boroughbloke wrote:Cycling on the Thames Path is illegal. Alas this does not stop some cyclists even when it is exceptionally busy.
boroughbloke wrote:I mean the path through central london on the south side of the river. On cue yesterday lunchtime there was an ignorant cyclist whizzing under blackfriars bridge dinging his bell as if he had every right to be there. He did not. He was not alone. There were several. He was just the most ignorant and agressive of this species.
John C wrote:...
There's a good old British tradition, you can do what you like as long as there isn't a sign saying you mustn't.
Rambling Phil wrote:John C wrote:...
There's a good old British tradition, you can do what you like as long as there isn't a sign saying you mustn't.
That "tradition" isn't reflected in either law or practice. There's a hierarchy of highways that includes footpaths, bridle paths and (non-motorway) roads.
Anybody can use all three of these.
Horse riders and cyclists can use bridal paths; automotive vehicles can't. Pedestrians can use footpaths, but horse riders, cyclists and automotive vehicles can't. Very few bridle paths have 'no car' signs (although some do), and few footpaths have 'no cycling' signs (again, although some do).
For a particular case in point, there are no "no cycling" signs on the footpaths across Waterloo Bridge, but it's neither permitted, nor legal, to cycle on them. I'm sure you wouldn't argue that it is permissible under your 'tradition'.
I don't know the exact rules for the access routes you asked about but as a rule of thumb, if a path looks like a footpath (ie is separated from a larger highway by kerbs or being raised), and there's no explicit permission to cycle on it, either by signs or designation as a bridle way in the highways authorities maps, you probably have no right to cycle on it.
Quote:...as a rule of thumb, if a path looks like a footpath (ie is separated from a larger highway by kerbs or being raised), and there's no explicit permission to cycle on it, either by signs or designation as a bridle way in the highways authorities maps, you probably have no right to cycle on it.
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