Shared paths, 'haven't you got a bell?!'

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Guyincognito76

Senior Member
Right, I've had enough of this.

I don't have a bell, and I'm not about to fit one either. Nowhere does it say that I need a bell, and an audible greeting is a suitable alternative.

If confronted by pedestrians walking two, or more abreast, I will slow, cheerfully say, 'hi', wait for someone to turn around and politely ask if I can, 'squeeze through'. I will, at least once, per ride (and I'm not exaggerating) hear complaints at the lack of a bell. What do these people want?!

Last week, I had to 'shout' three times to get some old-timer's attention who repeated the mantra in this post's title. Like the deaf, old coot would have heard me 'ting, tinging' behind him! I could, of course, get one of those airhorns and leave a string of heart attack victims all across North Wales.

As an aside why are pedestrians drawn to brightly coloured cycle strips, like moths to a light, on shared paths? In Rhyl (shudder) there's a thirty foot wide promanade, with a three foot wide pink cycle path painted down the middle of it, and where does everybody walk? Down the pink strip, of course they do!
 
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Guyincognito76

Guyincognito76

Senior Member
Yes, he terrorises the drivers, and I terrorise the bipeds ;)
 

Saluki

World class procrastinator
I regularly get a mutter of "another member of the nobel prize club". Same old chap, couple of times a week. The other day I stopped and pointed out that there is no legal requirement to fit a bell to your bike and that I felt that a cheery "good morning" was far more polite than a dinged bell and then expecting someone to move because I have sounded my bell.
Other cyclists have obviously been party to his muttering in the past as the last week a chap on a lovely carbon bike shot past me, approached the elderly chap and yelled "ding effing ding - are you effing happy now" and sped away into the distance. I couldn't contain a snigger as I passed the older chap.
 
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Guyincognito76

Guyincognito76

Senior Member
I would point out that on a shared path, particularly one that has been converted from an existing footway, pedestrians are entitled to walk wherever they want. Even where there is a clear deliniation of an area for cyclists, pedestrians can use the cycle area.

Think of shared paths as merely being footpaths on which you are allowed to pootle with due care and attention.

Ah! But common human decency would suggest you walk on 27 feet not suggested for cyclists, rather than the three feet that is.
 

steve52

I'm back! Yippeee
i just say ding ding, hello, haveing slowed right down,but this dosent work when the peds have headphones in/on. and isnt enough for what seems to be the older generation. one paticular grumpy old woman kept sayng ding ding quite loudly, to me and each of the 3 special needs children that i had trained to hurtle down the shared path at speeds aproching 4mph.

i feel her sarcasum was wasted
 
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