Why do grown men ride on the pavement?

Honeydog wrote: »

Smallish village. Good wide roads. Good visbility.

So why do so many blokes ride on the pavement like small children? I see maybe two or three a day when it isn't raining.

A few reasons I can think of:

* scared of traffic
* after dark and no lights
* road design

An example of the road design issue is as follows:

The town centre locally is largely pedestrianised with cycling permitted in pedestrianised areas.

The town is cut off from the residential area to the north by a three-lane dual carriageway.

To continue north from the town centre by bicycle (cars cannot go north), you must wait for a pelican crossing linked to the traffic lights controlling east-west traffic before crossing to an island.

From this island you can either cross directly to the right-hand pavement and cycle on the pavement due north. This is controlled by a traffic light, but traffic patterns are such that most traffic from the north is turning right, so the road that you are crossing here (left-turning traffic) is normally clear of traffic and it is easy to see if it is safe to cross.

The pavement is shared use for pedestrians and cyclists, but only for the distance of about 20 yards, whereupon cyclists are supposed to dismount.

Continuing a further 20 yards from here, you reach a residential cul-de-sac, where it is simple to ride in the road.

Obviously many people simply cycle on the pavement all the way through.



There are now many pavements where it is permitted to cycle. I personally don't like to use them, but if you don't, and prefer to cycle in the road, it is not uncommon for motorists to shout abuse, or even to use their vehicle as a weapon to intimidate you.

The problem with using shared pavements is they almost invariably end at an inconvenient point, expecting you for example to merge back into traffic running parallel to the pavement you are on. This is very dangerous IME, since you may be cycling along at 10mph or so, and it is neither easy nor natural to come to a complete halt and check the road for traffic before entering it, so you may take risks in doing so.

The result therefore is that if you use shared pavements at all, in order to avoid hatred motorists, that the safest option is probably to cycle exclusively on the pavement, even where it is not permitted.


Personally speaking I cycle almost exclusively in the road, avoiding shared schemes.

But I can understand why people don't. Unfortunately cycling in this country is very much a third class form of transport.

And while I'm on my soapbox. When you ride past me on the trails and I've put my dog on his lead so he doesn't get in your way. Would be be really be expecting too much for you to mutter "Thanks" as you ride by?

I have slowed to cycle past people's dogs, and small children, both clearly not under control/properly aware, at walking pace. This is annoying, but I get over it.

I don't recall hearing 'thanks' for my consideration, but I certainly wouldn't be getting het up about it.

Also it doesn't help that dog owners reining their dog in when cyclists go past quite often look visibly affronted that you have the nerve to cycle there at all - not really an attitude that lends itself to thanks.

Because they are breaking the law ? Just like you are with your dog not on a lead.

Could be safety. Around here you take your life in your hands cycling. Most of our cyclists use the pavements were possible.