PAVEMENTS ARE FOR PEDESTRIANS - 3
PAVEMENTS ARE FOR PEDESTRIANS – 3THE HOME OFFICE ADVICE quoted by Paul James was published by Labour Home Office minister Paul Boateng in 2006 and has been overtaken by events. There has been a dynamic to increase the use of bicycles, boosted by last year’s Olympic Games and heavily promoted by the government as a new ‘green’ idea. IN 2009 THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE in its report ‘Improving road safety for pedestrians and cyclists in Great Britain’ said: 4. “Some cyclists are perceived to behave irresponsibly, such as riding on pavements and disregarding red traffic signals, thereby posing a danger to themselves and making other road users including elderly pedestrians feel unsafe”5. There appears to be a lack of understanding amongst the public and some police about the legal requirements for cyclists, including, for example, whether it is illegal to cycle on a pavement. The Department confirmed that it was illegal and undertook to consult its police liaison officer about how it might draw this to the attention of police forces across the country. Legislation also requires new bicycles to be fitted with bells but it is not illegal, subsequently, to remove them. The Department agreed that it could devise new rules to constrain irresponsible cyclists but said that it would need to be satisfied that the police could enforce them. Enforcing cycling offences was typically not high on the agenda of most police forces due to competing demands on their time.Robert Devereux, Permanent Under-secretary of the DfT, giving evidence to the Committee said he did not think pavement cycling was illegal – but when pressed by Geraldine Smith MP confirmed that it was, which seemed to come as a surprise to him. Read the evidence for yourself http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmpubacc/665/9061004.htm Q42 Geraldine Smith: Can you tell me, first of all: is it illegal to cycle on pavements? Mr Devereux: No, I do not think so. I will just check that. I have a feeling that it is a Highway Code recommendation not to do it rather than it being actually against the law. Mr Devereux: Sorry, I have just checked this and it is illegal to be on the pavement. That being the case, there is no reason why a policeman should not— Q45 Geraldine Smith: It is illegal? Do the Department for Transport make that clear to the police because a police superintendent was at this forum with me and he said that it was legal to cycle on pavements, so, if you are confirming that, I can go back and tell him that it is actually illegal. Mr Devereux: It is page 22 of the Highway Code in red, which means it is illegal, "You must not cycle on the pavement". Q46 Geraldine Smith: Excellent! I am very pleased about that. I shall go back and tell him. Mr Devereux: It is Rule 64. In terms of whether or not people are aware of it, and you have clearly caught me out, I was not expecting quite so many anti-cyclist questions, so forgive me, we have within the Department a police liaison officer and I will go back and make sure that he actually makes that clear to the police Q47 Geraldine Smith: Yes, if you would, because I was quite surprised at these forums that it came up, not just at one, but at every one of them, as an area which people were really concerned about, and I did expect it a bit, but I think there is a feeling that people in authority do not take it seriously enough. As I say, the superintendent that I was with said, "No, it is legal to cycle on the pavement, it is just illegal if it is irresponsible cycling", and that is quite different from what you have said, so maybe there should be an instruction going out to every police force in the country making the position clear to people. Mr Devereux: I will ask the liaison officer to do something appropriate to make sure it is clear. CURRENT DfT AND HOME OFFICE MINISTERS AND THE POLICE are in no doubt that pavement cycling is illegal as they have confirmed to me personally and whose words I have published. IN HIS ‘VISION FOR CYCLING IN LONDON’ Mayor Boris Johnson says:“We will act more vigourously against cyclist violations, such as riding on the pavement” (page 23)“The Metropolitan and City of London Police have a vital job in safety, security and enforcement against antisocial cyclist behaviour” (page 28)“We recognise the real problem of antisocial cycling” (page 31)“We will increase enforcement action against illegal cyclist behaviour” (page 31)THE CYCLIST LOBBY ZEROS IN ON THIS STATEMENT IN THE ‘VISION’“One of the best ways of stopping people cycling on the pavement is to give them better places to cycle on the road” (page 33) – which is simply a repetition of the usual excuse made by cyclists for riding on the pavement ‘for their own safety’ and reflects the half-hearted way in which cycling policy is being implemented.GET BRITAIN CYCLING – by the All-party Parliamentary Cycling Group says:“ We need to train cyclists and drivers alike to travel legally and safely.”http://allpartycycling.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/get-britain-cycling1.pdf A GRIMBY MAGISTRATE SAID: to a 29-year-old Grimsby man he fined £750 ‘cycling without consideration’ after hitting and injuring a five-year-old child while riding on the pavement, who claimed he was only cycling on the pavement because of the dangers of cycling on the road: "By not cycling on the road you put your own safety ahead of others, and the consequences of this could have been much worse. People have been killed by cyclists in similar incidents.“THE AUTHOR Is a life-time cyclist, motorcyclist, motorist and walker whose main hobby is flying extensively in the UK and Europe as a private pilot. In the 1970s and 80s I cycled daily to work from Ealing to Tottenham Court Road. At the age of 78 I find no need to use a bike (which I still have), preferring to walk and use public transport for local journeys. Pedestrian safety - my own - is now my major concern. I hope to achieve it by the time I reach the ‘walking stick’ stage. Two years ago I took the one day ‘Bikeability’ course on safe ‘on road’ cycling to see what it was like – it was good and I recommend it to all my OAP friends, some of whom have taken my advice.
Tony Purton ● 4712d18 Comments ● 4631d