Pavements for people?

they people doest share their space
Roads are for vehicles and pavements are for pedestrians. They spend maybe hundreds of pounds on their bike and clothing but never spend a few pounds on a bell
lawswoodclaims.co.uk/accident-at-work/

There is one length of pavement near us which is very wide and I do cycle on it to keep off the road, however I would slow down or stop if I met pedestrians.
Infact I believe cyclists should not confuse themseves with cars and should convert to being a pedestrian if necessary. It's much safer.
Your post made me laugh Doodle
I love the idea of ringing a bell!!

It’s not that people think cyclists have no right to be on the road, it’s that people want cyclists to be on the road rather than the pavement. Pavements are for people, not cyclists. Apart from young children, cyclists should never be on the pavement.
I’m not surprised that cyclists get killed in London, the way they ride their bikes in London horrified me. It’s almost unbelievable, and if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it. They ride as if they’re in an Olympic race! Absolutely disgusting is the way I would describe it. The way they ride it’s a miracle even more aren’t killed.

I’m sure riding a bike on a pavement IS illegal but generally goes unenforced as the selfish gits are unlikely to be caught and of course don’t have to have numberplates ( or insurance)

Both cars parking on pavements and bicycles riding on pavements are subject to local byelaws, not UK-wide legislation. For instance, cars parked on pavements in London get a court summons but very few places elsewhere in the UK.

Guide Dogs for the Blind and other disability organisations are trying to make pavement parking against the law all over the UK. Unfortunately parliament has been all about Brexit and other pending legislation has fallen by the wayside.
I do have sympathy about cyclists not using the road. So many cyclists are killed by cars and lorries. It happens so often here in London it often doesn't even make the local news

I think it's very easy to look at this problem through the wrong end of the telescope. Sort out cars and lorries and keep them well away from cyclists and pedestrians who are the most vulnerable travellers. So many drivers think cyclists and pedestrians have no rights on the road, shouldn't be there and behave in an aggressive manner.

Well the police are hardly likely to be around whether pavement cycling is being done safely or not. It’s simple, if there are pedestrians on the pavement get off your bloody bike.

And,of course, the amount of traffic on our roads has increased immensely since the Highway Code was written.

Yes, but with the growing need for less pollution from cars, cycling is being encouraged everywhere. And that includes the police turning a blind eye where pavement cycling is being done safely.

Section 64
Something that confuses many cyclists is whether or not they are allowed to cycle on the pavement. According to Laws HA 1835 section 72 & RSA 1984, section 129, cyclists must not cycle on the pavement.

This seems pretty clear to me (from the Highway Code)

Doodle I meant over the bridge.

We have a bridge near us with narrow paths either side and busy, quite fast, traffic. Walking over it when you're a bit wobbly is bad enough without having to contend with impatient cyclists as well.

Yes! What Doodledog says.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if there were a shared Highway Code for both pedestrians and cyclists, so it was clear who had priority.

I'm still not convinced that on pavements cyclists should expect people to just move out of their way and give them priority. If pedestrians wandered round ringing bells, or shouting 'Watch Out!' at one another, I'm not sure that it would make them popular.

Pedestrians wait at the kerb for traffic (including bikes) to pass before they cross a road, and IMO if a cyclist wants to use a pavement they should accept that they aren't supposed to be there, and work around the pedestrians. If that is too difficult because of prams/parked cars/whatever, they should use the roads, and keep the pavements safe for everyone.

I apologise if this has already been posted as I haven't read all the posts just a few at the end.
I don't think many motorists are aware of the fact that pedestrians have the right of way on the pavement. When exiting drives they seem to think it's OK to pull out in front of approaching persons on the pavement instead of letting them pass before they pull out.

gonegirl I misread your first post (dyslexia) and thought you said “a cyclist should get off and walk over a pedestrian” ? made me grin.

When I first visited Sheffield while baby minding my grand son in the west side of the town . (In early 2013)

The pavements were dreadfully dangerous . You could hardly use a push chair, then there was an influx of EU money which spent a lot of money improving them.

The basic problem now is too many cars everywhere .
In our local ASDA they allow big lorries to park their delivery lorries and coaches to park in the places for the outings . The pavement there is dreadfully broken.
It is not safe.

A lot of bikes don’t appear to have bells. Having had that feeling there’s someone behind me, I’ve turned and thus moved slightly off course and been hit on the arm on more than one occasion. No warning, no excuse me and no bell.

MamaCazz Certainly not accusing all cyclist only a few who don't think.

A lot of us do exactly that already 11LullyDully (backed up by a friendly, vocal "watch out there!" or something similar when becomes obvious that they aren't hearing the bell), but it's surprising how many still don't hear until the point where our presence makes them jump - by which time I will be crawling or stationary anyway if the path is not very wide, because of because of the potential accident risk.

But you are right - those who don't already do this need educating.

The problem is I have had a few cyclist 'creeping up' behind me and ringing their bell too late , as they pass. It's often youngsters, who don't think , but it is unnerving . I sometimes don't walk in a straight line which can also be a problem!

Cyclist need to be taught to ring loudly and in advance, taking into consideration a variety of reaction times for the people in front.

I've just remembered - my husband, aged 76, has an 'electric' bike. He loved riding it when we lived in countryside, so has been trying it here - urban ++++.
It was ok on the council cycle paths, but he used it to go to the dentist about 3 miles away on the main roads and fell off.
Luckily only bruised.
Never told me until later of course. He hasn't used it since.

Doodle I would have turned round and shouted "bugger off" to that cyclist.

On a narrow pavement with busy traffic, a cyclist should get off and walk over as a pedestrian.

Both sides need to be much more considerate. Cyclists should acknowledge that pavements are firstly for pedestrians and be prepared to hop on and off as necessary.

Mamacaz yes I agree about being in a zone when walking but when on the bridge the noise of the traffic thundering past drowns out a bell. Also if I am wearing a hat if it’s cold. Usually, I am chatting to DH and the bell ringing often makes us both jump. Perhaps we should have a sort of yoke contraption with wing mirrors to see who is coming up behind us ?

Yes they do MamaCaz. And the shop that sold me my new bike let me walk out without a bell! Grrrrr....

26Doodle

Yesterday I was walking over a bridge with a very narrow pavement either side. It is a busy bridge with lots of cars driving across it at speed. A cyclist came up behind me and rang his bell. Made me jump so much I nearly fell in the road.

It's horrible when that happens, isn't it? It has happened to me too.
However, as someone who often uses the bell to warn of my approach, I have found that although I start ringing it long before I reach someone, they are often so wrapped up in their own thoughts that they just don't hear it (or my voice) until I am very close, so they too 'jump'.

Yes, I know that some people might not have very good hearing, but this phenomenon happens far too often for that to be the usual reason!