Should cyclists be allowed to ride on the pavement, for their own safety and for the sanity of motorists?
Answers:
Well, looking at this from both sides. I used to ride when I was younger but now I drive everywhere.
If I was on a bike I wouldn't feel safe on the roads. traffic, potholes s**t drivers etc etc.
When I'm in my car I am nervous of bikes in case they suddenly change direction without looking.
and when I'm on foot its not nice when you have a cyclist coming at you on the pavement at 20mph. But I can see why many cyclists do ride on the pavement.
Its a difficult one to call and I'm not too sure. More cycle routes and wider roads are what we need.
Absolutely, I live in London and am too terrified to ride on the road!
There should be a lane especially for cyclists for their own safety.
no they shouldn't.they r wheeled vehicle no matter how u look at them.they should also be made to pay road tax like the rest of us road users.
I don't think that would be a good idea for cyclists to ride on pavements because pavements are for PEOPLE to walk!!!
Atleast they should give us that much space since we can't walk open on the roads because of vehicles. Also it is for their own safety because if they knock some1 over they can get injured as well!!! So cyclists should cycle on the roads because cycle are sort of a vehicle. aren't they????
or they should have their own pavements for cyclists!!!
So the cyclists are on the pavement to reduce the agrivation of the motorist - what about the pedestrian that can't be in the road and gets side lined by the cyclist?
What about the pedestrian?! This is a terrible idea.
No. What about the pedestrians.
There ought to be proper cycling lanes on every road to encourage the use of bicycles for transport.
I think kids should be able to ride their bikes on the pavement. It's safer for them, especially if they are just learning.
what about the safety of pedestrians?
NO WAY!
Yes. But they should have to have insurance in case they injure pedestrians
There should be cycle lanes everywhere, as in Sweden.
No, there should be lanes for cyclists because it would be dangerous for pedestrians.
If pavements were safe to ride on, then yes, but you have no idea hoq annoying it is to respoke the wheel weekly because of all the enormous bumps, mad twists and turns, and of course the pedestrians. Considering most UK cyclists can outrun a car in an urban commute, it makes more sense to have them on the road. When cyclists get proper cycling lanes though (look at The Netherlands) and drivers get a mentality change ('cyclists have a right to exist') I'm sure traffic will be fine.
I have had cyclists ride into me more than once on the pavement - once I was knocked head-first into a lamp post and got a black eye (it was swollen shut!). Cyclists on the pavements could only pose a danger to children walking to school and the likes - I think there should be a heavy fine for riding on the pavements to dissuade this dangerous practice.
Councils should gain benefit for installing cycle lanes.
Depends on traffic. Where I live cyclists ride on the road if traffic isn't heavy, but on the sidewalk if traffic is heavy. We have good cyclists organizations here so lots of bike paths on the streets as well.
No
The highway code applies to bikes too. So either keep them on the road or in the cycle lanes.
It's even more irratating when they just ignore the cycle lanes
Yes an No. But really no because they should have their OWN dedicated 'carriageway'. Far to little emphasis is given to cyclists. This is a shame especially when bicycles are half the answer to tackling road congestion and reducing cars and therefore greenhouse gases.
The UK should have an extensive nationwide cycle network so that nobody is more than 5 miles from the network.
So actually the answer is yes, without the safe cycle paths they deserve, they have a right to protect themselves from dangerous motor traffic.
Yes.
My wife cycles a lot, using cycle lanes wherever possible, sometimes they're on the road and sometimes they're on the pavement. Where both are too narrow the cycle lane simply stops, forcing cyclists to share a narrow road with busy traffic. So she uses the pavement - in a responsible manner.
Caveats:
1. cyclists who ride on pavements must do so with care: a friend at work suffered a broken elbow after a cyclist crashed into him on a pavement.
2. wherever possible, pavements should be widened to allow space for cyclists and pedestrians.
No
Absolutely not.
That is exactly what they do in Germany and it works quite well in smaller villages and towns where the pavements are not too busy with people and there is enough room to share the space with pedestrians. The cyclists still have to give way to the walkers so no-one gets injured.
In larger towns though it would not work, there we need dedicated cycle lanes.
i think the council's shoud bulid more cycle lane's..there is a serious danger to cyclist on the road because driver's seem to think they are the only one's allowed on the road and dissrepect the highway code as far a the cyclist is concerned i have some very near miss's because of these idiot driver's..so am forced to go on the pavement then am also in the wrong for doing that its a no win situation..the goverment is trying to convince people to go on there bike but we are victim what ever we do..the goverment reli need to address this alot better
Child cyclists should be allowed for their own safety. It's a good idea for adult cyclists to use the road but changes need to be made to make drivers more aware of cyclists and more tollerant of them.
Hi. I Drive a car, ride a motorcycle, ride a cycle (including taking my 5 yr old boy to school on a Tag-A-Long) and of course I walk. I live in a small seaside town so you cannot hide behind anonymity for doing something stupid. Yes, cyclists should ride on the roads. But after 3 attempts on my life in a 2 mile ride I do sometimes wish there was an alternative. The trouble lies in the fact that a large percentage of each user group fails to appreciate the limitations of the other. The driver (whatever age & sex) of a motor vehicle should give due consideration to that of a cyclist and pedestrian. The cyclist should do likewise for the pedestrian. (Personally, when on 2 wheels, I give very little away to any car driver, as any one of them could be an assasin) But this is unlikely to happen soon. I am looking forward to when the latest plans are implemented for parking near my sons school. It will be such an A**e for car drivers, they'll all be cycling!
The pavement is for pedestrians. Cyclists keep off. Too many cyclists use the road when it suits them, the pavement when it doesn't. Well, bikes are road vehicles, it's illegal to ride on the pavement, for the very good reason that pedestrians need somewhere they can feel safe from wheeled vehicles! And that includes kids - just because you're only 10 doesn't mean you can't crash your bike into someone's tottering grandma.
There is a safety issue for cyclists using the road, which is the poor standard of driving of most car drivers, with the cyclist in the most vulnerable position. It's an issue that mainly affects towns, which are the most demanding areas for drivers where mistakes tend to be made; there are huge areas of the countryside where there is little traffic and cycling is fun.
Urban areas should only be tackled by cyclists who are experienced with their machine, equipped properly (eg rear-view mirror, horn, hub gears, crash helmet), knowledgeable about road use, and on the look-out for car driver stupidity.
yes, with consideration for pedestrians
I think that wherever it is possible cyclists should be able to ride on the pavement, obviously this wouldn't work well in a busy high street crowded with pedestrians but on quieter suburban streets I cant see why not and people should be able to use their own discretion as to wether it is safe to do so.
I work in Hull and we have cycle paths which only go onto the road at traffic lights or roundabouts it works well and promotes green travel.
drivers should be considerate to any other road users.so cyclists should be considerate to pedestrians, so, no
Cyclists should not be allowed to ride on the pavement, as the pavement is what it says, for Pedestrians. It's time cyclists looked at themselves. They do not have insurance, they do not pay road tax and they have no respect for either pedestrians or motorists. I do not care for their argument that they are saving the planet, if this was so, why are they constantly clogging the roads and making car users frustrated. It's time we motorists demanded that cyclists were banned completely from our roads. As a motorist who pays road Tax, why should I put up with a non paying, non insured person, fouling my roadside and waiting for the first chance of claiming my insurance for damages?
Cyclists should keep to cycle tracks and leave the roads for what they were built (Cars)
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