Why is the british law so strange?

mafiaboss_nz

The pathway is considered part of the highway, hence councils are responsible for maintianing them

Bicycles are, in law, carriages (as a consequence of the Taylor v Goodwin judgment in 1879) and should be on the highway not footpaths.

You would be hard pressed to find a officer to issue a ticket with you riding at a sensible speed but if they see you riding at high speed( more than fast walking) with pedistrians jumping out of your way then expect to be pulled up and done for "furious cycling".

Also if you will be cycling on the footpath then i would be getting cycling insurance because if you hit someone walking or even a car backing out of a driveway you will be found at fault for riding on a footpath you should not be riding on by law and facing a lawsuit, in fact most cycling insurance would not cover you for riding illegally in the first place now i think about it, so if you ride on the footpath and hit a person or a car backing out of a drive, if they sue you, then be sure you have a large bank balance to cover any lawsuit afterwards..

Personally i would dress up in as much hi viz as possible and stick to the roads

jduck1979_2005

Because there's a risk of taking out kids & old people if you ride the bike on the pavement..... typical walking speed of a person is around 3mph, while according to the speedo of the Cycle computer on my Mountainbike (when the battery still worked), I can easily do 6mph - 28mph on the bike (and that's a heavy old Universal Mountainbike with 21-gears + chunky off road tyres that I've had since 1993)... a hybrid or road racer (with slicker tyres) according to people who know can easily do at least 40mph or faster.

Here's a few stories I've managed to Google up about Pedestrians being killed by cyclists:
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23420042-details/City+chief+dies+after+being+hit+by+cyclist/article.do
http://adrianfitch.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/are-cyclists-a-bigger-threat-to-pedestrians-than-motor-vehicles/
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/cyclist_kills_pedestrian_article_157946.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jul/09/ukcrime?gusrc=rss&feed=uknews

Cycling on the road is perfectly safe as long as you keep your wits about you, and stay on the correct side........ though what I've started seeing alot of round here lately is some little twerp riding their BMX past me on the pavement like their **** is on fire, then one of their little friends following on behind riding along the side of the road (facing the traffic), in cases like that they deserve to knocked off their bike to knock some sense into them.

RichB

Pavements are meant for pedestrians. Most of them aren't wide enough to be used safely by cyclists as well, certainly not at the sorts of speeds I see many cyclists bombing along at. If you hit an older person or young child at high speed, you may kill them.

If you don't like riding in traffic, ride in designated cycle lanes until you've built up your confidence. You can also take various cycling proficiency courses to get your riding skills up to scratch.

John M

Beacuse if your bike hits a child it could kill them, and im sorry but a child has more right to the pavement than you do on a bike.

david

i really would not worry about it, as after a few weeks you will be on the pavements yourself, when on the road cutting cars up, not indicating, breaking every law on the roads and of common sense, e.g. riding through red lights.

its the law that you ride on the road, if your scared don't get a bike, by the way, they might break a bone, they wouldn't if your not on the pavement, either way pedestrians have right of way, even if they are being idiots.

Jackson P

Simple - pavements are for pedestrians.
Any bike riders on the pavement when I am around get a straight arm to the head.

j

mike_is_the_stig

coz it is.

Robert D

If you have a bike please ride responsibly.

Get training on how to ride a bike properly.

Riding on the roads, unless allowed to do otherwise, is the only way but just take care of idiot drivers and even pedestrians that are blind to non polluting road users.

ahsoasho2u2

pavement like in sidewalks.
Too many riding on sidewalk areas and not on roads.
Also roads if riding a bike can be cause to slow up traffic or impede the flow of normal traffic.

finglas9

It sickens me that cyclists and horse riders do not have to wear fluorescent high visibility jackets. Putting the emphasis for safety and care on the motorist. It is a bit dodgy for cyclist but why dont you look after yourselves and wear the right clothing. You should be heavily fined for not taking responsibility for yourselves.

old_skool_zaz

no1 actually follows that law, its just there to be quoted when necessary if there ever is a serious accident with a pedal bike so the poplice have their asses covered! or sumthing like that anyway!

Paul

Thats bull.I used to ride my mountainbike on the pavement all the time and only go on the rood if its a nice clear road so i can blast down it.Police have seen me riding my bike on the pavement before and just ignored me .

shitebird

Laddie laddie laddie

wull you no learn, the laws are made in england, under the supervision of health and safety approved by the AML and put into practice by the government who could careless.

need i say moore

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