Curtail the distance cyclists can travel for leisure and cap their speed when in leisure areas

As we are told car owners should refrain from travelling any great distance from their homes for leisure ie to get to a park or similar, yet cyclists it seems are allowed to cycle for miles and miles from their place of residence. When out for my daily activity period I and the locals walk on the promenade at Musselburgh which is approx four metres wide, every day people are trying to do their bit re social distancing but it seems this does not apply to a majority of cyclists and joggers who whizz past people within inches at speed. So I would like to see a cap on distances cyclists can travel from their home for leisure and when in leisure areas ie parks, footpaths etc their speed should be capped at the average walking speed and signage put up to make them aware of this.

Why the contribution is important

This would help the elderly who are afraid enough to go out and reduce the risks of accidents impacting on the NHS and perhaps more importantly it could show that people actually do have respect for others in the community.

by davymeikle on May 06, 2020 at 07:34PM

Current Rating

Average rating: 1.8
Based on: 15 votes

Comments

  • Posted by theresasheldon May 06, 2020 at 20:14

    Speed absolutely. Cyclists who travel for speed should go to an arena. Cycling should be for all - as in many European countries. Holland is great example. All ates

  • Posted by ElaineColley May 06, 2020 at 21:04

    There are far too many cyclists on pavements. Apart from it being illegal to cycle on pavements , there are less cars on the road and consequently more room for cyclists and no need for cyclists using pavements .

  • Posted by Oldknees May 06, 2020 at 22:48

    Cyclists just shouldn't be on pavements & should respect others - but that's a quite different case than limiting how far a cyclist can go to exercise. On the open road, and with fewer cars, the roads are more open, cyclists can easily maintain social distancing should they meet others - distave is irrelevant.

  • Posted by Oldknees May 06, 2020 at 22:50

    Cyclists just shouldn't be on pavements & should respect others - but that's a quite different case than limiting how far a cyclist can go to exercise. On the open road, and with fewer cars, the roads are more open, cyclists can easily maintain social distancing should they meet others - distance is irrelevant

  • Posted by irco May 07, 2020 at 00:16

    Cyclists distance is already capped if present guidelines are followed i.e. 1hr of exercise per person per day. There is only so far someone can cycle and return home within an hour.

  • Posted by zip May 07, 2020 at 01:04

    As a cyclist, I can sympathize with this view — many cyclists and joggers do not slow down to allow enough space. We definitely need to separate fast-moving exercisers from walkers.

    However, I go 7-10 miles on my daily ride and see nary an officer, even if I’m going (slowly!) along Portabello promenade. Enforcement simply isn’t an option.

    I suggest clear messaging about this behavior, along with a network of local-access-only roads to provide ample alternative routes, and ample space, is the way forward.

  • Posted by Bannerman May 08, 2020 at 16:21

    This is a justifiable concern regarding the behaviour of cyclists. It is not really affected by the distance that cyclists travel.

  • Posted by davymeikle May 10, 2020 at 10:14

    The distances cyclists travel to a particular area has a direct impact on the numbers using the amount of space available for the local people of that particular area to enjoy their exercise time.

  • Posted by JohnED May 11, 2020 at 18:54

    It should be noted that it is not very easy for cyclist to break the speed limit, unlike motor vehicles.

    Many comments refer to more localised issues, in particular cyclists on pavements. However the majority of cyclists that are going any distance would not be riding on the pavements, but on quite country roads.

    This suggestion would have unintended consequences. By limiting the distance that cyclist can travel would result in more cyclists in parks and on shared used cycle paths. By enabling cyclists to use the rural road network it spreads the population over a wider area. To encourage this, introducing speed limits of 30 mph on rural roads with no markings would result in it being attractive for more people using a bicycle to undertake exercise.
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