Call for a national cycling ban.

Ron
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Call for a national cycling ban.

Post by Ron »

The National Association for the Blind of the UK (NFBUK) is putting out a call to Government to ban cycling in the streets.

See....We call for action Para 7

https://www.nfbuk.org/press-release-upd ... nt-living/
Jdsk
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Re: Call for a national cycling ban.

Post by Jdsk »

"7. Put an end to shared spaces, clutter, pavement parking & cycling on our streets allowing us to move around without fear of accident or death."

I've written to ask what they mean by this.

Jonathan
Nearholmer
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Re: Call for a national cycling ban.

Post by Nearholmer »

I think they’ve punctuated it poorly, and probably mean “cycling on pavements”, but it’s worth asking!

Personally, I find the call to end shared spaces rather alarming, certainly if they intend that to include shared paths, and I’d like to see whether they have any evidence to support such a call.
Jdsk
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Re: Call for a national cycling ban.

Post by Jdsk »

That was my guess too... confused scope of shared spaces or pavement or both.

We'll see...

Jonathan
Carlton green
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Re: Call for a national cycling ban.

Post by Carlton green »

Ron wrote: 24 Mar 2023, 4:50pm The National Association for the Blind of the UK (NFBUK) is putting out a call to Government to ban cycling in the streets.

See....We call for action Para 7

https://www.nfbuk.org/press-release-upd ... nt-living/
It will be interesting to read what response they offer. IMHO someone hasn’t engaged brain and before making such a suggestion they should have reached out to cycling bodies such as CUK - if they have reached out to CUK then one can but be appalled by - for want of a better term - such seeming lack of understanding. Being blind is, I would have thought, jolly tough and I appreciate frustrations on their part but attacking cyclists isn’t helpful to them and detracts from what could be constructive conversation.

Yes, it could be just a misunderstanding or poor writing but if you’re going to put out such documents then they better be right or else you’ll have to manage the consequences - in this case needless antagonism of others, a dilution of the intended message and discredit of all the intended massage points.
Don’t fret, it’s OK to: ride a simple old bike; ride slowly, walk, rest and admire the view; ride off-road; ride in your raincoat; ride by yourself; ride in the dark; and ride one hundred yards or one hundred miles. Your bike and your choices to suit you.
axel_knutt
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Re: Call for a national cycling ban.

Post by axel_knutt »

This has been going for a few days on Twitter, it seems to be floating bus stops in particular that's exercising them, rather than cycling in general, although they're posting lots of vidoes of pedestrians getting buzzed by fast cyclists. Blind or not, you can't see or hear bikes coming from behind, so I can see their point if they want cyclists off paths shared with pedestrians. I'm in favour of whole-street shared spaces for cars, bikes and pedestrians, but putting bikes and pedestrians on the same narrow path doesn't work because pedestrians are not in the habit of observing any lane discipline. I don't like walking with cyclists, or cycling with pedestrians for that reason.
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Nearholmer
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Re: Call for a national cycling ban.

Post by Nearholmer »

putting bikes and pedestrians on the same narrow path doesn't work
A huge amount depends upon the nature of the path, particularly, but not exclusively the width, and the density of usage, so any blanket statements, especially blanket calls for a ban on cycling, are bound to be nonsense.

I know of hundreds of miles of path where it works fine, and I have come across sections of path, mostly former urban pavements with a few signs fitted along them, where it does nothing but cause danger to all users and a lot of fractiousness.

It might make more sense for user-groups to jointly campaign for provision that does work, for all concerned, rather than to attempt to ban one another.
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Cowsham
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Re: Call for a national cycling ban.

Post by Cowsham »

Put a police person at every entrance point to warn cyclists to cycle with caution watching out especially for blind people.. that sounds like a great idea Ted.
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Jdsk
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Re: Call for a national cycling ban.

Post by Jdsk »

Thank you for your email.

The article that you are referring to is a historic document which should read '7. Put an end to shared spaces, clutter, pavement parking & cycling on our pavements allowing us to move around without fear of accident or death.'

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We will be looking at historic documents listed on our website in due course.
Nearholmer
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Re: Call for a national cycling ban.

Post by Nearholmer »

I’d still love to know what they mean by putting an end to shared spaces. I’ve got an inkling that they mean mixing cars and pedestrians, rather than wanting to get rid of shared use paths, but ….

One way to put an end to sharing, of course, would be to ban pedestrians, but they probably don’t mean that either. At least, I hope they don’t.
Carlton green
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Re: Call for a national cycling ban.

Post by Carlton green »

Jdsk wrote: 24 Mar 2023, 8:04pm Thank you for your email.

The article that you are referring to is a historic document which should read '7. Put an end to shared spaces, clutter, pavement parking & cycling on our pavements allowing us to move around without fear of accident or death.'

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We will be looking at historic documents listed on our website in due course.
My emboldening. Thank you for sharing the response.

Since when did the pavements become theirs? Pavements belong to all pedestrians and, within the law, to cyclists too; some are a legally shared spaces. Now having reasonable expectations of others sharing space with you is fine and one of mine is to ride with reduced pace and additional caution whenever and wherever I meet pedestrians. Shared spaces are just that and it’s up to folk to make the best of things and to voice any concerns in a thoughtful and constructive way - which to my mind they have not.
Don’t fret, it’s OK to: ride a simple old bike; ride slowly, walk, rest and admire the view; ride off-road; ride in your raincoat; ride by yourself; ride in the dark; and ride one hundred yards or one hundred miles. Your bike and your choices to suit you.
cycle tramp
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Re: Call for a national cycling ban.

Post by cycle tramp »

Jdsk wrote: 24 Mar 2023, 8:04pm Thank you for your email.

The article that you are referring to is a historic document which should read '7. Put an end to shared spaces, clutter, pavement parking & cycling on our pavements allowing us to move around without fear of accident or death.'

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We will be looking at historic documents listed on our website in due course.
Whilst I fully sympathise with anyone who is losing or has lost their sight (I'm slowly heading towards that way - right eye has better night vision, and I can only read using my left eye) the idea that you are somehow free of accident or death if the pavements were suddenly uncluttered (what happens to other pedestrians who want to use the pavement?) is untrue. Statistics show a tragic proportion of pedestrians have died when motor vehicles actually mount the pavement .

As it stands laws already exist in regards to pavement riding and are enforced as the authorities see fit.
Speaking as an occasional pavement rider myself, I am already breaking the law. However I dismount when approaching any pedestrian. At which point am I as hazardous as the claimant proposes?
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Pete Owens
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Re: Call for a national cycling ban.

Post by Pete Owens »

Ron wrote: 24 Mar 2023, 4:50pm The National Association for the Blind of the UK (NFBUK) is putting out a call to Government to ban cycling in the streets.
Quite the opposite - they are calling for cyclists to be banned from the pavements - thus required to cycle in the street. A situation that used to be taken for granted until local authorities started to put up the silly blue signs.

In this they are supported by the latest cycling standards:
LTN 1-20 (section 1.6 p9) wrote:2) Cycles must be treated as vehicles and not as pedestrians. On urban streets, cyclists must be physically separated from pedestrians and should not share space with pedestrians.
How long it will take local authorities to take any notice is another question.
Carlton green
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Re: Call for a national cycling ban.

Post by Carlton green »

Pete Owens wrote: 26 Mar 2023, 2:11am
Ron wrote: 24 Mar 2023, 4:50pm The National Association for the Blind of the UK (NFBUK) is putting out a call to Government to ban cycling in the streets.
Quite the opposite - they are calling for cyclists to be banned from the pavements - thus required to cycle in the street. A situation that used to be taken for granted until local authorities started to put up the silly blue signs.
The NFBUK have clarified what they are seeking see JDSK below. My bold. To my mind they appear to be self oriented rather than socially oriented, well that or that they have not understood and chosen their words sufficiently well.
Jdsk wrote: 24 Mar 2023, 8:04pm Thank you for your email.

The article that you are referring to is a historic document which should read '7. Put an end to shared spaces, clutter, pavement parking & cycling on our pavements allowing us to move around without fear of accident or death.'
There are already laws in place regarding cycling in places that only pedestrians are allowed in.
Don’t fret, it’s OK to: ride a simple old bike; ride slowly, walk, rest and admire the view; ride off-road; ride in your raincoat; ride by yourself; ride in the dark; and ride one hundred yards or one hundred miles. Your bike and your choices to suit you.
Barrowman
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Re: Call for a national cycling ban.

Post by Barrowman »

As Carlton says , the Laws are already in place.
My personal view is Electric Scooters are proliferating and nearly always on the pavement.
From what I have seen far more problematic than bikes on the pavement (not that I think this is right)
Real issue is the lack of enforcement of said laws.
I wonder if Charlottesville Tandems Group have a perspective on this ?
Last edited by Barrowman on 27 Mar 2023, 7:36am, edited 1 time in total.
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