Pedestrian incident on Bristol Railway Path 15th Nov

[captain nemo1701]

This happened to a cyclist in front of me yesterday. Cycling to work at about 7:45am, I was about 10 yards behind a bloke on a road bike going down through the Easton section of the path when I noticed four 'yoof' males approaching from about 50 yards ahead and all walking four abreast!. As the cyclist in front approached them, the guy on the far left moved onto the grass verge to make room but his mates kept on walking three abreast, causing the cyclist to squeeze through the gap at about 10mph. As he went through,a reasonable gap of about 1.5m, one of the blokes shouted angrily:

I'm f***ing sick of you b*****s passing that close!

As I approached, I slowed right down and passed without incident but I couldn't help but think that this guy was just a knobhead. I was tempted to shout back that they shouldn't be walking three abreast - stupid thing to do on this path.

Later at work, I thought again about their behaviour and body language. It seems to me that they were deliberately trying to provoke an incident by walking in that way, effectively blocking most of the path. Bunch of dingbats

 

[ianrauk]

Unfortunately there are tossers in all walks of life. And life in general know seems to be of a far more confrontational nature,

 

[Arjimlad]

Judging by the number of reports of cyclists getting mugged along there, you may very well be correct.

Thankfully I don't have to use it. Shared use paths are a menace to all users, in my view.

 

[mickle]

I used that path nearly every day for twelve years with fewer incidents than I could count on one hand. I think that its reputation is worse than the reality (though I was shot at once!).

There are bolshy teens on the path occasionally, especially at school kicking out time. You are at much greater risk from poorly controlled dogs and from the idiots who cycle up and down it at anti-social speeds. The lad probably has a point.

At its widest point the path is half as wide as it should be for the amount of mixed traffic it now carries, it's no surprise that there are conflicts.

Anyway, it's 100 times better than the alternative - the hellish nightmare that is the Fishponds road bus lane.

 

[Jezston]

Not sure if this is supposed to be some look at self in the mirror type story which is intended to be compared to cyclists interactions with drivers.

Did the guy on the bike say "excuse me" or suchlike as he approached?

 

[Hip Priest]

I'm glad the shared path I use is fairly quiet. On busy paths, it all seems very political.

 

[gentlegreen]

Cyclists do ride too close and too fast to pedestrians on the BB path - I see it every day. And 10mph is about twice as fast as I would go that close to pedestrians. I slow to walking pace when passing as close as another pedestrian would. If I'm going at any speed I aim to be right over the other side -much to the annoyance of the clipped-in brigade following me.

I experienced something similar along there the other Saturday - seemed to be an informal "reclaim the path" thing going on ...

Though the daftest thing pedestrians do at the moment is not making any effort to be visible - as bad as the ninja cyclists.

There is a lot of selfishness on the path at the moment - hardly a sensibly adjusted light in sight :-

[media]
]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_AmjDJFK_g[/media]



(I probably should apologise in advance for my language)

 

[mickle]

Though the daftest thing pedestrians do at the moment is not making any effort to be visible - as bad as the ninja cyclists.

It's not the ped's responsibility to make themselves 'visible', it's the cyclist's responsibility to see them.

 

[Kiwiavenger]

i used to use the path regularly but its too crowded now (especially over the summer!) i used it to avoid church road but now have decided to up the effort of my commute so go to work via keynsham! apart from a bendy bus incident and an idiot merc beeping me its been without incident.

to be fair ive not had an incident on the path (not recently, i did get battered with sticks when i was younger but hey ho) but just dont like people crowding me (and flying past me at silly speeds!)

 

[gentlegreen]

It's not the ped's responsibility to make themselves 'visible', it's the cyclist's responsibility to see them.

Up to a point, but walking it dressed in black is taking the urine quite frankly. When the Fishponds section was unlit you would encounter double buggies - as well as ninjas ..

When I walked the path for a week last winter I wore hi-viz and carried lights - red and white.

Would you ride along a dual carriageway with just a shitty Halfords flasher ?
I don't consider it solely the responsibility of car drivers to see me - I apply what I learned as a driver and motorcyclist.

 

[HovR]

Would you ride along a dual carriageway with just a shitty Halfords flasher ?
I don't consider it solely the responsibility of car drivers to see me - I apply what I learned as a driver and motorcyclist.

Whilst I agree that wearing all dark colours and walking down a busy cycle path is a bad idea, the difference with your example is that a bicycle is classed as a vehicle, and therefore is legally required to display lights, where as pedestrians are not.

 

[Jezston]

Cyclists do ride too close and too fast to pedestrians on the BB path - I see it every day. And 10mph is about twice as fast as I would go that close to pedestrians. I slow to walking pace when passing as close as another pedestrian would. If I'm going at any speed I aim to be right over the other side -much to the annoyance of the clipped-in brigade following me.

I experienced something similar along there the other Saturday - seemed to be an informal "reclaim the path" thing going on ...

Though the daftest thing pedestrians do at the moment is not making any effort to be visible - as bad as the ninja cyclists.

There is a lot of selfishness on the path at the moment - hardly a sensibly adjusted light in sight :-

[media]
]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_AmjDJFK_g[/media]



(I probably should apologise in advance for my language)

Good grief there is so much I find thoroughly objectionable with all of this I don't know where to begin.

1. Pedestrians have absolutely no responsibility whatsoever to be 'visible' on a cycle path. If you are unable to see a fully black clad pedestrian on a path then you're going to fast or your lights are too dim, or both.

2. I couldn't tell from your video because all lights were causing a massive amount of glare on your camera, but the abuse you were throwing at pretty much everyone who passed you by is frankly shameful and probably criminal.

 

[fatblokish]

Gosh, where to start?

SO many things wrong with the fellow behind the camera. Use of profane and abusive language, assumption that peds should make themselves visible, believing that bar mounted lights must have a dipped facility...

 

[gentlegreen]

Good grief there is so much I find thoroughly objectionable with all of this I don't know where to begin.

1. Pedestrians have absolutely no responsibility whatsoever to be 'visible' on a cycle path. If you are unable to see a fully black clad pedestrian on a path then you're going to fast or your lights are too dim, or both.

2. I couldn't tell from your video because all lights were causing a massive amount of glare on your camera, but the abuse you were throwing at pretty much everyone who passed you by is frankly shameful and probably criminal.

1. I have a 10 watt high beam but it isn't appropriate to use it with people coming in the other direction.

2. If you come at me with retina-burning LEDs you deserve what you get. I was nearly sent off the path last week by a couple of clueless idiots who triggered my night-blindness. It's 6PM so not schoolkids - the alternative to my swearing is 10 watts in the face.
I've spent 15 years developing lights that work.

My dipped beam is about 6 watts of LEDs carefully aimed at the ground where the light is needed. All it takes is a bit of high-viz with the ambient lighting they've installed.

I very much doubt telling idiots to behave is actually illegal.

 

[gentlegreen]

Gosh, where to start?

SO many things wrong with the fellow behind the camera. Use of profane and abusive language, assumption that peds should make themselves visible, believing that bar mounted lights must have a dipped facility...

You should hear me cite the Lord's name in vain - usually takes a right selfish bastard with a 3 watt strobe.

I'm a "ped" myself a lot of the time. I ask nothing of others that I don't know to be fully reasonable.
(I apply the same principle when "inconveniencing" cagers.