rachel120

I was riding home, I was on a public path (not private land) that is part of the public road it parallels, the path is clearly marked in several areas "Pedestrians and Bicycles Only", and I see this:

How is this even legal?

Motorists don't want us on their roads, but when we are provided a suitable alternative, they want to take that for themselves too? Not cool. I'm debating on whether it's worth it to call the police non-emergency number. That and the business the truck belongs to.

FBinNY 

Yes, it's not fair.

However, it ranks fairly low on the list of the ways life's not fair.

mr_bill

-mr. bill

Hoopdriver

Lately, I have noticed that I am bothered more and more by "affronts" during my commute, but am doing my best to just let things go. Your post was helpful in showing me how bad this feeling can progress.

gpsblake

Considering the work truck in the photo is parked in the bike lane opposing the traffic direction leads me to think they had a valid purpose of being there, a repair perhaps of some kind. Did the OP bother to ask what was going on?

jefnvk

On my way to work this morning (in a car), someone blocked off an entire lane of a well traversed road to park trucks and equipment to dig up a sidewalk. I went around it, and that was that. All this spring the power company had heavy equipment parked in random locations on my regular trail, as they were replacing towers for the high voltage transmission lines that roughly parallel it in many places. Big deal.

No, people are not regularly allowed to drive on that path. Yes, unfortunately, delivery and utility trucks block all sorts of routes, both for cycles and motorists. It is part of living in society, and generally a legal maneuver. I can't telly what they are doing, but as it appears it could be some sort of concrete contractor, they may well have needed to be there.

kevindsingleton 

Last Saturday, we rode on the Montour Trail from Pittsburgh down into Washington County. Along the way, there were cars and trucks parked on the trail, entirely blocking the path! The occupants were nearby ...clearing brush and improving the pathway. We even stopped to help one crew get their chainsaw unstuck from a fallen tree they were dismantling.


Some people's kids!


Go around, man. Life's too short!

FBinNY 

While I don't consider this worth even a seventh thought, and would simply go around, I might point out that whoever parked there for whatever reason could have shown a bit of courtesy by moving to one side leaving room to pass on the pavement.

If I encountered this situation and was in the mood to do anything, I'd leave a note on the windshield saying "I get that you had no other place to leave it, but next time please move over so people can get by."

Who knows? Maybe he will if asked nicely.

caloso

No, I guess it's not fair. But if that were the biggest hassle on my commute, I'd consider it a good day.

FBinNY 

I'm with you, and would call it a good day even if it weren't the worst.

I sense that there's a bit of a us vs them, or woe for the poor cyclist sub-culture among self proclaimed bike advocates, where every little slight is blown way out of proportion.

By the same token, rather than celebrate having a usable bike path 99% or the time, they rail against the 1% of the time that it isn't.

We ride by choice, and while it's good to look for ways to improve things, we have to accept that we made a choice based on existing conditions, and stop whining about them.

DrIsotope

At least a few times a week, I approach a vehicle stopped in the clearly marked bike lane. Sometimes hazards on, sometimes just brake lights. Ten times out of ten, it's someone talking on their cellphone. So sure, they're stopped in the bike lane-- but they're also not driving while on the phone. A stationary vehicle poses an exceptionally low risk to a bicycle.

The truck in the top photo is bristling with wheelbarrows, and from the shadow the lift gate appears to be down. Work trucks gon' work.

WNCGoater

"Motorists don't want us on their roads..."





Their roads?

Milton Keynes

Yeah, they should be lucky to have a bike path to be temporarily inconvenienced on. The nearest bike path to me is about a 20-25 minute drive.

Chris0516

I don't bike, on "their roads". I bike on 'our roads'.

rachel120

They were there cutting grass around nearby homes. Seriously, it's a private landscaping company, and the guys were about 20 feet away with weed whackers. Not a government work crew, not cutting the grass in public area for ease in visibility, they were private contractors cutting around the homes there. That's such an oh god emergency to justify the vehicle there.

And if the path says "Pedestrians and Bicycles Only" then that means only. It's the same sort of thing as someone able-bodied using the handicap stall when all the rest are open. It's just plain wrong, it's just plain a**holeness, and just like the able-bodied using handicap facilities, I'm going to say something. It's not right and it breaks the rules.

And frankly I don't understand the mindset of "oh, blocking the entire thing isn't a big deal". I wasn't the only one affected, there's little kids that I doubt have hit 2nd grade using that path daily that would have to scoot around, same with the mothers that have jogging strollers, and at least one person in a wheelchair I've seen a few times. It's a big deal because they were lazy and they didn't belong on that path. And notice that they didn't even leave a driver in case it needed to be moved? It's there for the long term.

caloso

If the workers were there, I think your solution is to go find the one who looks like the supervisor (it'll be the one not actually doing any work), and say "Hey, excuse me. Would you mind moving your truck? It's blocking the path. Thanks."

unterhausen

I would probably call the cops

A cop once told me that people are constantly calling him complaining about cyclists. My takeaway is that they would feel really persecuted if they got the same treatment as cyclists do from motorists. And also that cyclists don't call the cops often enough

Paul Barnard

There was a UPS truck parked in front of my house today blocking a lane of traffic.

texaspandj

When something is blocking me ... I go around.

FBinNY 

I've yet to see a skeleton of a bicyclist at a blocked place on the path. But reading some of the posts I've seen here on BF over the years, I suspect that it may be in the realm of possibilities.

jefnvk

You should see I696 in Detroit when they park trucks in a travel lane at rush hour to mow the medians, if you want a "did they REALLY need to do that moment". Even beyond I696, those types of trucks regularly park blocking roads and bike lanes near me, once again utility trucks are NOT the general public in regards to what they can do.

BUT seriously, go around. If I started a thread about every inconvenience on the paths tonite, there'd be about five new threads on how stupid people with small children are, and why people can't control pets.

tagaproject6

Life is NOT fair. Cope. Live. Ride. Don't take it too seriously, "you won't get out of it alive" - some guy smarter than me.

CB HI

Call the company president and let them know they might get sued if someone get hurt going around the illegally parked truck.

If they do it again, call the cops.

f4rrest

Looks like a good opportunity for a bit of CX.

That grass is easy.

Try not to get so worked up over little stuff like this. It will ruin your ride.

bikecrate

Not the worst thing in the world. If I was really bothered I'd call the landscape company and kindly ask them if their crews could please park off the path. There looks like plenty of room. Many times people don't think about these things until it is pointed out.