Ran over a Ped Today :(

[Sittingduck]

...well, kind of.

Just rolled out of the office car park and about 30 seconds into the ride home. Coming down Ludgate Hill (St Paul's, City) about 12 mph I guess. Had just turned right into the road and traffic was queued, so I was filtering fairly slowly down the right hand side. Ped steps from between a van or car, chattering into his mobile and is looking left but not right. "Oi" I shouts and swerved right while braking to avoid a full on crash. Numpty had kept on walking and I went over his foot or feet. Skidded to a halt and turned round to see the damage. Don't know if he went down or not but was back on his feet if he had and came straight over to say sorry, it was his fault etc. Said something about how he was "out of bounds" This ain't Golf was my first though. We shook hands to show no hard feelings. I asked if he was ok and he seemed so. We both went on our way.

This could have been much worse but it was the first time I have actually hit anything/anyone since commuting by bike. Hopefully he'll look both ways next time! He'll probably want to put a bag of frozen peas on the foot when he gets in mind you - I ain't the lightest of characters

As for me - not a scratch and the bike's tip-top too

Be Careful out there!
SD

 

[Jake]

what is the etiquette for warning people that your coming? And dont say airhorn you lot. There must be a polite way. I whistle, but somtimes it may sound like a wolf whistle lol. I think "oi" is good if used at the right time

 

[Bman]

Looks like a win win situation. No injurys and one happy ped who knows to be more careful in future.

Maybe we need a campain to stop people crossing roads on their mobiles. Do these peds remember *all* of the Green Cross Code!?

 

[Arch]

what is the etiquette for warning people that your coming? And dont say airhorn you lot. There must be a polite way. I whistle, but somtimes it may sound like a wolf whistle lol. I think "oi" is good if used at the right time

You can get this little device that you put on your bars, it's made of metal, and when you press a little mechanical sprung lever, it goes ping! or 'brring brring', depending on the type....

I use my bell, unless it's a very last minute emergency, like someone stepping out right in front of me, when I'll use a general purpose vocal "Whoa!" which is partly a warning and partly me being surprised.

 

[Jake]

thanks for the comment. its pretty hard to ding a bell if your on a racer though. ever tried it?

 

[Arch]

thanks for the comment. its pretty hard to ding a bell if your on a racer though. ever tried it?

No, but then I don't race...

You can always fit a bell, and usuallly in a moderately handy position. Whether you have time to use it is a different matter - hence my general purpose 'whoa!' shout for when I need to react fast..

 

[XmisterIS]

what is the etiquette for warning people that your coming? And dont say airhorn you lot. There must be a polite way. I whistle, but somtimes it may sound like a wolf whistle lol. I think "oi" is good if used at the right time

I actually have one of those little girly dingy bells on the handlebars of my road bike! Looks gay but does the job! I have a hybrid road bike though, with flat bars (can't have curly bars, have to sit more upright due to a back problem), so its easy for me to ding my bell, as it were!

 

[Sittingduck]

The mobile was in the right hand and on the right ear. I was coming from his right. I don't think it would have made much difference what I shouted or if I had a bell to be honest. Surely it's just common sense on a busy road like that, to look both ways. I mean, I see a lot of motorbikes and scooters go pretty quickly down that hill. He was lucky this time!

 

[XmisterIS]

I think the phrase "Darwin Award" springs to mind ...

 

[Tynan]

I've had plenty of near misses or misses due only to my vigilance but twice I've really clattered a ped, dropped a woman stone cold once, darl, three women ran out from the traffic on the rhs, I shouted and they all stopped and turned to face me, hit one square on, 16st of me plus a heavy mtd plumb square, stopped me dead from 20mph

and most recently hit a bloke, trashed my front wheel and ****ed my left shoulder, still makes me yelp a few times a day, needless to say he got up and walked off while I was still lying in the road

fr too many of them seem to walk on their hearing alone or look only well enough to see things car and bigger, I never understand it, it's not like they ca;t know what bikes are and how fast they can go

 

[Greenbank]

I just shout "Lemmings!" at them. Or scream to get their attention and feign that I've lost control and look like I'm going to clatter into them. Their faces are a picture.

A bell would do nothing since the majority that step into the road without looking have got headphones in and are listening to music, blotting out any gentle "ding ding".

If I've slowed enough to be able to talk to them I usually say "Next time you wander into the road without looking it might be under the wheels of a car driven by someone paying equally little attention to what they're doing, and having the moral high ground is useless when you're dead. Stop, look and listen. Even my 5 year old nephew knows how to cross the road safely."

 

[Arch]

A bell would do nothing since the majority that step into the road without looking have got headphones in and are listening to music, blotting out any gentle "ding ding".

You can get bells that are considerably more piercing than a 'gentle ding ding'. I know people with one that goes 'Ding Dong' in two tones, and rivals Big Ben.

There are plenty of people who would hear a bell (and do, and step out of the way). Just because some wouldn't doesn't mean they aren't worth having. I see a lot of drivers oblivious to emergency sirens until the last minute, does that mean emergancy sirens are pointless?

 

[Jake]

there are times when they appear too quickly to do anything, by the time you thought about where your hands are and where the bell is, if you move your hand will the pothole coming up throw you off ballance and cause you too crash. that doesnt mean we cycle too fast, if anything, places where i think/know it happens such as brixton highstreet when the traffic has stopped, i try to go that bit slower.

 

[Jim_Noir]

Odly I had a guy on a a bike knock my dog over today, on the pavment. The dog is fine, but the guy went arse over tit, suppose hitting over 9 stone of Rottie when you are going about 13 MPH is going to do that. No idea why he was hammering along the pavment... the guy was on a road bike with all the gear on too. But suppose he didn't fancy being on a road and a busy shopping area was a better bet!

 

[Lisa21]

Shouldnt smile but silly man!!!!
Hope his foot IS sore-it will remind him how lucky he was.
On my way home from work thisafternoon I was on a cyclepath and a girl was walking along in the center of it, totally oblivious to my "excuse me's" and my bell.When I got closer I saw she had bl**dy headfones in so as I squeezed slowly past I tapped her on the shoulder-poor girl nearly pooed herself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jim Noir..........glad your dog is ok.