Arrogant cyclists

gkerr4

speed limits only apply to motorised vehicles.

feel free to flaunt it on your cycle, horse or (if your name is Usain Bolt) foot.

Love these new 20-zones in towns - be the fastest thing on the road. - get out of the way car drivers!

Tug_Master

Is there any regulation to protect pedestrians from cyclists? I live in Aberdeen, and walk every day on footpaths. Every day (no exageration) I see cyclists cyling on footpaths. They are a danger to pedestrians, especially young children. They don't even have the courtesy to have a bicycle bell to warn you of their approach!!!

Paperbird

As an ex cyclist I made sure my children were taught how to ride safely on the roads before they were allowed out alone ( and to expect the car to not give way to them even when it should ).
I see too many young children ( 6 and 7 yrs old ) that ride down the footpath and when they get to a junction go straight across without slowing or checking for other traffic. They will be riding along the footpath and decide to cross to the other side and just turn, they never check for any cars coming up behind them but at that age the world is one big playground.
You would hope that their parents had told them not to run into the road without looking it's just a pity they haven't told them the same applies when they are on their bikes.

gkerr4

Tug_Master wrote: »

Is there any regulation to protect pedestrians from cyclists? I live in Aberdeen, and walk every day on footpaths. Every day (no exageration) I see cyclists cyling on footpaths. They are a danger to pedestrians, especially young children. They don't even have the courtesy to have a bicycle bell to warn you of their approach!!!

yes = plenty! - it's illegal for cyclists to cycle on the footpath (unless it is one of these new designated 'shared areas' which drivers invented to make things easier for themselves!)

prowla

custardy wrote: »

but how would that stand?
Bikes are legal for the road with no speedo
So how do you convict a cyclist fr going too fast on a mode of transport that legally doesnt have to have any way of measuring speed?
we already have drivers getting away +10% in many cases with a speedo

Ignorance is no defence.

The law not requiring you to have a device to measure the speed is not the same as the law saying you must not speed.

The law says you must not drive dangerously, but there is no law requiring you to have a device to tell you if you are.

Again, and in line with the thread topic, it is arrogant to assume that the law doesn't apply to you. The Highway Code covers cyclists too.

(The +/- 10% is acceptable in terms of measurement variances, and in all honesty the precise number chosen for the speed limits is a nice round figure rather than an exact velocity derived from scientific analysis.)

custardy

prowla wrote: »

Ignorance is no defence.

The law not requiring you to have a device to measure the speed is not the same as the law saying you must not speed.

The law says you must not drive dangerously, but there is no law requiring you to have a device to tell you if you are.

Again, and in line with the thread topic, it is arrogant to assume that the law doesn't apply to you. The Highway Code covers cyclists too.

(The +/- 10% is acceptable in terms of measurement variances, and in all honesty the precise number chosen for the speed limits is a nice round figure rather than an exact velocity derived from scientific analysis.)

The speed limit is 30 as originally stated
so how do you gauge 30?

benjus

prowla wrote: »

Ignorance is no defence.

The law not requiring you to have a device to measure the speed is not the same as the law saying you must not speed.

Specifying precisely the speed at which you may travel cannot be enforced unless the vehicle has a means of measuring that speed. "Dangerous" is a much more vague term, which has to be decided by discretion.

Again, and in line with the thread topic, it is arrogant to assume that the law doesn't apply to you. The Highway Code covers cyclists too.

Absolutely, and no-one is denying that, but the sections of the Highway Code marked for "motor vehicles" clearly do not apply to cyclists.

prowla

custardy wrote: »

The speed limit is 30 as originally stated
so how do you gauge 30?

The law does not say how.

It is is probably a reasonable assumption for most cyclists that they won't even approach 30 mph, but those who do probably have a pretty good idea of their approximate speed (ie. if they can keep up with the traffic on a free-flowing road), and so if they can't gauge it themselves then they may need a device to tell them.

I don't think that blissful ignorance and "the law never told me I needed a speedo" is an option.

benjus wrote: »

Specifying precisely the speed at which you may travel cannot be enforced unless the vehicle has a means of measuring that speed.

The law states the speed limit, not how you measure it.

custardy

prowla wrote: »

I was stating what it showed, in both cases.:)

In terms of speed on a bike, that is a good question; I guess you could fit a speedometer.

I suppose there is an assumption that (most) bikes won't go that fast, but some do, and they may be caught speeding, in which case ignorance of the law isn't an excuse, as occurred in Scarborough OZ: http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/13038307/cyclist-caught-speeding-in-scarborough-school-zone/.

prowla wrote: »

The law does not say how.

It is is probably a reasonable assumption for most cyclists that they won't even approach 30 mph, but those who do probably have a pretty good idea of their approximate speed (ie. if they can keep up with the traffic on a free-flowing road), and so if they can't gauge it themselves then they may need a device to tell them.

I don't think that blissful ignorance and "the law never told me I needed a speedo" is an option.

The law states the speed limit, not how you measure it.

well its yourself talking about cyclists getting caught 'speeding'
Now you seem to be talking about myths and hyperbole.
Can you cite any UK case of a cyclist being convicted for speeding?
Do you really consider the speed a cyclist is going to be a major factor on the present state and infrastructure of the roads and facilities at this present time?

prowla

custardy wrote: »

well its yourself talking about cyclists getting caught 'speeding'
Now you seem to be talking about myths and hyperbole.
Can you cite any UK case of a cyclist being convicted for speeding?
Do you really consider the speed a cyclist is going to be a major factor on the present state and infrastructure of the roads and facilities at this present time?

I was just participating in a discussion about whether cyclists are subject to the law.

I don't think the speed that cyclists go is particularly a factor in the state of the road system, and I don't think anybody else has said so either.

From my perspective it is more about safety and courtesy to other road users, and about understanding your own vulnerabilities.