't mean that cyclists should use pavements.

There are cycle lanes all over the country, but if there are areas without them they should be brought in. I would love to see a 'fast lane' for cars with three or more people in them, to cut down on single-driver ones. If that happened (and I believe there is such a system in Bristol) then cyclists could share the single-drive lane. This would be safer for them, as there would be no overtaking.

Pavements should, IMO, be for pedestrians, and if others (eg groups of runners, an occasional cyclist, or whatever) want to share them, they should make way for pedestrians by default. If they are not willing to do so, but are unable to cycle on the roads, they should leave their bikes at home.

Looking back when my DD was young and I had a pushchair for her, in our area pavement parking was really really bad.

Used to depress me a lot. At the time contacted Living Streets a charity who supported people with objections.

I understand pavement parking has now gone to parliament and they are seeking a ban.

Probably delayed due to recent events but maybe you could speak to your MP>

I cycle myself and am often terrorised by cars who drive far too close. I took my proficiency test aged 11 and one of the things we learned was to look behind you and signal with your arm before turning. There was even a slowing down sign which was the same for the car driver's test in the days when arm signals were acceptable.

I never see cyclists look before pulling out - perhaps they have eyes in the back of their heads.

My poor DM was knocked over by a cyclist who didn't stop . She was walking on the pavement and he came out of his university entrance at speed. When her bruises eased she complained to the college but apart from an apology, tea and sympathy they didn't offer to help find the culprit.

On another occasion, my DiL was cycling to work in London when she collided with a motorbike. They both came off their vehicles. After checking they were both OK- she's a nurse- she continued to work. She was issued with a summons for dangerous cycling and made to pay huge amounts for new leathers for the motorcyclist! She wasn't insured. It put her off cycling and she left London soon afterwards.

That is a horrible thing to do Missfoodlove. I hope you wind your dog lead in quickly before the next pedestrian comes along.

I think we have to be reasonable about this on both sides these days. I mean the cycling thing. The roads are very dangerous for cyclists and often a bike means one less polluting car.

It’s a real problem where I live. I look left and right before leaving my gate!
When walking my dog I deliberately extend the lead so we take up all the pavement and verge.

Cyclists on pavements drive me mad, as do joggers/runners who expect everyone to get out of the way for them.

We have an active running group here, and one of their practice routes is along my street. There can be six or more of them blocking the pavement, and they expect children, old people and everyone else to step into the road to let them pass without losing time.

Where I worked there is a pedestrian bridge across a motorway. Obviously, cyclists can't cross the road without using it; but they weave in and out of pedestrians, rather than stick to the cycle lane. That's bad enough, but the 'ding ding ding' to tell everyone to clear a path before they have even drawn level is infuriating.

Do they still do Cycling Proficiency Training in the UK?
We did it in the last year of primary school and I still have my badge for successfully completing the course.
Nowadays, cyclists seem to ride all over the place including pavements, don't signal when turning and often sail through red lights.

Here's another cycling situation that used to terrify me! I regularly waited at this bus stop with my little grandson (aged 2-3) and cyclists would regularly come speeding down that pavement (it was a long downhill pavement) and shoot past the bus stop. There is a gap no more than 2ft and when you are sitting behind the advertisement board you cannot see the pavement behind it. I used to hold onto my grandson by the hand as I was terrified he might step out slightly from the shelter and be killed. This would happen about 4 times or more every time we waited for a bus and it horrified me.

I live close to a football stadium and, on match days, all the streets are jammed with cars. They park two abreast, which means parking on the pavement as the streets are only narrow. Anyone pushing a pram or riding a disabled scooter has no choice but to use the road.

Several years ago a very sporty family moved into our street They were forever running up and down the road, doing excercises on the front lawn etc. One afternoon I was standing on the pavement, talking to a friend. One of the older children came tearing along the pavement on his bike. From quite a distance away he began ringing his bell. Obviously wanted us to move My friend and I both turned to look at him , then turned back to each other and carried on talking. The young lad managed to stop his bike before he hit us but it was a close thing. He was quite shaken I think As he went past my friend said' Pavements are for walking on young man" . Never saw him do it again

I have seen an idiot cycling at speed round a corner with narrow pavements (see lamppost in picture). If someone had been approaching the corner on foot (where the lady is) there would have been a nasty accident. The cyclist was going really fast but did not seem to foresee that someone might be round the corner! Some of them have no road sense at all and shouldn't be let loose on a bike.