Cyclists and joggers in busy areas

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I have just been out for a walk, many pedestrians were out and we didn't once have to go within two metres of any of them. Even if they don't change their path, we have time too.

Cyclists and joggers, nearly every one goes by before you have time to move. The cyclists also kept getting caught in ridiculous bottlenecks with each other near paths, at one point three separate households were completely tangled up for quite a while.

I get that you just can't really do your run or cycle if you have to keep stopping every 20 seconds, and round here that's what it would take for them to give people room or time to move. If you live in a quieter area it's fine because you might only encounter one or two others so you probably wouldn't mind slowing to avoid them, and they probably have more room to get out of the way too.

This has been recognised as a problem because on some parts of the London river walk cycling is now banned between 6am and 5 pm. Not sure the message has got out though, and police are having to ask some to dismount and walk by their bike. But that still leaves joggers, have just spoken to an elderly relative who has had a jogger brush right past her huffing and puffing. It's like going out when you have a physical inability to change direction, and come upon people too fast to allow them to.

I am starting to think they need a dedicated space or time for these forms of exercise, or to ban them in busy/urban areas. At the very least they need to say that cycling and running are only permissible in circumstances where they don't mean breaching the two metre rule.

I agree. Or runners allowed at certain times of day. I have had runners brush past me too often so now I've stopped going for my daily walk. Don't know if there's really a risk but I don't feel comfortable with it.

I always run first thing in the morning when it is quiet, and I always stop or cross the road if I need to. It's frustrating but it is necessary and respectful.

I have seen people running through town in the middle of the day and its madness. Even with most shops closed, town is still fairly busy with people going food shopping.

Some people have no self awareness and don't consider others.

The same is true of families walking 4 across and refusing to move for anyone because their own conversation is so important, people with dogs on extendable leads across not paying attention, parents riding on paths with children on bikes where the family is all over the place, people pushing prams who think prams make them Moses parting the sea around them rather than following the sensible approach of two people coming in opposite directions means both pick a side and pass.

It's not a people who exercise thing. It's just on Mumsnet quite a lot of people like to complain about anyone who exercises. Pre Coronavirus it was laughing at men in cycling clothing, bitching that cyclists use cycle paths, shared paths and the road (wherever they are they shouldn't be) and now it's complaining that as minority of people exercising might get too close through to people who run are killing more people because they breathe more.

It’s similar to: you’re not stuck in traffic, you are traffic.

Yesterday I was out walking on a public footpath and a family of parents and older teenage son came whizzing past on their bikes expecting everyone else to get out of their way. They were oblivious to their surroundings and brushed right past me! They weren’t wearing helmets either!

I think there are lots of people out running and cycling at the moment who don’t usually do it and don’t know the etiquette involved.

I run in the road to pass people in the steeet. It's much harder in the woods when there's nowhere to go, especially when people still seem to walk in the middle of the path and/or are walking in family groups/couples across the whole path. It would be so much easier if people just kept left!

I've started making my footsteps deliberately heavy as I approach and most people do move to single file, if they don't I'll call out to let them know I'm there, some seem to take offence at that. I understand the concerns, I'm concerned too but I'm not sure why they have priority over the whole path.

Makeitgoaway you'll find yourself the subject of a Mumsnet thread at this rate. Don't you know that alerting people to your presence is tantamount to bullying people.

Though it's a minority, in my area I've had, and seen, more issues with groups of people walking across the paths, meandering across paths/shared use paths and showing zero awareness of their surroundings than I have anything else.

Most people are totally capable of being aware of their surroundings. I sometimes wonder if those who have repeated issues most of the time they go out are really paying attention to the world.

HaHa Lola. Also the drivers. Run (or cycle) in a more or less empty road to avoid pedestrians and drivers still object to having to go round you.

Wherever you are as a runner/cyclists there's always people thinking you shouldn't be there.

We have a family friend who insists that even non-Coronavirus times the paths near her are always filled with speeding cyclists and runners who creep up on her. I've been for a walk with her and she's definitely the problem. Her and her husband stroll down the middle of shared use paths and pay no attention to other path users, but seen to object of cyclists/runners pass either side of them.

I agree and I say that as a runner myself. The speed runners are moving at makes it very difficult to avoid them if they are not willing to obey social distancing themselves.

I was out for a walk with my family this morning and we were chased down a narrow lane by a runner who came from behind us. He was laughing away - clearly delighted in the fact he was frightening us and forcing us to run to try to get away from him. He ended up a few centimetres away from us when all he had to do was slow his speed for 15 seconds to allow us to reach the end of the lane and then there would have been space to pass us safely at the side.

He was an extreme case but we have had other runners also brush by far too close to us. Selfish, oblivious, not taking social distancing seriously enough...I’m sure there are many reasons for it....but I agree something needs to be done.

There are also plenty of idiotic pedestrians. I was out on my bike on a shared use cycle path, lady with both dogs off the lead randomly cut across the field and back onto the path. I had been riding across the field to avoid her but couldn't because otherwise I'd have taken out her dogs instead, so I was in the end quite close simply because she hadn't controlled her own dogs and she had the nerve to tut at me.

Yes, the dogs! A couple practically dived into the hedge to avoid me yesterday (I was easily 2m away anyway) whilst letting their dog jump all over me.

Inconsiderate people are inconsiderate people whether they are runners, cyclists or pedestrians. I must be lucky, because everyone I've encountered on my daily walks has been considerate of others.

Thanks for all the replies.

Laughing jogger sounds awful user

There can be anti cyclist and even maybe anti runner feeling at other times, but this really isn't about that. It's just a practical issue to do with distancing in busy areas.

I find it the opposite. Runners and cyclists move out of the way, walkers won't if they are in couples or family groups. I was out for a walk yesterday (not a run) and not one group or couple moved for me (other than one at the very last minute).

It might be good to say family groups have to go out between say 1 and 5 and runners between 7 and 10. But on the other hand I think if you start restricting times, you actually make it more unsafe out there for women on their own.

TBH I'm still not convinced that there's much risk in passing someone fleetingly in the outdoors, which of course, it's why it's still allowed. "They" know it's impossible to apply vigorously in every situation and that it would be impossible to police, we just reduce the risk to an acceptable level by trying.

Unfortunately it has given people who enjoy being difficult another reason to be difficult. I am doing my very best to keep 2m away, mostly because I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable but it does require mutual co-operation

And this is why people should be allowed to drive to places to exercise and parks should be open. There’s still going to be the same number of people trying to exercise but all “the rules” have done is concentrate them in less space.

I’m not talking about Allowinf walking holiday a to the Lake District but forcing people in urban built up areas to exercise nearby will of course concentrate people in already congested areas. We were driving our daughter 15min out the village to go for a walk in a large country park and saw nearly no one over lots of moorland, now we can only walk in the village and round the small village green with all the other residents of the village and it’s much more congested and we can’t always stay 2m away from people (kid is too small to walk out of the village and back in an he) It must be even worse in towns and cities

There can be anti cyclist and even maybe anti runner feeling at other times, but this really isn't about that. It's just a practical issue to do with distancing in busy areas

If it is an issue with busy areas then it's an issue with lots of people using busy areas, some of whom are inconsiderate.

There's no need to start proposing that there's set times to exercise because someone people are inconsiderate when people have already said there's a minority of inconsiderate people in all categories. Why don't we propose a set time for families to use the paths because a minority take up the whole path and make it awkward? What about a set time for those walking with buggies because some think they own the path?

Equally, if you're proposing cyclists and runners only go places where it's possible to follow the 2m rule then that suggests you're choosing to walk places where the 2m rule can't be followed easily, because a place can't be 2m friendly for people walking, but not 2m friendly if they're running. The space doesn't change based on the speed someone's feet move.

Or you're walking down the middle of paths that are perfectly wide enough and not paying attention to other path users.

I must be lucky, because everyone I've encountered on my daily walks has been considerate of others.
Same, it's why I think if people are seriously finding that "nearly every" cyclist or runner is passing too close or before they can move out the way, they probably need to examine their own actions and self awareness.

I'm a runner and believe me I go out of my way to go round people/cross the road etc as have all the runners and cyclists that I've encountered.

The people who haven't made any effort are walkers, strolling along 2/3/4 abreast, no effort to move to one side even though they've seen me coming (you can't miss me I wear brightly coloured leggings). Seemingly taking delight in making me take huge risks running middle of the road with traffic coming up behind me (whereas they would be facing the incoming traffic and know if a car was coming up), not thanking or even acknowledging my efforts, having their dog off the lead so it attempts jumping up at me....I could go on.
Maybe we should have a rule that you can only go out walking between 12pm and 2pm?? Of course not, much better if everyone shows consideration, including walkers, runners and cyclists.

People who don't control their dogs properly are the biggest problem

I go out cycling running or walking alone I am very polite and respectful of social distancing rules.
I see numerous family groups who are are using their right to be together as a family as a way of dominating shared spaces, and there is usually a dog or three off the lead further dominating shared space

I am one of the good people who conscientiously takes care of my cardiovascular health and suddenly I'm being treated as if I am a menace to society because I am exercising😳
A sedentary lifestyle is one of the reasons people are vulnerable!

See I'm a runner and experience the opposite ... pedestrians, often walking two or three abreast expect me to climb a verge/run on road or step onto a drive. Whilst they glare at me anyway and don't acknowledge or say thank you.

To be fair I'm generally happy to do this and most often will, I'm starting to get pissed at others expectation that I should.

So clearly it's just certain people are inconsiderate twats rather than cyclists/walkers/runners are.

There is a definite anti people who outdoor exercise vibe on MN at the mo ...

Sorry but a place can be 2 m friendly for walkers but not for joggers and cyclists. I have proof of this every time I go out. It's because joggers and cyclists near here generally don't slow or change direction. Some may but I haven't seen any do so, and it's probably because that would mean them stopping more than once a minute in this busy area.
With walkers you do have time to try and move but the intersection of road, grass and path and the number of people outside means that cyclists and joggers proceeding apace doesn't give you that chance.

I agree that dogs or family groups can pose issues, I haven't really encountered that yet so I can't say much about it. But if people are telling me they have had a problem, I believe them.

See I'm a runner and experience the opposite ... pedestrians, often walking two or three abreast expect me to climb a verge/run on road or step onto a drive. Whilst they glare at me anyway and don't acknowledge or say thank you.

That is bad. I will always move aside to give runners and cyclists space if I can, because I don't want to interrupt their pace. My problem right now is that I literally can't do it with 2 m, given the timing and pace of their appearance.

You're right, a lot of this is just inconsiderate versus considerate. Clearly from what people are saying there are many inconsiderate pedestrians too. It's just that round here there couldn't really be a considerate runner or cyclist because the only way they could even give others a chance to move for them to pass is by not running or cycling for more than 20 seconds at a time, so there would be no point doing it.

It's London, it may be different elsewhere.