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I’ve talked about this before and I I just went out uh to um to get some leaks and some carrots. Uh and it it it it’s it’s madness in rugby because I’ve been knocked over twice by bicycles and I’ve slipped on leaves and I’ I’ve been really hurt. Then I uh went to Istanbul. I fell over again. And you know, just think there’s a limit to how much time your body can spend repairing the damage uh that seems to have been done by accident. And uh just a few minutes ago, I was almost knocked over by a bicyclist um on the street on on on the pavement. And uh the the highway act of 1835 section 72 and the local government act of 1888 makes it very clear that bicycles are classed as carriages and riders must not ride them on the pavement. The highway code rule 64 clearly states you must not ride the cycle on a pavement. Fixed penalty notices typically £50 could rise to £500 if it goes to court. There are age exceptions. Children under 10 have no criminal responsibility and cannot be fined. But the enforcement is um impossible in a town where the police force is absent uh and enforcement is primarily the responsibility of the police. What do you do? You call the police after the bike has gone. Um the the guidance from the Association of Chief Police Officers emphasizes discretion especially for responsible cyclists who are fearful of cycling on the roads and I understand that as well. But pedestrians injured by pavement cycling usually stem from motor vehicles, not bikes. But this doesn’t legitimize pavement cycling and it doesn’t explain how I could have been knocked over twice. Uh, a cyclist speeding past, threatening to run me over, appears to be a dangerous act, likely punishable by dangerous cycling laws, which can carry fines of up to 2,500, but impossible if you can’t identify or stop the person who is biking. So, in the end, bicyclists have impunity. the uh even if the police are responsible for enforcing pavement cycling laws and prosecution for dangerous behavior, they’re not around. and the Warikshire County Council um based in Warick led by this uh this new uh young reform counselor George Finch uh who’s been appointed the interim leader on June the 25th succeeding Rob Howard who uh has resigned because he’s ill. Um maybe he had a biking problem. Uh the the the chief executive Monica Fogerty has been imposed since 2018. But the council oversees highways and rights away, but enforcement actions are carried out by the police. Maybe the council needs to put up signs that biking on pavements is dangerous and wrong and should only be um should be conducted in extreme circumstances. uh the the the local council, the uh district council, um the the city council. Uh actually the the um the county council and the local council uh share the same counselor, Jerry Rud House, who represents Paddock’s Ward and is the leader of the local Lib Dem group. um and his job is to handle pedestrian infrastructure, but again, enforcement is down to the police. So, I’m I’m not I’m not quite sure what what one should do. I’ve made a great fuss over this over the over the years. Um but it means nothing. And uh I’ve raised it with councelor Rud House who doesn’t seem to do anything. And I’ve raised it with the Warikshire County Council that equally doesn’t seem to do anything. Um but the Highway Act of 1835 section 72 is clear. The Highway Code Rule 64 is clear and the Road Traffic Act is clear. And th this type of behavior is concerning. And even if the police are the only body with legal authority to pursue or to find pavement cyclists, um I think uh I I I think that is dependent on on on a police force which is accessible and which is visible and in rugby neither is the case. So, I I’d love to know if you have similar problems with cycling. I was walking through London the other day. I was uh uh walking down that down that road from Buckingham Palace uh down to well ultimately down to Chelsea and uh in in two very crowded areas the cyclist came buzzing through uh on the pavement and it it’s bad enough the crowds and the crowds exacerbated by buses by tour buses stopping at the pavement and uh and and tourists assemble ling on the pavements and literally blocking the way but when a cyclist is plowing through at the same time I would have thought this was dangerous. Um, I think this has become a national problem, not a local problem. And I and I would love to know your opinion.
20 Comments
Good morning Professor Tim I hope you are well.Excuse the pun you seem to keep recycling this issue .As I said before in previous videos yes I clearly know im breaking the law by cycling on the footpath and I really valve my life and thats why on most occasions I choose to cycle on the footpath and at the same time while on the footpath give way to pedestrians yes Im one of the very few cyclists that respects pedestrians . Personally for me to many motorists and especially lorry drivers have zero patience for cyclists on the road and until there is this respect and patience that the road is a shared space for both vehicles and bikes nothing will change .Also councils shoulder a huge responsibility as creating more bike lanes in our towns and cities and so far they dont seem to care .
I understand your annoyance but you should be directing your anger against the lack of safe cycle paths. It is much more dangerous for a cyclist to share the road with large and powerful vehicles than for a pedestrian to share a pavement with cyclists. As a father of young children cycling, I preferred to risk the wrath of pedestrians than let them cycle on the road. And they were taught to slow or stop if a pedestrian appeared.
The number of electric scooters speeding around, everywhere, doesn't seem to be lessening, either. 😒😒
It's the same way here, and the cyclists have the gull to sneer at pedestrians like they should clear out of their way. Meanwhile, the street (ten feet away) has a designated bike lane where people used to park, lol. 🤷
Not enough police and police not backed up by a robust legal framework.
BBC has drunk driving ads cycling on the pavement should have national attention like drink driving dont for forget video cameras everywhere easy to track offenders 🤔
I'm a cyclist myself. Let me state clearly that the behaviour you're talking about is wrong. Only so much for the individual behavioural level, which unfortunately is hard to prosecute. But please let's talk about the roots of the problem: poor infrastructure. Try to imagine how our streets would look like if public space was shared evenly between motorised and non-motorised traffic. Just enough space for pedestrians, cyclists, and cars. There are cities around the world proceeding in this direction, and guess what? If the public space available for cars is limited, the number of cars in the city goes down, leaving space for human life. Using a private car in a city should be the exception, not the norm. Cars occupy way too much public space in our cities. This will take a while to solve, and it will require political will and action, which can be enforced by public pressure. Make yourself heard, and don't draw wrong front lines between cyclists and pedestrians. Team up!
Honestly, one of Manchester’s biggest safety issues right now is delivery riders blowing through red lights. I walk across town for 45 minutes most days, and nearly every single day I see someone almost get hit—or actually hit—while crossing on green. These riders are so focused on deliveries that pedestrian safety is just ignored. It’s getting ridiculous.
I believe that cycling on pavements is more prevalent in large towns and cities where there is traffic restrictions and tolls are pricing people out of owning a car. Sadly they now have to use a bicycle to get to work and a lot of roads are to dangerous with weights of traffic and pot holes. It’s only going to get worse as older cars pre 2019 are apparently going to be hit with a seven hundred pounds yearly road fund license. This country is broke Tim.
It should be sanctioned, indeed, but let's keep things in perspective. To suggest that Bicycles are the problem in this country (or any other country) is ludicrous and encourages the usual bike haters to come out. In the UK approximately 4- 5 people die every day through accidents involving vehicles (that is over 1.500 people per year plus another 20.000 injured). In the same period (last figures I have had access to are from 2023) only 3 incidents were caused by bicycles. So yes, dangerous cycling on pavements should be punished, but let's not make this into a huge problem when the real issue is deaths caused by motor vehicles. Just imagine the same figure would die in airplane crashes in the UK (the equivalent of 8 aircraft crashing each year in the UK killing all passengers) – there would be a public outcry, airplanes grounded, investigations into the causes etc. But as it is "just" cars that kill 4 people a day who cares…I wish you would make a big fuss about road deaths instead. And yes, I cycle in London and the amount of times I have to swerve around pedestrians stepping into bike lanes is massive – and then you wonder why cyclists do not use cycle lanes.
Where are kids going to play on their bikes?
Thing is though, just as cycles on pavements can be a hazard for pedestrians, cars (et al) on roads are a hazard for cyclists, which is why so many avoid them and ride on pavements instead. A pedestrian can get hurt by a cycle, but deaths are rare – whereas cyclists killed by cars etc is far from rare.
It's a waste of time to talk about the law and enforcement vis-a-vis cyclists on pavements. This problem won't be solved without better road and transport planning in general. But maybe, if we want to talk about laws, we could look at laws to curb the dangers that cars pose. Lower speed limits in towns, for one – Wales has a 20mph policy in many places, and it helps. And perhaps banning these ever-larger SUVs, which are unsuitable for many British roads purely on account of their size, as well as being a danger to everyone outside of them,. We need to get away from the "Car is king" society and then, perhaps, our pavements might become friendlier places for pedestrians.
Please understand: I am not making excuses for anyone riding a bike dangerously on the pavement or elsewhere, but just trying to explain why so many are on the pavement in the first place. With so many, there are bound to be a certain percentage of bad actors.
Cyclists and pedestrians don't mix…same as oil and water!
UK wide problem. Needs sorting!
Can only suggest a return to public information films. It won't stop all, but it'll underline it and far more people will call them out on it. Shame is a powerful emotion.
You phone the police about a cyclist on pavement they will probably get 10 years, but crimes against children are ok get away Scott free
Wholly agree and the e-bicycles are even worse.
Electric cycles are far more dangerous, as they travel at far faster speeds and are heavier.
Cycling. One thing is probably sure, and that is a cyclist is not likely to be knocked down by a car while riding on the pavement, yet there seems to be a cadre of people who consider that they have a right of passageway whilst riding 'off road'. In Finland it is worse as cyclist arrogance takes over, and you have to be extra vigilant of speeding bikes that do not stop for anything, human bodies included. There may be like minded in Britain, that buy expensive cycles and speed gear that only seems to demand the domain of us pavement dwellers. The sheer arrogance of some that have absorbed a somewhat political understanding of 'right to be right', and expect passage where ever they travel, as you are seen as an irritation requiring the application of brakes, that also necessitates the need for urgent decisions on route management, then again if you chose to get in the way, tough tit.
I’m sorry to hear about your falls, Professor Tim. I hope you have fully recovered. We have a very similar problem with all of this in Ireland; however your talk reminded me of a time when I was staying in Middleton, Leeds. I was walking through a public park at dusk when a very hefty e-bike (one of those very fat-wheeled bikes that resemble a motor bike) came towards me at great speed. Luckily the cyclist spotted me at the last second and swerved to avoid me. Only for that I would have been killed.
This is the wild west of vehicular travel. I often see cyclists breaking red lights, cycling the wrong way down one-way streets, cycling on footpaths. I have seen people travelling on hoverboards in the middle of busy streets in Dublin. I have seen teenagers carrying a friend on the back of e-scooters while travelling at speed. These young people are oblivious to the fact that the momentum they generate is sufficient to very seriously injure, or even kill, a pedestrian.
These problems are too widespread for the Irish police to deal with. Maybe children should be educated about these matters while in junior school.