Target pavement cyclists, say MPs

I've only ever used the pavement when I know the road, I can see its clear, and there are absolutely no pedestrians in my way, and most of the time when I have used it, this has been to avoid those stupid flipping railing/barrier things that make it impossible to filter close to the curb in heavy traffic, and to snake off down a side road.
Although I was far more inconsiderate when I had my trick bike as it was no big deal for me to bash it around and hop off of stuff etc, so it was all too easy to jump up and down curbs etc, now my fixed is a lot more sensible and not as stupidly beefy as my old bike, I have been taking it easier with all the hopping up and down shit all the time, that gets saved for the "other bike".
However on the flip side......this bike is a lot faster than the trick machine, has a very powerful brake up front, and I actually get places quicker than I did previously without pulling off as many illegal moves in the process :)
WinWin.

I thought it was illegal to ride on the pavement irrespective of your age? It's just you can't get done under the age of 12

Sorry- I did not mean in any legal sense at all, just that I do not mind little kids wobbling along on the pavement on their way to cycle around the park/get to school etc.

He's allowed to do what he wants, his frame has a story and a history

And was crashed at speed?

And was crashed at speed?

Yeah, well, we'll overlook that... $675 + shipping/import duty

If you are pottering along at 4mph or less then you may as well be pushing the bike.

I sometimes potter, I sometime spin a bit. That's my choice. But racing is not for your commute. If you want to race, go and race other cyclists who are there to race you. I'm just trying to say that there seems to be a lot of competitive petty behaviour on the roads by cyclists who seem to have brought their car-dependent mentality along with them to riding their bike. I'm trying to say that people could maybe just try to take it a bit less seriously, and it'd be a lot more pleasurable out there. I think people hop onto pavements (say at lights where they can't filter) out of some stupid idea they have to be somewhere faster than everyone else.

"Awesome logic. that'll show em."

When cyclists are accused of having no morals and being worse than terrorists, logic has long departed.

Very true. It wasn't meant to be a criticism. I actually really liked your comment. Police vehicles are often driven extremely dangerously.

He's allowed to do what he wants, his frame has a story and a history

Ouch! Zing!

;)

I agree with the article, think the pro pavement cycling comments back up his points...

"Of course it's wrong if an idiot does it, but I am far from that my friend, I saunter by and doff my cap at the little old ladies and they wave me on my merry way..."

superior moral category indeed...

It's true! Some cyclists are superior moral beings to others!

This is me cycling on the pavement:

and this is the scrote who knocked down dammit

They're DIFFERENT

I sometimes potter, I sometime spin a bit. That's my choice. But racing is not for your commute. If you want to race, go and race other cyclists who are there to race you. I'm just trying to say that there seems to be a lot of competitive petty behaviour on the roads by cyclists who seem to have brought their car-dependent mentality along with them to riding their bike. I'm trying to say that people could maybe just try to take it a bit less seriously, and it'd be a lot more pleasurable out there. I think people hop onto pavements (say at lights where they can't filter) out of some stupid idea they have to be somewhere faster than everyone else.

Very true. It wasn't meant to be a criticism. I actually really liked your comment. Police vehicles are often driven extremely dangerously.

Amen Bro, amen.......although there was no way I was going to let this Div on a Marin Hybrid ovetake me up Brick Lane this morning!
Generally speaking though the only person i'm racing on my commute is myself :)

I did 6 and a half miles in half an hour this morning without jumping any kerbs/red lights.

Cycling on the pavement is for cunts and paedos. Fact.

I did 1.9miles this morning in 6 minutes without jumping any kerbs/red lights.....although I did cut across one corner of a bit of pavement taking a corner, but that was to avoid some big fuck off crack in the road, I like my wheels round and in one piece!

Generally speaking though the only person i'm racing on my commute is myself :)

Can I get another AMEN??

Although it is a little sad how chuffed I am when I shave a minute off my best time...

Back on topic; I don't mind people cycling on the pavement as long as they always give priority to pedestrians and don't cycle like a dick. Despite this is always sigh and say (think) "...should be on the road" as they pass. Sometimes there is a legitimate reason for it, though.

But then he just slides into pure cyclist hatred with the gem:

"We seem to regard cyclists as living in some sort of superior moral category when they actually do not have any."

^^CYCLISTS HAVE NO MORALS^^ says elected official

Err... no.

He's saying we're not in some sort of superior moral category.

Which is true.

^^CYCLISTS HAVE THE SAME MORAL RESPONSIBILITIES AS OTHER ROAD USERS^^ says elected official.

But that makes a shit headline.

If I'm walking on the pavement with my kid and some twunt tries to squeeze by on his bike I know it annoys the f%ck out of me. There's no excuse for it - just fine the idiots.

Yeah, well, we'll overlook that... $675 + shipping/import duty

Holy shit!!! You can almost get a Shop 14 frame for that kind of dough.

7 miles in 29 minutes according to the iphone. Got lucky with the lights, no jumping of anything required. That was yesterday morning, this morning I'm ill :( no cycling.

Err... no.

He's saying we're not in some sort of superior moral category.

Which is true.

^^CYCLISTS HAVE THE SAME MORAL RESPONSIBILITIES AS OTHER ROAD USERS^^ says elected official.

Look. Firstly, he's a conservative and I don't like his face, glasses or expression.

Secondly:

"We seem to regard cyclists as living in some sort of superior moral category when they actually do not have any."

when you really look at it could mean anything. It COULD mean "they do not have any" superior moral category. It COULD mean "they do not have any" morals

Either way - face? Conservative? those glasses?

I'm struggling to figure out how this has got so many responses, cycling on the pavement is a stupid thing and if you're doing it, you're pretty much definitely an idiot (unless of course you're just setting off/arriving).

"We seem to regard cyclists as living in some sort of superior moral category when they actually do not have any."

when you really look at it could mean anything. It COULD mean "they do not have any" superior moral category. It COULD mean "they do not have any" morals

I think he most likely means that they do not have any superior morals, I think it's highly unlikely that after saying what he said at first, that he would suddenly say that cyclists have no morals, is that actually what you believe?

Also, putting your spin on what the guy has said as a quote by him, in capital letters just makes you look like a typical tabloid journo, and no one is likely to take that seriously.

I'm struggling to figure out how this has got so many responses, cycling on the pavement is a stupid thing and if you're doing it, you're pretty much definitely an idiot (unless of course you're just setting off/arriving).

says mr baileys-bottle-in-one-hand guiness-in-the-other?

Labour member Geraldine Smith added that sometimes irresponsible cycling was "dismissed as something trivial" but it was a common complaint at meetings in her constituency.

I'd imagine that it is dismissed as such because it really is something trivial to the police. Yet to the general public it's another crime that the police do nothing about, just like jumping red lights.

She said one constituent had been seriously injured and there appeared to be "very little" the police could do, adding: "A police superintendent was at this forum with me and he said that it was legal to cycle on pavements."

This, however is not "something trivial". For a superintendent to be this ignorant and for the police to be able to do "very little" is a cause for concern. If someone is breaking the law and injures someone in the process then a logical conclusion would be that the police should be able to prosecute for assault/GBH/ABH etc. dependent on the injuries sustained.

says mr baileys-bottle-in-one-hand guiness-in-the-other?

But I wasn't on the pavement cycling at that point, so it's all cool =P

he he busted