should cyclists be treated as road-users, or pedestrians?

dawn_rose

road users and should not ride on the pavement otherwise issued with a fine of about 25 quid i believe.

The_ICT_Engineer

dawn_rose wrote: »

road users and should not ride on the pavement otherwise issued with a fine of about 25 quid i believe.

Section 72 Highways Act 1835

Driving a vehicle on a section of highway set aside for the use of pedestrians.

Currently £35 pound fine

snowleopard61

road users and should not ride on the pavement otherwise issued with a fine of about 25 quid i believe

I know that this is the case as the law stands; the point I was making is that I believe it would be preferable if cyclists were allowed to ride on the pavement, outside certain defined areas, and if cyclists were always held legally responsible in the case of any collision with a pedestrian.

Idiophreak

snowleopard61 wrote: »

I know that this is the case as the law stands; the point I was making is that I believe it would be preferable if cyclists were allowed to ride on the pavement, outside certain defined areas, and if cyclists were always held legally responsible in the case of any collision with a pedestrian.

I stepped out in front of a cyclist once. I felt awful about it, in no way his fault. Why should he be legally responsible for my stupidity?

Anyway, councils these days are so keen to be seen to be doing their bit for cyclists, I think you can assume that if a pavement hasn't been designated as mixed use, there are reasons for it...

Stooby2

I normally ride a motorbike into work, but I hold a full car licence (and own a car) and I hold a Cat C LGV licence (rigid lorries only). I am also an advanced car and motorbike rider. I've been riding pushbikes since I was a kid.

Personally, I think that the standard of pedal cycling I see on my journey in and out of London is appalling. I've been cycling since I was a nipper and I still get out on bike from time to time. I don't agree with the comments about passing on the right - I've seen so many cyclists come into conflict with other road users this way. The cyclists who just pedal along a couple of feet from the kerb don't seem to have half as many problems.

Amongst my pet hates are cyclists who are moving faster than the rest and pull out to overtake other cyclists, without a glance behind them or any signal. It can be difficult when sharing a bus lane (red route ones that motorcyclists are allowed in) to work out, from behind, if a line of cyclists is all moving at the same speed or if one is about to pop out for the overtake. I've nearly been taken out by one clown who for some reason needed the entire width of the lane to pass another cyclist - as I was just passing him. All he had to do was check behind him and wait a second or two.

I've seen a cyclist taken out by a motorcyclist as he came out between two stationary queuing vans to ride down the outside. Motorcyclists know to look right when they do this to check for their fellow bikers already on the outside of the queue. Cyclists seem oblivious and this guy was t-boned by the motorcyclist who fell off into the opposite lane and was lucky not to go under the wheels of an oncoming car. From what I can gather from the various stuff I've had from the motorcyclist's insurance company and solicitor, the cyclist is paying a small fortune to the motorcyclist for repairs, injuries etc. It was solely down to him.

I see so many impatient cyclists who all want to be first, riding all over the road, getting in the way of cars and motorbikes at lights, getting into rows with drivers...there badly needs to be some education and enforced cycle lanes.

As for lorries, unless you've driven one on the road, you have no idea how difficult it can be to check all your mirrors and move away when there's fast moving cyclists going past you - and on both sides. You can't be looking in all the mirrors all the time and looking where you're going. I agree with so many of the posters on here - the greatest education should be to stay behind lorries and wait - never pass on the inside and really, not on the offside as you're making it harder for the driver.

Speaking from experience of being involved in the investigation of several fatal collisions involving lorries and cyclists is that women seem to be oblivious to the danger. I've seen it personally - an articulated lorry turning left into a side turning, splitting two lanes to make the turn, a whole line of indicators going along the left hand side, front starting to turn in, so all the driver can see in his mirrors is the side of his lorry (having already checked it was clear to turn). I was hanging back waiting for it to turn when a woman cycled past me (on my nearside) and up the side of the lorry. Thankfully at the last moment she realised she was about to die and wobbled left and fell onto the pavement as the back of the lorry filled the gap where she had been. Then she tried to blame the lorry driver for not seeing her and making her crash!

There are some really poor car drivers out there and some equally bad lorry drivers. Some motorcyclists I see are idiots. But I am fairly fed up with the "holier than thou" attitude of cyclists who feel they can ride how they like, ignoring red lights, not looking, riding on pavements, over zebra crossings when pedestrians are crossing and so on and so on. Get your own house in order and then start complaining.

custardy

Stooby2 wrote: »

I normally ride a motorbike into work, but I hold a full car licence (and own a car) and I hold a Cat C LGV licence (rigid lorries only). I am also an advanced car and motorbike rider. I've been riding pushbikes since I was a kid.

Personally, I think that the standard of pedal cycling I see on my journey in and out of London is appalling. I've been cycling since I was a nipper and I still get out on bike from time to time. I don't agree with the comments about passing on the right - I've seen so many cyclists come into conflict with other road users this way. The cyclists who just pedal along a couple of feet from the kerb don't seem to have half as many problems.

Amongst my pet hates are cyclists who are moving faster than the rest and pull out to overtake other cyclists, without a glance behind them or any signal. It can be difficult when sharing a bus lane (red route ones that motorcyclists are allowed in) to work out, from behind, if a line of cyclists is all moving at the same speed or if one is about to pop out for the overtake. I've nearly been taken out by one clown who for some reason needed the entire width of the lane to pass another cyclist - as I was just passing him. All he had to do was check behind him and wait a second or two.

I've seen a cyclist taken out by a motorcyclist as he came out between two stationary queuing vans to ride down the outside. Motorcyclists know to look right when they do this to check for their fellow bikers already on the outside of the queue. Cyclists seem oblivious and this guy was t-boned by the motorcyclist who fell off into the opposite lane and was lucky not to go under the wheels of an oncoming car. From what I can gather from the various stuff I've had from the motorcyclist's insurance company and solicitor, the cyclist is paying a small fortune to the motorcyclist for repairs, injuries etc. It was solely down to him.

I see so many impatient cyclists who all want to be first, riding all over the road, getting in the way of cars and motorbikes at lights, getting into rows with drivers...there badly needs to be some education and enforced cycle lanes.

As for lorries, unless you've driven one on the road, you have no idea how difficult it can be to check all your mirrors and move away when there's fast moving cyclists going past you - and on both sides. You can't be looking in all the mirrors all the time and looking where you're going. I agree with so many of the posters on here - the greatest education should be to stay behind lorries and wait - never pass on the inside and really, not on the offside as you're making it harder for the driver.

Speaking from experience of being involved in the investigation of several fatal collisions involving lorries and cyclists is that women seem to be oblivious to the danger. I've seen it personally - an articulated lorry turning left into a side turning, splitting two lanes to make the turn, a whole line of indicators going along the left hand side, front starting to turn in, so all the driver can see in his mirrors is the side of his lorry (having already checked it was clear to turn). I was hanging back waiting for it to turn when a woman cycled past me (on my nearside) and up the side of the lorry. Thankfully at the last moment she realised she was about to die and wobbled left and fell onto the pavement as the back of the lorry filled the gap where she had been. Then she tried to blame the lorry driver for not seeing her and making her crash!

There are some really poor car drivers out there and some equally bad lorry drivers. Some motorcyclists I see are idiots. But I am fairly fed up with the "holier than thou" attitude of cyclists who feel they can ride how they like, ignoring red lights, not looking, riding on pavements, over zebra crossings when pedestrians are crossing and so on and so on. Get your own house in order and then start complaining.

balanced view I see

JQ.

Stooby2 wrote: »

Typical small minded !!!!

Is this not exactly the reason why the Cycling section was separated from the Motoring section of this forum?

art_for_arts_sake

snowleopard61 wrote: »

Unfortunately this is unworkable. Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians are all at the mercy of each other. To take an extreme example, if a driver were to take it into his/her head to drive a car at me (a pedestrian) on purpose, which has actually happened recently in Cardiff, I wouldn't stand a chance. If a driver were to have a heart attack or first epileptic fit at the wheel, anyone in the vicinity, whether on road or pavement, could be a goner. And this is even apart from everyday human error. We can only be vigilant and sensible ourselves, and hope for the best.

Always expect the unexpected. I live in an area with a high number of horse riders, a road user not yet mentioned in this thread, but one that demands even greater respect. If I'm on foot, and walking the dog, I pull the dog to the side of me further from the horse. On my bike, motorbike, or in my car, I give the horse as wide a berth as I can. Yet I still regularly see horses alarmed by car drivers tearing down the same country lanes without a care in the world.

GlennTheBaker

The cyclist who, this morning, undertook me and then went through a red light whilst wearing a fancy helmet and high-vis everything was only one thing to me: a f***ing !!!!!! head.

thelawnet

He undertook you? Or he passed you when you were waiting at the light?

Doesn't sound like he caused you any inconvenience at all.

I had some utter **** overtake me on the roundabout an hour ago, I'm taking second exit from left lane, he used right lane and was taking the first exit, and cut me up as I was passing the first exit.