Common courtesy or not my problem? Carnoustie Golf Club sign asks cyclists to "be still and quiet" on National Cycle Network path; Training like a world champion? Van Aert's 31km/h, 220km mountain day; Cav and G Jr. eye 2040 Tour + more on the live blog

What do the cops do there if you don't dismount?

Do they really think it is safer to start from a standstill rather than say 10mph?

When I was in Sydney I got yanked and a lecture for crossing the road where it was safe to do so. Some weird stuff about the entire public realm being the constable's "office", and I should 'respect' it.

Given that I imagine every single one of those golfers would drive there, I wonder whether they have a traffic light system in the car park to stop people running their engines when someone's trying to make a shot? 

I had a close pass on Tuesday that got me grumbling. What was odd was that on review, they fully entered the other side of the road - about 10 metres ahead, they clearly had mis-timed their pass so they were really close at my back wheel, quite close at the front, then down the road it was a great pass!

IanMSpencer wrote:

I had a close pass on Tuesday that got me grumbling. What was odd was that on review, they fully entered the other side of the road - about 10 metres ahead, they clearly had mis-timed their pass so they were really close at my back wheel, quite close at the front, then down the road it was a great pass!

This is a pretty frequent occurance, and is explained by the fact that the driver was far too busy with their phone to spot you earlier, but they then do the exaggerated wide pass to show that they really respect cyclists.

Did it have a licence?

The Land Reform act (2003) Scotland kind of makes that question irrelevant.

The public have access to most land and inland waterways with some exceptions like private gardens.

There will be no basis for ordering people to behave in the way described beside the golf course.  Whether golfers and path users can find a way of not impinging on the others hobby without confict is probably the way to think about this.

I suppose the scenario is, you are cycling along with your mate and note a golfer in the midst of taking a shot.  The polite request is that you wait quietly for the shot to be taken before carrying on, which seems fair enough.  I'd imagine a golfer would wait until passers by had gone before getting ready for their shot.

Seems like the Twitterati getting upset about nothing and looking yobbish.

PRSboy wrote:

I'd imagine a golfer would wait until passers by had gone before getting ready for their shot.

mmm, nope.

Dubwise - oh dear! So cycnical & still so young.

Ime, yes, golfers *do* wait for others to move away. This sign is simply asking other users, such as walkers & cyclists, to return the favour. It seems to me little enough to ask of anyone.

We have several paths & bridleways crossing golf courses locally (cyclists, including me, mostly ignore the distinction unless the path has stiles or is very mud-prone) & my (& as far as I'm aware, everyone else's) experience is that golfers will wait if someone is crossing the fairway before they continue playing. All clubs have strict rules about not hitting a shot if there's any possibility of the ball striking anyone & ime the rules are widely respected. Many golfers have painful personal experience of what happens when the rules are ignored!

PRSboy wrote:

I suppose the scenario is, you are cycling along with your mate and note a golfer in the midst of taking a shot.  The polite request is that you wait quietly for the shot to be taken before carrying on, which seems fair enough.  I'd imagine a golfer would wait until passers by had gone before getting ready for their shot.

I agree with you, if I'm riding near a course and come across a player about to make a stroke I will pause for them, however I have been in situations on some trails out in Kent where the trail either has right of way across the course or goes near a tee where a fourball has arrived on the tee and expects cyclists to wait until all four of them have played off, which I don't think is reasonable. Obviously I'm biased (although I played a fair bit of golf years ago, gave up because of the expense, the fact that I was clearly never going to get into a single figure handicap, and that I generally didn't really like the majority of people who played), but a cyclist who stops has to expend a whole lot of energy to get moving again, whereas a golfer who waits loses nothing, so I'd say the default etiquette should be golfer waits for cyclist, not the other way round.

It's best to wait behind the golfer - you don't want to get hit.

We walked on a golf course in Northumberland which has a public foopath in it.

I was trying to explain to my wife that the safest place was the middle of the fairway and not the footpath as the amateur golfers are not accurate. Sure enough later on they were looking for a lost ball right next to the footpath.

Sometimes with my disc brakes, I can either be still or be quiet, not both!

Not that I've ever played golf, beyond a pitch n putt, but hard not to know those that do around here. And I think youd get in trouble with the golf course people if you were deemed to be holding other players up behind you, or going slow on a course like that, your allowed to let others advance ahead of your party, but they are strict on groups time spent on the course.

Which maybe the root of the sign if people have been using it as en excuse.

I'm sure the golfers, driving their modest family hatchbacks to and from the golf course, show every bit as much deference towards cyclists as they expect in return.

Yep - I call fake news on this.  Everyone knows that cyclists don't use cycle lanes.   That only drivers pay for (or something).

bobbinogs wrote:

Sorry, but there is clearly an error in the report that states "The lane filled up with riders waiting to cross a junction as the lights were red", we all know that all cyclists ignore all red lights, allegedly.

Pretty much word to word on one of the replies Rory got to his tweet.  Along with accusations the picture was faked, and saying the lane would be empty on a cold morning in January (I suggested he book marked that one).