Undertaking on cycle paths

[Inertia]

Hm, it's another reason I don't like cycle paths, or perhaps a re-iteration of the one I sort of disagree with @mjr about in a thread that's now locked. Is it not the case that when two people are on a collision course what often happens is they both move to avoid each other ending up back on a collision course? And then do it again and even again? This is the 'shall we dance?' moment pedestrians sometimes have?

Thus if you stick rigidly to course you have a decent chance they move first or at least it's no worse than both moving, of course if neither moves, there's a short period where both work out the other isn't going to and then do so, trouble is, that's again often the same time frame, so you are back to square one. I've always assumed avoiding this situation is at least partly why there are pass this side rules in the first place.

This situation is so dangerous for aircraft that they have T-CAS (up to I think revision IV now) in airliners specifically to avoid it.
If I remember correctly this system negotiates with the other aircraft automatically and after a few microseconds of negotiation between computers advises one to 'pull up' and the other 'down' (there may also be some sideways component, I'm no authority on it).

I tend to switch pretty quickly rather than rely on the other person to pick a side, otherwise it can get a bit uncomfortable as you both approach each other head on waiting for the other person to blink.

I travel on the tow paths quite a lot in winter and theres usually at least one person I have to almost stop behind and shout at to get their attention. I could pass with room but Id like to at least know they are aware of me before I appear to the side of them.

 

[captain nemo1701]

Since I was a short distance from the verge and with sufficient space on my right to pass, what surprised me was the dingbat actually passing on my left, road bike, thin tyres in mud & grass over railway ballast. Why the heck didn't he just pass me on my right which was perfectly possible?. I would have expected him to suddenly hit a hidden obstruction and go flying....

Had another one this morning, from a pedestrian. I dismounted at the end of Cattle Market Road to walk though the light to the crossing point. A daffy guy ran toward me, so I moved right to avoid him and then he insisted on jumping between me and the Heras fencing. I thought for a second he'd catch his foot on my pedal or the fence feet and trip over, but no. He almost ran into another cyclist who piped up about people 'running everywhere'. It's that 'thing' we all do, walking toward someone and if you move left, they do and you almost end up walking into each other!.

BTW, I believe that undertaking is known as a 'nearside overtake'?.

 

[smutchin]

what surprised me was the dingbat actually passing on my left, road bike, thin tyres in mud & grass over railway ballast. Why the heck didn't he just pass me on my right which was perfectly possible?

Plonkers gonna plonk.

 

[hennbell]

And what exactly do you expect them to do?

In this particular case a gentleman was walking his a dog on an extendable leash on the path. The dog was running from on side of the path to the other. I was politely trying to get his attention so that he might control his animal. But as the gentleman had on over ear head phones no matter what volume I used he did not notice me. The dog being the smarter of the 2 was fully aware of my presence and was trying to get out of the way. Also he (the man not the dog) was walking down the middle of a two way path.

 

[dellzeqq]

In this particular case a gentleman was walking his a dog on an extendable leash on the path. The dog was running from on side of the path to the other. I was politely trying to get his attention so that he might control his animal. But as the gentleman had on over ear head phones no matter what volume I used he did not notice me. The dog being the smarter of the 2 was fully aware of my presence and was trying to get out of the way. Also he (the man not the dog) was walking down the middle of a two way path.

wait a second. The man is walking on the path. He doesn't hear you. So go round him slowly. Or, if that's not possible, stop and walk round. Stopping would cost you half a minute at most.

 

[briantrumpet]

an absurd overreaction to a minority of users not following the highway cod. Most of the same problems occur on carriageways but few posters on CC advocate avoiding all of them.

That's the last time I follow the highway cod. I did that, and I ended up riding all over the plaice.

 

[the_mikey]

There is no 'correct' side to pass other cyclists on a cycle path*. The only stipulation in the Highway Code is that on a segregated path you stay off the pedestrian side. So the other cyclist is entitled to pass you on the left or right.

That said, it does sound like he made an unsafe pass and generally behaved like a bit of a twerp.

And call me a boring pedant if you like, but when did undertaking become a thing? It's all overtaking, isn't it? As in, he was behind you but now he has overtaken you. You can specify the type of overtaking by qualifying it with 'on the left/nearside/inside' but undertaking is something done by men in black suits with an obsequious manner.

*From pictures I've seen of the Bristol railway path, there are no 'road' markings or signs, so there is no obligation to stick to one side or the other and you should expect people to be approaching or passing you on either side.

Some cycle paths have road markings that specifically separate cyclists from pedestrians, recently I cycled on one that directed cyclists to keep to the right of oncoming cyclists, it would be so much easier if they all treated cycle paths like mini-roads and cycles/walkers advised to keep to the left (where possible), so much conflict and confusion could be avoided.

In Shrewsbury the cycle paths seem to be designed to create conflict by having a dedicated pedestrian lane that isn't respected, and having a cycle lane that isn't sufficiently wide enough to accommodate two cyclists travelling in opposing directions, yet the bulk of the traffic on the path is cycling, if they ever hope to get Bristol/Bath levels of cycling activity on it they should scrub out the segregation and just advise people to keep left.

 

[HLaB]

Unless I want 0.5 extra detour via the Peterborough Parkways (aka an Urban Motorway) or 4.5 miles detour I have to go along a mile of path to get out of town but its visibility is good (its mostly strait for about 0.7miles) but other than this I try to avoid cyclepaths; there's just too many variables :-/

 

[RedRider]

 

[mjr]

That's the last time I follow the highway cod. I did that, and I ended up riding all over the plaice.

I know. Please stop carping on about it. We've all haddock enough and would rather skate over it.

 

[donnydave]

I know. Please stop carping on about it. We've all haddock enough and would rather skate over it.

yeah we should dolphinitely scale back on the fish related jokes