Bicycles

[Rifleman]

For the North Americans.......in all the foregoing posts on this thread, where "pavement" is mentioned, subsitute "sidewalk".....

"clip round the lug'ole " =  "slap on the ear"

"Gerroff the pavement!!" =  "get off the sidewalk !"

........etc.

This translation is donated freely from me to you, as I am almost totally fluent in Canadian, American and English.........

[Hagar]

Thanks for the translation Ken. I used to do this myself but hope any regulars would be used to our quaint ways by now.

If only the cops would be there and give them in incentive to obey the law...

This is of course a big part of the problem. I mentioned the local bobby (cop for our transatlantic cousins) who was once a common sight in every town & village in the UK. He usually rode a bicycle himself, a big old upright model, lived locally within the community & knew everyone in the town including the criminal element. He patrolled his part of the town (known as his beat) regularly at all times of the day & night & would often stop us young scallywags for a friendly word or to check our bikes for complying with the law. Although we respected him & were indeed a little scared of him he could deal with us with a few harsh words, sometimes accompanied by a gentle slap around some part of our anatomy with the rolled up cape that was part of his equipment. He also had a wooden truncheon concealed somewhere about his person (usually down the inside of his trouser leg I believe) although I've never seen a copper with a drawn truncheon in my life except in films.

You would be extremely lucky to see any police on the beat in any town now especially before 9 am & after 5 pm. The disappearance of the local bobby is the cause of many of our problems in the UK now, not only where bicycles are concerned. IMHO

[H]

The disappearance of the local bobby is the cause of many of our problems in the UK now, not only where bicycles are concerned. IMHO

Perhaps they're reapppearing over here; I worked with a retired one from somewhere in Hampshire (not to be confused with New Hampshire, howbeit, the source name) not long ago.
The other point, concerning laws, is that they vary from state-to-state; within the state, it may vary from town-to-town. Since they usually are little problem outside of town, most applicable laws for bicycles are within the domain of the township. How well enforced is, thereby, according to the locale.

[Hagar]

The other point, concerning laws, is that they vary from state-to-state; within the state, it may vary from town-to-town. Since they usually are little problem outside of town, most applicable laws for bicycles are within the domain of the township. How well enforced is, thereby, according to the locale.

Having visited your part of the world I was aware of that. Except for Manhattan, where I saw all sorts of wonderful things including a cop on horseback & a young chap on rollerblades happily weaving in & out of the traffic, I didn't see too many people on bicycles. The big difference over here is that we have a national police force & the laws are the same in all parts of the country. Scotland has slightly different laws to the rest of the UK so I can't speak for that.

This national police force is split up into different local regions so how the law is applied might vary according to how the chief of police interprets them. It's now being seriously proposed that these regions are condensed into fewer & much larger ones thus making it even more centralised & the problems even worse. IMHO

If I need the police after normal office hours I already have to phone a central operations centre many miles away from where I live & run by operators who have no local knowledge of the area. By the time the police arrive (if they can be bothered to turn out at all) from their HQ also many miles away, any criminals will have legged it & be miles away themselves.

[H]

That rather goes back to the fact that our states are more comparable to the states of England, Scotland -- or the state of France, etc. Quite some time ago, New Hampshire had centralized its Motor Vehicle licensing/registration in the capitol (they had long ago been per county and the plate letters represented such). It was somewhat of a hassle and, more recently, they've again provided more localized offices.

[Hagar]

That rather goes back to the fact that our states are more comparable to the states of England, Scotland -- or the state of France, etc.

Possibly although I think France & many other large European countries are split up into regional areas which can be quite different. I don't know how this applies to the law. Unless they've visited the UK I don't think most people from across the Puddle realise just how small an area it covers. I prefer to think of our counties as states, making the UK comparable to the US in miniature.

Quite some time ago, New Hampshire had centralized its Motor Vehicle licensing/registration in the capitol (they had long ago been per county and the plate letters represented such). It was somewhat of a hassle and, more recently, they've again provided more localized offices.

This goes to confirm what I & many others like me keep trying to tell the powers-that-be, unfortunately without any effect. The modern trend of centralisation (done in the name of economy & efficiency) is a mistake & can only make things worse than they already are.