The angry thread

[scottmitchell74]

My daughter got hit by a bloke on one of those stupid e bikes this morning. She's ok apparently but knocked around with a lot of bark off.

Bloody things ought to be banned. At the very least, much tighter regulation. As far as I see it, they are a motor vehicle and should be on the road.

Sorry to hear and absolutely! They should be off sidewalks and on roads as a vehicle. 

[Newportnobby]

Royal Mail    
15 days for a 1st class letter to travel less than 75 miles.
Nothing more to say!!!

Knowing RM, it's probably travelled at least 350 miles

[thebrighton]

Being a retired postie I still chat with a number of my old colleagues that are still gainfully employed by RM.

A sorry tale they tell. Nowhere near enough staff and far too many parcels to deliver. Managers telling them to do what they can whilst knowing it won't all be delivered and moral at rock bottom so many posties have given up and do the minimum they can get away with as no once cares.

A sad demise of a company I once enjoyed working for.

[EtchedPixels]

Yep was talking with one of ours - gets 200 big parcels (not letters) to shift. Never possible to deliver them all in the shift, sometimes doesn't even get to the post office on the round before it shuts so all the "parcelpoint" items get sent back to the depot.

Sooner it collapses and has to be nationalised the better.

[EtchedPixels]

Sorry to hear and absolutely! They should be off sidewalks and on roads as a vehicle.

UK ebikes are only allowed on cycle paths / lanes and roads. Doesn't entirely fix the problem because in many places you'd need a deathwish to dare to cycle on the road not the pavement and there are no where near enough cycle routes.

[Bealman]

Actually my daughter got hit crossing a cycle lane, but she says when she started crossing, he was wasn't there, so he must have been going like a bat out of hell.

[Skyline2uk]

Sorry to hear and absolutely! They should be off sidewalks and on roads as a vehicle.

UK ebikes are only allowed on cycle paths / lanes and roads. Doesn't entirely fix the problem because in many places you'd need a deathwish to dare to cycle on the road not the pavement and there are no where near enough cycle routes.

Absolutely depends on the type of "Bike" involved.

To be legal in any form on the public road or cycle paths (or public land for that matter) the bicycle must be electrically assisted and not powered at all above 15.5 mph. There is some weird specific stuff about "twist throttles" but only very specific types and then only up to 3.7mph.

The scary-fast, not at all peddled electric bikes are 100% illegal anywhere except private land with owners permission.

Like those awful e-scooters (licensed rental versions excepted).

Skyline2uk

[Yet_Another]

Actually, in the UK, push bikes aren't allowed to be ridden on footpaths.

From goggle: Under Section 72 of the Highway Act 1835 and Rule 64 of the Highway Code, riding a bicycle on a footway or pavement is prohibited.

Anyone ever seen that law enforced?

As a child, my sister spent five weeks in hospital after being run over by a bike on the pavement, and I've had it in for them ever since.

[Newportnobby]

What is legal in this country matters not a jot as it never seems to get enforced and, if it does, there's no room in the prisons for any who get convicted. The general public cannot take action into their own hands as they then become the butt of the law.
When, oh when, will more be done to penalise parents for the actions of their feral kids? That will soon reduce instances of this.

[RailGooner]

Sorry to hear and absolutely! They should be off sidewalks and on roads as a vehicle.

UK e-bikes are only allowed on cycle paths / lanes and roads. Doesn't entirely fix the problem because in many places you'd need a deathwish to dare to cycle on the road not the pavement and there are no where near enough cycle routes.

E-bikes and e-scooters are vehicles, as are their analogue equivalents. All vehicles are prohibited from travelling along footpaths and pedestrian pavements, but are allowed to traverse them for access. There's no age exemptions — it doesn't matter if the rider is 4 years old or 44 years.

I live in Oxford, and the problem here is not the lack of cycle paths. The problem here, as I suspect it is in most places, is the poor standard of road-craft amongst cyclists:

• 90% of cycle-paths in Oxford are one-way, but this is neither observed by cyclists nor enforced by the local authority.
• Everyday I witness cyclists dangerously undertaking on single carriageways that have no cycle lane.
• Who hasn't witnessed cyclists overtaking in the zig-zag area of a pedestrian crossing, or jump red lights?
• It is all too common to see eejits cycling with headphones on, or using a mobile phone, or carrying dangerously unsecured large items.
• Last night I witnessed an eejit riding an e-scooter on the cycle path collide with a passenger alighting from a bus, knocking them to the ground. The scooter rider carried on his way without even a glance back.

Conscientious cyclists, who obey the law and observe good road-craft, are sensitive souls taking every criticism of bad cycling personally. This makes conscientious cyclist one of the biggest problems — they ought to be part of the solution, but can't be while they bury their heads in the sand.

Back in the 90s the Police stopped a Chinese national cycling the wrong way along a one-way street in Oxford. The cyclist apologised and explained that he thought the two yellow lines along the edge of the road was a cycle lane!! A 100% factual story.