Let all ride on footpath

Why not raise the age further, for riding on footpaths, to cover all ages?

The less populated states in Australia already have rules which allow adult bike riders to legally ride on their footpaths.

And with the recent huge increases in motor vehicle traffic volume throughout Sydney, it is becoming more difficult for motor vehicles and bicycles to avoid each other. 

I greatly appreciate the state government’s and Sutherland Shire Council’s efforts to build and provide safe bicycle lanes and designated pedestrian/bicycle routes, but I doubt that these will catch up or even keep pace with Sydney’s current development in the near future.

I quite appreciate the rule which the state government has introduced, which requires motor vehicles to allow at least 1m passing distance from a bicycle, but unfortunately not all motorists are abiding by this rule.

As a careful bike rider, who often rides on the suburban roads, I am fearful of having to share my fragile transport with comparative speeding “giants”. 

Also as a car driver, I am often apprehensive in passing bicycles on narrow or busy roads.

For the safety of pedestrians, I see no difficulty in ruling that all bike riders, when riding on footpaths, should dismount before passing pedestrians and walk their bikes past, or else ride past the pedestrian on the nature strip if possible and safe.

This is what I have always done when I am illegally riding on the footpath.

Greg Tall