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mixed use pathways and pedestrians

I've taken to clearly saying which side I'm going to pass someone walking or cycling slower than me.

"Passing on your right"

I did it yesterday and got a very warm response from an older woman, who said it was a common expression in the US. She really appreciated it and wished other cyclists would do the same. Do other people do this?

There is a lot of mixed use cycle way near me and in Central London, I suspect much of the infrastructure vaguely promised will come in this form, rather than making roads narrower. So any other ideas for sharing with people walking? Hoping for a thread of ideas and suggestions =)

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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20 comments

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didds | 11 years ago
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when ARE pedestrians going to be made to get insurance?

didds

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SideBurn replied to didds | 11 years ago
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What about helmets, high viz jackets, road tax and training?

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TheHatter | 11 years ago
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yeah I can't stand pedestrians - thinking they're entitled to come on to our cycle paths. They don't even pay road tax and not one has ever taken a test. If they wobble in front of me and I take one out its hardly gonna by my fault.
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spongebob | 11 years ago
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It's best to come up totally silently then shout "BOO" just as your passing to ensure maximal passing pleasure, that or just plough straight through if they are taking up too much space.

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mad_scot_rider replied to spongebob | 11 years ago
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SammyG wrote:

It's best to come up totally silently then shout "BOO" just as your passing to ensure maximal passing pleasure, that or just plough straight through if they are taking up too much space.

I save that one for twerps crossing the road without looking - but I get as close as I can and shout "MOVE!"

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jonomc4 | 11 years ago
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I give in with mixed use - I cycle through Lewisham on my commute and I would say on the one bit of shared pathway I use 80% of pedestrians are on the cycle path section - I dont overly mind as the footpath bit is much smoother!

These paths are a niightmare with a road or car park crossing every 50 meters - I prefer to run the risk of using the road personally.

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Yorkshie Whippet | 11 years ago
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I too call out "Mind your backs" due to the huge amount of numpties who head to the same side as you. As for bells! Brake and slow down, change gear, indicate, ring a bell and steer to avoid the walker all at the same time. I know I'm a bloke but I'd love to see a woman multitask to that extent.:-)

Freewheeling on a Hope hub, noisy little so and so.

To be honest I think bells and calls are becoming useless due to earphones/MP3 players/mobile phones.

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TheHatter replied to Yorkshie Whippet | 11 years ago
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Yorkshie Whippet wrote:

Freewheeling on a Hope hub, noisy little so and so.

To be honest I think bells and calls are becoming useless due to earphones/MP3 players/mobile phones.

good points - I do find my noisy Campy freehub is a good early warning and you're right that most walkers in the urban world are plugged in to something and is another reason why I'd rather be on the road than a shared use path.

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SideBurn | 11 years ago
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I came up behind a group of walkers on a trail. Said, 'mind your backs please'. They all got out of the way except one who said,'where's your bell'. The other walkers just laughed and told him to get a life. Superb.

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Bob's Bikes | 11 years ago
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Much like the others here I call out which side I am going to pass on, but then am completely gobsmacked by the number of numpties out there that do not know their lefts from their rights  39

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TheHatter | 11 years ago
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I prefer bells and have used them to good effect and everyone seems appreciative even with positive comments.
They are also suprisingly good even with some dodgy looking hoodies as its hard to get aggressive with a twee little ding-ding sound.

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spongebob | 11 years ago
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:o

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giff77 | 11 years ago
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 21 use the fulcrums aas a last resort when the peds don't hear me. Defo gets their attention. A bit pointless in freewheeling uphill to warn other cyclists you're approaching though  19

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zzgavin | 11 years ago
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yes, I'm not a fan of bells, despite my name..

Calling right or left lets the other person know more and not panic. I think a bell works only for head on, but I took the bell off my brompton and never had one on my other bikes...

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trikeman | 11 years ago
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I used to find that to just stop pedalling on my old Fulcrum wheels was enough to scare the living hell out of Peds when approaching from the rear.  21
I can't remember saying anything, just stopped pedalling and the freehub would yell the rest.
I do ask now I have Mavics though......

Regards

Trikeman.  3

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Edgeley | 11 years ago
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I got abused recently by a knob of a pedestrian for calling politely instead of using a bell. You just can't win sometimes.

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BUZZ6835 replied to Edgeley | 11 years ago
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I recently had a similar experience with an elderly couple. Their response to my, "excuse me please" was, "shouldn't you have a bell"
I think bells are impersonal and rude!

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Edgeley replied to BUZZ6835 | 11 years ago
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I agree with you. When it happened to me, I told the miscreant that he was a rude man. I refrained from throwing him in the Thames, which was an alternative option.

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Spangly Shiny | 11 years ago
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I'm with ZZ a bit of manners does nobody any harm. Also works for passing horses on little rural lanes.

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giff77 | 11 years ago
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On the rare occassion of shared path use I tend to call cyclist approaching while keeping my speed down. This allows the ped to turn and choose where to step. Most cases they are pretty grateful. Bell ringing currently still has that aggressive tone. Mind you, I have observed other cyclists not giving peds the opportunity to move after ringing/calling if at all.

I will always call on right when passing another cycliSt when on the road.

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