cyclist vs pedestrian - who has right of way

happyc84

we out for a lovely scenic walk along the riverside. Path designated for both users, but tbh, at times it feels like the people who are walking are target practice for those on 2 wheels.

If only the cyclists would treat the pedestrians with the same care they expect from others. In fact to would be better if we had different paths.
Rant over!!!

How best to solve this problem? other than poking them with a big stick.

London50

From a personal point of view I would use a stick to poke through the spokes if I thought they were getting too close to me but being old and cantankerous and like my personal space as well as getting peoples backs up when they annoy me I feel justified in my actions/reactions towards inconsiderate imbeciles that believe they own whatever park of the path they are on.
I have done it a few times as I have got older {so far with no comeback I am pleased to say.:0)

ARandomMiser

We generally keep to the left and usually there is no problem. Sometimes though a cyclist would shout at us to move or ring their bell - I usually take the opportunity to stop (forcing them to stop) and stare at them.

Norman_Castle

happyc84 wrote: »

we out for a lovely scenic walk along the riverside. Path designated for both users, but tbh, at times it feels like the people who are walking are target practice for those on 2 wheels.

If only the cyclists would treat the pedestrians with the same care they expect from others. In fact to would be better if we had different paths.

When I'm out on a lovely scenic ride along the riverside I'm very careful and courteous towards others on the path however there are a minority of pedestrians who despite knowing the path is shared use they are surprised and annoyed to encounter cyclists. There are different paths for pedestrians but you are choosing to use a shared use path.
I often encounter pedestrians who are filling an 8 foot wide path. When I courteously ring my bell to tell them I am there the majority are very pleasant but there is a miserable minority who clearly resent the existence of cyclists.
I'm not blindly supporting cyclists. There are a some who are clearly very inconsiderate and foolish and deserve complaint but equally these are matched in number by pedestrians with a chip on their shoulder who will complain regardless of the cyclists behaviour. I suspect it gives some a purpose in life.

Norman_Castle

ARandomMiser wrote: »

We generally keep to the left and usually there is no problem. Sometimes though a cyclist would shout at us to move or ring their bell - I usually take the opportunity to stop (forcing them to stop) and stare at them.

When I use my bell I'm often surprised by pedestrians thanking me for using a bell. The vast majority of pedestrians I meet when cycling appear to have no problems with cyclists.
Why do you stare at cyclists using a bell?

NBLondon

Because (as you almost certainly already know, Norman) - there's a difference between the courteous cyclist with one ding as a warning "Hey, folks, there's a bike here that you may not have noticed" and the arrogant cyclist with repeated furious dings "Get out of my way, I'm not going to slow down for mere walkers!"

Norman_Castle

NBLondon wrote: »

Because (as you almost certainly already know, Norman) - there's a difference between the courteous cyclist with one ding as a warning "Hey, folks, there's a bike here that you may not have noticed" and the arrogant cyclist with repeated furious dings "Get out of my way, I'm not going to slow down for mere walkers!"

In my experience the pushy cyclists don't use a bell.

takman

London50 wrote: »

From a personal point of view I would use a stick to poke through the spokes if I thought they were getting too close to me but being old and cantankerous and like my personal space as well as getting peoples backs up when they annoy me I feel justified in my actions/reactions towards inconsiderate imbeciles that believe they own whatever park of the path they are on.
I have done it a few times as I have got older {so far with no comeback I am pleased to say.:0)

So how many times have you ever done that? I'm guessing none!.

ARandomMiser wrote: »

We generally keep to the left and usually there is no problem. Sometimes though a cyclist would shout at us to move or ring their bell - I usually take the opportunity to stop (forcing them to stop) and stare at them.

So you would prefer the cyclists to go past without any warning?. They are using the bell for safety reasons so that you don't accidently walk into the path of the cyclist as they are going past.

Sicard

Just as a point of interest in Holland it's the cyclist who has the right of way and they rattle their brake handles as a warning.

[Deleted User]

As a walker I don't like cyclists in the way, and as a cyclist I don't like walkers in the way, that's why I prefer to ride on the road wherever possible. When I'm on shared-use paths I can never remember which side of the line is which. I flick my brake levers rather than use a bell because ringing a bell makes me feel like I'm being impatient. As a walker I don't like the sound of either a bell, a bike or the rider because it startles me, and then as I suddenly turn to see which side it's approaching from I lose my balance and stumble into the path of the bike.

andrewf75

No way to solve it, but I find it is best to remember that people are just people and some are nice and respectful others aren’t. Too many people seem to develop ideas that people can be categorised by the form of transport they are using. The inconsiderate cyclists are probably also inconsiderate when they are walking and driving.