I’m pretty lucky in that on my commute, I can cycle most of the way on shared cycle routes. The down side is the dog walkers who insist on letting there dogs off the lead to roam around wherever they want, even at this time of year when its pitch black, suppose its not as bad as those **** stupid extender leads!

Legally, no we shouldn’t. It’d be another weapon in the driver’s armoury. “get off my road onto the pavement where you belong” etc.

Done sensibly (aka observance of rule1) it shouldn’t be enforced. Done non-sensibly (aka all the teens pulling wheelies at full chat through kids and parents leaving school, or outside the shops), it should be cause for a bollocking.

Personally I hate riding on the pavement. I’d far rather share my space with a bunch of tin boxes moving at twice my speed, who at least have a framework of rules they “might” observe plus limited mobility, than trying to deal with the completely uncontrolled, unaware average pedestrian who’s not looking where they’re going, not paying attention to their offspring or their dog on an extending lead and who may well suddenly step randomly sideways with no prior indication. Its for this reason I detest shared use cycle paths.

We have a perfectly good cycling infrastructure – its called “the road”. we just need to train and educate the other users who are licensed to share it with us better.

Honestly if it was me I’d ban dogs. They put thousands of people in hospital per year cos of attacks and shit everywhere making people ill.

Why people keep dogs is a mystery to me.

If there was just a few around it would be different but near me it feels like there are more dogs than people.

 Legally, no we shouldn’t. It’d be another weapon in the driver’s armoury. “get off my road onto the pavement where you belong” etc.

This +1.

the official line from the Department for Transport (DfT) is that cyclists may ride on the footway – more commonly referred to as pavements – provided they do so considerately, and that police officers need to exercise discretion.

see https://road.cc/content/news/108119-transport-minister-responsible-cyclists-can-ride-pavement

I usually just go on the roads – less hassle for me around here. No real bad traffic etc. If traffic is solid or there’s a narrow road and the pavement is clear i would use the pavement.

Just been told off by my cyclist mum for cycling through the shopping centre.Think I’ll push next time as a short cut.

In Tokyo everyone rides on the pavement – it’d be strange to ride on the road.

With so many sections of shared use path, how does one know if the shared use path has ended?

Usually this crap:

Its for this reason I detest shared use cycle paths

It is odd – the shared paths on my commute are much busier than the “normal/illegal” pavements that I use. There’s one section (about 400metres of it) that I never use, it’s pitch black and random pedstrians often appear out of the gloom, or dogs, or cyclists.. and junctions… it’s safer and easier to stay on the road. Shortly after that is a blind corner, shared, bus stop about 20 mts up. Well dodgy, in the dark especially.

See how cleverly they’ve designed the cycle path section to share the pavement at the point where people wait to cross the road.. genius

TBH I prefer to be on the road mostly, I’m on a Bicycle which I consider to be a vehicle and therefore traffic I’m not a “Wheeled Pedestrian”.

Yes there’s an argument for “deconfliction” with motorised vehicles but there are two main problems I have with riding on pavements (Painted “Cycle lanes” or otherise);

1 – Pedestrians, it’s really their domain, I will be moving faster by default and I am an unexpected danger to them; listening to music, making phone calls, walking dogs, pushing pushchairs, these are all legitimate (but distracting) things for a Ped’ to be doing on a pavement, and it all increases the liklihood of a collision if there’s a bike trundling towards them.

2 – Crossing junctions, if you ride on the pavement eventually in runs out, and you have to cross a road, normally at a junction or roundabout, this is a prime location to get hit and you probably increase the odds of that if you are rolling off the pavement rather than moving on the major carridgeway with other traffic.

Having said all of that I do use a few stretches of “Shared use” pavement/bike lane to make my commute more direct and slightly “safer” than playing on a dual carriageway during rush hour.

Should the rules be changed?

IMO No, because as soon as you make the pavement a “default bike lane” you’re helping the “Clarksonites” bully bikes off the roads.
Bicycles do still belong on the road, they are vehicles, they move at 15-25mph and will injure a ped in a collision, keep the law as it is, where deconfliction between different types of vehicles is needed, it falls to the local authorities to adjust the environment with lanes and/or markings, and dare I say it we should actually trust the Police to apply the law proportionately, resources allowing…

I’ll take the “being nice to others” approach.

ultimately that’s it, as cyclists, we are the most suited to be flexible to riding on road or on pavement.

If you see a pedestrian, hop on the road and cycle around them. If you can’t do that, slow down and give them right of way.

If you are holding up a car/van/lorry and it’s easy to pop on the pavement to let them by, do it.

It’s all good karma.

I totally understand the feeling that we have just as much right on the roads as cars. I also can see that pedestrians can get annoyed when we ride on the pavement. Problem is that cyclists in the UK don’t really have anywhere to go where someone isn’t pissed off and that includes bridleways which I keep being told round where I am are for horses…

So basically I just ride where I want and try to obey rule 1

that includes bridleways which I keep being told round where I am are for horses

#mybikeisnotahorse

It’s a daft one and argument back is that’s what the law tells us, and we have to ride this shitty horse churned up bridleway (in the case of all the horsey bridleways around Surrey).

Then ride on a footpath and you get the usual hassle there. Again argument back is yeah the law says I have to ride that shitty horse churned up bridleway over there. Have you tried riding a bike on that, or even walking it? ! (added with bike causes less damage to the path than horses or walkers, and stuff it anyway as a Right of Way is an inclusive right, not exclusive).

Still though, something I’ve observed is moaning people seems to be related to the time of day. Especially on tow paths (shared use). Very polite bunch early morning. All early risers out running or walking dogs, cheery hellos everywhere. Get to lunch and beyond and they’ve all gone miserable. Slow pootling old folk who jump out of their skin even if you ring a bell a mile away and then give you dirty looks, or deliberately block the path knowing you’re there, or joggers with headphones in who don’t seem to be having a good time and barely acknowledge your existence once they do notice you. Similar with phone zombies.

Pavements are for pedestrians.

And cyclists.

Slow pootling old folk who jump out of their skin even if you ring a bell a mile away and then give you dirty looks, or deliberately block the path knowing you’re there, or joggers with headphones in who don’t seem to be having a good time and barely acknowledge your existence once they do notice you. Similar with phone zombies.

Yeah I’ve noticed that too. If I cycle along the TPT very early in the morning to work I see the odd regular dog walker who often says hello and is proactive about securing their dog. Old people jumping out of their skin I can kind of tolerate since well…they are old, and as you say during the day (and particularly at weekends) you get some really passive-aggressive **** stand two across on the hard-packed part of the trail and force you into the grass or mud.

trying to deal with the completely uncontrolled, unaware average pedestrian who’s not looking where they’re going, not paying attention to their offspring or their dog on an extending lead and who may well suddenly step randomly sideways with no prior indication.

If riding on the pavement puts you in a position where you can’t deal with this then get off the pavement.

Bicycles do still belong on the road, they are vehicles, they move at 15-25mph

If you’re doing those speeds (or faster) then yes stick to the roads.

Otherwise, do as I do, crack on, ride on the pavement, it’s possible to ride slowly you know, and ride accordingly acknowledging the unpredictable nature of pedestrians.

Having said that, I’m not in a busy city with busy roads and busy pavements.

during the day (and particularly at weekends) you get some really passive-aggressive **** stand two across on the hard-packed part of the trail and force you into the grass or mud.

That’s a weird one, it’s related to time of day but also location.

Go to a honeypot area like Peaks, Dales, Lakes etc and if you’re within 200m of a car park, it doesn’t matter whether you’re riding on a road, gravel track, bridleway or footpath, you’ll get oblivious idiots walking along 12 abreast, people who are deliberately obstructive and rude and lots of passive-aggressive tuts and shakes of the head.

Get out into the hills and (IME) it doesn’t matter what you’re riding on – FP, BW, open moorland – the vast majority of people out there will be “fellow outdoorsy” types who just appreciate that it’s taken a lot of effort to get out into the hills, you’re all enjoying the scenery and (generally) they’ll be absolutely fine with it.

I think speed is the issue. If you’re training, on a club run on a mission in head down mode etc better off sticking to roads. If you’re head up,  pootling at walking pace (as I do when riding my bike to the local shop) then you’re better off on the pavement as long as you’re aware of and give way to peds, stop if necessary. A cheery hello also helps. Not being” dressed as a cyclist” helps as well perhaps. Rule 1 always applies.

Theres somewhere in some law that says something about cycling being an aide to pedestrian/ perambulation or something. Gives the impression that a bike is a more efficient version of walking or to be expected as an aide to a walk or something. Can’t remember th3 source.