Lucky escape for Dorset cyclist as irate pedestrian pushes him into road

There's a lot of anti-shared use comments here, from a group that is no doubt dominated by fit, experienced and fast riders. Shared use does not work well for riders averaging 18 mph.

But consider my village. We are surrounded by lovely country lanes, but I describe it as an island cut off from the countryside by A roads. Apart from one back lane and a path covered with sharp stones, the only way of reaching the outside world is along some very fast or windy A roads. If I want to go out with the kids, there is literally only one route you can use. Two of the four A roads are wide and have existing pavements. If they were upgraded to a suitable surface and priority was not lost at junctions, they would provide a very usable and safe alternative at much lower cost than dedicated cycle paths (painted lanes being worse than nothing IMHO). As traffic, both pedestrian and cycle, is low, such an arrangement should work well with some mutual consideration (e.g. bell or shouted 'Hello' from cyclists) and encourage families, kids, elderly and shoppers to use bikes more. At the moment the only people you see outside the village on bikes are Lycra-clad athletes, but there are small villages only a couple of miles up the road whose inhabitants come in to shop. It would reduce car traffic in the village.

It might not be the gold standard, but there's no chance of that in the present climate (especially considering the fairly low cycle traffic currently). I used to use shared-use paths when I lived in Germany and they worked fine, though I fitted a bell and slowed when approaching pedestrians.

Shared use just doesn't work... invented by some pillock(s) who thought it'd be an easy way to meet some equally well meaning but ultimately gormless EEC attempt to 'green-up' our transport system... dodging i-phone zombies & un-aware pedestrians is tiresome & frankly not their fault...

Sad tale. I for one would rather take my chances on the roads. I don't like the closing speeds on unpredictable pedestrians, and generally find cars more reliable. Shared use is for the roads, not pavements.

Back in 2004 i was riding the bike path from Aylesbury towards Thame when i came across a family group walking across the whole path. Calling out Hello from about 100 m got some moving across to one side and though slower i started passing . Suddenly an adult male gave me a push causing me to crash and damage clothes and bike as well as some bruising and lost skin .
Told to ride on the road in future i replied that it was the bike path part that i was on . Then told to F*** off i pulled the mobile and called 999 to be told it was not a Police matter but did i need an ambulance .
Leaving the bike by the side of the road was not an option so had to decline .
Advised emergency services i wanted to make citizen's arrest and gave directions for them to send assistance but after trailing these people for more than 40mins no help arrived .
In Thame Police Station later gave a detailed description of all the group and was told "It's your word against their's" ." Not a police matterso don't hold your breathe for a result"!

Key their car and you go to Jail !

REport of my visit to Giro del Trentino on tourdafrance.blogspot

I have had a "run in" not literally fortunately, with a someone on a shared cycle path.
I approached a couple walking away from me. He on the marked cycle half, she on the marked foot half.
"Hello" I called out, as I have found this to be non-confrontational and in plenty of time so as not to alarm them.
The man did move over, but when I was passing him he said I "should be on the road."
I stopped and pointed to the sign painted on the path and also on a pole beside it, both clearly visible and said it was a cycle path, so I was entitled to be there.
This obviously flummoxed him, so he then asked where my bell was!
I just said I was not obliged to carry one, and carried on my way.

A section of my daily commute takes me along a shared use path (part of the c2c) on Newcastle quayside. In the morning its the march of the iPhone zombies, in the evening the stumble of the hen / stag groups. Anyway, couple of weeks ago some bloke in his 50s deliberately blocked my slow and careful progress and angrily pointed at the blue pedestrian and bike sign on the lampost. "can't you read?" He snarls. "yes" I reply, "I can also recognise a picture of a person and a bike. Look again". "oh" he says and looks confused as if perhaps Derren Brown had just performed some fiendishly sly psychological deception on him.

I ride on.

What a coward... I bet he wouldn't have pushed someone younger!

I've been berated by a horse rider.....I undertook them...me on a cycle path them on the road!!
What are bridle paths for?

'shared use' = a compromise on safety and purpose and poor infrastructure that suits nobody.

Lots of these so called shared use paths are really just pavements with a line drawn up the middle and a few crap signs, with the cyclists' part normally roadside and taking in barriers, lamposts and crossings.

Pedestrians of course, don't realise or don't care, and those strung across the pavement walking in the same direction won't look behind them to see if anyone is using it.

The really great part of it though is that should you decide not to avail yourself of this commodious and ever so efficient infrastructure, you will then invite abuse from sanctimonious drivers who point to its presence as reason for you to use it, your refusal for doing so of course being due to your intransigent car-hating nature and love of causing them inconvenience.

I was riding in a segregated cyclepath next to a normal pavement a few months back, its by a shopping complex so I wasnt going to go anything over 10mph to be safe. I approached a bend and saw a group of about 10 teenage girls walking in the cycle side.

I ring my bell as I approach and one teen girl, clearly not budging, turned around and says: "F*** you, you motherf***er!"

Out of the mouths of children...

Clearly all pedestrians need to pay pavement tax, be insured and registered with clearly identifiable number plates. You can't be too careful.

This pedestrian's behavious was inexcusable - basically an assault for which a custodialsentence would be at least possible - but there is a general problem with shared use paths. Even when they are installed as cycle paths (ie not shared use) they can become clogged with pedestrians, who apparently don't realise that they are supposed to be for, or shared with, cyclists.

That appears to me to be at least partly a matter for more education - the signs are often pretty obscure, infrequent and not always very unambiguous. The paths themselves are often so narrow and cluttered (you could write a book about crap cycle paths - hey, wait a moment, somone already has!)that it is obvious really that they are just footpaths, innit?

Pedestrians don't want to share the 'shared use' paths, this much is abundantly clear. Drivers don't want to share the road. Makes me wonder where we belong.

Scummy thing to do to the guy. I've had pedestrians moan at me for riding "on the pavement" when in fact I'm riding over a big 4 foot painted cycle on a designated cyclepath.

Hope the guy is OK. He looks serious enough to keep cycling.