asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they propose to prohibit cyclists from cycling on footpaths for safety reasons. [HL3083]

It is already an offence under Section 72 of the Highways Act 1835, as amended by Section 85(1) of the Local Government Act 1888, to cycle on a footway (the pavement adjacent to the carriageway). The maximum fine is £500 or the police can issue a fixed penalty notice costing £30.

Cyclists have no right to cycle on a footpath away from the road but only commit an offence where local by-laws or traffic regulation orders create such an offence.

We have no plans to change the existing law relating to cyclists’ use of footpaths or footways.

There is no excuse for cyclists who put pedestrians at risk by breaking these and other road traffic laws.