RLJ (Red Light Jumping). (The definitive bikeradar thread)

I would suggest that's what you should bring up if you ever get collared for walking your bike on the pavement.

Don't want to get into the armchair lawyering (especially with a lawyer) but isn't that covered by the full wording of s72 of the Highway Act 1835:-

“If any person shall wilfully ride upon any footpath or causeway by the side of any road made or set apart for the use or accommodation of foot passengers; or shall wilfully lead or drive any horse, ass, sheep, mule, swine, or cattle or carriage of any description, or any truck or sledge, upon any such footpath or causeway; or shall tether any horse, ass, mule, swine, or cattle, on any highway, so as to suffer or permit the tethered animal to be thereon.”

One would assume that riding a bike is covered by either the 'ride' part or the 'drive' part of the second clause. But pushing a bike along the footway is neither 'ride', 'drive' or 'lead'.

The law for red lights and stop lines specifically mentions 'propel a vehicle' over the stop line, but s72 of the Highway Act doesn't use 'propel'.

My old man, now dead, told me many years ago that pushing a bike the wrong way up a one way street was illegal. I think he was talking specifically about during the war to avoid obstructing the pavement during air-raid running away drills. IF that was in fact true, bearing in mind he did have dementia, then it is feasible that at some stage "avoiding" a red by walking around it could also have been an offence. I can't see any cop bothering his/her arse to do anyone for it as long as no inconvenience is caused to anyone else.