Six-year-old girl knocked over by cyclist on newly opened £2.1m Festival Way near Bristol

If you need to keep cyclists' speeds down, why not build cycle-specific speed bumps? They're all over the place on shared-use paths in the Netherlands:

...it's very hard to ride fast over them unless you have the skill to treat them as a pair of doubles and to clear the gap in between them, and they're fairly easy to walk over as a pedestrian.

I think I see a solution here:

Stop using government/lottery funds to create 'cycle paths'.

It's clearly not possible to build a utilitarian cycle route for people who want/need to cycle, as soon as one is built it becomes a 'linear park', 'shared use facility' , 'greenway', 'park', 'picnic site' anything but whatever it was described as to secure funding.

As a cyclists I feel I am under attack from all parties in a way that I am not when I am a pedestrian or a motorist:

When I'm walking I am not told I am too fast or too slow or I shouldn't cross the road, or I should stick to urban areas only. When I am driving in urban areas I easily drive at speeds that I would find hard to reach on a bicycle, yet as a cyclist I am too slow, too fast, too bright, not bright enough, riding the wrong bike, constantly open to criticism.

If the proposal to move to 'presumed responsibility' is introduced then the blame for this incident would be with the cyclist. That is how I understood the law when I lived in Germany for 5 years.

On mixed use paths (and there are plenty in Germany too) the acceptance of hierarchy slows you down very quickly and ramps up awareness.

It's not diffcult to understand is it - ride too fast, out of control & you are a danger to others in the same environment.

I remember when I learned to drive in the late 90s. The roads off the beaten track - in rural Somerset - were largely empty, especially during the day in the summer holidays and late in the evening. You could drive however fast you liked, basically, and it was wonderful. Now I live in greater London, and I can't remember the last time I drove anywhere without essentially following other traffic the whole time.

It is a sad fact that there are times when the duration of your cycle journey is not a simple function of your fitness. Traffic lights, other traffic, and other users of your chosen route may hold you up: but they were there first and you should give way courteously.

Good to see there are some sensible comments on here mingled with the usual blether that accompanies this sort of story. Ultimately the same rule applies to any mixed traffic environment whether its the public road or a SUP: If you're going to use it, don't be a dick.

This means giving pedestrians room and notice if you're on a bike and giving bikes room if you're in a four (or more) wheeler. The same applies (possibly more so) around the unpredictable such as horses, Dogs and kids. It's not difficult folks and it makes it all's lot more pleasant if you just back off on your own self importance and chill the f*** out.

I'm a Lycra clad roadie without a bell (the world's loudest freewheel helps) who occasionally does high speeds along SUPs but I don't do it unless I can see that the path is completely clear. Anyone saying they have to go fast to make up time etc. needs to plan their day better and get out of bed earlier or accept that choosing a bicycle as a form of transport occasionally results in delays. I'm also a car driver and motorcyclist and have seen people being utter morons in all forms of transport. Speed does not need to be banned from any area wholesale, it's inappropriate speed and behaviour that's the issue.

I also live within a stones throw of Festival Way and use it most days of the week. Whilst its not effect it's better than playing with traffic. It would be nice if people remembered what they had to put up with before it was built before they start bitching about it.

interesting hotch potch of comments...
my twopenneth...

May 2012, I swapped my Motorbike for my 25yr old Dawes MTB & became a BAC. I cycled 50% on road & the rest along Canal Towpaths, into B'ham City Centre; until a silly mare took me out in a 'hit & run' in September (I was bruised, my Garmin was smashed but, the Dawes laughed in the face of her BMW Convertible).

I got back on my bike but, looked into 'official' Shared Use Paths to avoid feckless idiots like the cow who took me out.

Found Sustrans 534 route which added 2 mls to my 7ml commute but kept me away from the road I was hit on.

I freely admit to beasting that old MTB for all it's worth & my Avg Spd can be as high as 15mph along the paths/towpath BUT, I Ride Sensibly/Responsibly and with Respect; Always Slowing Down for Other Users AND Always Shout a Warning as I Approach; Usually Two (& with a Military Background, I have Good Voice Projection!)

80% of the Other Users usually react & we pass with a friendly smile or greeting...

the other 20% are either 'plugged in' or totally lost in their own little worlds; to the extent that I could throw a grenade at their feet & they wouldn't notice...

my personal favourites recently experienced are:

the Dog Walker, on a Blind Bend, with an Extendable lead extended around 10', creating a lovely rope barrier across the whole path... Great Due Care & Attention on a Shared Path!

the 3 Ladies Jogging Line Abreast & gassing to their hearts content... I slowed, shouted two warnings, had to practically stop about 3 feet from their ample derriers & then got a faceful of verbal abuse for having the audacity to interrupt them!

Or the Dog Walkers & Pedestrians I meet on a Daily Basis who just stand there and DO NOTHING, usually spread across the path; with no interest in controlling their dogs whatsoever, creating a slalom course that 'pro biker' Neil Donoghue would struggle to negotiate safely!

I'm all for Responsibility & Respect on Shared Use Paths but THAT APPLIES TO ALL USERS!

Sustrans need to look into the conduct of all Shared Path Users because it's not just a small group of Cyclists, who are the only ones behaving irresponsibly to others!

Last Point:
Why is this Article being Reported without it clearly stating that it refers to an event that happened in either June or July!?
The Headline leads to the direct assumption that it happened within last week or so; NOT while the kids were still at school!
But, any Cyclist hitting a child, whose being moved around as part of an organised group, in full HiVis; is clearly reckless & should be being interviewed by the Police...

Usher from Sustrans is right. Cyclists who treat pedestrians on shared use paths as inconveniences are no better than drivers who do the same to cyclists on the roads.

The devil's in the detail of course- pointing out that cyclists have a responsibility to show some consideration and nous on shared use paths doesn't mean that nobody else does, and there's always room for conflict in how that works.

I'm not sure that properly segregated paths will make much difference either, because pedestrians will likely still use them. And do we really want , effectively. another set of roads that pedestrians stray into at their peril?

Can you believe some idiots even put these shared cycle/pedestrian routes on Strava as segments! Cycle intelligently and you'll gain more respect from others.

Turns out the same types of idiocy that can affect people when they get into cars, can also do so when they get on bicycles.

Shared-use paths are what they are. They suck, as is typical for UK cycling infrastructure, but often they're all that's there. Some cyclists prefer them to the road, some don't. Personally, I won't ever plan a long route to go along a Sustrans cycling path ever again, as the last time I did so the tow-path out of Edinburgh that I was on turned into a rutted, muddy mess, punctured only by very rough and sharp gravel that was completely unsuited for general cycling, but that's me.

Cyclists who do shared-use paths should, of course, be considerate to pedestrians. They have as much right to be there as we do. Further, being the vulnerable party, they deserve and demand that extra care be taken by us, the faster cyclists. That goes double, triple, for young children!

If it was designed appropriately the ability to hammer along at unreasonable speeds would not exist.

Designed - you know where people calculate appropriate radii and sighting distances, to inherently manage the speeds at which cyclists pass through a section of the path.

To paraphrase one US President "Walk peacefully but carry a big stick" A pedestrian with a walking stick is ample match for a reckless cyclist, when taken by surprise. You can never tell where the end of the walking stick might end up but front forks and massive decelerations feature strongly in some scenarios.

£2.1m for 6 miles - It must be well designed and built or maybe its gold plated. A design which permits such excessive speeds is inherently hazardous, and not what should be found on a show-piece path

I've noticed on shared use paths, especially along the Thames near Hammersmith where I am often, that when walking the dog I don't get much warning from cyclists. It is like there is a bell phobia. You really can't go fast as a cyclist on a shared use unless it is empty and straight. It should be treated like a ski hill, if you are faster than others then you bear the responsibility to look out, especially if you are coming up to the back of another person.

One girl gets knocked down by one asshat on a bike and got a grazed leg and elbow. Why is this even news?

Unfortunately this article has very little substance to it. The information it reports is vague to say the least. basically, someone on a bike of an unknown age on an unknown type of bike travelling at an unknown speed hit a young girl. There is a lot of conjecture being expressed.
Statements like this from councillors show how illogical politicians can think in that they are assuming that parents let a lone children are fully aware of their surroundings at all times.
"Roger Higgins, chairman of Flax Bourton Parish Council told the Weston Mercury: “Parents and children are always aware of the many cyclists that use the path and move as soon as they see or hear a cyclist.

“But it can be really hard to hear cyclists coming from behind and most don’t use a bell or say anything to warn of their presence."

Everybody has a duty to drive, ride and walk safely.

I ride this route every day (and have for the last 2.5 years). One of the local residents has driven her car at me twice because I wasn't using the shared path. If you don't use the recently built shared path between Flax and Long Ashton you get buzzed. EVERY TIME. Or the local residents very aggressively yell at you to use the path.

£50,000 on rerouting the route is bonkers. It's a tiny little estate that has almost no traffic. A little bit more care and consideration from people in cars and there wouldn't be a problem.

(Also, there's no excuse for riding like an idiot either. I pass those hi-viz kids every morning and it's not hard to slow down a little bit and get past them safely.)

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/preview#!q=Flax+Bourton&data=!1m4!1m3!1d21...

We all need to look out for each other. If I want to go fast I ride back roads and out in to the county. On towpaths and bikepaths I happily cede to the primacy of pedestrians for the sections they frequent. They are more vulnerable than I.

I also enjoy riding city centre level 3 traffic. Part of the pleasure I derive from this is anticipating other peoples positioning and driving errors. I am more vulnerable than other vehicles and need to position myself and communicate clearly.

Can we all please get along and not be so selfish?

I had someone chase me down the other week on a shared use path. I was travelling at around 12 - 15 mph, slowing for dog walkers when this idiot passed me on a down hill section doing well over 20, swerving around a woman with an elderly retriever. Thing is when we rejoined the road he was over 100 metres in front of me but I passed him within 300, and I'm by no means fast (was cruising in on my Thorn Sherpa, getting the saddle a bit more broken in)

I cannot understand why people behave in this manner. How much more quickly did he arrive at his destination and I certainly wasn't impressed by his athletic prowess. I can't help wondering if it was really worth the further erosion of the reputation of cycling as a whole?

All the responses here seem to infer the view that the 'cyclist' in question was an adult on a grown up bike cycling too fast. I see nothing in the report that suggests this. These assumptions are purely that, assumptions based on our own view of what a cyclist is.

I put it to you that the 'cyclist' could have been a spotty 15 year old on an undersized tatty BMX riding the 200meters between his mom's and the skate-park. Does this image change our reaction to the report and to the suggested solutions? Would you expect such an individual to ride on a bike-only path, on the road, or be able to share the pavement?
Food for thought - there's shades of grey in all of this.

Hi-vis for pedestrians? Yes, in this case the girl WAS part of a hi-vis wearing group. (The incident happened on a school morning towards the end of the summer term).

It's a well-established shared-use path and all users must look out for each other.

We cyclists can choose to ride shared-use paths or the road, and it's smart to match your speed to your ability to deal with all other users.