cbell74

Fellow cyclists --

First off, I am new to this forum. :-)

Over the last two weeks I have had two bad experiences with fellow cyclists around here that have really made me look poorly upon some of the community here.

About two weeks ago, I was biking on a trail and had to come to a complete stop to allow a car to pass (it had the right of way). A cyclist behind me didn't stop and ran right into me. No damage was done to me or my bike, but instead of checking on me, he simply stopped to look at his bike and then took off. Common courtesy would dictate that the person at fault would at least check on the person that they hit.

The second incident happened today on the same trail (near Cannary Row for those familar). I was walking on the trail with my mother who is visiting the town. While on the trail, I briefly went into just a portion of the left lane. A cyclist coming the other way at a high speed starting yelling at me and then tried to hit me to make his point that I was in the left lane. Hmmm...he had about 5 feet on my left to pass and at the least could have asked and not yelled.

As cyclists we all need to remain courteous, remember that we don't always have the right of way, and not need to bike at top speeds on city walking trails.

Done venting...

Charles

10 Wheels

Stay Off Trails.
Ride on the road.

Szczuldo

the only advise you ever need to know. The only time a bike should be on a trail is if your on a mountain bike and in the wilderness, none of this paved "bike lane" crap...It's all a gimmick.

You are a lot safer on the road, cars actually see you and even though some will pass you really really close your chances of getting into an accident are a lot lower. Just take the lane going into an intersection to prevent being right hooked, and in general don't stay to the very right...you'll look like prey to the punk crowd and they will hunt you, take the lane on the other hand and they'll know you mean business.

-=(8)=-

This forum will be a crash course in why we cant
any power as a group or movement. Most cyclists
disapprove of each other and dont mind pointing that out.
While we make our statements to each other, America
becomes meaner and more auto-centric.

apricissimus 

That's silly. Nothing wrong with a MUP. Just don't ride as if you were on the road.

fourteenbucks

Yeah, I was about to mention the same thing. There's a reason that the maps of these trails say a speed limit is 20 mph. Nothing like hitting a 6 year old on a Huffy that is barely going 5 mph.

unterhausen

nice first post OP.

As far as your two incidents go, I'm really sorry -- really, really sorry. All better?
Although I would advise learning to ride in a straight line. It may save your life, possibly even on the MUP.

apricissimus 

I believe the OP was walking on the MUP.

Allister

There's your problem - the expectation that, merely because someone is riding a bike, they'll be just like you.

unterhausen

reading comprehension is not my strong suit. Paying attention where you're walking probably is a good idea too. But I am truly sorry for his troubles anyway.

blankgen

I love walking on that MUP but I can't stand riding on it. Too much beautiful scenery to distract tourists (like me), lots of erratic riding by people on rentals and I noticed that very few bikes stop where the path intersects roads. Which is fine by me because Monterey has always been such an easy town to ride like a vehicle. The drivers always seem to be overly cautious and from what I remember there are very few streets with speed limits above 30.

oh, and people are ****** bags

parker63

The Peninsula Bike Trail is 20 minutes away from me, and I would say that it's views are some of the most beautiful you would find. If it's a weekday and not the summer, it's fantastic. The weekends are another story. Especially right before hitting Fisherman's Wharf all the way to Lovers Point in Pacific Grove. Traffic jam.

Packed with tourists walking right in the middle of the bike path, skaters doing slaloms and zooming past everyone, little kids on training wheels riding serpentine between both lanes...it's a mess. If you just want a *real* leisurely ride with lots of slow downs it's fine, or if you're out there with your kids just messing around, but if you actually try to have a nice uninterrupted ride, the weekends just aren't real accommodating. On top of all this, there is currently a detour right before hitting Lovers Point because of some construction going on the path.

With all of that being said, I'm sorry that you had bad experiences on the trail. I've seen and experienced that type of behavior over there too, unfortunately. I'm still appreciative of having that trail in our area though, regardless of some of the jerks on there from time to time.

hurricane harry

It's over, you will never see these people agian the rest of your life.

cbell74

All --

Thanks for the great replies. Monterey really is a fun place to bike and offers a lot of great views. When my mother was here we tried renting a surrey bike along the trail. Wow! Talk about a lot of work just to go around 5 MPH!! The only problem with those was a few of the intersections where you have to really watch for cars.

I kind of like what "Hurricane Harry" wrote:

It's over, you will never see these people agian the rest of your life.

Very true. :-)

Charles

P.S. If there are any others around Monterey who would like to bike, please let me know. I have a mountain bike (basic REI), and simply cycle for fun.