Bikes and Pedestrian Crossings

Can I ride my bike over pedestrian crossings?

There is sometimes a little bit of confusion over the use of pedestrian crossings by bicycle riders, confused as to whether they can ride their bike over a pedestrian crossing. The simple answer to the question is NO, because pedestrian crossings are for pedestrians.

Of course, if a bicycle is following the path of traffic, then they can ride over the crossing, we are talking about the path of pedestrians, from pavement to pavement for example.

Why can’t I ride my bike on a pedestrian crossing?

When you are on the bicycle, it is considered a vehicle, and vehicles are not allowed to follow the path of pedestrians crossing. If you are on a bicycle, you may cross if you get off the bike and walk with it. Now, you are a pedestrian once again.

In the event of a car driver being unable to stop when a bike is crossing in front, if the cyclist is going very fast into the zebra crossing and the driver was not able to see them with enough time to break, in the event of incident the cyclist will be the liable and if lacking insurance may find themselves having to make a large payout for damages.

What about other lanes?

In some areas there are special cycle lanes, these sometimes pass alongside the pedestrian crossing, in that case the cyclists do not have to go walk and may cycle over their part of the crossing.