Pavement cyclists under the spotlight in Wales as fines rise sixfold

Good. Cyclists should obey the highway code just like other road users.

Yes I know there are very few deaths from pavement cyclists, even very few injuries compared to other vehicle types.

The fact remains that cyclists who ride on pavements are doing themselves no favours. They are acting in an antisocial way even if they dont intend to do so.

If there is an issue with confidence then get advice. These cyclists should consider cycle training, a change of route, and if that doesnt fully help them out they need to get proactive and join the local campaigns, road safety groups and groups like British Cycling or the CTC.

There is also something to be said for staking your claim to the road. If every pavement cyclist took to the road in a sensible and legal manner it would undoubtedly aid the case for cycling in the UK. I know I, and other law abiding cyclists are not to blame for them, but more road cyclists means that drivers become more aware of cyclists as a result, we become more predictable and more visible.

Apparently (I can't find the source now) one in 30 pedestrians who is killed by a vehicle on the pavement is killed by a cyclist - or 29 out of 30 are killed by a motor vehicle ON THE PAVEMENT.

Stats given in reply to a parliamentary question (http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090126/text...) show that over a decade, barely more than 0.3% of pedestrian deaths in collisions were due to cyclists, the rest being motor vehicles. Injuries by cyclists accounted for less than 1% of the total injuries.

None of this excuses pavement cycling, which in a few cases is pretty egregious, but it does suggest that the police should expend their resources more efficiently, elsewhere.

Sounds like the result of particular focus on this.
I'm sure if the police near me had a crack down on use of hand held mobile phones while driving those figures would spike in a similar way.

Cyclists using the pavements instead of roads are often indicative of wider problems such as a lack of confidence, high traffic speeds on the road, or the roads being perceived as unsuitable for cycling

Most of the pavement cyclists I see don't look confident on a bike. Not surprising with the treatment of cyclists on the roads by motor vehicles

One might photograph all the cars which have been driven on the footway and ask whether the same zeal will be applied in issue of FPN's for the same offence of driving a carriage on the footway. This is known to be more dangerous - in the UK even Police cars driven on the footway kill more pedestrians than cyclists.... What's good for the goose?

The large rise in Cardiff is probably largely linked to the ending of an experiment where the main pedestrian area was opened up to cyclists during commuting times. At the end of this experiment PCSO's rigorously enforced the new (old?) rules. I know several people who got out by this, due to a lack of knowledge.

Not me though, I'm a good boy

So just how many injuries are there resulting from pavement cycling in Wales? And how many cyclists are injured in accidents on the roads in Wales? A few statistics might bring everything into perspective regarding the real or imagined menace of pavement cycling.

Some probably are irresponsible but a 600% rise in a year? That's incredible and makes me think they're probably slapping fines on people riding to bike parking spaces in paved areas and other things that don't do anyone any harm and are the result of bad infrastructure.

Don't make excuses for them, what they do is antisocial and sometimes dangerous.

Your attitude reminds me of the standard response given by young thugs and vandals who routinely bleat about "Nuffink for young people to do round 'ere."

Pitiful.

Blaming the victims of poor cycling training provision and poor road law enforcement?