Have you ever been fined or stopped for pavement cycling?

Response to Paul Boyd
Haven't you been reading the other thread further up? What you need is
training! Once you have some training, I think you are supposed to
bounce off bonnets or something. Or perhaps a cycling proficiency badge
gives you some superhuman powers that lesser trained mortals haven't got.

You just don't get it, do you? Do you actually have any idea why people
are trained in all sorts of things in life? It's so that they can do
whatever it is they're being trained for safely. Why should cycling be
any different?


Perhaps he is incapable of learning much; some people are.

(This attitude reminds me a little of when I was learning to drive;
before then, I used to think that this consisted pretty much of learning
the effects of the various controls, and using them to make the car go.
For what it's worth, I think cycling has taught me more about driving
well than almost anything else.)


A reference to "Cyclecraft" is due. Overdue. ;-)

http://www.cyclecraft.co.uk/


--
Mark, UK
"Yes, there's surface noise; but life has surface noise."

On 5 Feb, 15:03, jen wrote:
On Feb 5, 1:31 pm, bornfree wrote:
The worst bit was that my son
(who was about 3yrs old then) was in his seat on the back - he was
completely shocked that I'd been told off by a policeman. I think he
thought I was going to be carted off to jail.

Remember my dad getting ticked off by a copper for cycling with me
sitting on the top tube ('crossie'?) with similar feelings :~

On 5 Feb, 21:37, Jim Harvest wrote:
x-no-archive:naked_draughtsman wrote:
Having said that, closing or restricting a road so that it causes a
ridiculous detour would definitely be a good reason to ask the council
to do something to improve the situation although I'm not personally a
fan of contraflow cycling due to the conflict it generates with those
who don't understand it.

Its probable that contraflow cycling would result in too many accidents.
* I would have thought that there would be no need for many one way
systems if traffic flow was regulated effectively.

No, it probably wouldn't. There are plenty of contraflow cycle lanes,
and I know of no data to show they are any more dangerous than with-
flow lanes or just using the road. Except when a lorry parks in it to
deliver to a pub, despite there being aloading bay not very far away,
and a specific planning restriction banning the practice. Oops,
sorry, wrong group...

TL

"Jim Harvest" wrote in message
...
x-no-archive:naked_draughtsman wrote:

Having said that, closing or restricting a road so that it causes a
ridiculous detour would definitely be a good reason to ask the council
to do something to improve the situation although I'm not personally a
fan of contraflow cycling due to the conflict it generates with those
who don't understand it.



Its probable that contraflow cycling would result in too many accidents. I
would have thought that there would be no need for many one way systems if
traffic flow was regulated effectively.

There is a contra flow cycle lane near my home which could cut some time off
my commute, but it is usually full of broken glass so I'd be wary about
using it on a road bike.

Quoting Noel :
Totally agree. To get to the station I have to ride up a juggernaut-
filled stretch of the A22 where the single lane slowly narrows about 100m
out from a busy roundabout. I was approaching the roundabout one morning
and a scary 18 wheeler monster squeezed past.

So, since you weren't riding in the gutter, you moved left into the space
you had left yourself for this kind of difficulty.
--
David Damerell Kill the tomato!
Today is Olethros, February - a weekend.

On Wed, 6 Feb 2008 04:40:39 -0800 (PST) someone who may be The
Luggage wrote this:-

Its probable that contraflow cycling would result in too many accidents.
* I would have thought that there would be no need for many one way
systems if traffic flow was regulated effectively.

No, it probably wouldn't. There are plenty of contraflow cycle lanes,
and I know of no data to show they are any more dangerous than with-
flow lanes or just using the road.

IIRC the road research laboratory came to that conclusion some years
ago.



--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

On 5 Feb, 13:31, bornfree wrote:
I was approached the other day by an community support officer after I
had just gotten off my bike from cycling a short stretch on the
pavement. She told me if she had caught me I would have been fined. I
certainly will be more careful from now on.

Do you have a story relating to cycling on the pavement, in
particular, getting caught?

What's the opinion on cycling on footpaths which aren't used by
pedestrians? Where I live most pavements are deserted.

Steve C

"Steve C" wrote in message
...
On 5 Feb, 13:31, bornfree wrote:
I was approached the other day by an community support officer after I
had just gotten off my bike from cycling a short stretch on the
pavement. She told me if she had caught me I would have been fined. I
certainly will be more careful from now on.

Do you have a story relating to cycling on the pavement, in
particular, getting caught?

What's the opinion on cycling on footpaths which aren't used by
pedestrians? Where I live most pavements are deserted.

Various:

"No, it's the LAW and thou shalt be damned if thou transgresseth it" - see
JNugent, etc.

"Cycling on the footpath is intrinsically more dangerous because you've got
poor sight lines, poor surface, people don't expect to see you there" -
Cyclecraft, and applies to bike lanes too.

"I cycle on the footpath all the time because the cars are all scary" -
people who don't understand the above.

I'm with the second opinion, so will tend to avoid them. But I'm not going
to cry if somebody uses one without inconveniencing other people - eg Mr
Larrington's use of one to get the last few yards to his door.

cheers,
clive

"Clive George" wrote in message
...

"Steve C" wrote in message
...
On 5 Feb, 13:31, bornfree wrote:
I was approached the other day by an community support officer after I
had just gotten off my bike from cycling a short stretch on the
pavement. She told me if she had caught me I would have been fined. I
certainly will be more careful from now on.

Do you have a story relating to cycling on the pavement, in
particular, getting caught?

What's the opinion on cycling on footpaths which aren't used by
pedestrians? Where I live most pavements are deserted.

Various:

"No, it's the LAW and thou shalt be damned if thou transgresseth it" - see
JNugent, etc.

"Cycling on the footpath is intrinsically more dangerous because you've
got poor sight lines, poor surface, people don't expect to see you
there" - Cyclecraft, and applies to bike lanes too.

"I cycle on the footpath all the time because the cars are all scary" -
people who don't understand the above.

I'm with the second opinion, so will tend to avoid them. But I'm not going
to cry if somebody uses one without inconveniencing other people - eg Mr
Larrington's use of one to get the last few yards to his door.

Yep, I'm no great fan of pavement cycling, as it's a very ineficient way of
getting about on a bike, but I sometimes wonder if these "holier than thou"
attitude people are always 101% within the law.

Like I'm sure they *never* go at 71mph or over on a motorway (when driving a
car!)

On Wed, 06 Feb 2008 15:27:09 +0000, David Damerell wrote:

So, since you weren't riding in the gutter, you moved left into the
space you had left yourself for this kind of difficulty.

Precisely - and that didn't leave much room whilst the remaining 90% of
the juggernaut rolled past and the road narrowed further....