Using the Pavement can save you time

[summerdays]

I read in one of the mags that it is illegal even for children to ride on the pavement. A blind eye is turned not least because children under 12 can't be prosecuted (I forget the terminology for that).

The original law as far as I know merely says that cycling on the pavement is illegal - no reference to age at all. So theoretically a 4 year old shouldn't be on the pavement. Prosecution wise - cycling on the pavement is normally dealt with a Fixed Penalty Notice which can't be given to people under the age of 16. That doesn't mean the police wouldn't stop a teenager cycling recklessly on the pavement and have a word with them.

In reality we don't really want the 4 year olds on the road - they are too unpredictable and small and usually lacking in road sense. I didn't really feel comfortable until mine moved from a 16 in wheel to a 20 in wheel at which point they started to become taller on the road and had a better road sense and able to put on a bit of speed if necessary. I don't know at what age we think it is unacceptable to cycle on the pavement but somewhere between 10-16 I would guess.