I was hit from behind by a cyclist today

[Drago]

I have a man with a red flag, strobe lights, wailers, a very pistol and an assortment of distress flares...and they still don't see me.

 

[lane]

I may have misunderstood but calling out anything whilst approaching horses round here would very much be frowned upon. I stop when faced with oncoming horses and wait for an invite to pass approaching horses. Maybe that sounds a bit super safe to some but the lanes round here can be really busy with horses and some have never come across a cyclist before.

Pretty sure that you are supposed to warn horse riders when approaching from behind. I always ring my bell seems to be appreciated.

 

[Twinks]

Hope you are Ok. How inconsiderate! As well as cycling I am also a horserider in the Peak District where we encounter loads of MTBs I hugely appreciate it when they slow down and speak to us whether approaching from behind or oncoming. Horse is more relaxed if she hears the human voice. It's just manners really to pass anyone else with care.

 

[I like Skol]

Pretty sure that you are supposed to warn horse riders when approaching from behind. I always ring my bell seems to be appreciated.

Voices are preferred I believe, for the reasons above....

 

[lane]

Voices are preferred I believe, for the reasons above....

Maybe but horse riders nearly always thank me so seems not to be an issue

 

[Apollonius]

Mrs A is a horse-pilot, as well as a Bianchi rider and she agrees that the human voice is the right thing for horses. Her reasoning is that horses are prey animals and will interpret anything they are not familiar with as a tiger or similar hungry beast intending hippophagy. (So, there is such a word!) Horses are used to the human voice, and understand humans are not a threat. Speak calmly and in a normal voice as you pass horse and rider.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

as the horse hears your voice and then doesn't get startled when you go by

That's my thinking. If the horse is happy it doesn't matter quite so much about the rider. I ended up yelling several times at a dozey rider who clearly hadn't heard me. She then berated me for shouting. Horse was happy enough. Rider must have been having a bit of a myther and bad day as generally it's a positive interaction I find.

 

[fossyant]

Like most of us, I always let someone know I'm coming, followed by thank you. We've got a campaign in Tameside "Be nice, say Hi" aimed at cyclists, riders and walkers. The little signs are appearing on the wayfinder posts.

 

[Apollonius]

"Be nice, say Hi" aimed at cyclists, riders and walkers.

I agree with this idea. The said "cyclists, riders and walkers" should all be on the same side against the threat presented to us all by inconsiderate users of powered vehicles who often seem to feel they have superior, even exclusive rights to roads, tracks and paths. Co-operate with these fellow non-powered environment users, wherever. They are our allies. A human on a bicycle is still a human. All too often a human inside a machine becomes dehumanized.

 

[steveindenmark]

Twice recently, I have had riders coming directly at me, no hands on handlebars and texting on the phone.

I have resisted the urge to push them off..... Its not easy 😁

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

On a shared use path, didn't even know he was behind me.

As he attempted to pass he lost control and hit me on the back of my leg...

Pics of my injuries to follow

I'm really sorry to hear this @potsy. I hope you'll heal quickly.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Only last week I had some tit flash past me with no warning on a shared path when I was walking the dogs. The first I knew of him was when the dog on nearest him jumped up in fright. Had I moved even slightly to my left as he was behind me I'd have had an injured dog and he'd have been off, most likely falling onto the busy A road just beside the path.

It really annoys me when people don't warn of their approach. I dread to think how bad it will be when electric cars become the norm, imagine walking through a busy car park when vehicle are silently starting to manoeuvre in and out of bays.

 

[I like Skol]

Has anyone seen or heard from @potsy since he posted this?

I'm worried that he has succumbed to his injuries which turned out to be worse than he thought, or may be he is still stuck in A&E waiting to have his scratch dressed?

when should we report him missing?

 

[lazybloke]

If you think horses are skittish, try overtaking an alpaca! Poor things shake with fear, and try to hide behind the nearest human!

 

[Milkfloat]

On a shared use path, didn't even know he was behind me.

As he attempted to pass he lost control and hit me on the back of my leg...

Pics of my injuries to follow

I assume it was safe to say that you were walking and not on your bike?