Pedestrians on shared/segregated cycle paths

[hackbike 666]

In general yes indeed, but when said traffic consists of angry sun burned drivers with cars full of screaming kids driving around junctions where the roundabouts have been dug up and replaced with cones (reducing visibility) the slight inconvenience imposed by peds is, IMHO, worth it. I just wiish they would keep their part of the bargain

S.

Stratford and Waterloo Bridge are bollard heaven.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I don't use cycle paths. They terrify me. Not only that, but the more people who use the paths the fewer there are on the roads and the more likely it is that cyclists on the roads will become invisible (see selective inattentional blindness).

Sam

This is why I don't like them too.

 

[summerdays]

Is it only me who has never, ever encountered this? In longer than I care to remember commuting around the West Midlands on a bike, no one ever said "get on the cycle path!" or similar.

I've had that comment but not usually whilst cycling ... more often its just crept up in conversation - one time I remember was going for my first aid training and one of the others started it in the coffee break. Luckily I was also with my cycling boss too so we didn't let them win that argument and had a long discussion about why they might not want to be on the path.

 

[fimm]

I had "Use the cycle path!" shouted at me from a car once in Livingston (west of Edinburgh) - I don't know if they thought the pavement was a cycle path (it isn't) or what. Needless to say I ignored them.

 

[swee'pea99]

Don't think anyone's ever told me to get on a cycle path, but I do go on shared paths thru' the park every day. As others have said, I slow right down, never pass people at anything much over walking pace, and always leave as great a distance as possible. Spooking pedestrians is ill-mannered. And in the park, where there's wrinklies, kids, dogs, squirrels and other unpredictable beasties, traveling at speed is dumb as well as inconsiderate.

 

[Arch]

I had two dozy peds on the shared oath today - both girls in hotpants, BTW.

The first was in a group spread across the path - I dinged my bell and her mates move right and left, and she was left ambling along until one of them pulled her arm - she turned, saw me and apologised.

The second was also in a group, going over the Millennium Bridge. The bridge isn't properly segregated, although the approach paths are - the bridge just has one side divided by a strip of metal studs in the tarmac, that relates to the segregation on the approach, but no symbols to make it clear. A guy ahead had to weave round this group of 3 girls, and one sort of froze - her mates told her to move and she said "I don't know where to go". I called out, politely from behind her, "just one side or the other would be good!" and she skipped off to the right, letting me pass.

 

[Dan B]

What I sometimes do is when I have somebody coming towards me on the wrong side is to point to them which side I want them to pass me, 99% of the time it works.

Ah, that's interesting. I point which side I'm going ...

(It works less than 99%, more than 50%)

 

[sammollyrosypads]

very accurately put young man but the only problem i have with public is when ringing your bike bell to warn said ped on cycle track is they have these white things hanging out of their ears and cant hear a thing.........very annoying....opposite wythenshawe park is great for this type of moron....

 

[summerdays]

I was on the Bristol and Bath cycle path today - and I expect to share - what I wasn't expecting was a group of school kids strung out across the path with their teacher.... I was forced to completely stop whilst they went by. You would have thought that a responsible adult would have seen the problem they were creating given the volume of bikes on the path.

 

[downfader]

Ah, that's interesting. I point which side I'm going ...

(It works less than 99%, more than 50%)

I just say something like "bear left", oneday I hope to hear "picanic basket" back but no luck as yet.

I have been told, mid ride, to get on the pavement a few times (or "cyclelane" as some put it at the time). I'm sure they'd appreciate that had they been walking there themselves. Mostly you see these types of comments in newpapers - I estimate that each local paper gets a letter or email like this some 3 times a year (usually throwing "roadtax" into the equasion atleast once)

 

[BentMikey]

Ah, that's interesting. I point which side I'm going ...

(It works less than 99%, more than 50%)

This is the logical way to do it, IMO. On skates I'll point with both hands to make it absolutely clear where I'm going, and to disengage from the two-step.

 

[hackbike 666]

This is the logical way to do it, IMO. On skates I'll point with both hands to make it absolutely clear where I'm going, and to disengage from the two-step.

I tried that on the bike and almost fell off.

 

[dondare]

I had two dozy peds on the shared oath today - both girls in hotpants, BTW
.

I always slow right down for girls in hotpants. It's the polite and sensible thing to do.

 

[gaz]

I tried that on the bike and almost fell off.

That made me chuckle

 

[hackbike 666]

I always slow right down for girls in hotpants. It's the polite and sensible thing to do.

+1