Shared pavement conflict

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fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Agreed, but when I'm on foot I reckon I have a right to meander and I'm only gonna get worse the older I get :smile:

Grumble, grumble - your one of them ! :laugh::tongue:
 

tyred

Legendary Member
Location
Ireland
I sometimes feel like making some sort of "cow-catcher" device for the front of my bike specifically for shared use paths:whistle:
Bill-+Golden+Spike+UT+041.jpg
 
I sometimes feel like making some sort of "cow-catcher" device for the front of my bike specifically for shared use paths:whistle:
View attachment 586502
The only actual collision with a pedestrian happened on another 90 degree corner at the base of a small hill with the pelican crossing on red man, green for traffic. I was banked over on the apex of the corner when suddenly all the pedestrians went full lemming and ran into the road. Fortunately the young lady who ran into me had installed a pair of large soft bumpers on her front so no harm done.
 

MontyVeda

a short-tempered ill-controlled small-minded troll
Not a shared path. That's a substandard cycleway joined onto a substandard footway. Even replacing the solid dividing line with a dashed centre line would improve it at next repaint, although cyclists would still have to slow and give way in congestion.
I think the proper shared paths, without a dividing line work far better than the segregated ones.
 

Solocle

Über Member
Location
Poole
As ever, this is certainly not a place for speed but nobody in their right mind cycles on the busy dual carriageway.
Only time I cycled in that area of Bristol, I was visiting a friend in Filton, cycled down from Oxford. I detoured across the Severn Bridge first...

I went straight down the A38. Not only that, but I was passed by a group of cyclists while doing so! :laugh:

Then, from Abbey Wood, I cycled on the A4174 back to the A38 to head south.
 

tyred

Legendary Member
Location
Ireland
We were taught in school to walk on the left of corridors and stairs etc. It makes everything so much easier.

That was actually part of our induction training when we were moved into our nice shiny new office a few years ago. The health and safety bods didn't want collisions on the stairs!
 

Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
I used to surprise the same schoolkids at the same time at the same place every day for weeks.

Till the police caught up with you. How the prison cell?
 

Dan77

Senior Member
Location
Worcester
I've had perhaps 2 incidents in nearly 2 years since returning to cycling. Im a slow, extremely considerate cyclist but I never stop to talk to whingers as in my experience, up there with armchair experts, there is no conversation to be had as they have a strongly held view and they're not interested in listening to reason. Just carry on cycling...

I too cycle considerately and give right of way to pedestrians regardless as it is just easier and safer for everyone if i assume they are going to do something stupid which of course they regularly do. I can handle all that, no issue at all.

When someone has a go verbally though I can't help but respond. It'll only be a quick remark pointing out that it's a shared path or potentially that they're an ignorant imbecile and I'll continue riding. I do hope it sends them into a rage and ruins their day though....or better still, they realise the error of their ways and learn something.
 

rogerzilla

Legendary Member
IME pedestrians walk on the side that is best for emptying their dog. Many psyclepaths have the pedestrian side next to the road, and the bike side next to the grass or hedge. That's doomed to failure.
 

Once a Wheeler

…always a wheeler
Shared pathways are a problem for all the reasons stated in this thread. I often wonder if they should not adopt the rule:
  • Cyclists keep left. Pedestrians keep right.
The thinking here is that a cyclist approaching pedestrians head-on can see if the pathway beyond the pedestrians is clear and, if it is, move to the right to pass the pedestrians. If the pathway beyond the pedestrians is not clear, the cyclist can stop.

Importantly, under this arrangement pedestrians have no excuse for being unaware of approaching cyclists. In addition, a stopping cyclist effectively warns pedestrians of a cyclist approaching from behind. The adoption of presumed liability might help this arrangement. https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/presumed-liability.273781/
 

icowden

Veteran
Location
Surrey
under this arrangement pedestrians have no excuse for being unaware of approaching cyclists.

Of course they do. Pedestrians aren't thinking about cyclists if they are in a shared space or if they are in a space where only a faded white line on the floor reminds them that part of this pavement is a cycle path. It's natural human behaviour. I cycle lots but if I'm walking on the Terrace road pavement, parts of which are supposed to be segregated and parts of which are shared (dependent on width of the road at the time!), it's almost impossible not to veer away into the cycle lane part.

The best we can do as cyclists is to cheerily call out or sound a merry bell to let people know we are approaching, and if we have to slow and wait, then we have to slow and wait. Sometime we even have to pretend to be understanding when they say "oh Miss Tiggy's a bit slow / deaf / misguided/ friendly etc" and wait for them to retrieve / move / call their canine companion regardless of it's slavering and barking.
 

Venod

Eh up
Location
Yorkshire
I think the pedestrians round here like to set handling tests for cyclist's, as most of the time if there are two or more you can guarantee some will be at one side of the path and some at the other, leaving the narrowest of gaps to negotiate.
 
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