Cyclist jailed for pavement death

[ThomasSoerensen]

It is so nice to be here.

We are all so celver and use common sense.

And all the ones ont on CUK are mindless idiots.

I am so happy I found this place.

I sometimes cycle in Frankfurt.

Sometimes I go in a sensible way. Sometimes I am a bit abusive to pedestrians.

Sorry to lower the standards shovn here.

[DS23]

sometimes you have to ask yourself: what would judge dread do?

[TimberWolf]

I always cycle slowly on the pavement and likewise get annoyed with speeding pavement cyclists. Those people would be a far greater menace to pedestrians if they used cars though. Cyclists that obey traffic lights in every circumstance are being too PC IMO. It many cases it makes no sense to have to wait at traffic lights with cars and most do it simply out of 'fairness' or because it's the law, though in other cases (e.g. at major junctions) one should do so. I would like to see more headlines about cyclists getting hold of 4WD wonkers and being done for manslaughter, or at the very least GBH. Perhaps then there would be less need to cycle on the pavement.

[expat]

This is such a British view of cycling. Throughout the rest of Europe, bikes and pedestrians mix freely and without any conflict. It's completely normal for a cyclist to use a bell, and for a pedestrian to move out the way, no rush and no pressure... and no grief either.

The main difference being that most Europeans are all regular walkers and regular bike riders and regular car drivers. They know what it's like to do each thing and they compensate. In the UK you are either "a pedestrian", or "a cyclist", or "a motorist" and the different classes despise and fear each other.

Spot-on IMHO. The Brits exude thoughtless selfishness, and have no concept of working or living together, which is why our cities and towns are such awful place to live. People who think that there is no such thing as society condemn themselves to living in a crap society.

[DS23]

...Throughout the rest of Europe, bikes and pedestrians mix freely and without any conflict...

hmmm. parts of europe, or in some european countries / cities / places cycling is an intrinsic part of local culture. these places will have attitudes, laws, street architecture and furniture that enable cycling to co-exist safely with all other forms movement but i would disgree that this is a uniquely british attitude. ride a bike on the pavement in milan or paris or london - think you'll only be greeted with attitude in london? i think not.

it is against the law to ride a bicycle on the pavement in britain. i'd be surprised if it isn't similarly prohibited in other european countries.

[dang65]

ride a bike on the pavement in milan or paris or london - think you'll only be greeted with attitude in london? i think not.

Well, Paris was one of the places I was thinking of where they have no problem. I've cycled through Les Halles, for example, which is a pedestrian precinct, and was mixing with pedestrians and bikes and also mopeds. No one batted an eyelid. I have been to Milan but it was ages ago and I can't remember what the situation with bikes was. Don't think there was room on the pavements for cycling, what with all the political rallies and riot police.

In Germany, where I'm working at the moment, there is complete integration between cyclists and pedestrians. It's true that there are more off-road cycle paths than in the UK (generally), but cyclist use the roads as well quite happily and drivers treat them as legitimate traffic.

Cycling on the roads in the UK, you get routine shouts from drivers to "get off the road... you don't even pay road tax" (d'uh, no such thing as road tax), and they also think that if there is a cycle path on the pavement then you are legally obliged to use it, which is completely untrue - cycle paths are often more dangerous than the road, and pedestrians hate you being on their pavement anyway.

It's a simple fact that the current population of the United Kingdom frankly hate each other. There's like a very quiet civil war going on.

As Sven Hassel wrote, "He was posted to a miserable frontier district where the locals were so suspicious of each other that they took their bicycles in to church with them."