Footpath-cycling proposal ‘of grave concern’

Press, 10 July 1985, Page 9

Footpath-cycling proposal ‘of grave concern’

A Ministry of Transport proposal to let children under 12 cycle on footpaths is of grave concern, says the general manager of the Automobile Association (Canterbury), Mr John Strachan. Such a move would increase danger to pedestrians, particularly the elderly and young children, and increase the number of accidents involving cyclists and cars reversing out of driveways, he said yesterday. The association was so concerned that it had placed a series of advertisements

in local newspapers drawing attention to the proposals, said Mr Strachan. The proposal was contained in a report from the Ministry on proceedings of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Road Safety. The report proposes that cyclists may ride on footpaths if they are delivering newspapers or mail, are under the age of 12, or are riding on a* marked pedes-trian-cycle path. No cycling on footpaths would be allowed in front of shops, schools, or hospitals and pedestrians would always have the right-of-

way. The first and last proposals were of no concern to the association, said Mr Strachan. “It is the proposal to allow children under 12 to cycle on footpaths that is of gravest concern,” he said. It was doubtful whether the Ministry could, or would, act to protect pedestrians from inconsiderate cyclists. Mr Strachan said it was quite possible that the real problem was being overlooked. “First, there needs to be

greater acceptance by motorists that they can contribute significantly to cycle safety. “Second, if young children do not have sufficient developmental skills to cope with traffic on our roads, it is equally possible that they do not have the skills required to cope with the road-footpath combination. Perhaps they should not be riding cycles at all in unsupervised situations.” The proposals needed careful consideration by the community, based on a full understanding of the issue, he said.