Forum Topic

Cyclists on pavements

I always ask politely for cyclists on pavements to cycle on the road and often felt like this man when they refuse. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11027653/Police-release-image-man-alleged-attacked-cyclist-hurled-bike-road.html

Lucille Grant ● 1294d10 Comments

It is lucky that the hill is steep so that most cyclists aren't whizzing past the bus shelter!  Even so the wait is such for a bus that you are unlikely to spend the whole time staring down the hill watching for one.I completely agree that the space needs to be shared better but with more and better marking. The day we were there there was a car being loaded onto a low loader and that caused an enormous tail back for motor traffic going down the hill.

Philippa Bond ● 1291d

I cycled Kingston Hill the other day.  It is an odd design but I was very grateful not to be on the road.  Incidentally there were a few cyclists but I didn’t see a single pedestrian (and rarely do), so there was no conflict.  I average 2 dangerous driving incidents per mile of cycling around Putney - idiots behind the wheel putting my life at risk, despite my riding with excessive caution, being courteous, and never using the pavement.  Like most cyclists I run cameras and upload offences to the dedicated MPS portal.  If the pavements were comparably dangerous you wouldn’t be letting your children walk on them.  As it is I know of very few children allowed to cycle on the road, because of aggressive driving.  We are breeding a generation of pavement cyclists and until we are allowed to share the road safely, this will sadly continue.

Heather Christie ● 1291d

I'd like to see better marking of shared pavement and cycle lanes.  You can walk out of a park and suddenly find you are on a shared path with cyclists cycling fast past the exit/entrance on the pavement.And that one on Kingston Hill - I would guess that all the regulations about the use of signage obviate simple and sensible use of warnings eg a cycle marking on the pavement and/or a change of colour.Routes should be safe for those unfamiliar with them as well as those familiar!

Philippa Bond ● 1294d

Re the killer cyclist:-"McGinn pleaded guilty to causing bodily harm by wanton or furious driving and was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on 14 July to one year in jail - the maximum sentence being two years. He was also banned from driving for two-and-a-half years."So he got half what he could have received, and that 2 year maximum is too low. It appears that the court did not accept he was responsible for her death. It seems to devalue an elderly person.https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2022-07-14/cyclist-who-rode-on-pavement-jailed-for-fatal-collision-with-pedestrian

David Ainsworth ● 1294d

Possibly because you have mistaken the offence committed for another more serious one. When you realise that there was no actual conviction for manslaughter, the sentencing because much easier to understand.

Michael Winstanley ● 1294d

David, I think we probably all agree that suspended sentences are too lenient in the cases you mention.

Martine Guy ● 1294d

"Driver spared jail after killing cyclist in “momentary lapse of concentration”The motorist was given a suspended sentence and banned from driving for two years after ‘inexplicably’ hitting 43-year-old cyclist Louise Harrottby RYAN MALLONJUN 26, 2022 11:1666A motorist who killed a cyclist after “inexplicably” cutting across her path has been given a suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving."--------------"Hit-and-run driver who left cyclist “for dead” has prison sentence overturnedThe motorist, who claimed that he thought he hit a bollard after seriously injuring 51-year-old cyclist Cathal O’Reilly, was also banned from driving for 12 monthsby RYAN MALLONMON, JUN 20, 2022 12:3863A motorist who left a 51-year-old former army major “for dead on the side of the road” has had a 12-week prison sentence overturned on appeal.61-year-old William Jones, from Burton, Staffordshire, has instead been given a suspended sentence and was banned from driving for a year after leaving Cathal O’Reilly critically ill with a broken back, protruding leg bone and other serious injuries in a hit and run incident in September 2021."Both from road.cc

David Ainsworth ● 1294d

It's manslaughter so cannot understand such a ridiculously light sentence.🤬

Sue Hammond ● 1294d

Last week a cyclist was jailed for 12 months in Wales for killing a pedestrian.  He knocked her over and she hit her head on the pavement. The cyclist sped off but was caught by CCTV. I do not think the sentencing is harsh enough

Martine Guy ● 1294d

I believe Section 72 of the Highway Act 1835 prohibits 'wilfully riding' on footpaths, which refers to the path at the side of a carriageway aka pavement, so the police should be prosecuting the cyclist.

Lucille Grant ● 1294d