Red traffic light jumpers.

[Griswold]

Well done you have now introduced another dimension to the anti cycling brigade to latch onto.

When you drive and you come up to a slower moving vehicle or a horse do you sound your horn before you overtake?

Personally I find the use of bells a bit obnoxious when I’m walking. It feels a bit like the above ridiculous analogy.

I find it much better to just say “morning” or “hello” and sometimes you get the greeting returned but more often than not you get a surprised face as many people are walking with ear buds in listening to music or podcasts so a greeting or a bell these days usually falls on deaf ears.

The main issue I find when encountering people in the lanes are the previously mentioned music/phone zombies and dog walkers why have no control of their loose dogs which then chase you …

As ever none of this is a problem if people act with consideration and certainly not an issue limited to people on bikes.

If we are in the business of generalisations, if we were to measure the % of a***holes amongst cyclists I suspect it would be lower than that of BMW and Audi drivers …

If you'd read my post properly you'd have seen I was talking specifically about shared foot/cycle paths and traffic free public spaces. I don't get to meet any horses or cars in these places, though I do get to meet very many joggers, walkers and cyclists on them.







Yesterday was just another typical day walking on one of our local shared foot/cycle paths. I was almost hit by this idiot who shot past me from behind extremely closely and at high speed to get between the two bollards. Of course, she gave no warning whatsoever. Then again she had no bell! Had she given warning Lynn and I would have stepped aside to let her pass.

And your 'cheery good morning' would have been no help whatsoever at the speed she was going!




There are, on this shared path, quite a number of blind bends like this one. I'm amazed at the number of cyclists who give no warning when approaching at high speed, particularly early morning/evening when they're obviously commuting to/from work. Many folk are out at those times walking their dogs and I've seen one dog hit by one of these clowns - I was walking it at the time!




Am I right in assuming, based on your replies in this thread, you don't have a bell fitted to your bike?

For the record. I'm a cyclist, I have a bell fitted to my bike and I use it.

[Montello]

I was almost hit by this idiot who shot past me from behind extremely closely and at high speed to get between the two bollards. Of course, she gave no warning whatsoever. Then again she had no bell!

Clearly an idiot, how do you know she has no bell? May have just not bothered to use it ...

Am I right in assuming, based on your replies in this thread, you don't have a bell fitted to your bike?

I have 6 bikes in the garage, 4 have bells. If I was riding on the path shown in your images I'd ride a bike with a bell but in that context I would ride little more than walking pace when I encounter pedestrians and so I prefer to engage with a greeting than ring a bell which often alarms them with the surprise, the voice is a more gentle engagement, ringing a bell at someone has always struck me as a bit aggressive so I prefer a hello or morning, feels a bit more human. This all assumes of course they are not plugged into music/phones.

I've seen one dog hit by one of these clowns - I was walking it at the time!

Sorry to read your dog was hit by a person on a bike, mixing dogs with bikes can present challenges, I have been chased by loose dogs on numerous occasions, once for about 2 miles at full gas by a Dobermann fortunately I escaped on a downhill section. In other examples I have been caught by those long retractable leads where a dog has darted across the road creating trip wire ... I don't blame the dogs. When riding near dogs I moderate my speed as I expect the dog to do something unpredictable. Riding fast past a dog is pain stupidity. I encounter dogs quite a bit on my routes.

Yesterday on my bike ride I saw a high end BMW driver in Deal town centre drive fast and aggressively ... almost hit a family crossing on the pelican ... sadly there are idiots amongst us ...

[Griswold]

Clearly an idiot, how do you know she has no bell? May have just not bothered to use it ...




I have 6 bikes in the garage, 4 have bells. If I was riding on the path shown in your images I'd ride a bike with a bell but in that context I would ride little more than walking pace when I encounter pedestrians and so I prefer to engage with a greeting than ring a bell which often alarms them with the surprise, the voice is a more gentle engagement, ringing a bell at someone has always struck me as a bit aggressive so I prefer a hello or morning, feels a bit more human. This all assumes of course they are not plugged into music/phones.




Sorry to read your dog was hit by a person on a bike, mixing dogs with bikes can present challenges, I have been chased by loose dogs on numerous occasions, once for about 2 miles at full gas by a Dobermann fortunately I escaped on a downhill section. In other examples I have been caught by those long retractable leads where a dog has darted across the road creating trip wire ... I don't blame the dogs. When riding near dogs I moderate my speed as I expect the dog to do something unpredictable. Riding fast past a dog is pain stupidity. I encounter dogs quite a bit on my routes.

Yesterday on my bike ride I saw a high end BMW driver in Deal town centre drive fast and aggressively ... almost hit a family crossing on the pelican ... sadly there are idiots amongst us ...

You come across a a more intelligent cyclist than many around here. Lynn and I regularly walk the path shown in my photo's and those pics were taken on yesterdays walk, but we never fail to have cyclists flying past us from behind with no warning whatsoever so I make a point of looking to see if they have a bell or not and the lass certainly hadn't. But that seems to be the norm around here with cyclists, no bell and no warning given. It was the same the other day in York in the traffic free areas, a number of them were Deliveroo and Just Eat cyclists and clearly in a rush to collect or deliver.

When cycling I ring my bell well in advance, often several times, and if I think they haven't heard, (i.e. looked round and/or moved to one side), I call out 'bike coming through' which always works - even on those who are engrossed in conversation; and people have actually thanked me for the warning. A lot of walkers around here are sick and tired of the way so many cyclists behave.

And don't get me started on those idiot cyclists on mountain bikes tearing along the local, totally flat tarmac, canal paths giving no warnings to anglers shipping many thousands of pounds of carbon fibre poles! And as anglers we have to pay to be there!

Oh, the dog, my sister in laws actually - I was dog sitting, was fine but the cyclist was seriously shaken up and very apologetic.

[Montello]

You come across a a more intelligent cyclist than many around here. Lynn and I regularly walk the path shown in my photo's and those pics were taken on yesterdays walk, but we never fail to have cyclists flying past us from behind with no warning whatsoever so I make a point of looking to see if they have a bell or not and the lass certainly hadn't. But that seems to be the norm around here with cyclists, no bell and no warning given. It was the same the other day in York in the traffic free areas, a number of them were Deliveroo and Just Eat cyclists and clearly in a rush to collect or deliver.

When cycling I ring my bell well in advance, often several times, and if I think they haven't heard, (i.e. looked round and/or moved to one side), I call out 'bike coming through' which always works - even on those who are engrossed in conversation; and people have actually thanked me for the warning. A lot of walkers around here are sick and tired of the way so many cyclists behave.

And don't get me started on those idiot cyclists on mountain bikes tearing along the local, totally flat tarmac, canal paths giving no warnings to anglers shipping many thousands of pounds of carbon fibre poles! And as anglers we have to pay to be there!

Oh, the dog, my sister in laws actually - I was dog sitting, was fine but the cyclist was seriously shaken up and very apologetic.

If you saw no bell on the handle bars you must have seen her coming because you can't judge the presence of a bell from the rear.

Also looking are her, the bike and the surface I doubt she was doing much more than 10-12mph although this could be perceived as fast to a walker ...

Deliveroo / Just Eats are a total scourge in Canterbury City Centre as the main high street is pedestrianised and features many restaurants and take-aways. These guys on the gig economy ride far too fast amongst the pedestrians on eBikes that must be chipped to go faster than the 15mph limit. I imagine they create a great deal of anti cycling animosity as they weave at pace through the crowds.

It's not about the bell or the lycra or the BMW it is about the individual. Some people are considerate others are not.

The reason I continue with this topic is to try and counter the view that all cyclists are a problem, *some* are just as *some* motorists are and *some* dog walkers are and so on ...

As stated previously if people had better attitudes then cycling could preform a key role in active transport for the bettering of the nation in both health and the flow of traffic.

[Griswold]

If you saw no bell on the handle bars you must have seen her coming because you can't judge the presence of a bell from the rear.

Also looking are her, the bike and the surface I doubt she was doing much more than 10-12mph although this could be perceived as fast to a walker ...

She had to slow to a degree to pass me without hitting one of the bollards and I could clearly see as she passed me that she didn't have a bell fitted. It was more the shock of someone suddenly being there without warning than the actual speed, though she was going quite quickly as you can gauge by the distance she'd covered by the time I'd raised my camera to my eye to take the shot.

Deliveroo / Just Eats are a total scourge in Canterbury City Centre as the main high street is pedestrianised and features many restaurants and take-aways. These guys on the gig economy ride far too fast amongst the pedestrians on eBikes that must be chipped to go faster than the 15mph limit. I imagine they create a great deal of anti cycling animosity as the weave as pace through the crowds.

Indeed.

It's not about the bell or the lycra or the BMW it is about the individual. Some people are considerate others are not.

The reason I continue with this topic is to try and counter the view that all cyclists are a problem, *some* are just as *some* motorists are and *some* dog walkers are and so on ...

As stated previously if people had better attitudes then cycling could preform a key role in active transport for the bettering of the nation in both health and the flow of traffic.

On this I'm in total agreement and made that point earlier in the thread. I genuinely believe that these cyclists behave equally inconsiderately behind the wheel of a car or the handle of a supermarket trolly. And yes, they're not the majority of cyclists; but there are the majority of cyclists who get noticed and the majority of cyclists who give cyclists a bad name.

Genuine open question. Is this an English, (UK?), problem? Experiences abroad, (Belgium and Holland in particular), tell me that cyclists there ride at a more leisurely pace than here - certainly in and around the towns and built up areas.

[Montello]

Genuine open question. Is this an English, (UK?), problem? Experiences abroad, (Belgium and Holland in particular), tell me that cyclists there ride at a more leisurely pace than here - certainly in and around the towns and built up areas.

I have cycled in The Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, France and Australia ... and small amounts in SE Asia and NZ.

I'd say in mainland Europe the attitude is much better as the bicycle is much more and accepted part of their culture and transport solution. It is nothing to do with the pace of cycling, there are probably more sports cyclists in Europe.

In Australia there is a pretty hostile attitude towards cyclists and its a quite a risky activity there on the roads.

[trident-7]

If you'd read my post properly you'd have seen I was talking specifically about shared foot/cycle paths and traffic free public spaces. I don't get to meet any horses or cars in these places, though I do get to meet very many joggers, walkers and cyclists on them.







Yesterday was just another typical day walking on one of our local shared foot/cycle paths. I was almost hit by this idiot who shot past me from behind extremely closely and at high speed to get between the two bollards. Of course, she gave no warning whatsoever. Then again she had no bell! Had she given warning Lynn and I would have stepped aside to let her pass.

And your 'cheery good morning' would have been no help whatsoever at the speed she was going!




There are, on this shared path, quite a number of blind bends like this one. I'm amazed at the number of cyclists who give no warning when approaching at high speed, particularly early morning/evening when they're obviously commuting to/from work. Many folk are out at those times walking their dogs and I've seen one dog hit by one of these clowns - I was walking it at the time!




Am I right in assuming, based on your replies in this thread, you don't have a bell fitted to your bike?

For the record. I'm a cyclist, I have a bell fitted to my bike and I use it.

I'm not a fan of cycle paths. I frequently hear a cry from car drivers of 'get on the fcuking cycle path!' to which I might respond 'get on the 'fcuking M4!'. I'm biased because I was hit by another cyclist on the Bristol to Bath cycle path, the original Sustrans route, aka The Psycho Path & fractured my hip, shattered my collar bone, & also 2 ribs. Subsequently I've undergone a total hip replacement which cost me £15k. I've generally commuted via the A4 ever since....it feels much safer.

Dogs are one of the main hazard on the Psycho Path. I've had several incidents....for example I was just about to reach a point on the path where it crossed a main road. On the approach I noticed a guy on a bike ahead come on to the path & then immediately release his Boxer dog from it's lead. The dog clocked me & made a beeline towards me head on. I attempted to swerve to avoid it but it dived into my front wheel. I went over the handlebars & the dog ran off. It returned looking sheepish a few minutes later with a clearly broken front leg.

Shortly after this I came up behind another cyclist who's terrier type dog was running alongside him. The Boxer dog incident was quite fresh in my mind. I called from behind that I was coming through & that he ought to be careful with his dog because I had ran over one recently. To which the rider responded that he'd been doing this for years without incident. Barely were the words out of his mouth when his little dog noticed another dog & ran across his path. He ran his own dog over (it was ok) & he ended up on the deck looking up at me as I passed. His parting words were 'I don't have any problem with this!'

Another occasion was an old lady with her Jack Russell on an extendable lead. The old lady was one side of the path & the dog was at the other sniffing at something in the undergrowth. I rode through the lead & came to a halt with the lead hooked up under my chin. The old woman exclaimed 'You STUPID dog!' The dog was unconcerned.

Finally, I was riding home from work & came upon a group of three women who were taking up the full width of the cycle path. I rang my bell. As I was about to ride through the gap between them, one of the women opened her arms wide as if to stop me. I came to a halt. Then I realised that she had opened her arms wide to encourage her loose dog to come to her. The next second the dog charged straight past her & took my bike out from under me. As I laid on the deck she said 'you never rang your bell!' As she said this a couple of other cyclists rode up to us & one of them said 'Yes he did, I heard it quite clearly'.

Regarding those ridiculous bollards & wooden posts that councils erect on cycling paths.....many a time I've nearly hit one.....& tragically a member of my cycling club did just that a year ago & is paralysed from the neck down as a result. Stick one in the middle of the M1 & see how long it lasts!

[Griswold]

^^^^^^^^^^^

The bollards are an attempt to stop clowns like this….

[Bravo73]

clowns like this….

https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk...ckRecalls=true

Little surprise there.

Slightly surprising though is that a ‘Thumpstar Road Ripper’ has only got 2 wheels:

https://thumpstar.co.uk/thumpstarRoadRipper.html

[Griswold]

Two wheels you say....