Riding On the Pavement

[mercalia]

I see on BBC news website front page that
"Police in one London borough have said they will not prosecute cyclists who ride on the pavement, but is the decision a good move for safety and will it be adopted in other parts of the country?

Officers who work in Camden say they will not enforce the law "without good reason" and instead want to look at why riders are taking to paths instead of using the road."

though in Streatham I see too many younger people riding at speed on the high st pavements weaving in and out of the pedestrians. I am surprised some one hasnt been hurt.

what surprised me is the law - "1835 Highways Act, which created the offence of wilfully riding on a footpath by the side of the road"
as old as that? were there cycles back then? or what was on the laws mind?


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38688256

[[XAP]Bob]

Riding. - horses...

And been extended to other vehicles

[Elizabethsdad]

I guess if you were going to allow cycling on the pavement you would have to have rules or guidelines about doing so. There are after all plenty of people on mobility scooters these days and a lot of shared used paths. In some places I would say pavements would be too narrow for a cyclist to use them safely and on busy shopping streets during the hours of business. There is a section of pavement near me that I might consider using if were legal to do so as it is an uphill section and it would get me out of the way of impatient motorists. I would want it to be a one-way path though - on route I used to cycle I tried there shared use path for the same reason but gave up on it because of bikes coming down it at speed, it was only about 4' wide.

[merseymouth]

Hi All, The slight vagueness of the Highways Act was rectified in the "Local Government Regulations Act 1888, it is clearly illegal to cycle on any designated pavement!
Shared use areas have a separate set of rules, but still open to abuse. I personally never use them, but then again I ride tricycles, so very tight!
It should always be remembered that motorized traffic are the late-comers, so should be acting in a lawful way when sharing the roads with others!
Safety on the road would be greatly improved if existing traffic Laws were enforced properly, with short periods of licence suspension for offences, early lesson to illustrate the fact that the use of motor vehicles is a privelledge not a Right!
Making cars more idiot proof in operation, gives more time for the idiots driving them to get distracted. TTFN MM

[Cunobelin]

There is something called the "Boateng" guidance.

When the legislation came in to allow fixed penalty notices to be issued (1999) there were concerns

The Home Office Minister Paul Boateng came up with a statement:

“The introduction of the fixed penalty is not aimed at responsible cyclists who sometimes feel obliged to use the pavement out of fear of traffic and who show consideration to other pavement users when doing so. Chief police officers, who are responsible for enforcement, acknowledge that many cyclists, particularly children and young people, are afraid to cycle on the road, sensitivity and careful use of police discretion is required.”

This was then echoed in advice to the newly authorised ticket issuers:

“CSOs and accredited persons will be accountable in the same way as police officers. They will be under the direction and control of the chief officer, supervised on a daily basis by the local community beat officer and will be subject to the same police complaints system. The Government have included provision in the Anti Social Behaviour Bill to enable CSOs and accredited persons to stop those cycling irresponsibly on the pavement in order to issue a fixed penalty notice.

I should stress that the issue is about inconsiderate cycling on the pavements. The new provisions are not aimed at responsible cyclists who sometimes feel obliged to use the pavement out of fear of the traffic, and who show consideration to other road users when doing so. Chief officers recognise that the fixed penalty needs to be used with a considerable degree of discretion and it cannot be issued to anyone under the age of 16. (Letter to Mr H. Peel from John Crozier of The Home Office, reference T5080/4, 23 February 2004)

So there is where it should stand.

Do 30 plus on a pavement whilst chasing a Strava time and yelling for people to get out of your way, and a ticket is more than deserved

However if it is beside a dual carriageway with a complex junction, and the cyclist is acting responsibly then it is arguable that a ticket should not be issued


The statement is in line with the Boateng criteria, and whilst there will of course be a wide grey area in between these two examples where the Police are quite right in looking at whether the cyclist is cycling responsibly, has "good reason" and then decide accordingly

[Cunobelin]

On the other hand, I remember a meeting with a local Councillor haranguing cyclists for being onto pavement, and demanding that the Police act

However when we asked about endemic illegal parking, and the Police agreed that they would be issuing ticket for both..... the Councillor decided that was ludicrous as motorists "Have" to use the pavements, cyclists don't

After a series of complaints about cars being ticketed (including the Councillors) it was all dropped

[PRL]

There is a section of pavement near me that I might consider using if were legal to do so as it is an uphill section and it would get me out of the way of impatient motorists. I would want it to be a one-way path though - on route I used to cycle I tried there shared use path for the same reason but gave up on it because of bikes coming down it at speed, it was only about 4' wide.

There is a section of the A3100 south of Guildford where there is a shared use of footway on a steepish uphill section. (assuming that noone would be daft enough to cross the road twice just to cycle downhill on it.

https://goo.gl/maps/QF9XWx9dujF2

[gaz]

Two-way cycletrack alongside the A2. Gradient is steeper than the carriageway as it climbs higher to meet a footbridge. Easy to reach 25mph+ freewheeling downhill.



The adjacent A2 is eight lane NSL dual carriageway and whilst it would be legal to ride there it is not a viable alternative.

[Revolution]

Here's the thing; I watched, some years ago, as a Sustrans funded project extended the width of a pavement to make it a 'shared use path.' The cost was in the hundreds of thousands.
My first experience after its introduction was of a woman in a car screaming at me to use the f*****g path while I was cycling down the road. It seamed to me that I was now expected to be off the road and onto a bumpy pavement.
However, in the same week I saw a mother with a tag-along, cycling her child to junior school. - (I am sure that there is no way she would have risked it on the 50mph road).
my conclusion - such as it is - allowing cyclists onto pavements encourages some, (maybe that child I saw will become, like me, a life-long lover of cycling).
but it also marginalises others: Cycling risks becoming a recreation rather than a viable mode of transport, an alternative to the car.

[Cunobelin]

Two-way cycletrack alongside the A2. Gradient is steeper than the carriageway as it climbs higher to meet a footbridge. Easy to reach 25mph+ freewheeling downhill.



The adjacent A2 is eight lane NSL dual carriageway and whilst it would be legal to ride there it is not a viable alternative.

Years ago we mad an awful mess of a local map!

We were working with the Council and promoting cycling

We took a very large map of Gosport to the town centre and set up a stall

We then got cyclists to mark their regular routes (legal or illegal) on the map

Although a total mess it became evident where there was a need for facilities

An example was how many used the same footpath between two roads. The "correct route" had a dual carriageway and two busy roundabouts.

The council looked at this, widened the footpath and made it into a segregated facility

It was not the only one that was upgraded or changed

[gaz]

There was a serious crash somewhere on this stretch of cycletrack in 2008 that left a cyclist with life changing injuries. Failed steerer tube leading to a meeting of face and ironworks.

In 2012 the local authority were calling on the Highways Agency to make improvements, although I believe that was along the lines of padding on the cycletrack side of the crash barriers and painting "Slow" on the surface rather than widening the path.

Highways Agency and subsequently Highways England have done nothing. I predict more nothing to follow for the forseeable future.

[tykeboy2003]

Here's the thing; I watched, some years ago, as a Sustrans funded project extended the width of a pavement to make it a 'shared use path.' The cost was in the hundreds of thousands.
My first experience after its introduction was of a woman in a car screaming at me to use the f*****g path while I was cycling down the road. It seamed to me that I was now expected to be off the road and onto a bumpy pavement.
However, in the same week I saw a mother with a tag-along, cycling her child to junior school. - (I am sure that there is no way she would have risked it on the 50mph road).
my conclusion - such as it is - allowing cyclists onto pavements encourages some, (maybe that child I saw will become, like me, a life-long lover of cycling).
but it also marginalises others: Cycling risks becoming a recreation rather than a viable mode of transport, an alternative to the car.

I frequently get abuse from motorists along the lines of "use the *** cycle lane". The particular one in question being a shared footpath about 400 yards long with side roads to negotiate. Ie a pointless cycling farcility. Why should cyclists be forced to give way to side roads? No motorist would accept it.

[TrevA]

Riding home last night, on the A52 east of Nottingham. There's a shared cycle path before and after Radcliffe on Trent, but there's no path through Radcliffe itself. There's a choice of stay on the A52 or go through the village. Last night, I chose the former, only to get a shout of "Get on the path" from White Van Man on the non-cyclepath section. The path here is no more than a foot wide in places. If they upgraded it to a proper bike path, I'd gladly use it.

Motorists want us on the path, pedestrians want us on the road. Sometimes you just cant win.

[Vorpal]

I guess if you were going to allow cycling on the pavement you would have to have rules or guidelines about doing so. There are after all plenty of people on mobility scooters these days and a lot of shared used paths. In some places I would say pavements would be too narrow for a cyclist to use them safely and on busy shopping streets during the hours of business. There is a section of pavement near me that I might consider using if were legal to do so as it is an uphill section and it would get me out of the way of impatient motorists. I would want it to be a one-way path though - on route I used to cycle I tried there shared use path for the same reason but gave up on it because of bikes coming down it at speed, it was only about 4' wide.

Cycling on the pavement is permitted in Norway and Sweden. The only rule is that cyclists have to give way to pedestrians.

[[XAP]Bob]

I guess if you were going to allow cycling on the pavement you would have to have rules or guidelines about doing so. There are after all plenty of people on mobility scooters these days and a lot of shared used paths. In some places I would say pavements would be too narrow for a cyclist to use them safely and on busy shopping streets during the hours of business. There is a section of pavement near me that I might consider using if were legal to do so as it is an uphill section and it would get me out of the way of impatient motorists. I would want it to be a one-way path though - on route I used to cycle I tried there shared use path for the same reason but gave up on it because of bikes coming down it at speed, it was only about 4' wide.

Cycling on the pavement is permitted in Norway and Sweden. The only rule is that cyclists have to give way to pedestrians.

And my experience in Helsinki was frankly bizarre - as I approached side roads the cars which were signalling to turn just stopped and waited for me to cross.
It was rather odd, but the 'correct' process in traffic terms.

Oh - and this was with me on the pavement, not a 'dedicated' cycle lane.