Quoted message said:I have no problems with cyclists on shared use paths, bridleways
etc. and either walk in the ped lane or give cyclists plenty of room,
often stepping to one side of the bridleway.
Ah, so you ARE upset predominantly by the fact that 'pavement
cyclists' are seen to be 'breaking the rules', you old authoritarian
you!
That said I do agree that irresponsible pavement cycling (the sort
displayed by many youths on BMX bikes and so on) is yet another sign
of the breakdown in respect for the law and other people that
characterises British society. Still, let's not forget it is the users
of motor vehicles who set the precedents here. As J.S. Dean wrote in
1947 in his book 'Murder most foul: a study of the road deaths
problem;
'The trouble with the facts about the law-breaking of the motorists
and the motor interests is that there are too many: it is difficult
even to grasp them. In fact, the position has long since passed far
beyond the limits of ordinary law-breaking and become an exhibition of
national degeneracy.'
I don't see some responsible adult, or child, riding, on the pavement
out of fear of car drivers is the same sort of offence as genuinely
inconsiderate pavement cycling at all. You seem to be overly concerned
by what sounded like a very considerate 'pavement cyclist' which is
rather irrational. As has already been pointed out many other examples
of lawless behaviour, such as speeding are not only anti-social, they
are genuinely dangerous and much more worthy of concern. Do you work
yourself up into a state of righteous indignation when you see someone
doing 31 MPh in a 30 MPh zone I wonder. Probably not, in fact I would
bet you frequently flout the speed limit yourself. Pot calling kettle
black and all that...
Even the Home Office takes a similar line on pavement cycling and
issued the following to police forces when it introduced 'fixed
penalty notices' for pavement cycling:
'The introduction of the fixed penalty is not aimed at responsible
cyclists who sometimes feel obliged to use the pavement out of fear of
traffic and who show consideration to other pavement users when doing
so. Chief police officers, who are responsible for enforcement,
acknowledge that many cyclists, particularly children and young
people, are afraid to cycle on the road, sensitivity and careful use
of police discretion is required.'
Almost identical advice has been (or certainly should have been) given
to community wardens regarding the use of their powers to curb
anti-social behaviour. The following is from I letter I received from
John Crozier on this very topic.
'The Government have included provision in the Anti Social Behaviour
Bill to enable CSOs and accredited persons to stop those cycling
irresponsibly on the pavement in order to issue a fixed penalty
notice. I should stress that the issue is about inconsiderate
cycling on the pavements. The new provisions are not aimed at
responsible cyclists who sometimes feel obliged to use the pavement
out of fear of the traffic, and who show consideration to other road
users when doing so. Chief officers recognise that the fixed penalty
needs to be used with a considerable degree of discretion and it
cannot be issued to anyone under the age of 16.
