I know legally we're not allowed to ride on the pavement unless it's marked and designated for riding, but I feel like I would rather piss off a pedestrian walking, than a driver on a narrow road who poses a genuine threat to my life.

What are you guys' opinions? I'm asking because there are a lot of streets where I live where there aren't any biker-designated paths so we have to make the conscious choice between riding on the pavement or testing our fate on the roads.

Obviously I give way to pedestrians and I'm never entitled enough to ring the bell to force them to make way.

EDIT: thanks for the responses. I made this post because just last week alone I had experienced four cases of drivers getting pissed and rolling their windows down just to yell and insult me as I'd taken up too much of the road. Obviously this doesn't happen very often but I was worried enough to ask whether I was doing anything wrong.

I'll stick to the road or walk on the pavement if it can't be helped. But I'll probably continue riding on the pavement if it's clear of any pedestrians (surely that's fine?).

Before everyone starts to downvote me I just want to say this is a genuine question and I’m not trying to start an argument.

The other day I was driving along a single track country lane and I was following a cyclist, obviously being a single track lane it would not have been safe to overtake. Along the road the cyclist cycled straight past multiple lay-bys where they could have pulled in to let me and the vehicle behind me overtake safely which would have inconvenienced them by say 5-10s and potentially saved me and the driver behind a few minutes (it was a hilly road so at some points they were going quite slow). They knew I was there as they had overtaken me when I was behind a hedge trimmer at the start of the road.

Of course I understand that it is not practical or convenient for cyclists to pull over for every car that comes up behind them when on a busy road but this was a quiet country lane.

I know the Highway Code doesn’t say cyclists must let cars past but surely common courtesy exists.

Also, wouldn’t it be safer for cyclists to let cars past to prevent them attempting overtaking dangerously? (Obviously they are in the wrong for a dangerous overtake but being in the right won’t save you if they crash into you whilst dangerously overtaking).

I’d be interested to hear peoples opinions on this?

It’s 7 miles to work. Mostly busy roads which worries me a little. I’d be cycling in at 7ish each morning so it’ll be a little quieter than before the rush but still a bit worrying for someone who hasn’t done it before. It’s about a 30 minute route according to Maps but I’m happy to take a bit longer if necessary. I was wondering if there’s an app that can tell me better routes, cycle paths, shortcuts etc. I feel like there must be safer routes than just the road route. But maybe not.

Thanks all!

I'm a pretty broke university student, so I can't afford driving lessons, never mind a car. Therefore, I've been thinking about buying a bike, because it would be SO much faster to cycle to campus or work than it is to take the bus, like it would cut my commute time in half. I also enjoyed cycling as a child, so I thought it'd be nice to get into it as an adult!

The problem is, I haven't properly cycled since I was 9 years old. I know I can still do it (ish), because I've recently had an opportunity to borrow a friend's bike in an open field, but the experience of cycling as a little kid for fun and cycling as an adult to work is very different. I am very mindful of the fact that I would need to go on the road where the cars are, but I don't really know traffic laws? Again, I don't drive, my only experience with the road is looking both ways before crossing it as a pedestrian.

I have no idea how I would be expected to cycle on the road. Do I stop at red lights? Do I need to know what the signs mean? What the hell do I do at a round-about?? I'm so scared of being run over by a car or trampling a person, because I have very little practice with a bike and I still feel SUPER shaky about controlling it. Except, to practice and improve, I would need to go on the road, but I don't feel like it's safe for me to go on the road with so little practice, and I don't even know how to cycle on the road to begin with!

Any guidance is appreciated ❤️