cyclepaths and non cyclists

miketv

Whats with people walking on cyclepaths? I mean particularly the Clontarf- Howth direction, had once again a near accident with another cyclist goin round a bend with an idiot in my lane, then I look back at the the person walking in the cyclepath (he got a shock as we both nearly took him out) and he continued to stay walking there.
Funnnee thing is there is also a walk path right next to the clearly marked cyclepath, ah well!
oh, while on the subject as dangerous, are people walking their dogs on leads, they walk on the footpath(as they are ment ot do) but let their beloved dog go across both cycle paths, problem here lies more in the darker months when you cant see the lead and hey presto, hit tha brakes hard!
I assume other people here do the same route and have experienced this?
Mike

Pherekydes

Take one of them, or their dogs, out and see what happens. Make sure you're wearing your American Football gear! It is a problem though. Maybe a short chat with one, to see what the problem is, might help. Maybe they can't understand those "cycle" symbols...

beans

Phoenix park is the very same.

Knocking them down, or buzzing them within a few mm, or stopping / going around them are all non-starters. Telling them that it's not safe to be walking on a cycle-path while pointing out the footpath has mixed results. If you go on the roadway, you have cars who are justifiably annoyed that you're not on the cycle-path :rolleyes:

The only safe and responsible thing to do seems to be asking them to keep the path clear for bikes. Not always fun though...

kona

yes i know exactly what you are talking about, the muppetry is rampant along that stretch.
heres another, how big is ST.ANNES park??? 200 acres??? there is a little corner there where there are ramps and jumps etc, why do people feel the need to walk their dogs there??and not on a leash, these people shouldnt be allowed roam the streets especially witha animal in thier control.
last week i was there doing some jumps when some aul bag lets her little jack russel loose, i hit a ramp, get air, the bang i land but wasnt the dog under my back wheel???:( :mad: , the little thing didnt have a chance, he looked in a bad way when the coffin dodger took him away i felt so bad:mad: but now i am like **** it its their ignorance to bring a dog into such a dangerous enviroment.

miketv

Hi Kona,
Jees thats pretty bad about the dog, what did the auld one say? or was she so messed up, :eek:

iregk

on the same level but what really annoys me is cars parked in the cycle lanes! sometimes i feel like purposfully squeezing through just so as i scratch their car!

kona

miketv wrote:

Hi Kona,
Jees thats pretty bad about the dog, what did the auld one say? or was she so messed up, :eek:

she started blaming me, so i started shouting at her asking here why she felt it was ok to have here dog unleashed when there are signs saying all dogs must be on a leash, why she let the dog loose when she saw what type of cycling was going on(btw this place is well know as a bmx and mtb place) told her to wait while i called the animal cruelty people and gardai, at which stage she picked up the dog and i suppose(hope) went to a vet asap

daymobrew

beans wrote:

Phoenix park is the very same.
....
The only safe and responsible thing to do seems to be asking them to keep the path clear for bikes. Not always fun though...

I very politely pointed out the pedestrian path to one family and got a torrent of abuse. And I ended up passing them 3 or 4 times because I was doing the duathlon loop :mad:

A Park Ranger told me that pedestrians on the cycle track is the number one complaint by cyclists to them. They do talk to pedestrians but it doesn't make too much of a difference. He did say that women feel safer closer to the road when it's not so bright.
At one time the paths used to be swapped, with the pedestrian path the one adjacent to the road! He didn't know why they changed it.

Ghost Rider

A partial solution to this problem is to get a bell for your bike. In my experience, if you start ringing it around 50 metres away, more than half of all pedestrians will quickly look around and scurry out of the way as soon as they can.

Of these, many look geniunely surprised, suggesting they simply weren't aware they were walking on a bike lane. (In the Phoenix Park, the cycle lane markings are very old and there aren't that many of them. It would definitely help to paint more and to keep them freshly painted.)

The ones who don't hear you are usually "power walkers" listening to personal stereos, which suggests to me they're also unaware of the cycle lane. I guess there's not much you can do about that lot, other than gently brushing their tracksuits as you whizz by...

beans

I wouldn't even mind so much if the pedestrians walked facing the traffic-flow and stepped to the side when they see cycle-traffic coming. Its the three-abreast / power walking / slap-bang in the middle of the lane with their back to the oncoming cyclists that really bug me.

I've been guilty of buzzing these types in the past at great speed if I'm having a bad day, I'm ashamed to say

With a dose of common sense everyone would be happy.

Edit - I had a bell, stolen. I have a siren that i must re-attach at some stage, it's got a little thumb-button and is piercingly loud, great for getting the attention of pretty much anyone

Ghost Rider

Beans, where did you get the siren? Does it penetrate the wall of iPod?

beans wrote:

I wouldn't even mind so much if the pedestrians walked facing the traffic-flow and stepped to the side when they see cycle-traffic coming. Its the three-abreast / power walking / slap-bang in the middle of the lane with their back to the oncoming cyclists that really bug me.

I've been guilty of buzzing these types in the past at great speed if I'm having a bad day, I'm ashamed to say

With a dose of common sense everyone would be happy.

Edit - I had a bell, stolen. I have a siren that i must re-attach at some stage, it's got a little thumb-button and is piercingly loud, great for getting the attention of pretty much anyone

beans

'Twas a gift, but the blurb said something about the police in Sweden using them? It's pretty damn loud, I forget the dB, but it'll make dudes in cars check their rear-view mirror if I'm coming up the inside.

Achilles heel is the rubber strap that broke, must find some leather replacement. It rocks

daymobrew

Ghost Rider wrote:

Beans, where did you get the siren? Does it penetrate the wall of iPod?

BikeDock.com has two horns: 105db mega horn and a 70db mini mega horn. No laughing back there

I think that Cycle Ways on Parnell St stocks the Air Zounds air horn. Reviews I've seen say it doesn't last as long as claimed between fills.

Ghost Rider

Ah! Battery-powered rather than compressed-air horns. Very interesting. I wonder how loud they are, though...

daymobrew wrote:

BikeDock.com has two horns: 105db mega horn and a 70db mini mega horn. No laughing back there

I think that Cycle Ways on Parnell St stocks the Air Zounds air horn. Reviews I've seen say it doesn't last as long as claimed between fills.

garrath

I posted this in another thread, but it seems relevant here. I was cycling on the firhouse road, where the cycle lane is on the footpath, seperated by a white line when a motorcycle came at speed heading straight towards me. I shouted at him, telling him it was a cycle lane but he ignored me. If I had more presence of mind I would have taken his licence plate. Bloody rediculous, children, dogs etc on that footpath who regularly walk out into the cycle lane.

I do agree that pedestrians do not respect the cycle lane. I see it everyday. Mostly I try to avoid these particular cycle lanes, and just cycle on the road: its safer for everyone, and a lot less irritating for me. I find getting up behind them and shouting "watch out" or "bike" or something usually gets their attention, but I doubt it makes too much difference to their walking habits.

Another thing I hate about these cycle lanes (just the ones that are part of the footpath and not the road) is that you lose your right of way at a junction. So anytime there is a road you have to yield right of way, where if you were on the road, you could assert it. Very frustrating, mostly I just try to cycle on the road (which is illegal if there is a cycle lane).

wingnut

* Near total silence - 0 dB
* A whisper - 15 dB
* Normal conversation - 60 dB
* A lawnmower - 90 dB
* A car horn - 110 dB
* A rock concert or a jet engine - 120 dB
* A gunshot or firecracker - 140 dB

Bear in min that it is measured at 1 yard so it should be about as loud as a car horn.