Rant about a cyclist

robbo1234biking

As a cyclist I can see the point in a bell but unfortunatley it seems we cant win. If I ring the bell people jump out of their skin and give me disapproving looks but if I say excuse me I get the same reaction. And no I dont do this when right behind people but from a good distance back.

david39

Cyclists should remember that some people are hard of hearing and cannot sense them approaching from behind unless they give a warning.

Calling out to them does not work as they probably will not hear what is said, or will not be able to detect the direction the call comes from.

A good cycle bell is an easily distinguished sound and, unless the person is completely deaf, gives instant indication of the potential hazard. Also, cyclists should bear in mind that in a collision with a pedestrian, they themselves are likely to be injured, too.

robbo1234biking

I have one of the traditional bells on and some people still dont hear it or jump out of their skin. There is only so much someone can do.

To be honest I think most walkers would prefer it if we didnt share paths/trails etc the amount of dirty looks that we get. It is unfair to tarnish all cyclists with same problem and make assumptions. Some cyclists are ignorant but so are some walkers

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

david39 wrote: »

Cyclists should remember that some people are hard of hearing and cannot sense them approaching from behind unless they give a warning.

Calling out to them does not work as they probably will not hear what is said, or will not be able to detect the direction the call comes from.

A good cycle bell is an easily distinguished sound and, unless the person is completely deaf, gives instant indication of the potential hazard. Also, cyclists should bear in mind that in a collision with a pedestrian, they themselves are likely to be injured, too.

Yep, plenty of people are hard of hearing, especially the ones wearing ipods who walk along at 2mph oblivious to the needs of other users.

I have my fun though, the other day I shot past 2 joggers at about 20mph (both walking) who between them were managing to take up the 15 foot width of the shared pavement/cycle path. One of them jumped so high she could touch the streetlamps. Maybe next time she'll pay more attention and not presume to occupy the entire width.

goldspanners

robbo1234biking wrote: »

As a cyclist I can see the point in a bell but unfortunatley it seems we cant win. If I ring the bell people jump out of their skin and give me disapproving looks but if I say excuse me I get the same reaction. And no I dont do this when right behind people but from a good distance back.

your right,damned if you do damned if you dont. i dont have a bell and i wont get one either,if i was forced into getting something it would be one of those air horns that works off air compressed by a bicycle pump they are very loud.

exup

Barneysmom wrote: »

Wow good for your mom!
Walking along the towpath on Saturday, we'd decided to do about 10 miles but it was cut to about 5. Kinda spoilt my day there.

You need a permit to cycle on a canal towpath (from the UK waterways website if I remember)- they are free to download and print off - which you sign yourself .

Although they are free you can still get them revoked when you use the towpath in a dangerous or agressive way - especially with regards to other towpath users - and I wonder just how many cyclists remember to carry them?

As for wounding the bell for pedestrains - if you leave it right until the last possible moment then you probably will\make them jump out of their skins .ring it from a bit further away.

sickparrot

I cycle to work every day, mostly along Greenways (old converted railways) and canal towpaths, most of which are widened and surfaced specifically for bikes. I have to agree that many cyclists are utter jerks.

If I'm approaching someone from behind, I start ringing my bell a good way off, and carry on pinging it once a second untill I'm sure they've heard me, If they don't (old, etc), I slow right down and make other noises, coughing, clattering gears etc, until they do. I also slow right down if I'm coming up to loose dogs. People are for the most part thankful and curteous, even apologising for the dogs in many cases.

I was riding home a couple of weeks ago when I came up behing a guy on the towpath who didn't repond to my bell, when I got closer he obviously had an Ipod in so I slowed down to a walking pace and trundled along behind him ready to pass when the path widened out. However, another cyclist following me decided he had greater priority, came barrelling down the path, no bell, said 'on the left mate' when he was 5 yards from my back end, scared the cr*p out of me and the walker, and simply carried on as if nothing had happened. I'm embarrassed that people like this give cyclists such a bad name.

I did a charity ride 2 years ago (55 miles up some pretty big hills), I'm horribly overweight (but reasonably fit) so I thought I'd give it a go. The number of snarky comments I got from 'pro's' as I panted up the hills on my cheap hybrid was unbelievable. Never again. They can just f**k right off.

Reggie_Rebel

Having had enough of trying to own the road it now seems like all the cyclists near me are having a go at owning the pavement

kolin_2

i don't have a bell on my bike, what i do do however, is slow down, and try and make an audible noise (loud cough, squeek the brakes etc)just before, they then turn around notice me, and allow me to pass them slowly. I don;t mind doing this when i'm out cycling.

it's just common sense surely?

freakybacon

When cycling to work on my local greenway I find ringing my bell followed by clear statement of intent works- usually yelling "Coming past on your left/right!"