iPod versus Bicyclist

[moribundman]

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I dont normally hollar anything, nor do I use a bell and a horn is just obnoxious!

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With headphones on, people don't hear a bell. There are cars going 60 mph (45 speed limit) right next to the bike path -- it's already loud. This is an urban setting, not a trail out in the woods.

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I find if you pass not too close that it doesnt startle the pedestrian making them jump into your path. If you ring a bell and youre behind them, often they have to turn to look and sometimes this also puts them in you path. Once you are past them say "hi" or "excuse me"...the key is not acting like a jerk.

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If two people walk next to each other, or if one goes right in the middle flailing his or her arms, there is no way to pass them safely without making them move to one side. Oh, and about saying "thanks" when they let me pass, they'll reply with an obscenity half the time.

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I say change your additude and treat pedestrians as moving obsticles and use this to improve your ride as well as riding style/abillity...the only thing you are going to be able to change in this situation or any other life situation is to change yourself(and your way of thinking)! They are the pedestrian and have the right of way...just like you are driving...get over it!

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Geez, didn't you read where I said the clearly posted rules stated that pedestrians had to remain on the right side of the SHARED path at all times? If they did, we wouldn't have a problem here.

I think I will need to take more pictures to clarify the situtation.

 

[XS650]

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Originally posted by moribundman:
Geez, didn't you read where I said the clearly posted rules stated that pedestrians had to remain on the right side of the SHARED path at all times? If they did, we wouldn't have a problem here.

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Am I the only one that sees the irony of a bicyclist objecting to others obstructing traffic and not following the rules of the "road".

 

[moribundman]

XS, if I ride my bike on the street I follow traffic rules. I even stop at red lights and stop signs, which even drivers don't necessarily do here.

The problem is a common lack of discipline when driving, riding and walking. Must be that rebellious frontier spirit living on.

 

[XS650]

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Originally posted by moribundman:
XS, if I ride my bike on the street I follow traffic rules. I even stop at red lights and stop signs, which even drivers don't necessarily do here.

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That puts you in the small minority of bicycle riders that aren't jerks or worse.

 

[ShortBuSX]

Reguardless of the situation I think that maybe you could work on your cycling ettiquette...and if its really that bad then find a new place to ride...after all it is supposed to be fun.

 

[moribundman]

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I think that maybe you could work on your cycling ettiquette

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You may want to spell "etiquette" properly before shoving it in my face.

You don't know me. It's not like I treat people like **** or run them down like dogs or hit them, which is what some others here seem to believe is a proper COA. I am as polite as can be whether I drive, ride or walk. However, I do expect a minimum of courtesy in return.

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if its really that bad then find a new place to ride.

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It's the only area for riding my bike safely near my place without having to ride on insane city streets. I will not ride elsewhere just because the trogs are complete jerks.

LEAD ME, FOLLOW ME, OR GET OUT OF MY WAY!

 

[ShortBuSX]

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Originally posted by moribundman:
[QB]

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I think that maybe you could work on your cycling ettiquette

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You may want to spell "etiquette" properly before shoving it in my face.

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Why? Because you couldnt understand what I was saying? You knew what I meant, and I spelled it right the first time after using online dictionary. And BTW, I said "maybe".

Anybody that would use that horn on a pedestrian walking is RUDE...I dont care if youre at a football game during the super bowl, thats loud enough to make a person jump, scream and yell. Im sure its funny and makes you feel better temporarily, but its unnecissary and gives cyclists a bad name.

Find a new place to ride or take up roller blading...or better yet, walking.

Sorry, I dont know the place you ride, so maybe Im uninformed of the exact situation, but you obviously need to change something...

 

[moribundman]

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Anybody that would use that horn on a pedestrian walking is RUDE

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Ringing your bell to make pedestrians aware of your presence is not only an accepted but recommended procedure. If pedestrians choose to plug their ears with headphones or earphones while being traffic participants, I must find a way to make myself heard. The horn allows exactly that. So I don't see how it's rude. It's simply necessary.

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Sorry, I dont know the place you ride, so maybe Im uninformed of the exact situation, but you obviously need to change something...

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Yes, I am more often pointing people at the posted rules. I doubt that half of them can read, though.

 

[ShortBuSX]

Have you ever considered contacting the local cycling organization groups, advocasy groups or local riding clubs and explaining to them your situation and the hassles youre having at this shared spot? If you ticked off a hiker chances are youd be certain theyd contact Sierra Club and then access to cyclists would/could be denied. Im just suggesting you get your snitch in before they do...and there is strength in numbers...and chances are youre not the only one whos ride is interupted or annoying.

 

[moribundman]

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If you ticked off a hiker chances are youd be certain theyd contact Sierra Club and then access to cyclists would/could be denied.

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Hikers? Sierra Club? Where am I?

 

[ShortBuSX]

Im making a compairison to trails...its a very similar situation...basiclly a shared "trail".

 

[wantin150]

I stayed out of this back and worth but would like to give my .02. My state has cycling laws which actually require some type of warning device on bicycles capable of being heard for x feet. Whistles and sirens are prohibited with the exception of bicycles used in law enforcement.

It is very much proper etiquette to call "On your left" as you are passing someone to notify them of your intentions, just as you are technically supposed to give both visual and audio clues that you are passing another vehicle. Here, the vehicle being passed must give right of way upon a visual and audio signal given by the passing vehicle.

Of course, private property issues are completely different and you would be bound by those regulations. No one has any more right to occupy any space which is multiuse than anyone else. IMO, it is just plain rude for those people walking to ignore the signs. If they get bent out of shape when they get the garbage scared out of them then so be it. They need to be aware of their surroundings and respect the other people as well.

Once again, IMO, if you were a cyclist wearing headphones and riding on the roadways and you got hit because you couldn't hear vehicular traffic because of the headphones, I expect you to share some of the fault as well. (Broad picture but you get the point.) If the pedestrian is hit or over reacts, then they need to turn their music down and pay attention. A horn could help avoid these situations completely.

 

[moribundman]

Aye!

 

[ShortBuSX]

http://www.imba.com/resources/bike_management/trail_diplomacy.html

 

[wantin150]

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Originally posted by ShortBuSX:
http://www.imba.com/resources/bike_management/trail_diplomacy.html

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I may be wrong here but this is apples to oranges. I don't think we are speaking about singletrack in the woods. This is a shared use, open, urban path where people feel comfortable walking 3 and 4 abreast. Riding "offroad" on the trails is completely different and the rules change a little. I sure as heck wouldn't want to come upon a horse and blow a horn or yell. That's common sense. There isn't a whole lot you can do in a tight, blind turn in the woods at 10mph. Although I don't ride in the woods anymore, I always yielded to people walking, even though it is MUCH easier for THEM to get out of the way of me. Uh, duh. Step off the trail.

One set of trails that I used to ride was very narrow and you often came up on hikers. Hikers also knew which ones to stay off of due to the higher speeds of the bikes. The horses came in a ruined a lot of it.

 

[moribundman]

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I don't think we are speaking about singletrack in the woods. This is a shared use, open, urban path where people feel comfortable walking 3 and 4 abreast.

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I'm glad that one person read what I said. For the others I will take pictures.

 

[ShortBuSX]

I read what you said, dont humor yourself to think I dont know what youre talking about...even if I cant spell etiquette, I still understand the situation.

This shared, multi-use path is very similar in nature to a trail, etiquette is called for. You are discussing "cycling" and people who are walking...your "path" obviously has rules, weather the pedestrians want to follow them(the rules) or not...you are on a bike and you represent the cycling comunity weather you like it or not.

The rules on that IMBA site are realistic and similar to those that should be followed by all cyclists...especially those sharing a multi use "path".

Im really sorry, my responses arent exactly what you were looking for...I even offered you proactive solutions to your problems...I just dont believe that you will find a cycling enthusisat that agrees that you should ever honk at "walkers" whatever the situation...I challenge you to even find a "roadie's rules of the road" that would even support your cause. And if you really cared about your cause, your riding spot, and the time you spend on your bike, then take the proactive approach contact one of your local organizations, take part in the solution instead of being part of the problem...doing the samething over and over again expecting a different outcome is "insane". Do your part and make your riding spot a better place! Instead of griping about it in an OIL enthusiasts internet forum where you arent going to draw realistic comments from a cycling crowd that know the etiquette(even if they cant spell it).

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I'm glad that one person read what I said.

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Id be glad if you or the other poster actually read the rules on IMBA site, adopt those rules as your own(but feel free to substitute the word "trail" for "path" if it makes reading it easier or more palatable for you.

[quote Originally posted by wantin150:[QB]

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...apples to oranges...
One set of trails that I used to ride was very narrow and you often came up on hikers. Hikers also knew which ones to stay off of due to the higher speeds of the bikes. The horses came in a ruined a lot of it.

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Sounds more like "oranges to tangerines" to me, and if you or anybody lese here cant see the similarities between the two then so be it! But your final sentence sums up his situation entirely and even sounds exactly like his scenario, except in his scenario hes the horse!

 

[wantin150]

I feel like banging my head against a wall. On the road, road rules apply. On the trails, your IMBA's rules can apply. In this multi-use path, the rules of the park/path apply. Simple as that. Walkers need to follow their rules, period. If it takes a little prodding with an air horn, then so be it, maybe they will learn to follow their rules posted on the sign.

And, um, there is a huge difference in singletrack and this multi-use path. MOST single track can't handle 2 people side by side so, yeah, someone has to yield. A multi-use path which is plenty wide for 3 and 4 people abreast has plenty of room for passing if everyone follows the rules.

You win. I'm out. Tell Grandpa riding his beach cruiser to make sure he stops and dismounts when passing every pedestrian or tell him to ride in the road where it's safer. Better yet, just have him walk his bike while he walks behind all the people he can't pass.

And, as a "roadie" with many 1000's of miles under my wheels, I usually don't have to yell at pedestrians in the roadway. I do, however, yell at the idiotic driver's who have no clue how to drive around cyclists.

And I read the rules. They don't seem to apply in Mori's case since THE WALKERS ARE WEARING HEADPHONES AND CAN'T HEAR HIM call out, which seems to be a primary concern (communication) in the rules. It seems to me that he is attempting to follow these rules and be polite but with no results from these people so he is being forced into another, possibly unpleasant option, hence the topic seeking ideas.

 

[moribundman]

Click for a larger image.

 

[brian fix]

well said Mori.,BL