Pedestrian walking in a bike only lane complains that I rode too fast
07-20-10, 11:49 AM
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Pedestrian walking in a bike only lane complains that I rode too fast
So this woman is walking off the bridge in a green, bike-only lane, I pass her at maybe 12 mph and ring my bell. She catches up with me at a light (bikeway ends soon and there is a loooong light to cross the traffic lanes) and complains that I ignored the " Slow" sign. I didn't: I slowed down from 20+ mph down-ramp speed but she ignored the "no pedestrians" sign... Her reply? Pedestrians are often confused... She got that right, ther were two superwide, marked peds crossing on both sides of the ramp but she chose to walk along the green bike-only lane.
It is sometimes hard to stay positive.
It is sometimes hard to stay positive.
07-20-10, 12:06 PM
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At least she was one-abreast. I really don't know why pedestrians love the bike lane so much? Even on MUPs that are split into a bike section and a pedestrian section ... I've seen groups of people come to the fork, look at both signs, then head down the bike path. Almost never in a single file lane.
But now we're in danger of being mistaken for somebody saying "Why can't these friggen bikes stay out of the car lanes?"
But now we're in danger of being mistaken for somebody saying "Why can't these friggen bikes stay out of the car lanes?"
07-20-10, 12:22 PM
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There's always the potential for that happening on part of my commute. If I chose the MUP for the last leg there's a 10 mph speed limit. It's unenforced and although I don't go as fast as I normally would, I'm definitely going faster than 10. In the afternoons they're busy and there are PEDs on the bike path.
If I'm in a hurry, I'll take the street so if I'm actually on the MUP I'm careful and go pretty slow. I've often wondered though what would happen if a Ped didn't hear me over their iPod and took a sudden step to their left. I'm sure they'd say I was going too fast and then I'd point out that they weren't even supposed to be on that path.
It's not really the fault of the Peds though. The paths are marked put the Ped path is this meandering thing and it's easy to end up on the bike path by mistake. The fact that there are often scores of others on the bike path just leads them to believe they're where they're supposed to be.
If I'm in a hurry, I'll take the street so if I'm actually on the MUP I'm careful and go pretty slow. I've often wondered though what would happen if a Ped didn't hear me over their iPod and took a sudden step to their left. I'm sure they'd say I was going too fast and then I'd point out that they weren't even supposed to be on that path.
It's not really the fault of the Peds though. The paths are marked put the Ped path is this meandering thing and it's easy to end up on the bike path by mistake. The fact that there are often scores of others on the bike path just leads them to believe they're where they're supposed to be.
07-20-10, 01:19 PM
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It's just the bridge where I have this problem. Other than that I stay on the streets. NYC dis a great job recently (although still unfinished) repaintingthe the lanes on the Williamsburg Bridge to separate peds from bike traffic. I still see some cyclist ride in the pedestrians lanes but not as many as pedestrians walking in bike lanes. I think pedestrians feel entitled to walk in bicycle lanes, because cyclists, after all, are just pedestrians on bikes, right?
Another example of a great thing the city is doing for the cyclists and the pedestrians are f**ing up: buffered bike lanes, where a green bike lane is painted next to the curb and the parking lane is moved into the street so there is no conflict between bikes and cars pulling in and out of parking spaces. But pedestrians use those bike lanes as sidewalk extensions. There is a perfect, wide sidewalk right there and those mucking forons are walking in the bikeway. One guy got offended when I blew my horn at him: he was walking in the bike lane and talking on the cell phone completely oblivious to my bell, so I had to engage my airhorn. I am just starting to choose streets without bike lanes at all, I feel much safer in traffic than with zombies wandering in the bike lanes. I feel bad though because NYC is really doing a lot of good things for cycling, but all these efforts are wasted by people's stupidity and lack of any enforcement.
Another example of a great thing the city is doing for the cyclists and the pedestrians are f**ing up: buffered bike lanes, where a green bike lane is painted next to the curb and the parking lane is moved into the street so there is no conflict between bikes and cars pulling in and out of parking spaces. But pedestrians use those bike lanes as sidewalk extensions. There is a perfect, wide sidewalk right there and those mucking forons are walking in the bikeway. One guy got offended when I blew my horn at him: he was walking in the bike lane and talking on the cell phone completely oblivious to my bell, so I had to engage my airhorn. I am just starting to choose streets without bike lanes at all, I feel much safer in traffic than with zombies wandering in the bike lanes. I feel bad though because NYC is really doing a lot of good things for cycling, but all these efforts are wasted by people's stupidity and lack of any enforcement.
07-20-10, 01:33 PM
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Pedestrians, walkers and runners are often on the streets (some in the middle) in my neighborhood despite the fact that all streets have good sidewalks that are usually empty. Many glare at cars and bikers who "challenge" their spot in the middle of the road. Don't play chicken with heavier objects, it's physics.
I don't understand why people don't use a bit more common sense about this kind of thing no matter their mode of transportaion (bikers included). Always pay attention to the signs and signals and try to stay out of trouble. Then again, I'm the type of guy who rides far right on all roads and gives a freindly wave to the occasional motorist who throws a can or redneck who gives me the one finger salute. It's not all good, but it beats the alternative (fighting). Suck it up, smile and ride down the road.
I don't understand why people don't use a bit more common sense about this kind of thing no matter their mode of transportaion (bikers included). Always pay attention to the signs and signals and try to stay out of trouble. Then again, I'm the type of guy who rides far right on all roads and gives a freindly wave to the occasional motorist who throws a can or redneck who gives me the one finger salute. It's not all good, but it beats the alternative (fighting). Suck it up, smile and ride down the road.
07-20-10, 01:44 PM
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It's just the bridge where I have this problem. Other than that I stay on the streets. NYC dis a great job recently (although still unfinished) repaintingthe the lanes on the Williamsburg Bridge to separate peds from bike traffic. I still see some cyclist ride in the pedestrians lanes but not as many as pedestrians walking in bike lanes. I think pedestrians feel entitled to walk in bicycle lanes, because cyclists, after all, are just pedestrians on bikes, right?
Another example of a great thing the city is doing for the cyclists and the pedestrians are f**ing up: buffered bike lanes, where a green bike lane is painted next to the curb and the parking lane is moved into the street so there is no conflict between bikes and cars pulling in and out of parking spaces. But pedestrians use those bike lanes as sidewalk extensions. There is a perfect, wide sidewalk right there and those mucking forons are walking in the bikeway. One guy got offended when I blew my horn at him: he was walking in the bike lane and talking on the cell phone completely oblivious to my bell, so I had to engage my airhorn. I am just starting to choose streets without bike lanes at all, I feel much safer in traffic than with zombies wandering in the bike lanes. I feel bad though because NYC is really doing a lot of good things for cycling, but all these efforts are wasted by people's stupidity and lack of any enforcement.
Another example of a great thing the city is doing for the cyclists and the pedestrians are f**ing up: buffered bike lanes, where a green bike lane is painted next to the curb and the parking lane is moved into the street so there is no conflict between bikes and cars pulling in and out of parking spaces. But pedestrians use those bike lanes as sidewalk extensions. There is a perfect, wide sidewalk right there and those mucking forons are walking in the bikeway. One guy got offended when I blew my horn at him: he was walking in the bike lane and talking on the cell phone completely oblivious to my bell, so I had to engage my airhorn. I am just starting to choose streets without bike lanes at all, I feel much safer in traffic than with zombies wandering in the bike lanes. I feel bad though because NYC is really doing a lot of good things for cycling, but all these efforts are wasted by people's stupidity and lack of any enforcement.
Likely neither would walk into a lane of car traffic and scream at cars for passing them at 12mph or walk down the middle of the traffic lane talking on a phone expecting not to get honked at.
07-20-10, 01:45 PM
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There is no separate posted speed limit for the bikeways in NYC.
Good point, LOL 
I guess, we need some deadly, gruesome accidents where pedestrians are killed by bicycles
What is funny is that the man on the cell phone felt safe enough to walk in the bike-lane not paying attention to anything. Yet on the other hand this woman is looking at you and screaming at you for going too fast in a bike-lane and seemingly "endangering" her.
Likely neither would walk into a lane of car traffic and scream at cars for passing them at 12mph or walk down the middle of the traffic lane talking on a phone expecting not to get honked at.
Likely neither would walk into a lane of car traffic and scream at cars for passing them at 12mph or walk down the middle of the traffic lane talking on a phone expecting not to get honked at.
I guess, we need some deadly, gruesome accidents where pedestrians are killed by bicycles
07-20-10, 01:58 PM
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One bike lane on my commute seems to attract joggers. I don't like to complain, because don't I spend most of my time expecting everyone else to "share the road?" But does create a safety issue because there's really no way to pass a pedestrian in the bike lane, so you have to merge into traffic to get around them, although sometimes they move into the road instead, so it's really just a lack of predictability and a lack of knowledge on how best to proceed. The traffic laws seem to clearly state that pedestrians need to use sidewalks when they are available (which they are). I can understand preferring the smoother road to the sidewalk, but if it were me, I'd duck back on to the sidewalk for a few feet when a bike was coming at me.
07-20-10, 02:00 PM
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07-20-10, 02:26 PM
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07-20-10, 02:44 PM
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RENTON, Wash. -- An 83-year-old woman who was struck by a bicyclist on a Renton trail Sunday died from her injuries Monday, police tell KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.
The Renton woman suffered critical head injuries when she was knocked to the ground at about 4:45 p.m. on the Cedar River Trail, about a quarter mile east of Interstate 405."
The woman stepped out in front of the bicycle and the bicyclist had no time to stop and respond. Both of them were knocked to the ground and knocked unconscious," said Renton Police Department spokesman Terri Vickers.
The Renton woman suffered critical head injuries when she was knocked to the ground at about 4:45 p.m. on the Cedar River Trail, about a quarter mile east of Interstate 405."
The woman stepped out in front of the bicycle and the bicyclist had no time to stop and respond. Both of them were knocked to the ground and knocked unconscious," said Renton Police Department spokesman Terri Vickers.
07-20-10, 04:11 PM
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I will sometimes get joggers or wrong way cyclist. Either way they seem to move out of the way when they see me coming. I guess I'm not to pleasant looking coming up on them.
07-20-10, 04:28 PM
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