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Old 09-05-09, 02:48 PM
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Runners


I like to ride early Saturday morning. Unfortunately there is usaully a horde of runners. They want to run 3 and 4 abreast and take the whole trail as their own. They don't want to move over when I meet them on the trail. Maybe I need a really loud air horn!

Bicyclists sometimes ride 2 abreast, but they almost always yield when I meet them or overtake them.

Last edited by gtragitt; 09-05-09 at 02:49 PM. Reason: typo
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Old 09-05-09, 02:50 PM
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I don't think runners are normal. I feel sorry for them and yet I avoid them when I can.
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Old 09-05-09, 02:58 PM
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We have a local running club that use the MUP from around 7am for their training runs. They keep to the left and may be double file but they recognise that others may be using the MUP aswell. Not so for the joggers out for a 5 mile slow trot. All the gear and I Pods in. The worst are when you have two together and they take up the whole width of the path. I give them one yell and then pass them. May be a bit close- and maybe a bit fast but my Old cycling mate used to get them off the trail very fast. He just asked them at the top of his voice. "Which side do you want the tyre marks". And he only slowed down for dogs and kids.
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Old 09-05-09, 05:19 PM
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Originally Posted by gtragitt

I like to ride early Saturday morning. Unfortunately there is usaully a horde of runners. They want to run 3 and 4 abreast and take the whole trail as their own. They don't want to move over when I meet them on the trail. Maybe I need a really loud air horn!
That's one of the reasons I've taken to avoiding the MUP.
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Old 09-05-09, 09:01 PM
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I run, I ride a bike and I have seen and encountered people in both groups exhibiting questionable behavior. Runners with ipods are a hazard to everyone, particularly to bicyclists on trails. My rules, whether running alone or with friends, are no ipods and use only the right half of the trail. Unfortunately, the "I'll take my half out of the middle" groups are too prevalent and seem to believe they should not be inconvenienced by faster runners and bicyclists.

When I'm running or riding, I really appreciate bicyclists who are passing from behind saying, "on your left," and giving the number of bikes if riding in a group. Bicyclists who ride all-out on bike trails are a hazard to runners, walkers and families with little ones on bikes. On my ride this morning, I was pushed off the trail once by a group of road bikers going so fast they were not able to hold a line on their side of the turn.
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Old 09-06-09, 07:53 AM
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I've never had a problem with calling out "Coming up!" or "On your left". Sometimes I have to say it a couple of times, but it has always worked. I also give them a "Thank you" or "Good morning" as I pass.
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Old 09-06-09, 04:32 PM
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Originally Posted by gtragitt
. . .They don't want to move over when I meet them on the trail . . .
Is you saying that they refuse to move over or are slow at it? If they are refuseniks you might try altering your route to meet them head on.

If they are just slow, try using a bell or louder voice soon enough to give them time to sort themselves out. It's often the unskilled runners who gaggle along like that because their pace skills can't keep them off our each others heels.
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Old 09-06-09, 04:41 PM
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I have the same problem in the bike lanes along Pacific Coast Highway 101. Contraflow runners are generally not a problem, because I hug the left side of the bike lane and make it abundantly clear that I intend to hold that lateral position, but today I had to use a bit of vocal power to get some clown to pay attetion. Runners going in my direction, particularly those with their auditory Borg implants installed, are a genuine problem.
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Old 09-06-09, 04:59 PM
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I had the same type of problem on a "Bike Path" (illegal for walking/running) with a group of 4 guys. Finally adjusted my front brake so that a slight touch of the brake to the rim would make it squeal, without giving any real braking (and with real braking, no squeal - but very hard to adjust just right). Give them the brake squeal and see how fast they move!
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Old 09-07-09, 06:44 AM
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Originally Posted by stapfam
...... I give them one yell and then pass them. May be a bit close- and maybe a bit fast but my Old cycling mate used to get them off the trail very fast. He just asked them at the top of his voice. "Which side do you want the tyre marks". And he only slowed down for dogs and kids.
Surely you jest. Rude and childish. Surely a positive effect on the public's perception of cyclists.
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Old 09-07-09, 06:48 AM
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Originally Posted by professorbob
I've never had a problem with calling out "Coming up!" or "On your left". Sometimes I have to say it a couple of times, but it has always worked. I also give them a "Thank you" or "Good morning" as I pass.
Exactly. Simple, effective and gracious.
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Old 09-07-09, 07:07 AM
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Originally Posted by The Weak Link
I don't think runners are normal. I feel sorry for them and yet I avoid them when I can.
Yep.
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Old 09-07-09, 07:50 AM
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I included a few miles of MUP riding yesterday. The trail is great and gets me through the city with a minimum of fuss, but the people on it were a challenge. The key is to just slow down and realize you're not going to proceed at your normal pace.

The MUP can be a dangerous place if you are not extremely careful.
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Old 09-07-09, 08:14 AM
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On most days when I encounter runners and joggers they yield when I say "left". It is just the horde on Saturday morning. I always say on your left" or "left" when I overtake anybody. I always say thank you as I overtake. With the horde I am meeting them not overtaking them. They will not yield!
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Old 09-07-09, 10:07 AM
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My commute includes several segments of MUP riding. One nice thing about it getting later in the year is it's dark now on my ride home, which has eliminated most of the truly clueless for the season. There are still ninjas out there of all kinds, though, so I just ride it more slowly than the open road and take it as a fact of life on the MUP. I can accept that many users aren't going to pay attention to what's going on around them, but the ones that do get my irritation up are the people who stand in the middle of the trail just to talk.

Last edited by rnorris; 09-07-09 at 10:12 AM.
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Old 09-07-09, 10:49 AM
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Can only imagine what runners are thinking about cyclists usng their running paths!!
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