Pavement etiquette

Couple of days ago I saw a motorbike cut across the pavement... Puts all cycling on the pavement into context!

I have to admit I rode on the pavement in my street the other day - first time my little boy's ridden without any physical reassurance from me, so I wanted to be close by. He loved it. Next time I'll track along the road alongside him.

theres an unwritten acceptance of pavement driving in loads of places, where drivers habitually just 'hop on' to let someone out of the car, after time its normalised.
I know some riders who take great delight in pushing through gaps between buildings and vehicles, accidently scraping the bar ends along the doors- where there should be space. Another guy I know, swear hes gonna get run over soon, steps into the road where its slow speed, and confronts drivers directly to slow down for him, but he is 6ft 5 with massive dreads ;-)

I have to admit I rode on the pavement in my street the other day - first time my little boy's ridden without any physical reassurance from me, so I wanted to be close by. He loved it. Next time I'll track along the road alongside him.

big difference between you mindfully doing that, stopping no doubt or making room if needed, and the people that habitually do it over long distance
"because its safer"

Yep. You know it. S has been trained to use his bell whenever there are peds approaching (that's ma boy!), and I'm creeping along behind him in his wake, waving and thanking the almost-always smiling passers-by, so all good.

Saw a women/idiot ride into someone (at low speed) on the pavement at St George's Circus by the new subway the other day (loads of people annoyingly cut the corner here to head towards elephant without using the roundabout). She genuinely appeared aggrevied that he had the audacity to have a go at her she made pathetic whining noises and tried to say it was her first ever day on a bike.
Clown.

Yep. You know it. S has been trained to use his bell whenever there are peds approaching (that's ma boy!), and I'm creeping along behind him in his wake, waving and thanking the almost-always smiling passers-by, so all good.

This is my approach. It works, people always smile at kids on bikes. It is however becoming a rare sight round my way :-(

If confrontation beckons, I like to growl.

As irritating/pointless/dangerous as pavement riding is(with the obvious exception of people taching their kids) it angers me slightly less than being a walkenger on Stokey Church Street/Hampstead High Street etc and being stuck behind a row of young well to do parents parading their buggies with absolutely no regard for anyone else in the immediate vacinity, do they velcro them together or something? It's just plain selfish...

With bikes coming towards me I just keep sidestepping to get in their way til they either stop/get off/get back on the road. Easier than being a loud sweary git.

In the UK I am 100% with cliveo, but I have to say that when I first moved to Poland I rode large parts of my commute on the pavement. The attitude to cylists is such that there is no 'right' place to cycle and you are damned either way.
Now I ride strictly on roads and cyclepaths but I make a point of riding as close as possible to pedestrians who walk on the cycle path. Not to be an asshole, but on the hope that they realise where they are walking.

In the UK I am 100% with cliveo, but I have to say that when I first moved to Poland I rode large parts of my commute on the pavement. The attitude to cylists is such that there is no 'right' place to cycle and you are damned either way.
Now I ride strictly on roads and cyclepaths but I make a point of riding as close as possible to pedestrians who walk on the cycle path. Not to be an asshole, but on the hope that they realise where they are walking.

What's the polish for "Get off the cycle path, arsehole?"

A ped stepped out into the road well in front of me on the way back from my morning offroad playtime. He was looking down at his shoes to check their shinyness or something, didn't look around before stepping off the pavement at all. I just grabbed a handful of back brake and skidded behind him very noisily. It scared the crap out of him, was extremely childish and mean of me, but vastly more satisfying than shouting "look where you're going"

"fuck YOU!" unfortunately so surprised and indignant was I that it came out all sqeuaky and high.....for sounding like shrill queen while doing so.

Feeling you here!

Best response to that is usually "It's a road bike, where do you think it belongs?" Extra points for using an overly condescending tone.

Sadly I resorted to nothing more original than calling him a cockmuching twat. Though this was partialy a success as his masculinity being challenged by a man in pink and white lycra didn't appear to go down well...

Sadly I resorted to nothing more original than calling him a cockmuching twat. Though this was partialy a success as his masculinity being challenged by a man in pink and white lycra didn't appear to go down well...

Pink & White lycra... do you have a photo?

Now I ride strictly on roads and cyclepaths but I make a point of riding as close as possible to pedestrians who walk on the cycle path. Not to be an asshole, but on the hope that they realise where they are walking.

I get shit scared when cars/vans etc. overtake me with minimum space to make me realise that I do not belong on the roads. Why would you want to piss off/scare somebody?

Pink & White lycra... do you have a photo?

No, I don't think I do. But it is worse than you are imagining believ me! :)

VeeVee

I was out with a cycle instructor friend this evening. We were in primary position going along Fleet St East West. We could hear a cab revving behind us but there was not adequate room to let him past. A bit further along we let him go when it was safe for us. He proceed to undertake a cyclist and to force her out into the oncoming stream of traffic as they approached a light turning red. After the light turned red he roared off.

The lady on the bike was terrified, she actually asked "Was it my fault?" we explained that she had done nothing wrong. We had got the details of the cab and emailed her our contact details along with the taxi details. She was really shaken up.

Clearly he just had an issue with cyclists.

Roadsafe?

@dooks - It takes a real man to tell a story like that. On the internet, everyone is Bruce Lee. ;-)

"I'm Luke, I'm 5, And my dad's Bruce Lee. Drives me around in his JCB... I'm Luke, I'm 5, And my dad's Bruce Lee. Drives me around in his JCB..."

We had got the details of the cab and emailed her our contact details along with the taxi details.

Post them on here!!

(The taxi, not the lady. That would be wrong).

a white painted "black cab"

GX05 ETR

I just grabbed a handful of back brake and skidded behind him very noisily. It scared the crap out of him, was extremely childish and mean of me, but vastly more satisfying than shouting "look where you're going"

no offense wannabe, just using you to illustrate a point, I do it all the time too... I would assume the majority on here have...

I get shit scared when cars/vans etc. overtake me with minimum space to make me realise that I do not belong on the roads. Why would you want to piss off/scare somebody?

because they think they are in the right and don't have any idea quite how scary they are being or how dangerous the vehicle they drive is...

Most people who drive regulalry have no concept of the damage they could do with their vehicle and they see someone slowing them down and they think it's fair to scare them.

I had a slight crash with a taxi after he decided to buzz me, the first thing he said is 'i've been undertaken by three of you today' and then 'those things [bikes] are deathtraps'!

I pitty the first person that crosses me when I've set up cameras on my bike.

With bikes coming towards me I just keep sidestepping to get in their way til they either stop/get off/get back on the road. Easier than being a loud sweary git.

+1

Squeeze them out and give them that "How stupid are you" look. if they are the cocky sort then you have to ask if they are too scared to ride on the road?

The lady on the bike was terrified, she actually asked "Was it my fault?" we explained that she had done nothing wrong. We had got the details of the cab and emailed her our contact details along with the taxi details. She was really shaken up.

I had something similar happen to me on the Embankment yesterday on my way to Chelsea Bridge. I had to try and calm down and lashed out at anything that came my way afterwards. Luckily I bumped into a colleague of mine further on and we rode together which help me chill out.

@Khornight, yes people don't realise how dangerous and scary they can be. On the Brighton Ladies ride on Saturday there was a van and a trailer with a horse. He kept overtaking us with very little space and pulled in to avoid incoming traffic. He scared a few of us. But the funny thing is that my colleague I bumped into was also riding to Brighton and was at about the same spot and told me how she almost came off her bike. She caught up with the driver and told him what happened. He genuinely didn't realise and said that his wife had mentioned that he was getting too close to cyclists.

did your camera get this?

if so could i direct you to roadsafe?