Etiquette When Cycling on Footpaths

tealady

I occasionally use a towpath. If a cyclist makes me aware they are there I will always stand aside for them and are usually greeted with a cheery "thanks". The only time I have stood my ground was when a toe rag was cycling at speed towards me on a narrow footpath. That is MY territory so didn't give way and so he had to drop onto the road.
Respect me and I will respect you.

Pennywise

Nebulous2 wrote: »

Rogue cyclists don't give other cyclists a bad name, any more than rogue drivers give drivers a bad name. People are responsible for their own actions, not those of a diverse group they happen to be associated with.

Tell that to cyclists who brand all motorists as the same!

Nebulous2

Pennywise wrote: »

Tell that to cyclists who brand all motorists as the same!

Classic whataboutery.

I drive far more than I cycle, and see bad behaviour from both. Serious wrong-doing, drunk driving, killing pedestrians, killing someone whilst on a mobile phone is never identified as 'giving motorists a bad name.' Most people identify as motorists and think 'there but for the grace of God.'

Whether driving or cycling I'm responsible for my own behaviour and not answerable for anyone else. I'm never called to account for drivers, but occasionally am for cyclists, just because people know I cycle.

Many people don't cycle and are happy to 'other' cyclists because they dont relate to them. It bears some relationship to any discriminatory behaviour against people you don't see as being like you.

Retrogamer

Nebulous2 wrote: »

Classic whataboutery.

I drive far more than I cycle, and see bad behaviour from both. Serious wrong-doing, drunk driving, killing pedestrians, killing someone whilst on a mobile phone is never identified as 'giving motorists a bad name.' Most people identify as motorists and think 'there but for the grace of God.'

Whether driving or cycling I'm responsible for my own behaviour and not answerable for anyone else. I'm never called to account for drivers, but occasionally am for cyclists, just because people know I cycle.

Many people don't cycle and are happy to 'other' cyclists because they dont relate to them. It bears some relationship to any discriminatory behaviour against people you don't see as being like you.

Fully agree. I've only cycled about 20 miles or so in the last 2+ years but drove around 20,000 miles in the same time period.

So many people i heard of complaining about cyclists doing x, y and z whilst simultaneously ignoring all the illegal and dangerous things other motorists do.

Norman_Castle

Pennywise wrote: »

Tell that to cyclists who brand all motorists as the same!

You could write it down and tell them yourself or do you consider yourself a separate race from cyclists.

Claddagh_Noir

Cyclists are the bane of my life. I sometimes (begrudgingly) stand aside for them and some never say thank you. Sometimes, if they are on the middle of the pavement I look them dead in the eye and refuse to stand aside and let them either go into the road or go around me, this is usually if I am walking the dog. Some cyclists have absolutely no consideration.



I have now conditioned myself to look behind me if I am going to go on the other side of the pavement in case one is tear-@rsing down it!

Retrogamer

Claddagh_Noir wrote: »

Some cyclists have absolutely no consideration.

I think it's a human thing. Some are cyclists, some are pedestrians and some are motorists. No shortage of them in either group.

Norman_Castle

Claddagh_Noir wrote: »

Cyclists are the bane of my life. I sometimes (begrudgingly) stand aside for them and some never say thank you.

Try cheerfully standing aside, you're more likely to get a thank you. When I'm either walking or cycling I respond to people in the same way they respond to me.

Nasqueron

Pennywise wrote: »

Tell that to cyclists who brand all motorists as the same!

When on the bike I am vulnerable, I see plenty of bad driving so I have to assume all drivers are bad for safety reasons, that doesn't mean I necessarily believe all drivers are bad but just have to treat them as if they were.

esuhl

Nasqueron wrote: »

When on the bike I am vulnerable, I see plenty of bad driving so I have to assume all drivers are bad for safety reasons, that doesn't mean I necessarily believe all drivers are bad but just have to treat them as if they were.

I think that's why some motorists find cyclists so infuriating. Cyclists have to ride defensively, taking the lane when necessary, etc., and motorists sometimes misinterpret that as deliberately trying to get in their way.

Everyone who cycles regularly will have had many experiences of a motorist deliberately trying to intimidate them by driving dangerously close, and forcing them to swerve or brake.

To a motorist, a minor collision is an inconvenience at worst. To a cyclist, it could be fatal.