Abuse by fellow cyclists.

[mcshroom]

Walkers and joggers always face the traffic.

IIRC, Walkers and joggers should move to the outside of bends where they are most visible.

And if there are likely to be "fast riders coming round the blind corner" then those riders should be ashamed of themselves, and probably belong on the road.

Very true. Shared paths are not designed to be ridden like roads. I don't expect to ride the C2C path near me anything like as quickly as the road alternative.

 

[Venod]

Well, one does not know what to do, because they might swerve in my direction if they realize they are on the wrong side,

I had this dilemma yesterday on the Solar System Path coming out of York,I was heading South and a couple on a tandem were coming straight towards me (I was on the left) they looked experienced so I thought they would move over but they kept coming, then I thought they might be foreigners and are used to riding on the right, it was like who dares wins, at the last minute they went left and we passed without incident, but the number of people on bikes who don't keep left is astounding.

 

[Inertia]

I had this dilemma yesterday on the Solar System Path coming out of York,I was heading South and a couple on a tandem were coming straight towards me (I was on the left) they looked experienced so I thought they would move over but they kept coming, then I thought they might be foreigners and are used to riding on the right, it was like who dares wins, at the last minute they went left and we passed without incident, but the number of people on bikes who don't keep left is astounding.

If the path is clearly marked then I’d understand the surprise. If it’s not marked then I don’t assume that people on it have any idea of any rules.

Regardless of the path, if they don’t move to the other side to me, I switch sides before I get close.

 

[I like Skol]

I think traditionally (on a road) a walker should walk towards oncoming traffic, i.e on the right in the UK. If you extend this to shared use paths then walkers should walk on their right and approaching cyclists should move over to pass them. @User13710 makes the point about pedestrians not colliding with each other but IME it is not unusual to end up doing the 'To me, to you tango' with a person that can't seem to decide which side they want to pass on and then panic! As many cyclists consider themselves to be pedestrians with wheels rather than wheeled road users it is obvious to see how the confusion arises.
Having said that, a mixed use cycle path is not a road so every potential interaction has to be treated with care and caution. Your speed should be such that when you do inevitably get involved in a tango dance situation you are travelling slowly enough to stop before a collision occurs.
Could it be that our very own @Pat "5mph" was going too fast?

 

[screenman]

An observation last night, people mainly British do not make any effort to clear the path for a person being pushed in a wheelchair. My first experience as a passenger in one.

 

[DRHysted]

I use the principal that the fastest gives way. If I’m cycling I move for everyone (including other cyclists), if I’m running I move for runners & walkers (actually I remember jumping out of the way of a cyclist who hollered “coming through”), if I’m a walking I move out of the way.

Drat, I’ve just realised that I just get out of the way.

I like to think of the system that the fastest gives way to the slowest.

 

[Milkfloat]

How do pedestrians manage on crowded pavements? After all, they hardly ever collide. People just need to apply the same principles to shared use paths. Look out for each other and employ a bit of tolerance.

Peds can sidestep in the blink of an eye. Cycles by their very design travel in very straight lines and 5 times quicker. Shared paths are far from ideal. Come with me to the NL in August and see a better solution. Bring a swimming cozzy too.

You are right, in the NL it is a better solution - but it is still a shared space.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

not shared use paths which are not there to expedite anyone's journeys but simply as a means of keeping non-car-users away from cars (to expedite the cars' journeys).

Shared use paths are a pragmatic solution to the problem that most roads & their associated footpaths have been there for many years and are surrounded by buildings and other private property. There's a limited amount of space available, so allowing bikes to use the footway means cyclists don't have to mix it up with the 40 tonners. I use loads of shared paths, and the key is being sensible and keeping your speed down. The lycra-clad cycling equivalents of the boy racers in their blinged-up BMW's should do everybody a favour and stick to the roads, not insist on trying to maintain 20 mph on a surface shared with pedestrians and animals. Pedestrians also need to keep their mobile phones in their pockets and try looking where they're going instead of texting and looking at FB.
Cyclists only comprise a very small percentage of the total mileage volume of road traffic, and they are not generally transporting anything bulky or heavy around either. Unless you want the entire country to grind to a halt because of traffic congestion (like Khan seems to want in London) then the roads have to be designed to facilitate free-flowing traffic. Like it or not the existing road system is what it is, and it is not going to be completely rebuilt at massive public expense anytime soon just to please the 5% or so of the population who may happen to ride a bicycle on a fairly regular basis.

 

[mjr]

Peds can sidestep in the blink of an eye. Cycles by their very design travel in very straight lines and 5 times quicker. Shared paths are far from ideal. Come with me to the NL in August and see a better solution. Bring a swimming cozzy too.

Even NL has some shared paths. They're just less crap about widening and splitting them into cycleways and footways when they get successful than our incompetent governments are. Ours assume it's a passing fad, the consequences of path congestion encourage people back into driving cars and the government proves itself right. Trebles all round!

 

[KneesUp]

I think the general rule is (or should be if one has any common sense) is that the thing with the most momentum (mass x velocity) is the thing that needs to look out for, and give way to everything else, because it's the thing that can do the most damage to the other things, with the least damage to itself.

So, on a road, it is beholden on the motorised traffic to be extra vigilant about cyclists - I believe that if there is any doubt motorised vehicles should give way to cyclists - if a car clips a bike, a worse case is that the car needs a bit of filler and some paint. Worse case for the cyclist is rather more serious.

On a shared use path - as I keep reminding my kid - the cyclist is the heavy, fast thing, so the cyclist is the one who has to take extra care and stop if in doubt. We should ride as we would expect motorists to drive. I see people using shared paths and bridleways in this way less often that I would like.

Horses are a different case - they're a ton of skittish meat on sticks, with a brain the size of walnut and an intestine with the volume of a shed. Everyone should keep well away from them.

 

[I like Skol]

An observation last night, people mainly British do not make any effort to clear the path for a person being pushed in a wheelchair. My first experience as a passenger in one.

That's a tricky one. You don't want to be in a position where you are highlighting the disability of the wheelchair user and discriminating against them as a result. How would they feel if everyones instant reaction was 'Oh look at the poor person in a wheelchair. Everyone stand well back and let them through because they obviously can't manage anything on their own'!
I find it best to treat the situation the same as any other movement interaction, which way am i going, which way are they likely to go, who got there first, who has been waiting, how much room do we each need to pass, etc

 

[screenman]

That's a tricky one. You don't want to be in a position where you are highlighting the disability of the wheelchair user and discriminating against them as a result. How would they feel if everyones instant reaction was 'Oh look at the poor person in a wheelchair. Everyone stand well back and let them through because they obviously can't manage anything on their own'!
I find it best to treat the situation the same as any other movement interaction, which way am i going, which way are they likely to go, who got there first, who has been waiting, how much room do we each need to pass, etc

Common decency I would say, a wheelchair is not as easy object to get moving again once stopped.

 

[snorri]

the roads have to be designed to facilitate free-flowing traffic. Like it or not the existing road system is what it is, and it is not going to be completely rebuilt at massive public expense anytime soon just to please the 5% or so of the population who may happen to ride a bicycle on a fairly regular basis.

...but the traffic is not free flowing, and I don't like it and fail to see why I should accept the status quo. The existing system is inefficient and some expenditure to reduce the motor traffic and provide for the suppressed demand from other transport modes would be money well spent.

 

[Alan O]

An observation last night, people mainly British do not make any effort to clear the path for a person being pushed in a wheelchair. My first experience as a passenger in one.

I've actually had a very different experience where I am. I spent several years caring for my Mum and pushed her many miles in her wheelchair, and I found the majority of people we came across to be very considerate towards us.

 

[Smokin Joe]

The most annoying thing I get on a fairly regular basis is when walking to dogs along a shared path near me. The number of times a cyclist (All classes of bike) will whizz past from behind with no warning of approach is unbelievable. Pedestrians appreciate a warning call or a bell in these situations, especially when they are walking a dog which is likely to be startled into a sudden lunge. I have never had any aggro from a pedestrian when I've cycled behind them and given a friendly shout of "Bike behind", or rung the bell on the trike.