Wandering walkers and irresponsible dog walkers

[apollo179]

To a cyclist, a car is a fast moving, potentially dangerous, vehicle.
To a pedestrian, a cycle is a fast moving, potentially dangerous, vehicle.
People out for a walk don't have their "dealing with traffic / making space" heads on.
We have to accept that, end of story really.
Get through easily if you can, deal with it if you can't.
It took me a little bit of time to work that out, I find that a little eye contact makes quite the difference.
Not that easy when you'rec coming up behind them.
Thinking of using my front light on flashing mode to catch their attention.

+1
The onus rests with cyclists to navigate the shared path safely.
The attitude that other users out for a daydreaming dawddle are idiots is innappropriate.
The chavvy lowlifes who deliberately block your path with macho bluster now they are genuine moronic chavvy lowlifes.

 

[Brandane]

So it's ok to think of other path users as tw*ts and expect them to get out of the way is it? That seems to me as the mindset of a selfish d1ck. Translate it to the road, and imagine the pedestrian is a cyclist and the cyclist is a motorist. We all have to accept each other on whatever right of way we use, be it road, shared path, bridleway. You cant have your cake and eat it, however much you wish so.

It's ok to THINK it; but it's not ok to say it out loud. Don't try to tell me that the actions of other people in whatever walk of life don't annoy you on a daily basis. Of course they do! But you just get on with it; accept it for what it is and deal with it, without offending anyone by thinking out loud....

Translate the circumstances to the road as you suggest... If I am in the car or on the bike and I see a big truck that needs more space on the road than I do, then I will do my best to give it that space. Even if it does not have any legal right of way over me. Again, it comes down to common sense and manners.

I was not suggesting that it is ok to go tearing along shared paths at speed and expect people to dive off the path. The picture I have in my mind is my usual ride on a sustrans disused railway path. Narrow, with shrubbery on both sides. Not much traffic either bicycles or pedetrians; so it is usually fine to make progress. As I approach the group of people coming towards me, I slow down and cover the brakes. They see me, but make no effort to step aside (not asking too much am I?). Only when I am right in front of them does it cross their dopey minds that I have nowhere else to go but the path. They then grudgingly move aside to let me through. By which time I have stopped. This happens on a regular basis.

The alternative suggested by someone, to stay off the path and use the road. Perhaps you cycle in leafy suburbia, but in this case the alternative road is a main trunk road. Single carriageway carrying heavy traffic. Perhaps that is the reason why the Sustrans path was created? I would rather incur the wrath of selfish walkers than get flattened by a truck; thanks.

 

[twobiker]

If I see someone up ahead I shout HELLO from about 20ft away and slow down, that gives them time to decide which way they are going to go, loose dogs are a hazard but its not worth getting sh*** y about it, live and let live.

 

[Jezston]

What about 'dog walkers'?


I see a 'dog walker' almost every day on my commute, with at least half a dozen loose dogs, on a narrow 'shared use' cycle path. It's usually different dogs on different days too.

There is no control whatsoever so I tend to creep around them.

One of these days someone will hit one of the dogs.

If it's me then at least I'm insured through British Cycling.

However, I do think the dog walker ought to be in better control of the dogs, and I wouldn't like to be in their shoes having to explain to a dog's owner that a cyclist hit it and it was loose and out of control.

I am sometimes tempted to stop and have a word. Would you say something?

What would you say?

They are out having to keep control of half a dozen, often untrained, dogs. What the hell are they supposed to do with them? Should they only be allowed to take them to the park where cyclists aren't allowed?

Slow down. Stop if needs be. What's the rush?

 

[akb]

My Commute from Sandy to Bedford is pretty much 90% shared use cycle path. I find that if i am courteous to dog walkers/children/teenagers/horses and peds, they are courteous back. Simples.
Yes, there is the odd occasion when a dog gets in the way; but I know from experience that dogs are stubborn sometimes and dont always do as they are told straight away. So you have to make allowances and slow down. To be doing top speed on a shared use cycle path which clearly has peds/dog walkers etc on them is both stupid and irresponsible IMO.

Anil.

 

[sabian92]

Personally kids with phones or iPods are worse than dogs. A dog doesn't usually have the nouse to ignore everything and just walk straight at you.

I was on a shared cycle path last week and 2 school girls buried in their blackberries or iPhones or whatever they had with headphones weren't even watching where they were going. I stopped after asking them to mind out where they were going and they walked into me all barring a foot - they were so engrossed they didn't even see me (and I was riding during the day, with lights on and a hi-viz....), then pulled a face when I told them they should watch where they were walking and not be so ignorant to things around them.

Dozy cows.

 

[benb]

God yes! and then its the gormless smile/grimace even hello when your grinding your teeth thinking get out the f***in way you t*ats!

And this is exactly the sort of attitude that we detest in motorists.

 

[4F]

Use the road

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

What about 'dog walkers'?


I see a 'dog walker' almost every day on my commute, with at least half a dozen loose dogs, on a narrow 'shared use' cycle path. It's usually different dogs on different days too.

There is no control whatsoever so I tend to creep around them.

One of these days someone will hit one of the dogs.

If it's me then at least I'm insured through British Cycling.

However, I do think the dog walker ought to be in better control of the dogs, and I wouldn't like to be in their shoes having to explain to a dog's owner that a cyclist hit it and it was loose and out of control.

I am sometimes tempted to stop and have a word. Would you say something?

No point, people who take their ( or other peoples) dogs out to shoot in a shared public space ,rather than their own space, have already shown they have no respect for others, why should you then expect them to bother to listen?

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

What would you say?

They are out having to keep control of half a dozen, often untrained, dogs. What the hell are they supposed to do with them? Should they only be allowed to take them to the park where cyclists aren't allowed?

Slow down. Stop if needs be. What's the rush?

Lets see , what could they do?

Have them on a lead.
Have them under control.
Take them to a space that they pay to use, rather than making money out of a shared resource.
Have less dogs.

It's a shared space, the cyclist is using it for it's intended purpose, the dog walker is using it to make a profit, what we have here is a classic case of "The tragedy of the Commons" where one type of user , overuses the common resource for their own benefit.

 

[Jezston]

What

 

[apollo179]

"The tragedy of the Commons"
Phenomenon whereby personal advantage operates to act to the detriment of the communal good.
Example if an obstacle is blocking one lane of a road causing traffic to back up. The problem would be solved and the general good served if one vehicle reaching the obstacle just stopped , got out and removed it. However the tragedy is that by the time the individual has arrived at the obstacle his own personal benefit lies in just going round the obstacle and going about his way with no regard for solving the problem for future traffic/ the common good.
Not sure how that applies in lybs case as i havnt thought about it - just explaining the concept to all you unnnenlightened.

 

[Gixxerman]

I just ring the bell and shout "Excuse me, coming through on left/right*, thanks" (*delete as applicable).
This normally works for me.
There are a few cases when the people are in their own little world or wearing headphones and they just do not hear you.
In this case, I just slow down and ride behind them until, either they notice me (looking round or peripheral vision) or I can squeeze past slowly.
It doesn't work all the time though. On one notable occaision, I am riding on a shared path and approahing from behind a man and women who are walking 2 abreast and blocking the whole path. Ring bell and shout usual warning; No respose. Ring bell several times and shout warning again but louder this time; Still no response. I suspect that they are daydreaming or wearing headphones. So I hang back and eventually squeeze slowly through where the path gets a bit wider. I am then greeted by the chap shouting at me "You shouldn't be riding on the f**king footpath". I look over my shoulder and am about to say something back, but think better of it as it will probably be wasted. I could not see any obvious reason why they could not hear me. So can only assume that they did it just to be belligerent.

 

[Hip Priest]

No point, people who take their ( or other peoples) dogs out to shoot in a shared public space ,rather than their own space, have already shown they have no respect for others, why should you then expect them to bother to listen?

I don't know about you, but I've never come across a dog who can shoot on command. By all means criticise owners for not cleaning up after their dogs, but criticising any owner whose dog shoots in public is more than a little unreasonable.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Lets see , what could they do?

Have them on a lead.
Have them under control.
Take them to a space that they pay to use, rather than making money out of a shared resource.
Have less dogs.

It's a shared space, the cyclist is using it for it's intended purpose, the dog walker is using it to make a profit, what we have here is a classic case of "The tragedy of the Commons" where one type of user , overuses the common resource for their own benefit.

Don't talk a load of toss. It's a bloke with some dogs, ferfuxake, not someone trying to build a nuclear waste tip on the orphanage playing fields.