Pete said:
I'm disappointed at the attitudes in this thread.
Firstly, as far as I know it's not illegal to jog in the carriageway - nor in a cycle lane. Certainly for competitive road races this is normal practice, so why not for a jogger on a training run? Has he not the right to use the road, same as you have?
It's perfectly legal, but most joggers are so encased in keeping their head down, moving forwards and listening to whatever music is on their ipod that they show no consideration to pedestrians. This is always made especially apparent when joggers run down busy pavements. The example I used, Rusholme, runs through the busiest thoroughfare in Manchester, yet joggers still insist on running straight down it, presumably down into Fallowfield, and get in everyone's way. imagine someone jogging straight down Oxford street - is that a good idea? no. It's a terrible idea, as it infuriates everyone.
Secondly, we all know these painted cycle lanes. OK they are useful at times, but you have to be aware they're not there for you all the time. You will come across breaks in the lane at junctions, at bus stops. There will be cars parked in them. And pedestrians - whether jogging or not. Road works. Other cyclists who happen to be slower than you. If you choose to use the lane, you have to be prepared to move out into the main carriageway to round an obstruction, at any time. If you can't do that because you can't manage cycling in the traffic, because you haven't mastered finding the gap and moving out, well you shouldn't be in the cycle lane.
Show a bit of consideration to other road users. There is no such thing as an exclusive cycle lane, in this country.
How much nicer it would have been, if you'd carefully overtaken the jogger with a cheery 'good morning' and he'd returned the compliment?
Cycle lanes are there to split pedestrians from cyclists, as much as to split cyclists from traffic. Again I use the example of Oxford Road, manchester. Oxford Road is the busiest bus line in Europe. There are around 30 buses on a two mile stretch of road at any one time. this makes riding down that road quite hazardous. Manchester city council, therefore, put a cyle path down the side of the road. The cycle path is set apart from the pedestrian path - there is a fork in it, with the cycl path running through Whitworth Park and down the left hand fork, the pedestrian path avoiing it completely. Still, people walk and jog down it. Cyclists are already demonised enough, without pedestrians shouting abuse at us when they are essentially jay walking.
Urban life isn't like country life. We are bombarded with people. Greater London has eight million, greater Manchester has around 3 million. that's a lot of people - all of whom, being absorbed in their own lives tend not to concentrate on hazards and feel shocked when someone disturbs them from their slumber. Saying good morning doesn't help, a simple excuse me is what I use, and I get harangued for it. I am not impolite to joggers, but in my experience, they tend not to be polite to anyone, so wrapped up are they in running their run. I'd rather they got on the treadmill and stopped annoying everyone.