My girlfriend and I recently went for a ride at one of the more popular hike and bike trails here in Austin, Tx: Town Lake. The place was crowded due to the beautiful weather (10-15 degrees cooler than we normally get this time of year) and it was my first experience (being new to cycling) with a crowded trail.

Now the signs say 'Bikes should yield to pedestrians' and I'm totally down with that (They are more manueverable but I'm going faster so it's my job to make sure I pass safely) but sometimes to just don't get it when people refuse to budge even an inch to save me from having to ride right on the edge of the trail. I try not to buzz by people and while I understand the lack of awareness of walkers in my lane that have their back to me (I normally like to switch gears or make some other noise behind them if I don't actually shout out some sort of warning) but I really dislike it when people coming towards me 2-3 abreast in what is supposed to a two lane trail refuse to even consider a slight change in their formation that would make things easier for me.

With all the dirty looks I rec'd on my first outing I might as well be rude and start yelling 'Leash your dog!","Watch your children please" or "Two way traffic" for all the credit I get for trying to be courteous and receiving nothing in return. As I cyclist I don't own the road, but they don't either! My bike (like most I assume) balances much better while rolling a decent clip than it does at slow speeds and I imagine one of these days I'm going to get crowded by a walker or jogger while coming to an almost complete stop a a corner or tight section and end up in their lap!