In London you're not allowed to ride on the pavement, either. In fact London cyclists have a reputation for not obeying the rules.
It doesn't matter what speed you're going, you're supposed to dismount to go on the pavement.
this post was submitted on 19 May 2024
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This is true, but london police follow a culture of educate first before punishment. They give a friendly reminder to dismount first. And when the road is blocked for 20 feet it is easy to not even think to dismount.
That response strongly implies you already knew to dismount.
So you're not really asking for the cop to educate you then?
Yes I generally know to dismount, but being in a new busy city trying to navigate and things at the end of a 7 hour day riding these things are easily overlooked in a moment where you make split decision without really thinking about it
All I'm reading here is that London police have allowed you to get away with breaking the law, and you're expecting other countries to do the same.
Cycling on the pavement is not allowed in France. In rural France you might get away with it when the pavement / sidewalk is wide and it's a quiet town, but in Paris you can bet they are very strict when it comes to pedestrian safety.
If you do a lot of bike tours I recommend looking up the local laws to make sure you're prepared for situations like this in the future.
Regardless, hope you had a good time biking around. Paris is a mess at the moment due to the Olympics coming up, so some leniency would have been nice. Unlucky for you, I suppose.
I normally just try to stick to roads and cycle paths regardless. It was an error of judgement and I guess ive learnt the expensive way.
Yeah paris was a mess. I couldnt get near the eiffel tower with all the closures, and im surprised police werent posted there collecting fines as it is carnage trying to figure out where you are and arent allowed. But I will stop past a few more landmarks on the way to gare du nord to get the train to calais tomorrow.
We took avenue verte into paris, we are camped 11 miles from notre dame but it was 30 miles on the official route. Very nice, we saw a lot of paris that you wouldnt see visiting the city centre.
Sounds like you had a good time regardless of the chaos and annoying roads. I hope the fine doesn't make it to your doorstep!
I got this close and decided not to pursue it any further 
Since they got your information you might still be liable if you ever come back through a border control to France at a later point in your life.
That amount will also increase after 45 days. In case of non-payment, the case will be forwarded to a judicial commissioner.
Since cross border cases are expensive and take a long time, they might decide on giving up on collecting the money, but maybe not.
I hope they throw away the ticket. I suppose I will have to pay to avoid issues later :(
Hmm. That's unfortunate you ran into such a strict cop. I guess if the fine actually reaches you, i think i would pay. Because if you're from uk they check your name at the border i'd assume and i wouldn't want any border drama if i went back into france. Not sure how you are being checked at the border. I got sent a parking ticket once from the netherlands and paid it.
I got called out by cops yesterday too for riding confused on the sidewalk, looking at the gps here in Zaragoza. They called me "caballero", haha. No fine though.
Yeah bad luck I guess. My route companion got away with a warning from the guys colleague even though neither of us speak french. I would have much preferred an insult than a fine
Since your buddy didn't get fined and you did, chances are your attitude and manners got you the fine more than the act.
I've gotten pulled over for speeding and other infractions, but I'm pleasant and friendly with the cop; most of the time they let me go with a warning. You want to be an entitled butthead when you break the law, and you'll find out who is holding the pen.
Youd think that but I was just as polite, cooperative and civil as my companion. He just got a nicer cop than me.
You will have to understand that in a new country there are different rules and different ways of enforcing them. Also I think French cops have much lower patience with English, British, Canadian, Australian, and American tourists that tend to play fast and loose with the rules. Like in some parts of the US, cops won't look twice if you have a pistol on you, whereas in UK and Europe you will immediately be stopped and questioned.
This comment section is actually hilarious.