AIBU Cyclist Twats

[TractorAndHeadphones]

Walking down lovely canals with DP. Supposed to be romantic - but every 5 minutes we were interrupted by a cyclists whizzing along! Some had the courtesy to ring the bell but even so they rode straight at us instead of around us.

This really boils my piss because cyclists always complain that cars overtake dangerously and that’s it’s their god given right to hold up traffic. But cyclists can ride straight through pedestrians?

There was enough space for a cyclist to ride alongside us if they’d been slower ; even so you don’t expect people to walk in single file on canal roads which are meant to be enjoyed slowly! There were families in front of us, mothers with prams etc. Thé cyclists were probably scared of swerving into the lake but if you can’t control your bike then dont bloody ride!
It really ruined my day.

This has also happened on pavements with people whizzing along in the middle. Even if the road is dangerous there’s no need to go that fast.
AIBU to think that cyclists are twats and should be licensed?
People often complain that cars are rude to cyclists but IMO people in general are twats. Cars can do more damage but they’re not behaving worse than cyclists.

Exactly, Sparking!

I didn't used to use my bell because I worried about seeming rude, but pedestrians do have a habit of randomly stopping or stepping from the left of the path to the right with no warning (eg to avoid something nasty on the path) so if approching a pedestrian from behind they need to know I am there even if there is room to pass them. My voice doesn't carry as far as a bell does so I will use the bell to give more warning. If there isn't actually room to pass without them stepping to one side off the path I will slow right down and say "excuse me please" once I am near enough for my voice to be heard, but I would avoid using a route that wasn't wide enough for a bike to pass a pedestrian without the pedestrian having to get right off the path. So from me the bell means "hello, sorry i just need to let you know that i am here", it doesn't mean "get out of my way"

Was going to cycle to work by the river along the cycle path but think will drive my smelly diesel instead. Far less effort and weirdly more socially acceptable!

I hate the ding ding of a bike bell, it says get out of my way NOW, my preferred method is slow right down and say excuse me please

The vote is 71 to 29 in OP's favour, despite the squeaky wheels

Hardly surprising on a forum with few active cyclists.

Unless you have some experience of relying on a bike for regular commuting then you will not appreciate what it is like to be held up time and time again by obtuse pedestrians who are not willing to go single file.

The time delays and enegy required to get back up to speed again can be very significant.

I personally always slowdown when approaching these people from behind on narrow paths and give a little ring on the bell. For pedestrians walking towards me I slow down allowing them plenty of time to go single file. Though I will not yield if they are stubborn and refuse to move but instead will cycle on one side of the path at walking pace untill eventually it dawns on them and they move aside sharpish.

Unless you have some experience of relying on a bike for regular commuting then you will not appreciate what it is like to be held up time and time again by obtuse pedestrians who are not willing to go single file

Why should we? If I go for a walk with a friend or my partner or whoever the aim is to walk, stroll, take in the fresh air, see things, smell flowers, talk and the like - not marching single file just to keep out of the way of cyclists!

@Macncheeseballs

I hate the ding ding of a bike bell, it says get out of my way NOW, my preferred method is slow right down and say excuse me please

I don’t use it like that. I use it to alert people to my presence so I can get past them without startling them, or to give them time to move over, as I slowly overtake. That’s what it’s there for. Honestly You can’t win. Ring your bell and you’re entitled and don’t ring your bell, you get moans about why didn’t you. Bit of tolerance all round for people that are doing something different to you wouldn’t go a miss.

@Skysblue

To me there are two types of cyclist:

1. People who cycle because they have somewhere to get to, and who don’t want to use a car, often for ethical reasons but sometimes also financial. These cyclists can often be found in big cities where they fearlessly take on dangerous drivers while carrying a rucksack full of work clothes / food and getting fit. They are usually road competent. These cyclists I admire enormously. I saw a lot of them when I lived in London and would have liked to be one of them but I am not that brave.

1. Leisure cyclists who think they have the right to create a mile long tailback of people who do actually have somewhere to be. These guys are usually found in the middle of the road of a countryside village, oblivious to the fact that people in said village do need to get to school/hospital/work, and don’t appreciate half of London riding up here everytime it’s sunny to bring the whole place to gridlock. These guys are usually dressed in improbably bright lycra which does not look good, andwill usually comprise a fit guy at the front, a dozen of his friends trying to keep up, then an endless string of girlfriends who can’t keep up and look miserable as they attempt to get up the hill. Remember the ‘tier’ system when we had to stay local? It was fabulous here because London’s leisure cyclists weren’t allowed to visit and we could actually drive from one end of the village to the other without crawling at 5mph the whole way behind someone dressed like an extra from a West End musical.

This has nailed it really

Some of those people who don’t love might be deaf . In my option pedestrians and cyclists should be on separate paths and unless on a dedicated cycle path cyclists,or scooters for that matter ( which are a menace to both the blind and deaf) ,should not be adjacent to water .

Move not love

@SinoohXaenaHide

I didn't used to use my bell because I worried about seeming rude, but pedestrians do have a habit of randomly stopping or stepping from the left of the path to the right with no warning (eg to avoid something nasty on the path) so if approching a pedestrian from behind they need to know I am there even if there is room to pass them. My voice doesn't carry as far as a bell does so I will use the bell to give more warning. If there isn't actually room to pass without them stepping to one side off the path I will slow right down and say "excuse me please" once I am near enough for my voice to be heard, but I would avoid using a route that wasn't wide enough for a bike to pass a pedestrian without the pedestrian having to get right off the path. So from me the bell means "hello, sorry i just need to let you know that i am here", it doesn't mean "get out of my way"

This is why I had a little mini cow bell (bought on holiday somewhere alpine) on my bike. It was a gentle tinkly sound, but you certainly couldn't miss me coming. It took all the anxiety out of the constant "Is this person/their dog/their child about to leap into my path, maiming/killing one or both of us, or will I just piss them off by ringing my bell?" I'm quite a shy person so shouting cheery hellos at all and sundry was not really an option, especially as there would be no end to it in some places (e.g. Brighton seafront).

@Sparklingbrook

Well the ding dinging for me to step aside on the canal towpath seems very 'coming through you need to get out of the way' so a bit self important. I'll stand in the dog poo in the long grass or leap into the canal so the cyclist isn't inconvenienced shall I?

I don't like dinging as I've said a couple of times on this thread.

But if someone comes up behind you (whether walking faster, running, or cycling) you get out of the way, surely (assuming there is somewhere to move to, but few towpaths are so narrow that they are completely single file, given they had to be wide enough for a man and horse).

'They are a menace to the deaf and the blind', not me, as I have previously said, I slow down for all, but indeed it is the pedestrians who intentionally make themselves deaf and blind that are also a menace to cyclists, I am talking about people wearing headphones, looking down at their screens, stepping into the road in front of me without looking, it's happening more and more

Ring your bell and you’re entitled and don’t ring your bell, you get moans about why didn’t you

I do agree - you can't win. I hate being dinged at as a pedestrian but have been told off by a pedestrian for not using my bell (though I stopped and said I didn't like it myself and he accepted that).

I am talking about people wearing headphones, looking down at their screens, stepping into the road in front of me without looking, it's happening more and more

Yes. Covid meant that people were taking a bit more care about where they were going, but they're back to screen glued to face now. Put your phone away and look where you are going!

@CovidCorvid

The worst path hoggers I’ve found are the park runners.

Near here they do an out and back run along a narrowish shared use path (National cycle route). Path is 4ft wide maybe. I made the mistake of dog walking at 9am recently (it’s quite a new park run) and felt like I was going to be trampled. Runners in both directions as the fast ones are returning. People coming up behind me couldn’t get past because of runners in the opposite direction. They were swearing and getting pissed off, running off the path one side of me onto the grass to get round at the same time someone else running past me on the other side. Dog was terrified and was tripped over more than once by people who didn’t see her. Bloody pedestrians. They were so selfish and entitled. 🤷‍♀️

Oh come on, it's 9-9.30, one day a week (or 9.30-10 if you are in Scotland/Ireland). You've got the rest of the week to use the path in that area.

Take your dog for a walk at 8.30 or 9.45 and you'll be fine. Or join in with the parkrun - you can walk.

@Peaseblossum22

Some of those people who don’t love might be deaf . In my option pedestrians and cyclists should be on separate paths and unless on a dedicated cycle path cyclists,or scooters for that matter ( which are a menace to both the blind and deaf) ,should not be adjacent to water .

If someone’s doesn’t respond to the bell, i will approach cautiously until they have noticed me. I don’t plough at them. I assume the majority of other cyclists are the same. Usually if they are walking alone there is room to get round them ‘slowly’. It’s not usually an issue in a group, as someone in the group will hear.

@lockdownmadnessdotcom

Ring your bell and you’re entitled and don’t ring your bell, you get moans about why didn’t you

I do agree - you can't win. I hate being dinged at as a pedestrian but have been told off by a pedestrian for not using my bell (though I stopped and said I didn't like it myself and he accepted that).

I just use it now and thank the pedestrian as I pass. Hopefully that’s dispels the idea that I am an entitled twunt that is demanding people move out my way.

I might get a thank you but they are cycling at such speed they're off in the distance while I stand there in the grass hoping it's not in dog poo!

I ride to work and walk on the canal near me on a daily basis. Never seem to have any problems with either. When walking I stick to one side so there's more room for cyclists to pass me. If I'm with DP we'll walk side by side and move over to single file when we hear a bell to let the rider past. Seems quite simple and no need for any drama or offense at a tinkly bell to alert you of somebodies presence. About once a year we'll witness some stupid riding that's really inconsiderate, it's bad but see worse about once a week from cars on the road so it's a question of keeping some perspective.
Tip for cyclists: get a rear wheel with a loud freehub. When you get near a walker, stop pedalling. It alerts pedestrians of your presence passively and lets them know you're slowing down for them, it makes it so much easier to pass. Real game changer for me.

The vote is 71 to 29 in OP's favour, despite the squeaky wheels*
How is that surprising considering the low number of cyclists in the first place? Sadly, too many people will always opt to get in a car, when they could walk or cycle because, well, it is so much easier. My pet hate are SAHM who drive their kids to school in the morning because walking 10-20 mns is too much of an effort, bringing complete chaos to the roads and make commuting to work a nightmare. On the scale of selfishness, that tops the leaderboard. I suspect quite a few fall under the 71% above.

Tip for cyclists: get a rear wheel with a loud freehub. When you get near a walker, stop pedalling. It alerts pedestrians of your presence passively and lets them know you're slowing down for them, it makes it so much easier to pass. Real game changer for me

That sounds like an excellent compromise! The key is "slowing down" (and being clear you are doing this) and being considerate, not ding-ding-dinging (or not), and zooming past and/or expecting pedestrians to walk single-file to accommodate them.

A bicycle bell is a percussive signaling instrument mounted on a bicycle for warning pedestrians and other cyclists. The bell is a required piece of equipment in some jurisdictions. They are usually mounted on the handlebars and thumb activated.

According to to Wikipedia

If you think a bell is saying get out of the way thats your misconception, plenty of people are correcting you but your refuse to listen to then telling you that your wrong and thats is the crux of the matter wheb told what is right youbrefuse to accept fit and change your thought on the matter.

Just like time and time again people have pointed out that everyone should just be considerate regardless of mode and that wearing lycra is about appropriate clothing for the activity being done and that it's SOME cyclists that behave badly

But no no you refuse to accept that and carry on with your stubborn views

The key is "slowing down"
There's slowing down and slowing down. If you have to almost stop each time you pass walkers because they can't be bothered to check their surroundings and move out of the way until they have no choice but to do so, that's not on.

If the cyclist is indeed going so fast they wouldn't be able to stop in an emergency, that's not on either.

Both scenarios happen but in my experience as both a regular walker and cyclist, the former is much more common in tight areas.

As a jogger, where am I suppose to jog? I get tutted at by walkers and beeped at if I'm on the road.
I can only run at 4pm when I have someone to watch my son.