BILL Brown’s suggestion (Letters, April 26) that cyclists should be allowed to share quiet country footpaths with pedestrians has some merit. Indeed, except perhaps for footpaths along the sides of roads, I understand that our access legislation already permits this. But he is wildly optimistic if he expects cyclists to stop in order to give right of way to pedestrians.
Edinburgh has many shared pedestrian/cycle paths. The wider ones, such as those on old railway tracks, generally work quite well. But on the narrower ones, such as along the Union Canal or down the Water of Leith, there is a problem with antisocial cyclists riding at speed past pedestrians. They seem to believe that ringing their bell gives them the right to expect pedestrians to clear out of their way. And on the wider paths where many children are playing, such as those in parks or along the shore side esplanades, many cyclists ride at speed expecting unpredictable small children to somehow keep out of their way.
What is needed is a law requiring cyclists to drop their speed to that of a slow jog, say 6mph, when they are close to pedestrians or are in areas where children are playing. The trouble is that, unless the police have the resources to enforce such a rule, the significant minority of inconsiderate cyclists would ignore it. After all, in Edinburgh anyway, some cyclists habitually illegally ride on pavements and through red lights knowing that the police are unlikely to have the manpower to catch them.
Alistair Easton,
6 Glencairn Crescent, Edinburgh.
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