Jeremy Vine films motorist driving down Hyde Park cycle path

Jenova20 wrote:

Sriracha wrote:

Sure, but if social distancing is your concern then we are talking about 2m. The bike is only an issue if you are trying to crowd people closer than 2m. So in normal times walking your bike along a crowded pavement I can see that it gets in the way. But currently with everybody supposed to maintain a 2m clearance from everybody else there is ample room for the bike alongside in that empty space, mate.

There's practically nowhere near me, except the high street, where pavements are a metre wide. Walk alongside a bike and you've blocked the pavement. A one size fits all approach won't work, that's why the police are being asked to use discretion.

I know of at least one shared use path that is barely a metre wide - and it is a 40 mph limit - https://goo.gl/maps/nXqDhFxx5SZvuXBy7

The mansions next to the path all have enourmous front gardens and could easily spare 2-3 metres to make a nice wide path - heck the path could probably gain at least .5 metres if the council ordered the owners to remove their over grown vegetation from the path.

The obvious logic is that riding a bike allows more distance passing others on a footpath than if the cyclist was walking on the footpath alongside the bike.

How do work that out? If you both keep left when approaching, then it makes no difference. If overtaking, you simply swap sides with your bike if required.

pedestrian-pete wrote:

the little onion wrote:

Any chance of providing the court case reference? Just something to quote in case I get in trouble for this in future, particularly when cycling with nervous/inexperienced riders?

Or maybe get off your bike and push it when you need to use the pavement? Then you won't risk going to court

Don't trade others' safety for your convenience.

The prohibition against cycling on the pavement is probably as much for cyclist safety as it is for pedestrian safety - if not more so.

Most states in Australia it's legal for cyclists to ride on pedestrian paths, as long as they give way to any pedestrians; all states allow motorised mobility scooters and postie motorbikes to travel up to 10 kph on footpaths; conversely, pedestrians are not allowed to use bike paths; so best not to move to Australia, as your outrage would fall on deaf ears.

grOg wrote:

Most states in Australia it's legal for cyclists to ride on pedestrian paths

That's a bit disingenuous as Victoria and NSW both ban it and they are home to almost exactly two-thirds of Australia's population.

It was a while back - and I'd have to ask my brother. We are talking 20 years ago. 

You have a brave brother standing up against the might of cops and CPS (seeminly cowardly anti-cylist), and taking a chance in court.
Did he represent himself or use a brief?
Certainly would be helpful for any details of the cae.

Definitely a possibility. Sometimes people are found going the wrong way around a roundabout or up the motorway. So it needs to be asked, was the defect in the road layout or the motorist?

Erm the motorist. 

I really don't think it needs to be asked.

From my neck of the woods, a number of drivers have got confused over entering the guided bus routes. They are well signed and even when they find themselves driving on raised concrete rails a number still don't stop until they hit a tank trap.

Nigel Garrage wrote:

Given the road was free-flowing, I'm guessing the driver got disorientated and accidentally ended up on the cycle lane

Is that an excuse?
If it is, do you think the motorist is fit to be behind the wheel?
Perhaps they were impared through drink or drugs, or were incompetent or other.
What is clear, is that they posed a safety hazzard to vulnerable groups and should be reprimanded and required to go on a driving improving course..

Projectcyclingfitness wrote:

Nigel Garrage wrote:

Given the road was free-flowing, I'm guessing the driver got disorientated and accidentally ended up on the cycle lane

Is that an excuse? If it is, do you think the motorist is fit to be behind the wheel? Perhaps they were impared through drink or drugs, or were incompetent or other. What is clear, is that they posed a safety hazzard to vulnerable groups and should be reprimanded and required to go on a driving improving course..

Looking at the video, there was a car park near the start of the segment, if the driver exited from there she would have seen the cycle lane markings which she crossed several times so if she made a mistake why didn't she just reverse up and exit properly or drive over the kerb onto the road.

From the way she acknowledged JV, I get the impression that she doesn't agree with bike lanes or doesn't understand what a bike lane is especially as she drove at a cyclist heading in the opposite direction, typical reaction from drivers who think cyclists are on the wrong side of the road. Either way she's not fit to hold a driving licence

It appeared to be a ditzy middle aged female driver.. still, she kept her speed down and didn't hit anyone, so there's that.

Nigel Garrage wrote:

Given the road was free-flowing, I'm guessing the driver got disorientated and accidentally ended up on the cycle lane

I ride through there regularly, the driver must have exited the carpark at the west end of the Serpentine and taken a wrong turn. The signage could not be more clear, anyone capable of mistaking the cycle path for the roadway there should hand in their licence right now and never drive again.

You can see that in the video, they must have almost taken out the cyclist that you see first pass Jeremy just when his Kensignton text is on the screen. (Although no lights and black clothing in dusk is not smart, I;ll give the benefit that the camera made it look darker then what it was.)

If they had travelled a few metres and realised their mistake, then oh well. But it is about 600 metres down a busy cycle lane with plenty of spaces to rectify and move onto the correct section of road. At the end they compound it by driving straight over the curb. So not just bikes but peds even more ar risk. Police definitely need a word and maybe they should get their eyes tested as well. 

Well said. It's the same with bus lanes, but they are protected by enforcement cameras despite that passengers are not at risk from non bus drivers as cyclists are - proving safety for environmentally friendly cyclists is NOT a priority for authorities, being anti-cylist and cowardly corrupt.

Cars are far more likely to use bus lanes than cycle lanes, hence the enforcement measures; there is a funny video where a yobbo decides to drive on a bike path to abuse 2 cyclists riding the road alongside - the cyclists were off duty cops..

https://www.bicyclingaustralia.com.au/news/viral-video-he-drove-on-a-bik...