Pulled over for cycling on the path?!

Finner

Oh my G!!! Back in January a cycle cop stopped me on Bird Avenue and took my details because I cycled up onto the path to avoid some traffic lights. Now I've just been given a summons to go to court for it!!! What is the world coming to?

Us cyclists don't think twice about these things - we're pedestrians when we want to be and road users when we want to be!!! Just thought I'd warn some fellow cyclists at least if I spread my story some good will come from this situation...

Has anyone else been in a similar situation? I have no clue what to expect from a court appearance!!!

Gilgamesh

I would say at least 4 years in Jail

on this topic, are there any rulings for cyclists in this country on how they have to behave in traffic and stuff.
Was wondering because I get the impression they don't as they moreless do whatever they want
.

seamus

Deserve it tbh.

monkeyfudge

Yep..

Everyday when I'm walking home from work I have to be careful when walking on a particular foot path as cyclists seem to think they can treat it as a cycle lane.

The Garda should prosecute whenever possible.

stag39

yes cyclists seem not to obey any signs lights at all.. and cycle on the path on the road near the pavement and in the middle of the road......

oh O/P what if someone reversed out of there driveway or some old lady who was blind stepped out of her driveway..or kids for that matter....

cycle lanes are there to be used...oh yeah the motorist pays for them too..!!!!

Finner

Okay this isn't fair! Now I look like a reckless bitch!!! Obviously I look out for reversing cars from driveways, little old ladies etc!!! I deserve to be punished but it was the first, last and only time I ever skipped the lights! There are far worse offenders than me! I normally get stick from my cycling friends for NOT doing these things!!!

Try and see the funny side when your reading it please! That goes for everyone pedestrians and cyclists alike. We should stick together and gang up against the real enemies - those SUV drivers

egan007

Man there are alot of narks here
Funny i was cycling home yesterday ( i mostly drive)
I went up on the foothpath to take a shortcut
There was nobody on the path and anyway im not a moron i don't cycle into people....
There was a cop on his motorbike parked on the path i was just thinking it would be typical if he pulled me up on it....
Screw it as far as im concerned when im not in a car im going anywhere i want on teh bike any walkers have a problem with that i'd just have to say - quit being a pussy

seamus

Finner wrote:

Okay this isn't fair! Now I look like a reckless bitch!!! Obviously I look out for reversing cars from driveways, little old ladies etc!!! I deserve to be punished but it was the first, last and only time I ever skipped the lights! There are far worse offenders than me! I normally get stick from my cycling friends for NOT doing these things!!!

**** happens tbh. You broke the law, you got caught, what do you expect. Just because everyone else does it or tells you to do it, doesn't make it OK.

monkeyfudge

You are both saying that you pay good attention and that you aren't going to run into predestrians.

But the pedestrians don't know how much attention you are paying... and it's very unpleasent to be walking along a foot path and not knowing if some cycilist isn't going to smash into you from behind.

optiplexgx270

You must have given attitude mate thats the ONLY reason you would receive a summons in a sutuation like this.

Raiser

I don't care whether ye hit people or merely nearly hit people, keep off the damn path - I've had the sh1te scared outta me more times by gimps sailing past me at 30 MPH allowing about 3 millimetres of a gap between us.

I've recently taken to raising my elbow accidently at a microseconds notice - leaving only the problem of removing the blood and teeth caked layer deep midway down the sleeve of my jacket.

egan007

a nation of biatches

gaf1983

seamus wrote:

ust because everyone else does it or tells you to do it, doesn't make it OK.

I think because it is such a custom, that everybody does it, the law should be changed - it clearly doesn't reflect the reality. You could call it an unwritten rule if you like, that cyclists should be allowed to act as pedestrians when necessary - some of the roads in this country are far to narrow for cyclists to cycle safely, especially when some cars are parked right out onto the road. I think as long as the cyclist exercises due caution on paths it should be ok - it should be obvious that you shouldn't go at 30mph on footpaths yet some jerks still do it. The law should only come down heavy when a cyclist is reckless, like the bastard that knocked me unconscious when I was 7 years old walking home from school one day. Prosecuting you for cycling on the footpath when you were causing no danger to others is just petty, and to be quite honest, a waste of the courts time. It would be great if you contest the case and got the law changed so that if a cyclist can prove that they were exercising reasonable care and caused no harm to others, they should be allowed to cycle on paths when it would be safer to do so than to cycle on the road.

whiskeyman

it's a FOOTpath... for feet.
If you want to take a shortcut, dismount.
I dont see many drivers taking shortcuts over footpaths to "avoid some lights"... you should obey the rules of the road and do likewise.
Those lights apply to you, the cyclist and roaduser.
I'm sick of seeing cyclists using footpaths... the're just adding to their bad reputation.
And I'm a cyclist by the way...

Raiser

egan007 wrote:

Screw it as far as im concerned when im not in a car im going anywhere i want on teh bike any walkers have a problem with that i'd just have to say - quit being a pussy

Raiser wrote:

I've recently taken to raising my elbow accidently at a microseconds notice - leaving only the problem of removing the blood and teeth caked layer deep midway down the sleeve of my jacket.

Best product for your future chompers Egan.

Morgan

stag39 wrote:

yes cyclists seem not to obey any signs lights at all.. and cycle on the path on the road near the pavement and in the middle of the road......

Bit of a generalisation there. Cyclists are entitled to cycle in the middle of the road if necessary BTW.

oh O/P what if someone reversed out of there driveway or some old lady who was blind stepped out of her driveway..or kids for that matter....

Perhaps brake?

cycle lanes are there to be used...oh yeah the motorist pays for them too..!!!!

Huh?

Morgan

Raiser wrote:

I've recently taken to raising my elbow accidently at a microseconds notice

Everyone needs a hobby I suppose. Do you time it?

egan007

Raiser wrote:

Best product for your future chompers Egan.

I'll remember that the next time im driving and you are walking on MY ROAD

Nevyn

A bycycle is a non motor propelled Vechicle under the road traffic act.
No vechicles are permited on paths.
Simple.
If you are cycling then cycle on the road as you should do and not mount
the pavement to aviod junctions.
If you must retire to the pavemnet get of the damn bike.
It is that simple.
You can be fully charged and took the court for speeding and dangerous driving
and reckless endangerment while cycling.

Finner

Okay okay! I've learned the error of my ways!!! I'm a good girl and the shock of being pulled over was good enough to stop me from doing ANYTHING like that again!!! Everyone seems to hate me now!!!!!!!!!! loads of people are still saying "Get over it, you did the crime now do the time" but I SAID that I was accepting the punishment I realise what a dumb ass I was (and I don't just mean that I was caught for it!)

I didn't realise it was such a hang up for people - cyclists on paths I mean - I dunno who said it but I think they're right if cyclists are paying due care and attention it should be alright to go on the path. Ireland's roads weren't built to cater for such traffic and it's hard then to try and fit cycle lanes in. I've been almost run over so many times by cars that think we're just in the way and a nuisance on the road (and before anyone goes mad at me again I don't mean ALL drivers just some!) it's just safer for me sometimes on the path! (Point taken: dismount if I wanna go on the path!)

Geez I never realised but it seems cyclists are the scum of the earth to pedestrians AND car drivers!

stag39 wrote:

cycle lanes are there to be used...oh yeah the motorist pays for them too..!!!!

BTW what's that supposed to mean - the motorist pays for them too?!!!

Nevyn

Finner wrote:

BTW what's that supposed to mean - the motorist pays for them too?!!!

Motorist pay road tax , cyclist don't.
Yes, a lot of drivers are hugely disrespectful to wards cyclist and don't
give them the space on the road that they are ment to.
Usually when it is raining and you can't go through large pot hole
and they think all you need is 4 inches beside the kerb :rolleyes:

But then again a lot of cyclists seem to think that red lights and other
such things like signalling don't apply to them.

RasTa

God it sucked to be cycling this morning. Still feckin wet here.
Speaking of Guards the other day i was cycling to college in ballyfermot and was going up that steep hill under the bridge by the FAS bulding. As i was cycling a cop car was behind me at the hill and then drove up beside me, rolled down the window and started taking the p1ss. I couldnt hear them because i had my headphones in and was panting away but the cheek.

MicraBoy

I couldnt hear them because i had my headphones in and was panting away but the cheek.

They were probably telling you it's dangerous to cycle with headphones in. :rolleyes:

Morgan

Thaed wrote:

Motorist pay road tax , cyclist don't.

Motorists pay several taxes but there's no such thing as "road tax". Anyone paying taxes in this country is paying for the (mediocre) bike paths.

Civilian_Target

Just because you pay *MOTOR TAX* does not mean that its your road. The only roads that are for motors only are motorways, and there are no cyclists there...

Mucco

Bit of a waste of money summonsing you to court for cycling on the footpath - why not just give you an on-the-spot fine?
I have no real sympathy to be honest, and footpaths are more dangerous than the road too.

M (waiting for summons for cycling with no lights!)

kjt

I cycle a fair bit and would never go up on a footpath. I think I'd stick to the law quite a bit the only thing would probably be the worst which is breaking lights. But when there's absolutly nothing comming at midnight, no point. In a car, yes I do stop late at night.

Just a quick question, Say a Guard did go after you on his bike. From what I've seen they dont look that fit. Think you could out cycle them easily?

stag39

Civilian_Target wrote:

Just because you pay *MOTOR TAX* does not mean that its your road. The only roads that are for motors only are motorways, and there are no cyclists there...

so lets build a motorway outside your house... a 1 lane eachway one !!!!!

finner don't take offence.. none intended directly to you...

most cyclists think they are a law onto themselves!!!!!!!

this to mogan
oh mogan ur a bit of a muppet...who do you think pays for the upkeep of the roads to keep you from falling flat on you face after going throiugh a nonmaintained pothole

Hagar

kjt wrote:

I think I'd stick to the law quite a bit

That's jolly decent of you. Just ignore the bits you don't like my good fellow.

luckat

Back in the 1950s road tax was taken from motorists to pay for the roads. It was abolished briefly and the general taxes diverted to pay for the roads. Motor tax was reintroduced, but just goes into the general pool.

We have a fairly apoplectic attitude to cycling on paths here, but it's not the same around the world. In Japan, for instance, paths is where cyclists are *supposed* to cycle; I think they even have right of way on the path.

Mind you, Japanese cyclists are considerate to those who share the paths with them.

It's interesting how angry people are on this thread. Maybe the fact of using up the world's precious supply of fossil fuels to drag one's unfit, obese body from one place to another arouses such guilt that it expresses itself as anger?

stag39

luckat
It's interesting how angry people are on this thread. Maybe the fact of using up the world's precious supply of fossil fuels to drag one's unfit, obese body from one place to another arouses such guilt that it expresses itself as anger?

i'd be the first to get a donkey and cart to bring my work tools around when the time comes!!!

DublinWriter

Finner wrote:

I didn't realise it was such a hang up for people - cyclists on paths I mean

There was a recent post in here from a guy who was with his 4 year old nephew on a path. A cyclist hit the kid and broke the kid's arm.

Cycling on a pedestrian path is illegal for good reason.

Victor

luckat wrote:

Back in the 1950s road tax was taken from motorists to pay for the roads. It was abolished briefly and the general taxes diverted to pay for the roads. Motor tax was reintroduced, but just goes into the general pool.

Motor Tax goes to the local government fund.

eth0_

Cyclists wreck my head whether i'm driving or walking.
I walk down camden/wexford/georges st to work every day and there's a cycle lane down most of the way, yet you still get sh*t heads cycling on the footpath showing complete disregard to people walking.

And it's very very rarely that you see a cyclist obeying traffic rules, most of them completely ignore traffic lights. Why don't they realise they *are* a piece of traffic and are subject to the same rules of the road as vehicles?

Morgan

stag39 wrote:

this to morgan
oh mogan ur a bit of a muppet...who do you think pays for the upkeep of the roads to keep you from falling flat on you face after going throiugh a nonmaintained pothole

Since you asked so nicely the answer is: every taxpayer.

Motor tax, VRT etc. don't come anywhere near covering the costs of road construction and maintenance.

Victor

eth0_ wrote:

Cyclists wreck my head whether i'm driving or walking.
I walk down camden/wexford/georges st to work every day and there's a cycle lane down most of the way, yet you still get sh*t heads cycling on the footpath showing complete disregard to people walking.

http://273k.net/carfreeday/2004-07-09_090220_7348.small.jpg

jman0

DublinWriter wrote:

There was a recent post in here from a guy who was with his 4 year old nephew on a path. A cyclist hit the kid and broke the kid's arm.

Cycling on a pedestrian path is illegal for good reason.

A little disingenious there DublinWriter because a crucial matter you are omitting in this instance, is that the pedestrian child was in the cycle path.

Gegerty

Sometimes I cycle on the path, sometimes I use the cycle lane, sometimes I use the middle of the road, sometimes a use the kerbside of the road. It's all a matter of personal safety. It's illegal to cycle on the footpath if a cycle path is provided but I'll take my chances with a summons, some of the cycle paths are a death trap.

btw, I'm also a driver and I'm also a pedestrian. Irish drivers are lethal, I don't think anyone can blame a cyclist for using the path when he knows he's coming to a dangerous junction. I can remember at least 2 deaths in my secondary school, I can't recall any incidents of pedestrians being injured by cyclists. As for pedestrians in fear of their safety because a cyclist might use the footpath, that's just complete and utter twaddle.

Also that thread about the kid getting hurt, the kid was on the cycle path. The cyclist cycled off in a huff which was bang out of order, but of course that makes every single cyclist out there a danger to pedestrians doesn't it :rolleyes:

Ghost Rider

This is a complex situation i.e. a lot of different factors come into play. Dealing with it in broad strokes (e.g. by making statements like "most [cyclists] completely ignore traffic lights") only rubs people up the wrong way. It doesn't help us to sort out the issues and fix the problem.

Not every cyclist who goes onto the footpath is disregarding pedestrians, even though some clearly are. The fact is that cyclists are sometimes forced to go onto footpaths. I cycle to and from work every single day, trying to remain in the cycle lanes, yet every single day I run into instances where I am forced to move out of the lane. Sometimes I choose to go in the car lanes but sometimes that's too dangerous - especially when motorists are behaving as if the cycle lane inures them from having to pay any attention whatsoever to bikes. In those cases, the footpath is the only safe option.

It is possible for cyclists to use the footpath on occasion without endangering anyone. It would be nice if this didn't have to happen. But in so far as the Gardai/legislators refuse to get tough with motorists driving in, or parking in, cycle lanes (or paths or tracks or whatever the hell they're called), this will continue to be justifiable, notwithstanding the rule of law.

As in all things, judgement is called for. I like to think the Gardai usually exercise judgement too and don't often go after cyclists for using footpaths when there are no other reasonable options. That said, I've met some very shirty motorcycle cops in my time so I wouldn't rely on their tolerance.

To my mind, there are two ways out of this situation: either (a) legislators and law enforcement agencies start to come down heavily on motorists regarding their infringement on cycle lanes and on cyclists regarding their infringement on footpaths, or (b) people exercise tolerance about the need for cyclists to sometimes go on the pavement, at the same time as the careless cyclists start to treat pedestrians with respect.

There's no question that in the absence of (a), we'll have to settle for (b). In any case, it's arguable that (b) is the preferable situation anyway. Who wants to live in a society where every eventuality has to be covered by legislation? I know I don't. I'd rather we were able to tolerate each other rather than needing a police force to keep us apart. Call me a hippy...

eth0_ wrote:

Cyclists wreck my head whether i'm driving or walking.
I walk down camden/wexford/georges st to work every day and there's a cycle lane down most of the way, yet you still get sh*t heads cycling on the footpath showing complete disregard to people walking.

And it's very very rarely that you see a cyclist obeying traffic rules, most of them completely ignore traffic lights. Why don't they realise they *are* a piece of traffic and are subject to the same rules of the road as vehicles?

ambro25

Can I ask a stupid question (and expect stupid answers, so )?

If -as a cyclist- circumstances leave you no choice but to use the footpath (as alleged numerous times in this thread)...

... then why do you cycle on the footpath? Why can't you dismount and walk with your bike on the footpath?


ambro25
[moped commuter, car driver, road tax payer (multiple times), occasional cycling/bus lane user (moped, not car of course!)]

Ghost Rider

I don't think anybody is maintaining that cycling on the path should always be permitted as long as the cycle lane is blocked; obviously there are circumstances in which walking on the footpath with the bike is the only safe option.

The point is simply that there are circumstances in which the general rule "No cycling on the footpath" is senseless.

ambro25 wrote:

Can I ask a stupid question (and expect stupid answers, so )?

If -as a cyclist- circumstances leave you no choice but to use the footpath (as alleged numerous times in this thread)...

... then why do you cycle on the footpath? Why can't you dismount and walk with your bike on the footpath?


ambro25
[moped commuter, car driver, road tax payer (multiple times), occasional cycling/bus lane user (moped, not car of course!)]

themole

ambro25 wrote:

Can I ask a stupid question (and expect stupid answers, so )?

If -as a cyclist- circumstances leave you no choice but to use the footpath (as alleged numerous times in this thread)...

... then why do you cycle on the footpath? Why can't you dismount and walk with your bike on the footpath?

because its quicker.

you can stop more quickly on a bike for the equivalent speed running/walking.

so, even cycling slightly quicker than walking, or just rolling along is no less safe than walking with the bike but does save a lot of time.

i didn't cycle that much recently because my bike was stolen last year, only got a new one this week.

but even over the last two days i have encountered several cars parked in cycle lanes, which is much worse than cycling on a footpath.

i would occasionally cycle on a path, but slowly, not much faster than walking.

but when you are doing 15-25 mph on the road and have to swerve into the car traffic because someone has parked in a cycle lane thats much worse.

most of the cycle lanes in town are useless beacuse of this, it ends up being safer to cycle in the car lane then having to swerve in and out of the cycle lane.

i would like to see the situation here that there is in holland where the cycle lanes are truly dedicated, ie you can't park/drive/walk in them

Gavin

Occasionally I cycle on the path. Very rarely though. e.g I come out of my house in the morning and take a turn to the right after 100 metres. I just go down the path for that 100 metres instead of going onto the road, because the dundrum road is too small and it's bloody awkward turning right off it. If I do cycle on the path, I cycle as slow as possible. I should get off the bicycle really.

On the more general topic of cycling v motorists etc, I rarely have any trouble with motorists. I find most are in fact fine and give me the space I need. Of course it helps when you indicate clearly when pulling out to avoid cars in the cycle lane, or take the center of the road when there isn't enough room for a car to pass.

Slightly more aggressive cycling is safer than cowering in the gutter. By that I simply mean treating yourself as if you are a motorcyclist and using the road as you are allowed to.

Interestingly about the Bird avenue post though, I cycle through clonskeagh each morning and twice now, just after the UCD entrance, going towards town I've seen a cycle cop stopped with a cyclist. Don't know what the cyclist did to get stopped, but there must be a Garda doing the rounds around there fairly regularly. I'm fairly stringent about obeying the traffic lights now !

Gav

Trojan

eth0_ wrote:

And it's very very rarely that you see a cyclist obeying traffic rules, most of them completely ignore traffic lights.

Argument lost due to generalisation.

eth0_ wrote:

Why don't they realise they *are* a piece of traffic and are subject to the same rules of the road as vehicles?

When other vehicles such as trucks and cars realise that cyclists are part of the traffic and due at least the same respect as they give other motorists.

Gegerty

ambro25 wrote:

Can I ask a stupid question (and expect stupid answers, so )?

If -as a cyclist- circumstances leave you no choice but to use the footpath (as alleged numerous times in this thread)...

... then why do you cycle on the footpath? Why can't you dismount and walk with your bike on the footpath?


ambro25
[moped commuter, car driver, road tax payer (multiple times), occasional cycling/bus lane user (moped, not car of course!)]

Whats wrong with freewheeling on the footpath? For example, there's a stretch of road on my journey in the morning where sometimes it's necessary to cycle on the path for up to 1 mile, I just can't get across the road. I'm not going to dismount and walk to the next junction. I could cycle down the wrong side of the road but I'm sure I'm not the only cyclist here who has had road rage incidents where cars purposely drive over against the kerb just to make a point and force you back onto the footpath.

People who don't cycle should go and try it out, I guarantee you'll be back on here sympathising with cyclists. The "cycle lanes" are unsafe and have not been thought out. How many times have you stepped off a bus only to find yourself on a cycle path? We could run you over cause by law you shouldn't be on the cycle path, but no we stop for you cause we understand its the system that's messed up and it isn't your fault.

zeusnero

i'm a cyclist in galway & i can't believe the numbers of cyclists who cycle on the path. Granted I've only seen 1 cycle lane in Galway and that was over 2 km outside the town but I've been really shocked. Its as if cyclists in Galway think that they're not allowed on the roads... Have any other Galway based forum users noticed this??

Ghost Rider

I don't know much about Galway city itself but during the Summer (anyone remember that?) a small group of us were cycling from Connemara to Galway and I have to say I was shocked by how bad cycling conditions were on the road from Spiddal to Galway.

We were forced against the curb repeatedly by drivers doing 60MPH or more and giving not one flying **** for cyclists. Also, the potholes were enough to knock your eyeballs out, never mind your fillings.

And by the way, we stayed on the road. It was a Sunday afternoon and there were too many people out walking for us to mount the footpaths.

zeusnero wrote:

i'm a cyclist in galway & i can't believe the numbers of cyclists who cycle on the path. Granted I've only seen 1 cycle lane in Galway and that was over 2 km outside the town but I've been really shocked. Its as if cyclists in Galway think that they're not allowed on the roads... Have any other Galway based forum users noticed this??

themole

zeusnero wrote:

i'm a cyclist in galway & i can't believe the numbers of cyclists who cycle on the path. Granted I've only seen 1 cycle lane in Galway and that was over 2 km outside the town but I've been really shocked. Its as if cyclists in Galway think that they're not allowed on the roads... Have any other Galway based forum users noticed this??

galway is a cyclist/pedestrian town.

loads of students who don't own cars etc, narrow roads where cars and bikes don't coexist well.

pedestrians practically have right of way in the city center.

ambro25

Gegerty wrote:

Whats wrong with freewheeling on the footpath?

I'm not saying there's anything inherently wrong with cyclists using a footpath when
(i) circumstances demand it (your personal safety vs road/traffic conditions) and
(ii) there are no pedestrians about.

I'm intimating that when there are pedestrians about, you should have the courtesy of dismounting, to present a lesser threat/danger to them.

Not to mention the fact that a Gardai could not 'do' you for cycling on the footpath, of course...

Gegerty wrote:

People who don't cycle should go and try it out, I guarantee you'll be back on here sympathising with cyclists. (etc.)

I don't cycle, but I am a 30-40mph-capable 2-wheel commuter in central Dublin. I tend to use cycle paths when there's no cycles or pedestrians about (I'm all electric - they can't hear me coming, is the problem ) and am already all too familiar with the 4-wheels vs 2-wheels debate, after only 2 weeks of 'faith conversion' (was commuting 4 wheels before that).

What I have however noticed in this fairly short time interval, is the amount of cyclists merrily sneaking here/there/everywhere, past reds/onto paths/generally trying their darnedest to not let such a pesky thing as a red light, T-junction or Give Way sign ruin their momentum.

Funny how I never noticed the extent of it (for it is an extensive practice) before I went 2-wheels. Just an observational remark, and not intending to generalise, btw.

In the end, on 2 wheels as on 4, I find it all quite comparable: drive defensively (anticipate), indicate your intentions early, treat any other road user with a modicum of respect and all will be reasonably well.

But in my analogy, this extends to path users, and respect to them IMO comes in the form of dismounting your ride - is all.

DamoKen

Trojan wrote:

Argument lost due to generalisation.



When other vehicles such as trucks and cars realise that cyclists are part of the traffic and due at least the same respect as they give other motorists.

ditto

Gegerty

ambro25 wrote:

I'm not saying there's anything inherently wrong with cyclists using a footpath when
(i) circumstances demand it (your personal safety vs road/traffic conditions) and
(ii) there are no pedestrians about.

I'm intimating that when there are pedestrians about, you should have the courtesy of dismounting, to present a lesser threat/danger to them.

Not to mention the fact that a Gardai could not 'do' you for cycling on the footpath, of course...



I don't cycle, but I am a 30-40mph-capable 2-wheel commuter in central Dublin. I tend to use cycle paths when there's no cycles or pedestrians about (I'm all electric - they can't hear me coming, is the problem ) and am already all too familiar with the 4-wheels vs 2-wheels debate, after only 2 weeks of 'faith conversion' (was commuting 4 wheels before that).

What I have however noticed in this fairly short time interval, is the amount of cyclists merrily sneaking here/there/everywhere, past reds/onto paths/generally trying their darnedest to not let such a pesky thing as a red light, T-junction or Give Way sign ruin their momentum.

Funny how I never noticed the extent of it (for it is an extensive practice) before I went 2-wheels. Just an observational remark, and not intending to generalise, btw.

In the end, on 2 wheels as on 4, I find it all quite comparable: drive defensively (anticipate), indicate your intentions early, treat any other road user with a modicum of respect and all will be reasonably well.

But in my analogy, this extends to path users, and respect to them IMO comes in the form of dismounting your ride - is all.

Damned if we do and damned if we don't. Cop on people. We're not allowed on the footpath and we're not allowed on the road. The cycle path system is a joke, until that is sorted and we have a working system then cyclists are going to continue doing whatever is neccessary to stay alive on the roads. I can think of much better ways of dying and I'm not going to risk being mashed under a wheel just because its against the law to go on the path or because its disrespectful to pedestrians.

Having said that, if a cyclist does hit a pedestrian he should face the consequences. What I'm saying is that it is a risk I'm willing to take and realistically the risk is minimal because the majority of cyclists are careful and alert to pedestrians, reversing cars etc at all times, not just on footpaths.