do pedestrians need lights ?

We all know the perils of riding on the road, personally I always try to stay a good braking distance behind a cyclist, wait for an appropriate gap in oncoming traffic and then pull out and overtake as I would a car. This is how I like to be overtaken when cycling etc etc.

Well, I was driving home from work last night, M3 and A3 were car parks and I came "cross country". On 3 separate occassions, twice where street lighting was poor, I saw well lit cyclists riding at speed on the pavement. There was little traffic. Is this the new norm, to just ride on the pavement ? What about pedestrians. When the street lighting was poor there was an accident waiting to happen with the cyclists hitting any pedestrian on the pavement ? How would they see the pedestrian ?

surely this cannot help create the situation where cyclists get the appropriate space and respect on the road or should we just legalise cycling on pavements ?

I know where you're coming from, but I feel it does come down to individual situations, much like the speed limit on the roads. No you shouldn't ride in the pavement ever, however sometimes it is safer for you and motor vehicles if you do hop up. And as long as you give peds the respect and right of way then I see no great harm. Riding on the big wide pavements alongside dual carriageways and main roads is not so bad. Pelting along the pavements along the highstreet and narrow side roads is probably fair game for a clotheslining.

While in Blackpool a few weeks ago on a quiet street I was walking and my mate was riding next to me at my strolling pace and pushing himself along by his feet when a PCO came storming over spoke to my mate like he was a chav hoodie hooligan (we we're both in shorts just out of the gym) took his details and threatend him with a fine if he saw him doing it again? I could of understood if he was going at pace in a crowded area but come on?

I use pavements all the time and always have, as much as possible. Rarely come near to hitting a pedestrian, unlike on shared use forest paths where I mow them down regularly. When I run I try to think about bikes, etc. as I cross over the larger tracks, but the 'me, me!' generation all have their headphones on and run out in front of you all the time.

I nearly struck a jogger the other night, it was very foggy and he/she was jogging
towards me on a blind bend, on my side, wearing ALL BLACK :roll:

I've lost count of the number of times I've nearly wiped out darkly-clad walkers on b-roads at night. Their logic must be that car headlights are bright enough to show them up regardless of what colour they wear.
Far as cyclists go, it irritates the hell out of me to see them on pavements - if a particular road is too dangerous to ride on, then don't use it.

Far as cyclists go, it irritates the hell out of me to see them on pavements - if a particular road is too dangerous to ride on, then don't use it.

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Presumably you have some sort of flying machine for those roads that are too dangerous to ride on.

I think it's OK to cylce on the pavement, especially those next to busy A roads and dual carriadgeways, on which you rarely come accross pedestrans anyway, obviously crowded pavements in towns and cities are not suitable. There are many shared use paths and bridleways near me too, and provided you go carefully and are considerate to pedestrians it's not a problem.

The police in my area seem to turn a blind eye to bicycles on the pavements, presumably they're aware of the fact that a great number of cyclists are injured or killed on the roads whereas very few pedestrians are hurt by cyclists.

Ian Raleigh":3j7a98k3 said:

I nearly struck a jogger the other night, it was very foggy and he/she was jogging
towards me on a blind bend, on my side, wearing ALL BLACK :roll:

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Probably just moved to the area from London. Ten quid says they wear wearing North Face

Tbh I only ever take to the pavement on a bike as an evasive move. Riding on the pavement sucks.
When I lived in Central London I'd often openly question anyone riding casually on the pavement, as there is blatantly not room for them to do so. If they can't handle riding on the road, they can't handle riding.
Pavements alongside out-of-town Dual Carriageways & A-roads, totally fine. Deserted wide city pavements next to fast-ish roads where one can see far ahead, totally fine.
Just don't take the piss, basically.
I did get the odd raised finger or 'Oi' from coppers if I ever did the one-pedal 'scoot' thing when arriving somewhere onto the pavement on my bike. Ah well.

Regarding pedestrians and lights, yes they should carry or wear them if intentionally going for a walk or run along unlit roads.
Dog walkers and runners do it here and I always carry and use a torch when walking a few miles to/from digs & pub on countryside trips.

N/B":3j8xq176 said:

When I lived in Central London I'd often openly question anyone riding casually on the pavement, as there is blatantly not room for them to do so. If they can't handle riding on the road, they can't handle riding.

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Big difference between 'handling' and opting for, given a choice. There is always an empty pavement in London, even in the centre!

I see people cycling along the roads when there are safer options, be those cycleways, pavements, parks, quiet backstreets. I know the militants like to go out into the busy lanes and 'reclaim' them, but it is not my job to change the world, (certainly not by laying down my life).

If you had approached me to air your disapproval you would have been met with laughter.

In years of commuting across central London, also working as a courier, leisure riding and work riding I have never been cautioned by an officer, and only had one major disagreement with another pavement user, and that was a driver crossing the pavement to a dropped kerb access without looking to see if the pavement was clear.

Someone who is not able to ride considerately and safely on a pavement, is not fit to be hopping up there once something goes wrong on the road. I mean, how exactly do you anticipate a van cutting you up and forcing you off the road onto the pavement?

You cannot. Therefore you cannot be certain to avoid anyone currently on the pavement.

More and more pavements are being marked as cycle ways. The police are not interested in people using them responsibly. This has been stated publicly.

I would love the roads to be cotton wool lined havens of safety for cyclists, but they are not.

It is bananas to suggest someone avoiding them is automatically less skilful than those who choose to bury their heads in the sand, or their bodies under lorries and buses.

Where I live through the village and out there is a cycle lane/footpath unlit, at night if you ride on the path you risk hitting darkly clad walkers and their canine friends, if you ride on the road you have to put up with being called "dickhead" every five mins, however bright your lights are. I do think that pedestrians could do with lights at night in unlit areas though, I have seen one bloke who has a light strapped to his head when he walks his dog.

Alison