Cyclists on the pavement

newusername said:
That's called confirmation bias. Plus the majority of law breaking by drivers of motor vehicles is hidden/accepted.

For example at a t-junction the light goes amber, a few drivers put their foot down & exceed the speed limit to get there before it goes red, as it goes red, one driver goes through as they know the phase of the lights & cars won't be emerging from the side road yet. The HGV driver stops and has defective eyesight. The cyclists stop. Coming out the side road, the taxi driver is over the limit from the night before, one of the drivers has been checking twitter while stopped at the lights, is slow putting the phone down & still has it in their hand as they make the turn. An 'all cross' pedestrian phase of the lights starts & one of the cyclists goes as there is no one crossing in front of them. Everyone goes 'bloody scofflaw cyclists'.
Click to expand...
Once again . I admire the defence of the cyclists. You just need to look as to why you have an image problem, why pedestrians and car drivers alike hate cyclists
 
MARMITE said:
I read this myself a few months back and can understand the reasoning, but on a 60mph stretch of busy road I use regularly sometimes comes to a standstill. Am I wrong in getting very upset when this occurs?
Click to expand...

Of course it can be frustrating - no doubt about that. But, it’s there for a reason - the risk to cyclists is real and they always come off 2nd best with a car.
 
SmallTown said:
Once again . I admire the defence of the cyclists. You just need to look as to why you have an image problem, why pedestrians and car drivers alike hate cyclists
Click to expand...

Frickin eck ST - never has ‘confirmation bias’ been so apt.
You do have a habit of thinking the rest of the world ought to think like you.
Thankfully - there are lots of compassionate drivers and pedestrians out there (oh, as well as cyclists)
 
1finny said:
Frickin eck ST - never has ‘confirmation bias’ been so apt.
You do have a habit of thinking the rest of the world ought to think like you.
Thankfully - there are lots of compassionate drivers and pedestrians out there (oh, as well as cyclists)
Click to expand...
I don’t actually. If you ignore the hatred towards cyclists (not from me, I might add, I am one) from pedestrians and drivers then you must be blissfully ignorant.

The cyclist and red light thing is such a clear example of them thinking they are above the laws and it’s also why they attract such dislike.
Once again I admire your spirited defence of cyclists but in trying to defend the behaviour you’re perpetuating the feelings people have towards them and, by extension, proving my point about cyclists acting in ways that upset others
 
atypical_boro said:
I'm gonna take a stab that some cyclists are also pedestrians and some are also car drivers.
Click to expand...
Like me you mean. I was talking about the generally divisive ones. The ones who mount pavements, the once who defend their rights to break traffic laws. The one who even boast about their lawlessness on social media and defend it with anger and fury
 
SmallTown said:
Like me you mean. I was talking about the generally divisive ones. The ones who mount pavements, the once who defend their rights to break traffic laws. The one who even boast about their lawlessness on social media and defend it with anger and fury
Click to expand...
Ok, but I just think its important to point out that its some drivers who act like kn0bs, some cyclists who do also, and some pedestrians who hate cyclists etc. Mounting pavements, temporarily, with no pedestrians is utterly harmless, yet a similar 'mistake' in a car (of any kind) could actually kill someone (including the driver). I mean some of the ones who mount pavements are actual children, doing so because they're frightened of the roads, or more pertinently, some of the drivers on the roads. Are they out of order when they do it?

As I say, what would work best is to have foothpaths exclusively for pedestrians, proper cycle paths exclusively for bikes (and scooters etc), and roads for cars. Then there'd be no need to vilify anyone else or create divisiveness. But some people get up in arms at the thought of spending public funds on something as stupid as cycling, despite the depressingly obvious health and environmental benefits (short and long term).
 
SmallTown said:
I don’t actually. If you ignore the hatred towards cyclists (not from me, I might add, I am one) from pedestrians and drivers then you must be blissfully ignorant.

The cyclist and red light thing is such a clear example of them thinking they are above the laws and it’s also why they attract such dislike.
Once again I admire your spirited defence of cyclists but in trying to defend the behaviour you’re perpetuating the feelings people have towards them and, by extension, proving my point about cyclists acting in ways that upset others
Click to expand...

ST - I’m out
But would just say your last post is just utter rubbish on so many levels.
Enjoy your evening
 
nowthen said:
Cyclists want all the room in the world on the road.
They’re more than happy to cycle on the shoulder of pedestrians in the parks though.
Click to expand...
Well a car nudging you at 60mph might hurt a bit. A bike in the park nudging you at 10mph might, but it probably won't. And btw, many people ride in parks because the roads are often so damn scary.
 
atypical_boro said:
Ok, but I just think its important to point out that its some drivers who act like kn0bs, some cyclists who do also, and some pedestrians who hate cyclists etc. Mounting pavements, temporarily, with no pedestrians is utterly harmless, yet a similar 'mistake' in a car (of any kind) could actually kill someone (including the driver). I mean some of the ones who mount pavements are actual children, doing so because they're frightened of the roads, or more pertinently, some of the drivers on the roads. Are they out of order when they do it?

As I say, what would work best is to have foothpaths exclusively for pedestrians, proper cycle paths exclusively for bikes (and scooters etc), and roads for cars. Then there'd be no need to vilify anyone else or create divisiveness. But some people get up in arms at the thought of spending public funds on something as stupid as cycling, despite the depressingly obvious health and environmental benefits (short and long term).
Click to expand...
Apart from the mounting the pavement bit, I agree with all of this.
 
SmallTown said:
Apart from the mounting the pavement bit, I agree with all of this.
Click to expand...
Well mounting a pavement safely, to keep out of the way of traffic, with no pedestrians around, and no damage done to the curb, is completely harmless. Appreciate that its a judgement call, but its not like 100% of cases are dangerous, its probably more like 1%. And the vast majority who do it are teenagers in my experience, who aren't road savvy. Also, some cycle routes actually form part of what looks like a pavement and aren't clearly marked (or paint has worn away) and so some people assume the cyclist is in the wrong when they're actually not.
 
Last edited:
atypical_boro said:
Well a car nudging you at 60mph might hurt a bit. A bike in the park nudging you at 10mph might, but it probably won't. And btw, many people ride in parks because the roads are often so damn scary.
Click to expand...
Way faster than 10mph. What I’m saying is, show some respect to pedestrians. Most signs I see, say pedestrians have right of way.
 
nowthen said:
Way faster than 10mph. What I’m saying is, show some respect to pedestrians. Most signs I see, say pedestrians have right of way.
Click to expand...
I can honestly say I don't see people riding much above about 10mph in the park. I mean I've ridden through parks myself, I have a speedo, and I would almost never get above that unless the place was deserted and there happened to be a long straight stretch, something few parks have. I would say the vast majority of cyclists do respect pedestrians (and same with drivers respecting cyclists) which is why we try to stick to dedicated cyclepaths as much as is humanly possible. If only we could stay on them completely all the time, eh!
 
Always really enjoy threads like these. Similar ones on social media all the time. generally any form of physical exercise is to be applauded, obviously you do have to follow the rules but lets be honest, whilst cyclists in this thread may have admitted to breaking the law, goes without saying anyone who says they have never sped in their car is stretching the truth somewhat. I run, cycle and walk prolifically and I see a lot more sins from drivers than I do cyclists or runners, but that's because there are a lot more cars than cyclists and runners so you are bound to see it more.

As a cyclist I will never use a cycle path. They're covered in broken glass, often loads of potholes and you usually get small children on them or pedestrians with a dog on a 15m extension lead fully extended acting as a tripwire. That's pre-covid too - now there are more people walking, running and cycling, so everything I said before goes double.

Cyclists should never be on the pavement and I always tell people when I see them cycling, because as a cyclist that really annoys me. I can understand why people shout rather than using bells though, because people respond faster to a shout than they do a bell, and use of a bell used to be received as a polite warning and now people just look at you for a few seconds as if you're an inconvenience to them. I have a loud horn on my bike but it's more there for comedy value when out on rides, and as I generally avoid the cycle paths for the reasons previously stated, I very rarely use it.

It's not just that cyclists are rude or ignorant. or drivers are rude or ignorant, it's just people in general that is the problem. Cyclists on pavement, drivers speeding and driving dangerously close to cyclists, pedestrians not moving out of the way to a safe social distance, children not given clear instructions or supervision, teenagers thinking they\re too cool to bother with any of this. The list is endless. Doesn't matter what vehicle or mode of transport people are using, they should act within the law and treat others with respect. I've had 3 ankle injuries during lockdown and each of them have been obtained when running onto grass verges to avoid people on the grass.

But what always amuses me is people making sneery comments about lycra clad wiggins wannabes, they do the same about runners and ive even seen people moaning about everyone getting out on walks. God forbid people actually do exercise, try and get fit and healthy and hopefully live a longer life instead of driving everywhere in their midlife crisis mobile :love:
 
r00fie1 said:
Try cycling in France - even Paris - British drivers have a big attitude problem. In France drivers pay cyclists upmost respect and drive safety - first(y)
Click to expand...
I shall be doing just that next month. Maybe they’ll be as sarcy as you as well!
 
atypical_boro said:
Well mounting a pavement safely, to keep out of the way of traffic, with no pedestrians around, and no damage done to the curb, is completely harmless. Appreciate that its a judgement call, but its not like 100% of cases are dangerous, its probably more like 1%. And the vast majority who do it are teenagers in my experience, who aren't road savvy. Also, some cycle routes actually form part of what looks like a pavement and aren't clearly marked (or paint has worn away) and so some people assume the cyclist is in the wrong when they're actually not.
Click to expand...
I said that last bit at the very beginning of this thread
 
SmallTown said:
I shall be doing just that next month. Maybe they’ll be as sarcy as you as well!
Click to expand...
I cycled with a group of 40 raising money for charity - last year in Normandy, the year before along the route of the Western Front.
Never a smart comment from drivers.
Excellent roads.
Lovely scenery
 
Last edited:
r00fie1 said:
I cycled with a group of 40 raising money for charity - last year in Normandy, the year before along the route of the Western Front.
Never a smart comment from drivers.
Excellent roads.
Experience counts.
Give it a go and grow up.
Click to expand...
You can ignore the dislike of cyclists all you like. I don’t care. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Ironically using a comment like “grow up” makes you sound immature.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top