Keep wheels on the road – pavements are for pedestrians

TRAVELLING to work never used to be as dangerous as it is today.

comment, opinion, clair woodward, pedestrians, cyclists, boris bike, commuter, commute, commuting, walking, footpaths, micro scooter, buggies, prams, traffic, dangerous, perilous, hipsters, annoying, yummy mummy, 'Pavements have now become the new urban battleground’[GETTY]

I had to swerve out of the way of two tourists on Boris Bikes and veered straight into the path of an adult riding a micro-scooter at about 20mph. Had I decided to stroll along a three-lane motorway? No, I was on the pavement – the new urban battleground.

Remember when pavements were for pedestrians; invented to separate road traffic from walkers? Now they are pretty indistinguishable from the roads themselves, with wheeled vehicles trying to elbow their way in at every opportunity. Whether it is double buggies, cyclists who possess no sense (most of them do), skateboarders over 18 (why would a grown man need one?) or inconsiderate drivers parking on the pavement in case their precious motor gets scratched, pavements are no longer the safe pedestrian haven they were designed to be.

Outside my house last week, a teenager on a bike yelled “watch where you’re going”, as I dared to walk along the middle of the footpath where he was riding his bike. When I pointed out it was ­illegal to ride on the pavement (in breach of section 72 of the Highways Act 1835 [for an offence in England and Wales] or section 129 of the Roads [Scotland] Act 1984 [for an offence in Scotland], legal fans), the young man said : “I’ve got a puppy in my bag and it’s too ­dangerous to ride on the road.”

He then gave me a mouthful of abuse for mentioning that a) He didn’t have an animal in his bag and b) even if he did have one, he didn’t have much concern for anyone else’s welfare.

I regularly see cyclists with bikes draped with supermarket carrier bags on the pavement, usually being ridden by wheezy riders for whom it all seems a bit much. Why not get on a bus or ­invest in a shopping trolley, if it doesn’t make you feel too old?

Remember when pavements were for pedestrians; invented to separate road traffic from walkers?

I particularly enjoyed being given a withering look by a mother in full cycling safety gear, riding a bike which was pulling her child in a trailer on the pavement as I trudged along, laden with supermarket carrier bags. If you feel it is too dangerous to take a child on the road on a bike, why not push your infant in a buggy instead?

Having said that, buggy wars are endemic too. I used to live in a north London suburb that appeared to be the IVF capital of the world because of the preponderance of double buggies taking up most of the pavement, pushed by yummy mummies who felt insulted if you dared to say “excuse me” as you manoeuvred around the huge ATPs (all-terrain pushchairs to the uninitiated), which probably never saw any rougher terrain than that of deepest suburbia.

I have recently noticed an increase in adults commuting into work on ­bigger versions of the ­micro-scooters that are all the rage with children. It is great to see little ones enjoy them but a grown-up in business attire and helmet on one is frankly ridiculous. How quickly do you need to be at work? If it is that ­urgent, why not get up half an hour earlier instead of weaving through ­pedestrians during rush hour?

As much as wheeled vehicles that should be on the road are taking over the pavement, it is now starting to happen the other way round. I have never been mown down by a skateboard ridden on the pavement but often see skateboarders on B roads; sometimes smaller A roads. I marvel at their thoughtlessness, mainly that they would have such little thought for their own safety. And bikes and cars were invented so we could ride on the road in safety and comfort, you know.

We can all feel safe on the pavements, it just takes a little thought. Sometimes cyclists do need to use them, to get away from hazards and busy traffic, and children need to learn to cycle. But adults who only ever use the pavement are a sad bunch. The old Cycling Proficiency Test is still on the go but today it runs under the name of Bikeability (bikeability.dft.gov.uk), and also offers training for adults who would like help with improving their cycling skills.

If you have a child in a buggy, try to remember that other people need to use the pavement too and would prefer not to have to walk in the road to get past you. You can also manage for more than five minutes without checking messages on your phone when walking down the street.

And if you’re over 18 and ride a skateboard in public – especially if sporting a hipster beard and trilby – you should have a very, very careful think about your life in general.

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