'Speeding Bikes'

The Age Letters...

"Speeding Bikes

Interesting to read (11/1) that on footpaths in Victoria, a motorised
vehicle such as a Segway (electric scooter) is limited to 10km/h.
So is there a similar speed limit for cyclists who ride (legally or
not) on footpaths? If so, there is little evidence of enforcement
around inner Melbourne.
Bernie Joyce, Parkville"


--
flyingdutch

flyingdutch Wrote:
The Age Letters...

"Speeding Bikes

Interesting to read (11/1) that on footpaths in Victoria, a motorised
vehicle such as a Segway (electric scooter) is limited to 10km/h.
So is there a similar speed limit for cyclists who ride (legally or
not) on footpaths? If so, there is little evidence of enforcement
around inner Melbourne.
Bernie Joyce, Parkville"

onya Bernie!! Time to slow those illegal footpath riders down..
that'll make them less illegal?


--
gplama

gplama Wrote:
onya Bernie!! Time to slow those illegal footpath riders down.. that'll
make them less illegal?

Bernie you are some piece of work.......

Also Bernie we should enforce people who stumble across bike only paths
and cause unneccessary havock....

I saw bring back the death penalty....shoot em all


--
spiz

spiz Wrote:
.......

Also Bernie we should enforce people who stumble across bike only paths
and cause unneccessary havock....


and drivers of urban assault vehicles, stopped, parked in, driven on or
just harrasssing anyone riding in a marked bike lane (& anyone on a
bike) ......


--
rooman

I'm left wondering whether it is Bernie, or his alter ego, Joyce???

Who gets to ride the good bike or draught the other. and who wears the
pants...

Back OT, should there be a speed limit for joggers? dogs?
shouldnt pedestrians pay rego? or get in the ped-lanes?

sigh...



--
flyingdutch

flyingdutch wrote:
The Age Letters...

"Speeding Bikes

Interesting to read (11/1) that on footpaths in Victoria, a motorised
vehicle such as a Segway (electric scooter) is limited to 10km/h.
So is there a similar speed limit for cyclists who ride (legally or
not) on footpaths? If so, there is little evidence of enforcement
around inner Melbourne.
Bernie Joyce, Parkville"

I think Bernie may have a point. Is there a speed limit for 12y/o's on
the footpath? If not, should there be? You could also reasonably ask
if there should be a speed limit on shared use paths. I don't think
that's an unreasonable thing to discuss.

Some granny gets skittled by a 12y/o doing 30km/h down the footpath?
Unlikely? Nope ...

flyingdutch Wrote:
I'm left wondering whether it is Bernie, or his alter ego, Joyce???

Who gets to ride the good bike or draught the other. and who wears the
pants...

Back OT, should there be a speed limit for joggers? dogs?
shouldnt pedestrians pay rego? or get in the ped-lanes?

sigh...


Yes there should be a speed limit for dogs - about 98% of the speed
limit for bikes, so, for a while they think they have a chance but
ultimately they loose - I had a mut chase me this week that couldn't
keep up so I slowed down to maxmise the chase and the distance the
owner would have to walk to collect their dog.


--
Greenboy

Bleve Wrote:
flyingdutch wrote:
The Age Letters...

"Speeding Bikes

Interesting to read (11/1) that on footpaths in Victoria, a motorised
vehicle such as a Segway (electric scooter) is limited to 10km/h.
So is there a similar speed limit for cyclists who ride (legally or
not) on footpaths? If so, there is little evidence of enforcement
around inner Melbourne.
Bernie Joyce, Parkville"

I think Bernie may have a point. Is there a speed limit for 12y/o's on
the footpath? If not, should there be? You could also reasonably ask
if there should be a speed limit on shared use paths. I don't think
that's an unreasonable thing to discuss.

Some granny gets skittled by a 12y/o doing 30km/h down the footpath?
Unlikely? Nope ...
My understanding is the speed limit is one of circumstance, in that
pedestrians on a footpath have an absolute right of way...cyclists must
avoid them, so it is an interesting concept to discuss as to a
theoretical kph limit as opposed to riding in a manner and at a speed
that is acceptable in the circumstances to avoid injury to a pedestrian
or property...

It seems we are asking a lot of children under 12 to excercise the care
and responsibility of a reasonable man so as to discharge their duty of
care under the laws of Tort (negligence)...

hence my general theory is that the parent of any child involved in
such an incident ( or the person in loco parentis- legal guardian etc)
should carry the consequence of the child's action, (providing) the
child's action was not the action of a child of that age in those
circumstances acting in a reasonable manner ( for a child)...

you still with me....it is a difficult concept to force a child to
carry the burden of a duty of care equal to that of an adult....we can
teach them, seek to ensure they understand the concept and have the
skills to do it, but when it comes to the crunch, should we then hit
them with penalties that might start them on a course of anti-social
behaviour ( out of somethig innocent as a child being a child).

This is a monster issue, that's why IMHO the law allows children up to
12 to ride on a footpath, with little other control as to their
behaviour...and the other users of the footpath whether old, young or
blind etc, have to understand that a child on a bike may not have the
control to avoid them.

We all had to learn to ride as kids, many did this just as above, on a
footpath, amongst pedestrians and we probably all ran into some one's
grandmother too!....but we didnt do it maliciously ( did we?), and we
had to learn all about controlling our selves and our equipment ( no
smirks now) in the presence of others....so unless the action was
clearly malicious, I think sosciety will continue to give kids the
leeway to make mistakes on footpaths at our cost....its the price we
pay for our kids to grow.

HOWEVER, I am for ensuring that older kids over 12, dont leave their
bikes laying across the paths, ride on the footpaths harrassing anyone
and have a greater obligation to observe the road laws...they owe this
to themselves as well as society, and if the stuff up on purpose, they
should bear the consequences and in many instances their adult
guardians should have the final liability...

here endeth the lesson.......watchathunk?


--
rooman

Bleve Wrote:

I think Bernie may have a point. Is there a speed limit for 12y/o's
on
the footpath? If not, should there be? You could also reasonably ask
if there should be a speed limit on shared use paths. I don't think
that's an unreasonable thing to discuss.

Some granny gets skittled by a 12y/o doing 30km/h down the footpath?
Unlikely? Nope ...

What about speed limiting those gofer things the olds crank around in?
I've seen many of them zip by at 2-3x walking speed... danger I say!


--
gplama

flyingdutch Wrote:
The Age Letters...

"Speeding Bikes

Interesting to read (11/1) that on footpaths in Victoria, a motorised
vehicle such as a Segway (electric scooter) is limited to 10km/h.
So is there a similar speed limit for cyclists who ride (legally or
not) on footpaths? If so, there is little evidence of enforcement
around inner Melbourne.
Bernie Joyce, Parkville"

Goddamn speeding uni students! Bernie is right - western civilisation
is crashing down about our ears due to this foolish behaviour.

Wonder if it ever crossed Bernies brain (it maybe possible) to contact
Melb Uni admin or the on campus bicycle users group?


--
cfsmtb