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[prestigesec]

Just curious on this one where do you think a push bike should be rode, on the road or the pavement?? Surely being riden on the pavement would cause a lot less fatal accidents by being away from cars and would save a lot of money on cycle lanes? I know this is not an option everywhere in the country but would just like to know peoples opinion. I know i sure as hell wouldnt be riding a push bike on the road in todays climate.

[hotel21]

footpaths are exactly that.  For feet.....

The cycling/wheeled exception, to me, are young children and those of extended years in the electric chairs.  Fit teenagers/adults should use the road when on pedalcycles....

[prestigesec]

footpaths are exactly that.  For feet.....

The cycling/wheeled exception, to me, are young children and those of extended years in the electric chairs.  Fit teenagers/adults should use the road when on pedalcycles....

See so many of these on the road at night with no lights or anything its rediculous.

[theowletman]

The ideal answer would be to seperate cycles from pedestrians and vehicles, a purpose built cycle lane would be a lot safer. However the political will, money and the current layout of our roads does not make this an easy option. I think a lot more people would cycle if it was safer. At the moment there is no easy answer, how do you keep children safe on a cycle in traffic ? If only all drivers and cyclists were a bit more tolerant perhaps ?

[prestigesec]

Surely it would be a lot safer for cyclists to ride on the pavement when possible it must cut fatal accidents down as cars and cyclists would not be so close.

[Kevin Wood]

I have no problem with cycles on the road if car drivers are courteous to cyclists. Having travelled a fair bit in Europe where sometimes there is a cycle lane in the pavement, and cyclists therefore believe they have a right to ride on all pavements, I think on the road is safest for all.

However, a lot of car drivers have clearly never ridden a bicycle and have no concept of how much road they need to leave them to be safe.

Kevin

[prestigesec]

lesser of the 2 evils then i would much rather be hit by a cyclist on the pavement than a car on the road??

[Kevin Wood]

lesser of the 2 evils then i would much rather be hit by a cyclist on the pavement than a car on the road??

But do you speak as a pedestrian, a cyclist or a car driver? Depends on your point of view.

I would never cycle on the pavement because it's a pain, and dangerous, for pedestrians to keep dodging cyclists and it's a pain on a bike to have to keep bumping up and down curbs. On the road you can maintain steady progress on a bike and, provided drivers are courteous, and you take sensible steps to make yourself visible it's safe, IMHO. Depends on the location, of course. I might have a different view if I lived in a city rather than a village.

Kevin

[johnnycboy]

Being an unfortunate who cycles to work (Due to the price of car parking at the local station), I agree with Kevin, some motorists fail to realise just how much room a cyclist may need on the road, Although I don't agree with riding on the pavement, most of the time its far more safer than trying to negotiate the open road (Although dodging pedestrians is just has dangerous) .  I'm not anti-car at all, but it would be nice for drivers and cyclists to have a bit more harmony for each other :exclamation and realise that the pavements are for walking and roads are for wheeled vehicles of all shapes and sizes.

[Kevin Wood]

I find riding with a relatively generous amount of space between you and the curb is the best policy. It makes the gap appear smaller to a following car driver so they are more likely not to try to squeeze past until there's a sensible gap, and gives you a buffer zone you can use if they do try something stupid.

OK, the odd BMW driver gets @rsey because you're using up too much of his precious road, but I'm hardly going to lose much sleep over that.

Kevin

[Varche]

I used to cycle to work when I was younger. It was a lot faster door to door and supposedly healthier. However I gave up as I had quite a few near miss accidents with drivers cutting across to turn left or just not leaving enough room when passing.

I have always thought that drivers should "experience" a bicycle, motorbike, van and an HGV (and perhaps even a horse!) before being allowed to actually drive a car. That would soon stop people moaning about lorries legally allowed to do 56 passing one only able to legally go at 50 particularly when the driver is paid for loads tipped not by the hour.

Problem is in England in particular a lot of people are very, very selfish especially when they get behind the wheel.

varche

[106rallye]

I used to cycle to work when I was younger. It was a lot faster door to door and supposedly healthier. However I gave up as I had quite a few near miss accidents with drivers cutting across to turn left or just not leaving enough room when passing.

I have always thought that drivers should "experience" a bicycle, motorbike, van and an HGV (and perhaps even a horse!) before being allowed to actually drive a car. That would soon stop people moaning about lorries legally allowed to do 56 passing one only able to legally go at 50 particularly when the driver is paid for loads tipped not by the hour.

Problem is in England in particular a lot of people are very, very selfish especially when they get behind the wheel.

varche

There are so many selfish tossers (and funnily enough they all see to be crap drivers as well) out there who think that because they pay road tax they have more rights over cyclist, pedestians, motorbikes etc

A cyclist has a lot more rights on the road that a car driver.

[jereboam]

I live in a village in Suffolk.  The local roads are narrow, winding and unlit at night.  I used to fear for my children's lives when they set out to cycle into town as teenagers, so I ran a shuttle service, and feared for the lives of the lunatics in dark clothes on unlit bikes with no head protection who I used to pass.

Personally, I consider all bicycles to be a complete menace to car drivers.  They are good for exercise, but totally outmoded as a form of transport.

I lived in Holland for some years.  This was a minority view there...

[ians]

A lot of good points here.

It largely depends on the situation, time of day, how busy etc.  It wouldn't be practical, safe or desirable to cycle along a busy high street pavement,  but in the early monring/night may be much safer.  Mrs ians used to cyle to work in the early morning on the pavement as i) there were no pedestratians at that time, ii) the few cars about assumed that noone else was on the road.

I am quote pro cycle where possible, but only when ridden sensibly. Many cyclists have no clue whatsoever about the rules of the road (unless they happen to have driving licence they will likely have had no training at all) and put themselves in danger as a result.

[Martin_1962]

I think none has more rights than anyone else

As to pavements - I have done when I thought it safer - TBH wide enough for a cycle lane on it and no pedestrians