Seven years old, riding on the road
Discussion
seems like a pretty switched on and mindful father doing a good job of getting his son on the bike.My 7 year old has been having coaching at cycle club for a year. He's ridden 15 miles on road a couple of times, and 75 miles on the back of a tandem in an audax. There are other kids in the club who ride more (there's a 4 kids who are national champions in the club!). It's partly instruction, partly saddle time. He's great at following instruction on the bike. I'd be completely confident riding in moderate traffic with him. He's got lots of group riding time under his belt - he's good at following a line. If he took school as seriously as bike club, I'd be over the moon!
My Son (8) rides on the roads very occasionally, I really dislike it though, I don't enjoy road riding myself - I went for a quick hour and a half blast from my house, up to a trail I know and back again. 1 driver nearly reversed from a parking space into me, and another lost sight of me behind his a-pillar and pulled out on me at a junction, thankfully I saw what was going to happen before he did.
He's getting a bit of an off-road demon though!
He's getting a bit of an off-road demon though!
Mr Will said:
Friggerpants said:
Thought under 20" wheels, you can ride on pavement?
It gets tricky though, because the parent can't.272BHP said:
Sure they can, I ride with my boy to school occasionally and we always ride on the pavement. I would not consider it otherwise.
Ever seen the police stop slow moving cyclists on the pavement? we ride straight past them sometimes. Whatever the law says sometimes common sense prevails.
The legislation....Ever seen the police stop slow moving cyclists on the pavement? we ride straight past them sometimes. Whatever the law says sometimes common sense prevails.
Highway Act 1835
Section 72 - Penalty on persons committing nuisances by riding on footpaths, &c.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1 If any person shall wilfully ride upon any footpath or causeway by the side of any road made or set apart for the use or accommodation of foot passengers; or shall wilfully lead or drive any horse, ass, sheep, mule, swine, or cattle or carriage of any description, or any truck or sledge, upon any such footpath or causeway; or shall tether any horse, ass, mule, swine, or cattle, on any highway, so as to suffer or permit the tethered animal to be thereon;. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F2; every person so offending in any of the cases aforesaid shall for each and every such offence forfeit and pay any sum not exceeding [F3 level 2 on the standard scale], over and above the damages occasioned thereby.
As you can see, the written statute considers no exceptions based on age or size of bicycle or size of wheel. The common sense element whereby the Police can use their interpretation is in the title of the section - "persons committing nuisances" - if you can be seen not to be causing concern or distress to other users of the footway (if indeed there are any) then it may well be decided that it were "not in the public interest" to stop the offender, yet the absolute "offence" has still been committed.
The interesting part of this is that the law above only applies where the footway follows/is part of a road. 'Public footpaths' are governed by different rules, and riding on them isn't a 'criminal' offence, but can be dealt with by local authorities under their own bylaws.
Just a final comment, on the video clip. Although there are many points in the video where I would have positioned myself differently, and there is a catalogue of minor riding errors, I'm all for that kind of 'parental responsibility' approach to teaching kids on the roads. I was taught and supervised by my dad, until I could demonstrate, to his satisfaction, my ability to ride safely and responsibly in and around traffic. Only when he (an experienced driver AND cyclist) was happy with my road manners and technical ability did he buy me a 'suitable' bike for road riding and allow me out 'unsupervised'. Up until that point I'd had the usual Strika/Grifter/Chopper hand-me-downs and ridden them the 300 yards or so to, and around, the local park, and almost as soon as I was blessed with my freedom I was out on day-long rides into the South Wales hills and off to beaches etc more than an hour's ride away.
By teaching his son to ride responsibly, the dad who made that clip is ensuring the lad's freedom in future. Driving lessons and car ownership are not getting any cheaper, and it's far better to have a lot of 'taught' cyclists on the roads than to have to share them with the usual bunch of "my last bike had stabilisers" 'Nodders' who have been driven around their entire childhood in the back of a car and who completely lack any awareness whatsoever when it comes to using the roads.
yellowjack said:
Just a final comment, on the video clip. Although there are many points in the video where I would have positioned myself differently, and there is a catalogue of minor riding errors, I'm all for that kind of 'parental responsibility' approach to teaching kids on the roads. I was taught and supervised by my dad, until I could demonstrate, to his satisfaction, my ability to ride safely and responsibly in and around traffic. Only when he (an experienced driver AND cyclist) was happy with my road manners and technical ability did he buy me a 'suitable' bike for road riding and allow me out 'unsupervised'. Up until that point I'd had the usual Strika/Grifter/Chopper hand-me-downs and ridden them the 300 yards or so to, and around, the local park, and almost as soon as I was blessed with my freedom I was out on day-long rides into the South Wales hills and off to beaches etc more than an hour's ride away.
By teaching his son to ride responsibly, the dad who made that clip is ensuring the lad's freedom in future. Driving lessons and car ownership are not getting any cheaper, and it's far better to have a lot of 'taught' cyclists on the roads than to have to share them with the usual bunch of "my last bike had stabilisers" 'Nodders' who have been driven around their entire childhood in the back of a car and who completely lack any awareness whatsoever when it comes to using the roads.
All of this. By teaching his son to ride responsibly, the dad who made that clip is ensuring the lad's freedom in future. Driving lessons and car ownership are not getting any cheaper, and it's far better to have a lot of 'taught' cyclists on the roads than to have to share them with the usual bunch of "my last bike had stabilisers" 'Nodders' who have been driven around their entire childhood in the back of a car and who completely lack any awareness whatsoever when it comes to using the roads.
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