[Mad1580]

Hi and hello everyone.

First of all, I want everyone to understand I have no gripe against cyclists. 

However, locally there is a pedestrian/cycle path. The cyclists take delight in zooming past pedestrians as close and as fast as possible. So e weeks ago a cyclists ran into me, bruised my back, swore at me and accused me of ” being all over the place”. I asked why he did not warn me by using g his bell. Instead of replying g he rode off.

I have asked the local council to consider having demarcation lines one side for pedestrians, one side for cyclists. So far there has been no response.

What is youd view on this , I feel there will be more accidents, maybe even a fatality.

Car drivers have to give e cyclists a metre and a half passing room, how about the same for cyclists to give pedestrians?

Just out of interest, I was 69 last weekend, I have several health conditions including g a heart condition. I just want to have a short walk a couple of times a day without being scared of being the victim of an accident or being sworn at.

Topic

[kil0ran]

Shared space paths only

Shared space paths only really work where one user type dominates the volume of traffic. From my time commuting into Southampton most of the paths west of the city had few pedestrians and as such conflicts were minimised. Compare that with the area around West Quay and they’re crap for pedestrians and cyclists alike. Whilst demarcated pedestrians tend to follow desire lines and don’t stay in their “lane” – it’s natural when walking to take the shortest route. And as walking speeds vary you end up with pedestrians overtaking others using the bike part of the path. Plus, just like cyclists, pedestrians like to walk side-by-side, particularly if its parents and children. Such paths are only safe for all users if cyclists keep to no more than 3x walking pace. Personally I hated the unpredictability of them and as an experienced/confident cyclist preferred to take my chances in the road.

[Simon E]

Flintshire Boy wrote:

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‘I feel really saddened that relating an incident that happened to me has resulted in what appears to be negativity.’

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I’m afraid that that’s what you get from the bike fascists on R.cc

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Yet you keep coming back for more. Other websites are available but it seems that posting insults on this forum must be more fun for you and your trolling mates.

If you want some real negativity then feel you could pop over to the Daily Mail website. I’m sure you’ll also find some fellow cyclist-haters on there, you could be supported in indulging whatever fantasies you might have.

As for the OP, I really don’t understand why he/she thinks we should all apologise for some alleged shitty behaviour they’ve experienced on a shared use path.

[ChrisB200SX]

Mad1580 wrote:

Mad1580 wrote:

And no I do not have insight into their mental state, just a knowledge of the hand signals they make when I ask them why they didn’t warn me of their presence.

Maybe the reaction is more to your accusational and negative tone? “Why didn’t you warn me of your presence” Your question infers that they are in the wrong for not doing something but the reality is they are not required to. 

Mad1580 wrote:

All I heard behind me was ” oh,oh,oh” then the impact.

Was this not a warning of their presence?? This sounds like the collision was an accident after some sort of mistake, maybe a swerve in reaction to a squirrel running out, who knows. You should not apportion malice to what can easily be attributed to an accident or lack of ability.

 

 

 

[/quote]

[ChrisB200SX]

Mad1580 wrote:

I feel really saddened that relating an incident that happened to me has resulted in what appears to be negativity.

The negativity appears to have started with your generalisation that all cyclists ride in the dangerous manner you stated. Starting the conversation negatively like that will have that effect.

“Why can’t pedestrians stay out of my way when I ride” similarly, would have provoked a negative reaction from anyone that walks anywhere.

Mad1580 wrote:

I just wondered if through this forum, maybe the kind of cyclist who doesn’t mind riding fast and close to pedestrians would read what happened to me, and has been reported locally (Newcastle-underLyme) as happening to others. I cannot speak for others, only for myself.

So I ask, is there any way thar “we” as a human family can accommodate  walkers and cyclists respectfully, to the benefit of both. 

Unfortunately, I don’t think you are likely to reach your target audience here. It also seems unlikely that your target audience will take much notice given that you claim they already don’t care and are seemingly doing this for kicks?

I think you may be attempting to preach to the converted, given that cyclists are vulnerable road users who do often experience danger forced upon them by others. 

Mad1580 wrote:

We read frequently of deaths of cyclists in collision with cars hit by drivers of motor vehicles. I ask” is this something  that is to happen to a walker in collision with a cyclist.

It’s very rare. Cyclists are, in my opinion, more vulnerable in pedestrian and cyclist collisions.

[Hirsute]

Still no advice for the OP
Still no advice for the OP from you.

[Flintshire Boy]

.

.

‘I feel really saddened that relating an incident that happened to me has resulted in what appears to be negativity.’

.

I’m afraid that that’s what you get from the bike fascists on R.cc

.

[Sriracha]

There are definitely idiots
There are definitely idiots on bicycles. They think that the way to pass pedestrians is to shout “on your right” moments before they whiz by, and swap stories with their mates of the pedestrians they so nearly collided with as they jumped out of their skin into the cyclist’s chosen path.

I’m not sure what the answer is beyond education (eg get your story in the news), and better infrastructure. The (mostly) young strava knobs who behave in this way probably never go for a leisurely walk, so they will not understand your perspective, not for another 40 years or more.

On reflection, maybe the answer is to walk with a pair of trekking poles, deployed at a jaunty angle.

[Jimmy Ray Will]

To avoid confusion, I’ll

To avoid confusion, I’ll start by confirmng that I won’t be responding with much empathy. 

Here is the little I will give… 

I don’t believe in shared access paths, I think its a recipe for disaster as its all too easy for any party to feel they have a sense of right to be there and use the path as they see fit. 

The ‘rub’ with this is that what one person see’s as fit behaviour, others will find abhorrent / frightening. Now, don’t get me wrong, there will be outliers, the occasional idiot that is behaving in a clearly anti-social, intolerant, unsafe manner, but the vast majority – and I can’t stress this enough – the vast majority of friction is caused by an imblance of perceptions.

What you think is unreasonable, is more than likely not considered unreasonable by – by your accounts – a fairly large percentage of cyclists using the path you walk on. 

I know a lot of cyclists, and none of the cyclists that I know of would want to intimidate, ‘buzz’, or deliberately jeopardise the safety of a pedestrian. As already mentioned here, cyclists literally have ‘too much skin in the game’ to be taking liberties with other peoples safety. 

I recently did some gravel adventuring that included time riding on shared use paths. During this time, it did strike me that when I slowed for pedestrians and made, what I felt was, perfectly adequate space to pass, I only had my perception of what a safe space and speed to pass was.

I knew how quickly I could stop, how much I could change course should pedestrians change course, dogs run out etc. etc. I managed my speed accordingly. 

I can appreciate that a pedestrian will not know these parameters or that I have considered them when I pass. I can appreciate that this will, to some be unnerving. 

I guess its the same as to say the only way a woman can truly feel safe walking at night is by getting rid of all men… the only way to ensure all pedestrians feel safe is to remove cyclists from the space they frequent. 

If that’s not going to happen, then both sides need to show some tolerance and trust.  

To sign off, I’d want to reassure you as a cyclist that knows many cyclists, cylists really aren’t trying to give you a scare, they are just trying to get to where they are going. I’d encourage you to see the one collision experienced as being the exception, and not the rule and get back out there. 

 

 

[HoarseMann]

I only see positivity:

I only see positivity:

– Sympathy for your injuries and predicament
– Empathy for the effect a scary close pass can have
– Solidarity in taking a stand against the idiots, whether they be on a bicycle or in a motorised vehicle

There was some constructive feedback that painted lines are probably not worth pursuing, as they are rarely adhered to by both pedestrians and cyclists. A tip to keep to one side of a shared path and walk in a predictable manner. To keep looking back for approaching bikes and maintain good situational awareness.

Some reassuring that you should not feel bullied off the path, as whilst it was a frightening incident for you, the statistics show that you are far more likely to be injured by a motorised vehicle on the pavement than a bicyclist. That a cyclist is at as much risk of injury as you in a collision, so they’re likely to do all they can to avoid one.

Finally, a tip to do what a lot of cyclists do, use a camera and record these incidents. You would have far more sway with the council if you could build up some evidence to support your complaint. You don’t need to come up with the solution, just document and evidence the problem, then make it the councils job to fix it.

[Mungecrundle]

You have been met with
You have been met with empathy and reasoned explanation, on an Internet forum where contributors have anonymity. If you feel you have been disrespected then again and for some perspective, I would direct you to your local newspaper site and any story involving a cyclist being killed or injured and for you to read the comments thereunder.

Cyclists are not a hive mind organism. No-one here is responsible for the behaviour of others and are (checks posts)… universally in agreement that cyclists should look out for pedestrians.

[hawkinspeter]

Mad1580 wrote:

So I ask, is there any way thar “we” as a human family can accommodate  walkers and cyclists respectfully, to the benefit of both. 

The ultimate answer is decent segregated infrastructure in busy areas. There’s plenty of examples in European countries where they realised the problems with designing purely for motorised vehicles and started to build segregated lanes with great success.

Some of the problems we have in this country are due to our almost non-existent cycle infrastructure and forcing cyclists and pedestrians together on the same narrow strips – this inevitably creates problems and the car lobby can smirk as the problems are often blamed on cyclists instead of people looking at the wider picture. I’m not saying that individual cyclists aren’t to blame for their own behaviour, but there’s a disturbing anti-cyclist theme going throughout the mainstream media which of course is hugely funded via car advertising.

So, we need to take space away from motorists and properly design separate places for pedestrians and cyclists. It’s what works elsewhere.

[Mad1580]

I feel really saddened that

I feel really saddened that relating an incident that happened to me has resulted in what appears to be negativity. I have been a cyclist, I am a driver who respects cyclists and pedestrians, giving a wide berth to both, in view of the fact that I drive an electric car. Very quiet. I hesitate to use double exclamation marks there. 

My purpose was to use this forum, where ” the near miss of the day” is reported and read by me frequently. I just wondered if through this forum, maybe the kind of cyclist who doesn’t mind riding fast and close to pedestrians would read what happened to me, and has been reported locally (Newcastle-underLyme) as happening to others. I cannot speak for others, only for myself.

So I ask, is there any way thar “we” as a human family can accommodate  walkers and cyclists respectfully, to the benefit of both. 

I am concerned. We read frequently of deaths of cyclists in collision with cars. I ask” is this something  that is to happen to a walker in collision with a cyclist.

Can you imagine what it would be like to be the cause of a fatality. 

Thank you to those who have given thought to what happened. Again, I am 69 years old, not a child.  Trying to have an adult conversation, not trying to insult anyone.

[andystow]

andystow wrote:

“The cyclists take delight in zooming past pedestrians as close and as fast as possible.”

This seems unlikely unless they’re teenagers trying to impress their friends. Do you have some insight into their mental state that most people wouldn’t, or do they laugh maniacally as they pass?

Let me clarify as of course I’ve been misinterpreted. I’m not denying that the person who started this thread got hit by an inconsiderate cyclist, nor that she gets passed by cyclists at speed and distance that she finds uncomfortable. I take issue with what I quoted in italics because:

1. She has no way of knowing that they’re taking delight in it.
2. Who the fuck does that? Anyone who did would crash daily. Crashing hurts.

[Simon_MacMichael]

Thanks for posting the thread

Thanks for posting the thread, and I’m sorry you no longer feel able to use that path safely, it shouldn’t be like that.

There may be some cyclists who on such a path won’t slow down under any circumstances or deviate from their line (canal towpaths here in London had a big issue with some riders – a very small minority, it should be stressed) trying to beat the fastest times posted on the Strava app, and that is clearly not an environment where you should be seeking to do that.

https://road.cc/content/news/147537-strava-users-told-cut-speed-canal-towpaths-%E2%80%93-theyre-hardly-alpe-d%E2%80%99huez

Most people on bikes do ride considerately around pedestrians in my experience, though we can all be guilty at times of doing something unthinkingly … years ago, arriving at the office where I worked in Oxford, I was berated by a (Danish) colleague because she’d seen me cycle past a couple on my way in and thought I was too close to them and she reckoned they were a bit shaken up … I couldn’t even remember it and there’s no way I’d have got too close on purpose.

Personally, I always have a bell on my bike, so when I’m on a shared use path I can let people know I’m coming towards them, and I’ll slow down and give plenty of room when needed (use of the bell can, of course, provoke an angry reaction from some).

One thing seldom mentioned in this type of discussion is it’s never in a cyclist’s interests to collide with a pedestrian in the first place – for the pure and simple fact that there’s every chance the rider will come off their bike and hit the pavement hard.

Equally, all of us are pedestrians at some point in the day too, and are likely to have experienced something similar to what you have with someone cycling inconsiderately (or increasingly, on an electric scooter) zooming past from behind … it may happen to me once or twice a month on my local high street.

As others have said, it’s nothing compared to the danger posed by motorists, and everyone here, on foot or on a bike, will have experienced that, though in the context of this discussion it’s perhaps a bit of a red herring.

I’m not sure what the answer is … some people will cycle inconsiderately or unthinkingly, just as some pedestrians will step out onto a cycle path while staring at their phones; it’s human nature.

It’s worth mentioning too that on this site, we ran a poll a few years ago asking readers what annoyed them most about other cyclists, and the top responses were linked to just that – people who ride through red lights, or who go too fast/too close on shared-use paths etc.

Anyway, do please let us know what the council’s response is.

[Simon E]

“Car drivers have to give e

“Car drivers have to give e cyclists a metre and a half passing room, how about the same for cyclists to give pedestrians?”

Too many of them do not, as everyone on this website knows only too well! They don’t give way, they don’t give a toss about speed limits etc etc. 1.5 metres is almost the full width of a shared path.

The plain fact is that many, many more pedestrians are killed and injured by drivers – even on the pavement – than cyclists. They are your biggest danger.

But that doesn’t mean people on bicycles can behave as they like and I try to be considerate on shared facilities (unlike some of the dog walkers, pram-pushers and runners I encounter). But I can only speak for myself, not all the cyclists wherever you live.

“I have no gripe against cyclists”

But you posted your complaint on a general cycling website. What will that achieve?

[Author]

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