The Thanet Star

Ride your bike on the pavement?

Written by Matt B · first published 17/02/2009

A new facebook "event" aims to cut down the number of people that ride their push bikes on the pavement in Cliftonville.

The event was created by Thanet Community Safety and is called Cliftonvilles' Cycle Campaign would like to remind people You "wheel" be fined.

The Community Safety Partnership has produced a poster that has been distributed to shops in Cliftonville, which informs residents and offenders, that if you are caught riding a bicycle on the pavement you will be fined a Ł30 fixed penalty notice. The fixed penalty notices are being issued by the local Police officers, and this will be a focus for them over the next couple of weeks.

I remember as a wee nipper my mum saying things like "don't ride on the roads" and "stick to the pavements on the way back" mainly because it was too dangerous to ride on the roads with the way people drive. Especially if it was getting dark.

So have things changed and what would you advise children to do?

Let's open the floor to some debate.

Should it be legal to ride on the pavement?

Are the police just chasing easy money?

What do you think?

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Public Comments

Peter Checksfield wrote:

One thing that HAS changed is that the police don't seem to care what condition bicycles are in these days (whether on the roads or pavements!). Back in the 70s no-one would dare use a bicycle without mudguards & rear reflectors, because you can pretty much guarantee that you'd be stopped by the police. Surely this law hasn't changed?

17/02/2009 13:45:48

billy no mates wrote:

Cliftonville has so many real problems,this has to be a joke,dirty needles left out on pavement for weeks,dog shit everywhere,people oding/jacking up in the open,random violence,and not a cop to be seen,until they get a fire extinguisher lobbed at one of them then there are dozens of them for a few days,those council wardens are useless,lazy chatterboxes, snooping for the old bill,they do sweet f.a..
Anyone who doubts how shit cliftonville really is vist clifton place.

17/02/2009 16:31:48

CYCLE KILA 99 wrote:

I totally agree with Peter. Bring back the birch for these criminals. Maybe a sore back side will deter these hooligans but i doubt it.
If everyone had a shiny bike Cliftonville's problems would surely melt away.
Good luck with your vendetta Peter. I'm behind you 110%.

17/02/2009 18:39:13

Matt B wrote:

Back in the 70s you could also trust the police... Mind you I was 4 when the 70s became the 80s so what do I know?

19/02/2009 20:18:41

The Arn wrote:

so some of you think EVERYONE should be in the road if they are on a push bike?!

what about the 4/5 year olds who have only just learnt to ride without stabilisers? you want to read more stories about kids getting hit by cars/buses/delivery vans in the street?
when they're parents are the scariest thing in their lives, who do you think they will listen to?

fair enough, full grown adults should know to ride on the road anyway... but kids riding along the promenade on a Sunday afternoon?

This runs alot deeper than some people realise and needs all the details filled in!

and of course, times do change... i wonder why there was a law about having mud guards fitted? surely its personal choice on that matter - get dirty or have to scrape mud off the guards when you get home...

its obvious about the reflectors though, everyone should have reflectors, and EVERYONE should have lights at night...

20/02/2009 18:07:35

Matt B wrote:

The question might actually be: what do the police think? After all as things stand they can do what the hell they like and very few people have the time and money to say otherwise.

I agree we need to protect our children and even our adults.

What changes could be made in the Cliftonville area to make those roads safer?

In Germany the pavements are where the cycle paths go and not the roads. The cycle paths are wide enough to ride two abreast. Strangely very few cyclists are ever killed in such areas.

Over here cycle paths are very narrow and sometimes lorries ignore them altogether.

24/02/2009 13:09:41

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