Cyclists & Bike Owners

[KeenTeen17]

Originally Posted by Lancashire Lad

I don't want to hijack the thread KT, but perhaps I should clarify what I meant.

I am a keen cyclist, I do about 5000miles a year (try to average 100mile/week).

Out cycling, I see many other (so called) cyclists who: -

Ride through red lights
Ride on the pavement
Ride against the traffic flow
Ride without lights at night
Ride two or three abreast and don't go single file to allow cars to pass
Ride mountain bikes on footpaths
Disobey "no cycling" signage

All of which gets proper cyclists tarred with the same brush as "lycra louts"

Cycling is great exercise and good fun, but it will never gain the respect of the general non-cycling public, particularly a great many car drivers (and yes I am a car driver myself), when there are so many bike riding idiots around.

Rant over - back to the theme of plant locations
Regards
Mike.

I can't drive yet and my bike is my mode of transport. After taking up geocaching, I have been getting out and about a lot these past few months.
This post just got me thinking. I don't think theres anything wrong with riding on the pavement. Sometimes the roads are too dangerous for cyclists especially at rush hour.

I don't really see what harm a mountain bike is on the pavement

[charlieb]

What about when a group of old lady's and gents or parent with double push chair and toddler comes round the corner?

Either you hit the old folks or go careering onto the road into a moving car.

[Lancashire Lad]

It is against the law KT - whether you agree with it or not, it is against the law.

To be honest though, I judge each case on the situation.

If for example it was a child, or someone riding fairly slowly - giving due regard to pedestrians, then it doesn't bother me at all.

I accept that the roads can be daunting for some folk, and are definitely not the best place for the timid, or for youngsters.

However, when I see teenage (or even adult) idiots flying down pavements, with no regard whatsoever for other legitimate pavement users, it really makes my blood boil.

My bikes are out and out road bikes, and I use them solely on the roads.
I would say that I am a confident cyclist. I know my rights, and by my actions whilst riding, I demand that other road users acknowledge my presence, and give me space to legitimately go about my cycling.

I always wear high visibility cycling jacket or shirt, and would never think of cycling without a helmet.
Yes - uncool it may be, but I got thrown over the bonnet of a car four years ago, by an idiot reversing out in front of me. Luckily I only had cuts and grazes, (along with £800 damage to my bike), but my helmet was severely damaged when my head hit the ground. - Much better to have a broken helmet than a broken head ).

Even after that, and a couple less major mishaps, I'm still a great believer in the benefits of cycling. But some of the people who ride bikes just don't have a clue. (Well they do, but they choose to go by the "I'll do whatever I want" attitude, regardless of laws/regulations, which gets cyclists in general a bad name).

Regards,
Mike.

[kiff]

Originally Posted by KeenTeen17

I don't think theres anything wrong with riding on the pavement. Sometimes the roads are too dangerous for cyclists especially at rush hour.

I don't really see what harm a mountain bike is on the pavement

Sorry but my mum 72 years old was knocked down by a fool riding he's bike on the pavement, he like you could not see any thing wrong with what he was doing, if you need to go on the pavement then got off and push it or stay on the road, yes the roads can be dangerous for cyclist but cyclists that ride on the pavement make the pavements dangerous for pedestrians

[NJP87]

Originally Posted by Lancashire Lad

It is against the law KT - whether you agree with it or not, it is against the law.

To be honest though, I judge each case on the situation.

If for example it was a child, or someone riding fairly slowly - giving due regard to pedestrians, then it doesn't bother me at all.
Regards,
Mike.

Totally agree, if you need to use the pavement then ride solwly and sensibly, or get off and push it.

MTB's on footpaths i don't mind if it's quiet, especially as most paths are very poorly signed and it's hard to know where you can't cycle.

[KeenTeen17]

I think I forgot about pedestrians on my other post. I wouldn't ride on a pavement around a retirement home or somewhere similar. I usually ride on country roads and less public places. The only time I ever ride on paths is on the way up a big hill just in case I fall off or something and into the path of a car trying to overtake. Even some of the big hills I push it up on the path.

And regarding the helmets in Mike's post: I always wear a HiVis jacket and helmet and I don't really care if I ride into college wearing them looking like a "dork". At least I have rode into college alive

[Meta menardi]

Of course, one reason for not cycling on the pavement is that you will scratch the cars that are blocking most of the pavements round here.

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by kiff

Sorry but my mum 72 years old was knocked down by a fool riding he's bike on the pavement, he like you could not see any thing wrong with what he was doing, if you need to go on the pavement then got off and push it or stay on the road, yes the roads can be dangerous for cyclist but cyclists that ride on the pavement make the pavements dangerous for pedestrians

Some idiot crashed into me and my dog he fell of his bike trying to avoid us in a narrow alleyway with blind corners that had clear no cycling signs at each entrance..
He was petty old so should have known better..

[earthdragon64]

I think that it is high time that cyclists had to pass some kind of test and get a licence before being allowed to ride a bike in public. Cycle hire shops should have to see a licence before allowing someone to hire a bike. Most cyclists are fine, but there is a significant minority who are dangerous.

I live in an area with quite a lot of cyclists about, both locals and those on holiday, and some of them just shouldn't be allowed out. I often park my car in a car park which is near a cycle hire shop, and always have to be on the look out for people trying out the bike they may hire, weaving in and out of the parked cars and suddenly pulling across the front of me.

I have lost count of the times that a cyclist has shot out of a side road in front of me, causing me to have to brake hard to avoid them, and it isn't because I'm driving too fast, I always drive within the speed limit. On some of the narrow roads locally, it isn't uncommon to drive around a corner and find cyclists riding two or more abreast blocking the road.

My biggest bugbear though is why cyclists ride on a main road when there is a perfectly good cycle track just yards away. Highland council has recently spent a lot of money to put in a cycle track/footpath up to Glenmore, but some cyclists still insist on riding on the road which is really busy with tourist traffic and buses. There is also a cycle track running alongside the A9 on the approach to Slochd summit, which has had several fatal accidents on it, but again, some cyclists still ride on the road, why?

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by earthdragon64

My biggest bugbear though is why cyclists ride on a main road when there is a perfectly good cycle track just yards away. Highland council has recently spent a lot of money to put in a cycle track/footpath up to Glenmore, but some cyclists still insist on riding on the road which is really busy with tourist traffic and buses. There is also a cycle track running alongside the A9 on the approach to Slochd summit, which has had several fatal accidents on it, but again, some cyclists still ride on the road, why?

Sometimes the cycleways are unsuitable for cycling. They may be littered with stones, potholes and glass, or be encroached by overgrown hedges. They may mean you have to stop every 50 yards as you lose the right of way at every side road that you meet, no good if you are actually trying to get somewhere. Or even if you have the right of way, motorists fail to recognise it, so you are put at greater risk. They may be full of pedestrians, so you can't make progress. Many are very poorly thought out, designed by people who have clearly not ever been keen or commuter cyclists, don't seem to realise that being forced to stop every minute does not make an acceptable cycle route.

I agree with Mike, and agree with every item on his list (I used to do a similar mileage to him by bike until very recently, so a serious cyclist) .. there are unfortunately too many lycra louts who then give all cyclists a bad name. I suspect the same people are also antisocial/dangerous drivers when behind the wheel.

Melanie