Transport minister: Responsible cyclists CAN ride on the pavement

And an elderly pedestrian loses their balance by walking on the kerb to move out of the way of cycles after one nearly hit him or her from the other side as they walk either side of the pavement, looking at a shop window then change mind to cross the road, so keep us cyclist of the pavements full stop.

oops

A couple of years ago I was cycling south out of Central London in an area I did t know very well. A road that I was supposed to ride down was closed for works and, it being rush hour the diversion looked a nightmare for cyclists. I decided to take to the pavement, now the pavement was busy but I didn't get off my bike, instead I unclipped 1 pedal and began to scoot my way forward in line with the pedestrians. At the other side of the works there were 6 Police (PCSO and regular) to get cyclists. I got a FPN and absolutely no leeway at all, I wish now that I'd taken it to a magistrate.

The thing that most annoyed me was that a week earlier I had tried to stop a group of youths from cutting through bike locks near kings cross with an angle grinder, I got photos of them and threatened for my efforts. When the police arrived (1officer) I was told that I should not have put myself in danger and should have left them to it. I offered the photos and said I would testify if they found the youths (I'm sure they would have been local), one officer was put on the case and he never returned my calls. It's easy to get a sense that the police are at war with cyclists in my opinion.

@oozaveared

I'm not 100% white as it happens, but I don't want to give the wrong impression - I've been searched twice and stopped and questioned more than half a dozen times over a couple of decades. And I reckon its simply the neighbourhood plus the fact that I don't drive and before taking to a bike would be out walking _a lot_, in areas that I guess have drug and street crime "issues". I just often seem to 'match the description' of some miscreant involved in an 'incident'.

I do know that black guys I have known would get stopped much more often.

Now I come to think of it, I've yet to be stopped on the bike, even during that victim-blaming crackdown recently.

I don't particularly dislike the police. There are plenty of countries where they are far, far worse. I just don't expect them all to be entirely unprejudiced or honest, and as they have power I'd rather avoid giving them any cause to bother me, if possible. Hence I stay off the pavement.

Plus pavement racers annoy me and I don't want to be a hypocrite.

Oh yeah - one odd thing about being questioned - cops often seem to be weirdly suspicious at the notion that someone would walk several miles rather than drive or wait hours for buses.

I love the sheer arbitaryness in all this - one week riding on a particular pavement is an offence leading to risk of FPN. Next week, someone from council has come along and painted half of it a different color (no doubt to meet their quota) and suddenly its a cycle path which you are now supposed to use. Nothing's changed, risks to pedestrians are still same etc - just a coat of paint and an arbitrary decision. Ridiculous. (Apologies if someone's made same point - too many comments on here to go through them all at this time of night).

[[[[[ I imagine many drivers would be well chuffed to see more cyclists off the roads and competing with pedestrians on the pavements....they think it's where we belong. Well, it ain't, and I ain't going to do it! I'm a legitimate vehicle, and I belong on the highway, and motorists better get used to the idea. Ding-ding!
P.R.

In our (so called) democracy, how can anybody (minister or not, allegedly speaking on behalf of a government department or not) proclaim that a statute law should be disregarded? If the law states that riding a bike on the footway is illegal (as in all circumstances it should be in my opinion) then that is the legal position, until parliament votes to repeal the act.
Or am I missing something?

Point made relating to age oozaveared I suppose my short description didn't portray the full scenario. Guess it's best left as it is in reality....at the discretion of the Police. Any discerning cyclist would stay off the footway anyway.
I have on occasions hopped on the footway for say 20m to go by refuse collection trucks.
Can't say I've seen many old ladies on shopping bikes in Devon....far too hilly.

Another cop out by a govt minister "lets pass the buck to someone else" !

Leaving it to an officers discretion is no answer as everyone's view of an incident is different and one person's idea of safe cycling is another's dangerous.

One time as a a law abiding teenager in the late 1950's I got off my bike to push it the 'wrong way' along a one way street in Shrewsbury. (Town Walls for those who know the town). Almost at the end of the street I was stopped by a policeman who told me to get on the bike and ride off the 'right way'.

When I protested he informed my that a bicycle was a road vehicle and could not be propelled the wrong way on a one way street any more that a car of bus could.

So my entirely subjective opinion is that cyclists are sympathetically treated by police these days.

Pretty much the same as it is now then.
My rule should I ever become a law upholder/minister is children acceptable to ride on a footway to say age 14, adults wearing 'Lycra' stay on the road.
Don't take the Lycra bit seriously some of you (you know the over opinionated ones).
Motorist should stay off the footways too unless of course your really need to park on a footway then it's perfectly acceptable to block the way through cos of course, plod will alway turn a blind eye as it stops cyclist riding on the path.
Sarcasm!

userfriendly][quote=arfa wrote:

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*Someone* forgot an opening QUOTE tag ...

I know, this won't bug anyone but me ... Do feel free to ignore this completely OT post, its sole purpose is to fix the comment markup.

This all seems like a deliberate distraction from the real issues that cyclists and pedestrians face. The realisation has struck that the task of actually providing good quality infrastructure for peds, cyclists and motors is one of such enormity that the best option (for politicians and lawmakers) is just to ignore it.

On a related note, what's the law relating to cycling on pavements where half of the pavement has been officially allocated for parking bays? As cars drive along it to park, surely it must be legal to cycle along it?

Worth knowing these powers:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/fil...

If, for the sake of argument, you refuse to comply with a request for details for the FPN, they can 'detain' you until a constable arrives (max 30 minutes). So, check your watch when being stopped. Because you'd stop... of course...

Well this is interesting...

I live in Tottenham and I have to quickly go on the pavement for about 30 seconds or so in order to get from the main road onto the back streets behind my house..

If I don't.. then I've got another mile and a half up past Tottenham town hall and then round the gyratory and onto Broad Lane... which quite frankly I'd do anything to avoid given that the traffic there is generally mental and there's about half a dozen splits in the road as well, which are both confusing and often lead to you being in the middle of three lanes of traffic..

However, I have had the odd pedestrian shout comments about being on the pavement when making my short incursion on it.. Despite the fact I'm riding a Pashley in 1st or 2nd gear and going so slow that I'm actually slower than the pedestrians...

How that's a danger to anyone is quite beyond me and the slight inconvenience I may cause given the size of the bike is preferable to dicing with death on a daily basis!

Glad to see there's some sense being spouted by the govt on this for once! I may well shout back that it's legal, next time I'm harangued!

I think it was 28 quid at the time and versus the uncertainty/hassle/time factor I just paid as I suspect many others do.
My issue is that with more ambiguous guidance, pedestrians, cyclists and PCSO's have not got a clue and the potential for conflict is increased. If the Minister wishes to allow discretion, he should offer more specific guidance as to how it might be exercised.

There is a horrible junction on my commute, where the pavement has been designated a shared-use path. http://goo.gl/maps/QAdWL

However, I'd rather chance it on the road with the lorries and buses than get abused by pedestrians who think I am illegally riding on the pavement. Every time I have tried to use the pavement, I have been shouted at, and then re-joining the road further on is made difficult. You're better off staying on the road and asserting your position in the lane.

Agree, relying on a PC's discretion is totally unsatisfactory. You just won't know where you stand re FPN's since discretion is completely subjective.

Reasons for cycling on the pavement- I can only think of one, and that's if you are a young child, vulnerable adult, or accompanying one -and almost certainly cycling slowly so present less of a risk.

The 'avoiding busy/dangerous junctions' argument is totally spurious. Its ONE JUNCTION. WALK YOUR BIKE!!

Also feel that this deflects from the issue of dangerous junctions and lack of cycling infrastructure in the first place..

I don't really like this 'discretion' thing. Seems as if it leaves you at the mercy of the prejudices of whatever cop you happen to encounter. Seems to make it as much about luck as justice.

_So many times_ I've had an aggressive hoodie-wearing young bloke come zooming along a narrow or crowded pavement, either straight at me head-on or whizzing past me from behind (and it always seems to happen when I'm pushing my bike along the pavement like a good boy, having had to dismount for some reason or other - and always at places where I regularly cycle _in the road_). Nothing ever gets done about those guys.

Yet I remain convinced that if I ever get off of a nasty road onto a totally deserted pavement in the early hours of the morning _that's_ when some cop (whose wife ran off with a lycra-wearing road-biker, leaving him with a lifelong hatred of anyone on two-wheels!) will magically appear from nowhere!