Schools & cycling on pavements?

[john]

This is part moan and part asking for advise and for other experience.

Some morning ride the 1.75 miles to school with my lad. He is perfectly able to ride his own bike. Used to ride into preschool before that with him which had cycle path and track more or less from the house to the door. Sadly the route to school is less convenient. Half or two thirds has good cycleway, no bother. The remainder has nothing BUT there are fairly wide pavements and little pedestrian traffic. Normally just ride down the path, sometimes I bump onto the road, sometimes not, for instance today we passed 0 pedestrians. Sadly this morning a 'friendly' old gent waiting for a bus on the other side of the road decided to take issue and started ranting and raving about riding on the footpath. Reasoned with him briefly until the irritation started to build (and my ripostes became less reasonable) and until my lad started to get a little upset by the ranting of the old man. Having looked into things briefly looks like it is illegal to ride on the footpath full stop - my understanding was always that kids could ride on the path especially if common sense is applied (as I believe I am doing in this case).

Interested to hear other peoples experience of similar, sure it can't be a unique. Going forward will probably take a different route, get a tagalong or end up driving more often (at the edge of catchment and realistically rarely are organised enough to allow time to walk!)

Finally would assume the any fine for pavement cycling will be a fixed penalty (any got one?) which will not affected the driving license?

 

[Logic.Al]

I would let my kids ride on pavement with me on road beside them. I can't really see a fine being enforced for a child. Maybe for a parent/adult riding on the pavement. Which boils my p1ss when people do it.

I also think there should be fines for the morons who think it's fine to ride along at night with no lights and wearing all dark clothing. Either that or it be ok for cars to give them a gentle love tap :twisted:

 

[hamster]

Firstly check if your child is below the age of criminal responsibility! In which case, it might be illegal but...
Personally I think it is down to pragmatism and good judgement.

You could also consider buying a tandem, I used one for a while to take my children to school. They loved it!

Absolutely the biggest danger when cycling to school is the parents' driving near the school. The no-stopping zigzags and signs apparently are for other people, not applying if you have a black car costing over £50k with personal plates. :evil:

 

[Bpool77]

I don't know about the legalities of kids riding on pavements but last year me and a pal were going some where, me on foot him sat on a bike pushing himself along with his feet on the pavement, a pretend police man stormed over to us started going on with himself and took my mates details and issued a £30 fine! He didn't pay it and nothing happened?

If it was me I'd ride on the road my lad on the pavement and wouldn't bother? Or if there are any pedestrians get of and walk past them then carry on? Not like he's bunny hopping kerbs etc is it?

 

[Alison]

I would let my kids ride on pavement with me on road beside them. I can't really see a fine being enforced for a child. Maybe for a parent/adult riding on the pavement. Which boils my p1ss when people do it.

I also think there should be fines for the morons who think it's fine to ride along at night with no lights and wearing all dark clothing. Either that or it be ok for cars to give them a gentle love tap :twisted:

Deffo agree here, I think John your child should be OK riding on the pavement, I also cannot imagine any rozzer fining you because of it. there'll always be some ignoramus having a go at someone for something, especially when it includes children.

And definitely agree about no lights and dark clothing, go ahead give 'em a love tap

Alison

 

[john]

@hamster - might have to consider that. Roads round school not too bad, ironically fairly easy to drive one of the car in if needed...

I would let my kids ride on pavement with me on road beside them. I can't really see a fine being enforced for a child. Maybe for a parent/adult riding on the pavement. Which boils my p1ss when people do it.

You speak from experience? Like I said do sometimes bump onto the road but the way the roads and paths layed out easier said than done. What boils you p1ss, fine for cycling or pavement cycling?

I also think there should be fines for the morons who think it's fine to ride along at night with no lights and wearing all dark clothing. Either that or it be ok for cars to give them a gentle love tap :twisted:

Fines for no lights, suppose so yes, assume you can be issued a fixed penalty for this. Equally it's on less car on the road. Not sure about it being ok to drive into them though

This makes some interesting reading although it is London specific > http://road.cc/content/news/108119-tran ... e-pavement

 

[Alison]

The no-stopping zigzags and signs apparently are for other people, not applying if you have a black car costing over £50k with personal plates. :evil:

I have yet to see anyone who drops their child off, except me of course, not grab the opportunity of parking in the zigzag lines at our primary school, regardless of the price of their car or their number plate. the school sends letters out many times a year about it and everyone seems to ignore it, and it causes so many blockages on the narrow road.

Alison

 

[KermitGKona88]

If you are riding in daylight at a sensible speed taking all precautions to avoid any pedestrians you may meet, I see little problem, as to you question about the age of a child riding a bike on a pavement, I believe any cycle up to and including 16" or equivalent wheel size is considered to be a 'Pavement cycle'.

What really gets my goat though are the little sh1ts on bikes that come screaming along the pavement with absolutely no regard for any one else, especially when it is dark and they never have any lights. :twisted:

The other week a friend of mine who currently works in a bike shop and myself were have a chat on the corner of a main road and a side road with a slight incline when a 'teen' on a 50lb 'susser' came screaming down the side road, he had no working brakes on the bike and literally had to slide the bike on to the main road, god only knows what would have happened if a car had been coming :shock: :facepalm:

So riding sensibly is far more important that where you ride I suppose is what I am getting at

 

[ellillowladex]

I have 2 children that cycle to school (11 years & 8 years), the eldest did his 'cycling proficiency test' in his last year at junior school and has ridden on the road since, my 8 year old always rides on the path for the short journey to school since she has yet to take the proficiency test - though when she has, she too will ride on the roads.

There are often plastic police officer at the school gates (trying to combat illegal parent parking) and not once has either of my children been asked to step off or move on to the road.

A lot of adults (wrongly) don't like to ride on the road due to the amount of traffic and sense of danger due to the general vehicle driver attitude that any cyclists on the road are a pain in the ar@e.

Children are of course are totally different and should not be allowed on the road unless the parents are sure, and the children are confident that they know exactly what they are doing - or they are supervised.
I personally always ride on the road next to them if they are on the pavement, as John says - bumping up when necessary.

 

[john]

@kermit -interesting point raised and one which illustrates a lot of the problem in perceptions about cyclists in the UK. Clearly you can differentiate between a 5 year old lad riding to school on an empty pavement and a teeneager riding will some will on the path. Many it would seem cannot.

@ellillowladex - interesting to hear, have you had any feedback from the school on this over the years? When he is old enough will indeed be on the road, but as mentioned elsewhere he is not. Further the section where the incident occurred although nominally a 30 is used by many as a 40, big wide road (with quite wide paths too).