Road Cycling - Crashed into dumba** pedestrian!

Well I thought I was going to enjoy a good weekend of riding with my new shorts, jersey, gel bar tape and gloves. After coming home for lunch I decided to go back out for an hour or so. The loop in the park's about 4 lanes wide, 1 for pedestrians, 1 for bikes, and 2 for cars though the car lanes are closed during off peak hours so I'm in the car lane.

Going down this hill at around 30mph when this whole damn family just decides to stroll diagonally across with their backs to the direction of traffic. I see them and slow to about 20mph, getting ready to go around them. Behind them with a gap of about 8-10 ft are these 2 dumba** teens coming home from baseball. There are a bunch of people around them. I'm about 2 seconds from them with the gap closed to about 6-8 ft but I can make it through since they paused. I slowed to about 15mph and get ready to go through when one of the teens decides to misjudge my speed and that he could safely pass and sprints across the gap, with about 1 second to decide, there was an innocent family with a stroller to my left, family with group of kids to my right, and dumba** teen in front of me, I grabbed my brakes and banked left to a) hope I can avoid him since he was sprinting to my right and b) hoped if I fell that I would break the fall for my bike and save the drive train.

Well down I went and next thing I know, I've lost some skin on my left knee and the left side of my shin. The chain popped off and is jammed in the front der. My helmet hit the pavement on the left side, causing the right side to slide down and caused my skullcap to rub a bunch of skin off my right scalp. I'm still clipped in and floundering like an idiot trying to get out. When the other kid comes running back with my water bottle which fell out and I'm screaming "what the hell, watch where the hell you're going!" And he says, "you alright man?" and I said, "yeah your ass broke my fall." They're strolling away and I'm trying to unclip (pretending to examine my chain so I don't look too stupid :) ) Finally got up, yanked the chain loose, put her back in gear and decide to go home and wash the asphalt off me.

Looks like the only losers were the rear QR which is scraped up and my left brake/shifter which is all scratched up :(

Looks like the only losers were the rear QR which is scraped up and my left brake/shifter which is all scratched up :(

I'm glad to see you're not seriously hurt nor is your bike. It sounds like you made some excellent split-second decisions there and saved injuring the peds... even the stupid ones. You might want to check out your helmet for cracks (replace immediately if it has any) and also the fit. I don't think a helmet should have done that.

In my time riding on weekend days like today, I've found that in order of unpredictability:


People walking on MUPs
People driving to and from church
People walking to and from church


Almost all of the above seem to involve families and children. I kinda live in suburban hell. On Sundays, I tend to do my short rides starting around 0900 and try to conclude before the mad rush from the churches to the brunch places. For longer rides, I'll make sure to head aways from civilisation and wait until after 1400 to return.

It sounds like there were a bunch of people in the street and you were going too fast for the conditions. Pedestrians always have the right of way- even if they don't know it.

I'm glad you are ok, your bike too and that noone was hurt. Not blaming you because something like that can happen to anyone but maybe I'm misreading your description...

I posted about this in the safety forum.

Riding to work I see a guy maybe a 300 feet away start to cross the road mid-block. He looks right at me, stops, and when I'm 25 feet from him starts to cross in front of me. I missed him by a few inches.

It's unbelievable but people will look you straight in the eyes and then step out in front of you.

Pedestrians have the right of way at stop signs, when the sign says "walk" and at other areas clearly marked as a crossing zone. They do not have the right of way when they are jay walking or crossing against the light. Not that you should hit them or anything. What the guy in the above example did was 100% illegal and what I was doing was 100% legal.

There was a stop light about 20 ft away but that's only valid when the road's open to car traffic which it isn't in off peak hours. I had the light but no one obeys that since the roads are closed to car traffic. There was no stop sign, it's a loop inside a park which has specific walk ways on either side plus a separate walking zone and biking zone for slow bikers. If you go fast, you go in the car lane which people should stay out of.
I'm surprised this guy didn't wait the 2 seconds for me to pass. I wish I could've thought to yell "FREEZE" and they'll have to stop and hold their positions. At least I know exactly where to go without them jumping back and forth.
I'm not sure about this one but a lot of the large bike paths in manhattan if I read and remember correctly have signs that say pedestrians are to yield to bikers.
Regardless, no more road biking in mid-afternoon sunday. Speed & jack-a$$ pedestrians don't mix.

I posted about this in the safety forum.

Riding to work I see a guy maybe a 300 feet away start to cross the road mid-block. He looks right at me, stops, and when I'm 25 feet from him starts to cross in front of me. I missed him by a few inches.

It's unbelievable but people will look you straight in the eyes and then step out in front of you.

Pedestrians have the right of way at stop signs, when the sign says "walk" and at other areas clearly marked as a crossing zone. They do not have the right of way when they are jay walking or crossing against the light. Not that you should hit them or anything. What the guy in the above example did was 100% illegal and what I was doing was 100% legal.

i LOVE those people. i always make it a point to go WAY out of my way just to buzz either right in front of them or right behind and let out a quick, loud, high-pitched yelp. people that stupid deserve to have the poop scared out of them. especially if they wander out right in front of me. they're usually safe form my wrath if they're at least 10-15 feet in front. any less than that and someone's gonna have some laundry to do.

i LOVE those people. i always make it a point to go WAY out of my way just to buzz either right in front of them or right behind and let out a quick, loud, high-pitched yelp. people that stupid deserve to have the poop scared out of them. especially if they wander out right in front of me. they're usually safe form my wrath if they're at least 10-15 feet in front. any less than that and someone's gonna have some laundry to do.

I do the same thing. I'm going to start going behind them and yelling loudly. Maybe scare 'em enough that they may think twice the next time.

I do the same thing. I'm going to start going behind them and yelling loudly. Maybe scare 'em enough that they may think twice the next time.

just don't yell at pedestrians right before you pass them- they might stick a foot, arm, or their whole body into your path if they jump with fright.

I wonder if a whistle would help. Loud piercing sound seems to travel farther.

This is why you should carry two waterbottles. One for you and one for spraying people ... :D

Going down this hill at around 30mph when this whole damn family just decides to stroll diagonally across with their backs to the direction of traffic. I see them and slow to about 20mph, getting ready to go around them. Behind them with a gap of about 8-10 ft are these 2 dumba** teens coming home from baseball. There are a bunch of people around them. I'm about 2 seconds from them with the gap closed to about 6-8 ft but I can make it through since they paused. I slowed to about 15mph and get ready to go through when one of the teens decides to misjudge my speed and that he could safely pass and sprints across the gap, with about 1 second to decide, there was an innocent family with a stroller to my left, family with group of kids to my right, and dumba** teen in front of me, I grabbed my brakes and banked left to a) hope I can avoid him since he was sprinting to my right and b) hoped if I fell that I would break the fall for my bike and save the drive train.

Well down I went and next thing I know, I've lost some skin on my left knee and the left side of my shin.

Uhhh...let me see if I have this right. On a weekend, on a crowded multi-use path, you're doing 30 mph, then "slowing" to 15 mph as you try to thread a gap between kids and a family with a stroller? No offense, but you were the bozo in that scenario.

And you were a damned lucky bozo too. If you had hit somebody, you could easily have been sued. The trial would have been a slam dunk for the plaintiff..."failure to control speed" is clearly the case.

FWIW, multi-use paths are quite dangerous to cyclists. If you want to go that fast, get out on the road where it's expected, and appropriate.

Multi-use path? eeewwww.......No way!? ......Come on man,,, you said "new gell bar tape" so one would assume it's a road bike........The reason they are called road bikes has a lot to do with them being MADE FOR THE ROAD! stick to road. its safer anyhow.

In his defense, he did say he was in one of the two car lanes. However, it's clear that the peds don't make the proper distinguishment. That said, I do agree that around parks, it's wise to keep things a little slower.

In his defense, he did say he was in one of the two car lanes. However, it's clear that the peds don't make the proper distinguishment. That said, I do agree that around parks, it's wise to keep things a little slower.

From his first paragraph, it sounds like the car lanes were closed to auto traffic. To me, it sounded like a typical "weekend in the park with lots of people" scenario. Trying to go fast under those conditions is a really BAD idea, as he apparently found out.

From his first paragraph, it sounds like the car lanes were closed to auto traffic. To me, it sounded like a typical "weekend in the park with lots of people" scenario. Trying to go fast under those conditions is a really BAD idea, as he apparently found out.

Agreed. Maybe they should start regularly posting signs like this...

http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/visual_tao_of_cycling/PICT0001.jpg

Uhhh...let me see if I have this right. On a weekend, on a crowded multi-use path, you're doing 30 mph, then "slowing" to 15 mph as you try to thread a gap between kids and a family with a stroller? No offense, but you were the bozo in that scenario.

And you were a damned lucky bozo too. If you had hit somebody, you could easily have been sued. The trial would have been a slam dunk for the plaintiff..."failure to control speed" is clearly the case.

FWIW, multi-use paths are quite dangerous to cyclists. If you want to go that fast, get out on the road where it's expected, and appropriate.

I understand what you're saying and no I'm not some crazed maniac. I would go slow if it's crowded. The only thing is that the section wasn't crowded. The section that was open was basically as wide as a street until these two guys decided to stroll on in at which point i attempted to slow down and had all of 2 seconds to find a way out, which I DID when they stopped in the path but it didn't work out when one of them decided to all of a sudden step in my way.

I didn't have to "thread" the gap until it formed when two bozos wandered into the path. There are parks service CARS and police VANS that routinely patrol the path even if it's closed to car traffic. They'll slow down to 10mph and when people notice them and form a path, they'll cross. If a kid decides to jump into the path of the police car then it's 5ft away, he'll end up on the hood too. The only difference between this kid jumping into the path of an oncoming car and me is that I am much less threatening.

And the reason why I was able to reach 30 on the downhill (I was coasting btw, not pedaling) was because the area was clear. This path has the combined width of a 3 lane highway, all the bike paths, pedestrian paths, pedestrian trails, and car lanes are properly marked. By that definition, a common street would be considered a "multi-use" path too. It would be a terrible accident too if some kid dashed into the street from their drive way while you were doing 30 (speed limit) and jumped in front of your car 10 ft in front of you. What if you're driving and a careless parent pushes a stroller into your path 10 ft in front of you while you have the light and you didn't see him because a van was parked at the corner?

What you're saying is absolutely right but in my case, the road's a lot wider than you think it is. I didn't mean that there was two inches between the kids and the two families on either side, you could've spanned a street. But at the speed I was going and given the split second decision, I felt that if I had jerked my handle bars so far either way and I didn't fall, I would have swerved far enough to potentially hurt either family and so I chose not to.

From his first paragraph, it sounds like the car lanes were closed to auto traffic. To me, it sounded like a typical "weekend in the park with lots of people" scenario. Trying to go fast under those conditions is a really BAD idea, as he apparently found out.

Closed to cars but the car lanes are still for high speed traffic hence why if you go fast, you belong there because it's easier for police cars since they don't come up on fast cyclists as fast as walkers. Closed to ordinary traffic, not parks services, police, fire, etc patrols. This sounds like the same argument people tell me when they say bikes don't belong on the road because roads are built for cars.

Well...I wasn't there, and sometimes sh*t happens. But, I would not want to try and explain that to a jury. And, MUP's (especially on weekends) are notoriously dangerous places to ride...statistically much more dangerous than on regular roadways.

Well...I wasn't there, and sometimes sh*t happens. But, I would not want to try and explain that to a jury. And, MUP's (especially on weekends) are notoriously dangerous places to ride...statistically much more dangerous than on regular roadways.

I wouldn't wanna explain it to a jury either and as horrible as it sounds, I'm glad I hit the kid instead of the two families. Fortunately, the kid wasn't even hurt and all I had was some road rash.

:)
This is why you should carry two waterbottles. One for you and one for spraying people ... :D

Very interesting concept, had any success? I call out "BIK"E that usually works .Walkers on cycle ways can be very ignorant.

:)
This is why you should carry two waterbottles. One for you and one for spraying people ... :D

Very interesting concept, had any success? I call out "BIKe" that usually works .Walkers on cycle ways can be very ignorant.

This is why you should carry two waterbottles. One for you and one for spraying people ... :D

I think that strategy's for dogs :p

:)

Very interesting concept, had any success? I call out "BIKe" that usually works .Walkers on cycle ways can be very ignorant.

If truth be told I have never done this to pedestrians. I never cycle anywhere other than the road. I have, however, sprayed a passenger in a car after they spat at me.

What a load of cr*p. Pedestrians on bike lanes are idiots! They run the risk of being run into regardless of who is at fault! Then NOBODY wins.

I have taught my brats to respect traffic conditions. That means waiting till the road is clear EVEN on pedestrian crossings. The same applies when skiing, skating etc. Better to be a healthy coward than a dead ...

What a load of cr*p. Pedestrians on bike lanes are idiots! They run the risk of being run into regardless of who is at fault! Then NOBODY wins.

I have taught my brats to respect traffic conditions. That means waiting till the road is clear EVEN on pedestrian crossings. The same applies when skiing, skating etc. Better to be a healthy coward than a dead ...

It does not sound like the pedestrians were in a "bike lane" per se. From the original post, it sounds like it was in a park with a multi-use path, and traffic lanes that were closed to cars for the weekend. I would assume that the pedestrians have the right-of-way in that scenario, as they do in most parks and MUPs.

Granted, they might have been idiots. But, riding a bike at 15 mph when in close proximity to walkers is not a good idea either. The bike is travelling 5 times normal walking speed. The speed differential is one of the contributing factors in this incident, and is one reason that some MUPs have posted speed limits of 10 mph for bikes (and yet another reason to avoid them :) ).

It does not sound like the pedestrians were in a "bike lane" per se. From the original post, it sounds like it was in a park with a multi-use path, and traffic lanes that were closed to cars for the weekend. I would assume that the pedestrians have the right-of-way in that scenario, as they do in most parks and MUPs.

Granted, they might have been idiots. But, riding a bike at 15 mph when in close proximity to walkers is not a good idea either. The bike is travelling 5 times normal walking speed. The speed differential is one of the contributing factors in this incident, and is one reason that some MUPs have posted speed limits of 10 mph for bikes (and yet another reason to avoid them :) ).

I take your point and at the same time might add that this advice is also good for cyclists! :)

Here in Geneva we have some nice cycle paths where pedestrians tend to keep off due to speedy bikers. They also have footpaths on the other side of the road. Some roads running parallel to these paths are lethal are are not the place for the faint hearted. I suppose that every country or area has it's peculiarities.

The main idea is not to get hurt or injure others. That would be based on ATTITUDE :)

It does not sound like the pedestrians were in a "bike lane" per se. From the original post, it sounds like it was in a park with a multi-use path, and traffic lanes that were closed to cars for the weekend. I would assume that the pedestrians have the right-of-way in that scenario, as they do in most parks and MUPs.

Granted, they might have been idiots. But, riding a bike at 15 mph when in close proximity to walkers is not a good idea either. The bike is travelling 5 times normal walking speed. The speed differential is one of the contributing factors in this incident, and is one reason that some MUPs have posted speed limits of 10 mph for bikes (and yet another reason to avoid them :) ).

While I can't say for the rest, this one keeps the same rules even if the traffic lanes are closed to commercial traffic. Closing of the two car lanes is for the benefit of bikers, not pedestrians (who have plenty of ground of their own at all times). I'm not sure about this one but there are a few much narrower ones that specificly say yield to all bicycle traffic first. And yes, the pedestrians in my case were in the bike lane and kept going, eventually ending up in the middle of the two car lanes with active high speed bike and car (i saw 2 cars and a van patrolling that day) traffic with their backs turned to the direction of flow.

But yeah, if in a crowded situation like a stroll in the park on sundays with my gf, we're willing to ride at 2-3mph just to get some fresh air. Closing speeds is one of the reasons why I insist on riding faster when I commute, so cars pace me longer and it gives the driver more time to judge what to do as opposed to having 2 seconds of warning before they overtake me.

you need a horn and a loud voice that says "get out of the way you slow ###%$#$%$##$$ etc."

The bikes can never win. Go ride on the running trail and you'll get yells and glares and eventually a cop will get you to move. On the other hand, when peds decide to go for a stroll/jog on the bike trail any objections from bikers will be met with demands to slow down and quit being so unsafe. You can't win no matter where you ride. I am particularly fond of the folks who rollerblade on the bike trail with headphones and no helmet.

That said, 30 mph is pretty fast for a park with peds wandering around no matter how it's setup or which lanes are closed. What's the speed limit on that stretch of road? If it's 20 mph for cars then it's 20 mph for bikes, too, and I can't see 30 mph being a legal speed on a park road at any time, at least a park road set up as you describe.

I think it's 30 though I've been doing 30 trying to draft behind cars and haven't been able to keep up. This is only for the downhill though where you're able to coast up to almost 30. The fastest I can possibly go with all my strength on straight flat ground without some kind of wind is around 30.

You're right, I can't win. I ride slow in the running trail, I'm told to get off onto the bike lane, I'm on the bike lane I'm told to get off onto the road, I'm on the road and a cop tells me to get on the sidewalk, I'm on the sidewalk and I'm told to get onto the street...

I think it's 30 though I've been doing 30 trying to draft behind cars and haven't been able to keep up. This is only for the downhill though where you're able to coast up to almost 30. The fastest I can possibly go with all my strength on straight flat ground without some kind of wind is around 30.

You're right, I can't win. I ride slow in the running trail, I'm told to get off onto the bike lane, I'm on the bike lane I'm told to get off onto the road, I'm on the road and a cop tells me to get on the sidewalk, I'm on the sidewalk and I'm told to get onto the street...

Where do you ride where a cop tells you to ride on the sidewalk???? In most jurisdictions, that is illegal.

I've had that said to me once. If you search the forums, everyonce in a while I read about someone having a cop say that to them.
In my case, I was taking the lane with heavy traffic going around a huge hole in the ground where construction was taking place. One of the officers directing traffic said, "get on the sidewalk, keep the cars moving!" I just rode away. No way I was going to fall into the hole or get creamed by a car hugging the curb.

What I'm really getting tired of in this post, and others, is the labeling of pedestrians as "dumb***es", or some similiar toxic name. Slvoid, I'm sorry that some family out on a Sunday stroll in the park caused you to crash. I've had similar experiences, and you're right, it sucks. But I'm fairly certain that those people bore you no ill will, as you probably did not to them...at least before the mishap. It was an accident. An unintended outcome. An error of judgement. Call it what you will. But please, let's all lighten up on the name-calling on the "pedestrians." Because here's a dirty little secret...WE'RE ALL PEDESTRIANS!!!!!" Walking is the most basic, fundamental form of transportation there is. Every trip, no matter what other mode you use, begins and ends with a walk. Anyone on this board NOT do any walking today? A person out on a walk is in a very vulnerable state, whether they know it or not. Persons using cars, trains, bikes, scooters, Segways - what have you - all travel faster and typically have more mass than a person walking. It's like hitting a raw egg with a Louisville Slugger. Anybody using a wheeled conveyance has a tacit, if not legal responsibility to not hit people on foot. It's terribly disingenuous for us cyclists to rant about the abuse we get from automobile drivers, then turn around and heap the same type of venom on pedestrians. No wonder cyclists are hated...

I wonder if a whistle would help. Loud piercing sound seems to travel farther.

airzound, sound like a semi truck passing em... although don't use it in the house, you end up having to extract the cat from the celling.

cheers
kat

on my regular sat. ride, I go through multi-use paths, bikes only paths and roads. To cross the golden gate bridge, I have to deal with tourist taking photos, tourist on rental bikes and families everywhere. I have learned to just slow down. Its the only way to get accross the bridge and tourist are important to the city. Sure they will cut in front of a bike because they are un-educated to bikes, but what's the big deal, slow down and be nice to them...cyclist don't need a bad rap. and every one of my bikes have a bell!

What I'm really getting tired of in this post, and others, is the labeling of pedestrians as "dumb***es", or some similiar toxic name.

[snip]

Anyone on this board NOT do any walking today?

Actually, I had my laptop with me before going to bed last night and simply set it aside. I woke up this morning and just reached over for the laptop to start working (I work from home) so I guess, no... I haven't walked at all today... yet. I should probably brush my teeth, go to the bathroom, get lunch and generally rejoin the rest of the real world though. :D However, your point is spot-on and well taken.



A person out on a walk is in a very vulnerable state, whether they know it or not.

[snip]

It's terribly disingenuous for us cyclists to rant about the abuse we get from automobile drivers, then turn around and heap the same type of venom on pedestrians. No wonder cyclists are hated...

I don't disagree with you here but I think "dumba**" was referring to those pedestrians who just don't think. While it is our responsibility to yield to them when on a faster vehicle, I believe that people who step out into traffic without thought should lose points on their survival instinct grades. I'll bet you these are the same type of people who cut in front of 20 tonne semi-tractor trailers when they're driving. Being more vulnerable should make one better at being aware of one's surroundings.

What I'm really getting tired of in this post, and others, is the labeling of pedestrians as "dumb***es", or some similiar toxic name. Slvoid, I'm sorry that some family out on a Sunday stroll in the park caused you to crash. I've had similar experiences, and you're right, it sucks. But I'm fairly certain that those people bore you no ill will, as you probably did not to them...at least before the mishap. It was an accident. An unintended outcome. An error of judgement. Call it what you will. But please, let's all lighten up on the name-calling on the "pedestrians." Because here's a dirty little secret...WE'RE ALL PEDESTRIANS!!!!!" Walking is the most basic, fundamental form of transportation there is. Every trip, no matter what other mode you use, begins and ends with a walk. Anyone on this board NOT do any walking today? A person out on a walk is in a very vulnerable state, whether they know it or not. Persons using cars, trains, bikes, scooters, Segways - what have you - all travel faster and typically have more mass than a person walking. It's like hitting a raw egg with a Louisville Slugger. Anybody using a wheeled conveyance has a tacit, if not legal responsibility to not hit people on foot. It's terribly disingenuous for us cyclists to rant about the abuse we get from automobile drivers, then turn around and heap the same type of venom on pedestrians. No wonder cyclists are hated...

Yes, we're all pedestrians, and at the time, those were the best words I could come up with to describe those particular pedestrains, not all, and specifically not you. I'm sorry if I offended you as a pedestrian.

I generally stay on the road but if I happen for some reason to go out on a path where pedestrians are known to be, I put a speaky toy on my handle bars (meant for kids bikes) and squeak as I approach. Never fails to get peds to look back and move to the right. SSP raises a good point; in court the peds will win and you probably shouldn't expect to hammer down on these passages anyway.

Well I thought I was going to enjoy a good weekend of riding with my new shorts, jersey, gel bar tape and gloves. After coming home for lunch I decided to go back out for an hour or so. The loop in the park's about 4 lanes wide, 1 for pedestrians, 1 for bikes, and 2 for cars though the car lanes are closed during off peak hours so I'm in the car lane.

Going down this hill at around 30mph when this whole damn family just decides to stroll diagonally across with their backs to the direction of traffic. I see them and slow to about 20mph, getting ready to go around them. Behind them with a gap of about 8-10 ft are these 2 dumba** teens coming home from baseball. There are a bunch of people around them. I'm about 2 seconds from them with the gap closed to about 6-8 ft but I can make it through since they paused. I slowed to about 15mph and get ready to go through when one of the teens decides to misjudge my speed and that he could safely pass and sprints across the gap, with about 1 second to decide, there was an innocent family with a stroller to my left, family with group of kids to my right, and dumba** teen in front of me, I grabbed my brakes and banked left to a) hope I can avoid him since he was sprinting to my right and b) hoped if I fell that I would break the fall for my bike and save the drive train.

Well down I went and next thing I know, I've lost some skin on my left knee and the left side of my shin. The chain popped off and is jammed in the front der. My helmet hit the pavement on the left side, causing the right side to slide down and caused my skullcap to rub a bunch of skin off my right scalp. I'm still clipped in and floundering like an idiot trying to get out. When the other kid comes running back with my water bottle which fell out and I'm screaming "what the hell, watch where the hell you're going!" And he says, "you alright man?" and I said, "yeah your ass broke my fall." They're strolling away and I'm trying to unclip (pretending to examine my chain so I don't look too stupid :) ) Finally got up, yanked the chain loose, put her back in gear and decide to go home and wash the asphalt off me.

Looks like the only losers were the rear QR which is scraped up and my left brake/shifter which is all scratched up :(

I ride a path a lot, and have gotten into the habit of always yelling out "passing left", "bike coming through", or something similar whenever peds are around. Slow down and yell 5-10 seconds ahead (depending on your speed).....loud enough they can hear you. This is no time to be shy; you can be loud, but polite. You'll have to repeat the warning if they don't move, and also get ready to brake. You can use a euro-style ping bell if you ride with peds a lot and don't like yelling.

Many paths require the cyclist to hail people they are passing from behind to prevent startling them, even when they are in their lane. It's a nice courtesy to the walkers. When they acknowledge you and move over, or reel in their mutt, you can even say thanks as you go by.

I ride a path a lot, and have gotten into the habit of always yelling out "passing left", "bike coming through", or something similar whenever peds are around. Slow down and yell 5-10 seconds ahead (depending on your speed).....loud enough they can hear you. This is no time to be shy; you can be loud, but polite. You'll have to repeat the warning if they don't move, and also get ready to brake. You can use a euro-style ping bell if you ride with peds a lot and don't like yelling.



It is always incumbent on the overtaking vehicle to pass only when safe. In this case, it's we bikers who are the overtaking vehicles.

And around here, pedestrians have the right-of-way once they've entered the roadway. I believe this law exists because we have so few crosswalks. So, make sure you know your local ordinance before you start blaming pedestrains. Whether or not you may think they made an intelligent choice, it's quite possible that legally speaking, it was their choice to make.

Screaming obscenities in front of children is never called for.

Ride sage.

[I meant to say safe there, but I like sage, too. Ride sagely, everyone.]

It is always incumbent on the overtaking vehicle to pass only when safe. In this case, it's we bikers who are the overtaking vehicles.

And around here, pedestrians have the right-of-way once they've entered the roadway. I believe this law exists because we have so few crosswalks. So, make sure you know your local ordinance before you start blaming pedestrains. Whether or not you may think they made an intelligent choice, it's quite possible that legally speaking, it was their choice to make.

Screaming obscenities in front of children is never called for.

Ride sage.

[I meant to say safe there, but I like sage, too. Ride sagely, everyone.]

I don't want to make this thread any longer than necessary, but you're telling me that, say I'm in an overtaking vehicle, say a car, doing 30mph, and there are children on the sidewalk, I can safely do 30mph since obviously I'm on the street and they're on the sidewalk. But if a kid were to suddenly jump in front of me and I swerve and still hit the kid with the side of my car then I fly into oncomng traffic, hit a tanker truck, which subsequently explodes and wipes out half the block, that it's MY fault because the moment the kid made the choice to run into moving traffic to retrieve his ball, all bets are off and he's got the right of way?

I seriously doubt even the laws of physics would give me the right of way if I were to jump in front of a moving truck carrying 5 tons of napalm at 30mph.

-Ride Sage, and Prosper.

I don't want to make this thread any longer than necessary, but you're telling me that, say I'm in an overtaking vehicle, say a car, doing 30mph, and there are children on the sidewalk, I can safely do 30mph since obviously I'm on the street and they're on the sidewalk. But if a kid were to suddenly jump in front of me and I swerve and still hit the kid with the side of my car then I fly into oncomng traffic, hit a tanker truck, which subsequently explodes and wipes out half the block, that it's MY fault because the moment the kid made the choice to run into moving traffic to retrieve his ball, all bets are off and he's got the right of way?

I seriously doubt even the laws of physics would give me the right of way if I were to jump in front of a moving truck carrying 5 tons of napalm at 30mph.

-Ride Sage, and Prosper.

No, I'm not telling you that. I am telling you that NH law states that pedestrians in the roadway have the right of way. So avoid them.

No, I'm not telling you that. I am telling you that NH law states that pedestrians in the roadway have the right of way. So avoid them.

I definitely give them the right of way when I see a pedestrian on a path and I'm on the same path. I'd expect cars to be courteous to me too if I were on the road in the same manner. However, I can't control what happens if someone decides to jump in front of me.

I ride a path a lot, and have gotten into the habit of always yelling out "passing left", "bike coming through", or something similar whenever peds are around. Slow down and yell 5-10 seconds ahead (depending on your speed).....loud enough they can hear you. This is no time to be shy; you can be loud, but polite. You'll have to repeat the warning if they don't move, and also get ready to brake. You can use a euro-style ping bell if you ride with peds a lot and don't like yelling.

Many paths require the cyclist to hail people they are passing from behind to prevent startling them, even when they are in their lane. It's a nice courtesy to the walkers. When they acknowledge you and move over, or reel in their mutt, you can even say thanks as you go by.

When I used to ride on multi-use paths, I found that a bell worked a LOT better than yelling at people. Especially for older people - they often cannot locate the direction a shouted voice is coming from (lower frequency sounds are harder to locate spacially than higher frequency sounds). And, shouting "bike left!" at old people is likely to startle them too. After installing an unobtrusive "incredibell (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=h3IuzdiD/R4&offerid=15847.124018096&type=10&subid=)" I was able to use a friendly "ding" to alert the old folks before passing. The only downside was the FRED factor, but the bell can be mounted underneath the stem where it is barely noticable.

It sounds like he's in NY Central Park, which is where I generally ride.

On weekends, especially this last one, which was the nicest of the season, it's downright dangerous. The sheer density of pedestrians, rollerbladers, bicyclists, and runners make it a 6.2 mile obstacle course.

Of the obstructions, pedestrians are clearly the worst. For some reason, they've decided that the thousands of acres of parkland, walkways, and segregated pedestrian lanes are not enough for them. Rather, they'd rather walk in large groups, with strollers, with their back to traffic. For some reason, although I'm quite certain they've seen the bicyclists and rollerbladers, they've decided that their safety is somebody else's responsibility, and despite the fact that it is in fact a road, that they can simply walk obliviously around without looking around them. It's incredibly frustrating.

Last weekend, in a quieter part of the park, a little kid was spinning around on his little steel scooter. As I passed I gave him at least 10 feet of clearance but he veered sharply at the last second and went right into my left leg, knocking him over. Of course, colliding with a lot of sharp steel didn't do a lot for my leg. The mother was right there and saw the whole thing, and to her credit, apologized immediately. If she had taken a different attitude she might have received a real tirade from me. As it was, her kid was an idiot.

The fact of the matter is that the entire burden of avoiding accidents has fallen to bicyclists and bladers (who are generally idiots as well, as I can't tell you the number of bladers I've seen wearing headphones). Frankly, as draconian a solution as it sounds, barring better law enforcement, a few more nasty accidents might teach pedestrians some valuable lessons. Given that we are going 15+ mph and helmeted, I think pedestrians would bear the brunt of the impact.

Not to sound like a violent person, but it seems that negative reinforcement is the only thing that will work.

It sounds like he's in NY Central Park, which is where I generally ride.

On weekends, especially this last one, which was the nicest of the season, it's downright dangerous. The sheer density of pedestrians, rollerbladers, bicyclists, and runners make it a 6.2 mile obstacle course.

Of the obstructions, pedestrians are clearly the worst. For some reason, they've decided that the thousands of acres of parkland, walkways, and segregated pedestrian lanes are not enough for them. Rather, they'd rather walk in large groups, with strollers, with their back to traffic. For some reason, although I'm quite certain they've seen the bicyclists and rollerbladers, they've decided that their safety is somebody else's responsibility, and despite the fact that it is in fact a road, that they can simply walk obliviously around without looking around them. It's incredibly frustrating.

Last weekend, in a quieter part of the park, a little kid was spinning around on his little steel scooter. As I passed I gave him at least 10 feet of clearance but he veered sharply at the last second and went right into my left leg, knocking him over. Of course, colliding with a lot of sharp steel didn't do a lot for my leg. The mother was right there and saw the whole thing, and to her credit, apologized immediately. If she had taken a different attitude she might have received a real tirade from me. As it was, her kid was an idiot.

The fact of the matter is that the entire burden of avoiding accidents has fallen to bicyclists and bladers (who are generally idiots as well, as I can't tell you the number of bladers I've seen wearing headphones). Frankly, as draconian a solution as it sounds, barring better law enforcement, a few more nasty accidents might teach pedestrians some valuable lessons. Given that we are going 15+ mph and helmeted, I think pedestrians would bear the brunt of the impact.

Not to sound like a violent person, but it seems that negative reinforcement is the only thing that will work.

welcome to human civilization, population: 7 billion idiotic human beings. when i'm riding, even on the street, i tend to treat everyone the same, meaning i treat everyone like a moron. because really, have you SEEN the people who wander out into traffic without looking?! and the people who cross the 4 lane street like they're taking a leisurely stroll in the park while talking on their cell phone and looking around every which way like they've never seen a ****ing intersection before?! have you seen the drivers who just pull U-turns from the left turn lane, or the ones who decide it's OKAY to turn right, and cut across ALL the lanes to jump into the leftmost lane, only to discover that traffic is backed up halfway down the block so then they jump ALL the way over to the rightmost lane? and the cyclists who ride the WRONG ****ING WAY down the street? everyone does stupid things, even me, but that doesn't make it okay.

This is why you should carry two waterbottles. One for you and one for spraying people ... :D



OMG!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Slow Down!

It does sound like Central Park, NYC or something very similar. I don't see how anyone can find any enjoyment trying to ride in that park on a weekend or crowded day. I live in Manhattan myself and find the best riding is to zip over the George Washington Bridge and up 9W. In about 25 minutes you're in the country...hard to believe it's so close by.

O'Grady, the columnist for Velonews, has a hilarious column on the website about just this topic: clueless pedestrians who clog the bike paths or leap out onto the roads without looking. It's probably still on the velonews.com website,since I read it recently.