Riding on the footpath

is legal in this state. Yours Truly may even be one of those responsible for making it legal. That said, people need to be just as careful on the footpath as they are on the roads.

I spent four years in the nation's capital. At that time they could boast of 186 kilometres of bicycle track. It was legal to ride on footpaths - but not within ten metres of an open shop. I made the most of it. The university grounds there are extensive. I would have found it almost impossible to go between the hall of residence and the law school without my trusty tricycle. Going anywhere else would have been impossible. I was out and about in everything from summer dust storms to the small flurries of snow.

And I never ran into anyone. I never knocked anyone over. People in the capital were used to bicycles on footpaths. The riders were, at least from my observations, pretty good at looking out for pedestrians. So they should have been. It is a privilege to join them there rather than do battle with cars on the roads.

Back here it was not legal to be on the footpath at the time. I was dutifully keeping to the road not long after my return when I was stopped by the police. I was told, "Get on the footpath." I said something like, "I'd love to but it isn't legal." They told me to break the law and do what they considered to be the safest thing. I remember the older of the two smiling at me in a quite friendly way and saying something about me not being likely to run anyone down. That was a very long time ago. I never had a problem about being on the footpath after that. 

So far I have been fortunate. There have been no major incidents in my pedalling life. I have always tried to be ultra-careful.  The question that came yesterday was therefore rather a shock. 

"Why don't you ring the bell?" someone asked me. I had been pedalling slowly behind him waiting for him to be aware that I was there. That piece of footpath is only just wide enough. Someone has a hedge encroaching on it. This man was elderly, very elderly. He was using what we call a "walker". 

"I didn't want to frighten you and perhaps cause you to fall over," I answered.

He was looking very closely at me and then he really did smile as he said, "You won't remember. I was a copper. I stopped you from riding on the road, a long time ago now. We changed the law after that. Glad to see you are still pedalling."  

I would not have recognised him but he had recognised me. I doubt that one incident alone changed the law but I am grateful for people like him who must have said something and supported the move. Now all we need is for everyone on the footpath to watch out for each other.