What do I do if a pedestrian steps out in front of me and I'm in one of these new cycle lanes?

Chomeur

So in London at least there are now loads of new cycle lanes separated from the rest of the road by plastic bollards/wands. I cycle a lot and it's not at all rare for a pedestrian to step out in front of me because they're looking at their smartphone and think they can hear any traffic coming (which they can't). But I've always been able to avoid them by breaking or swerving. If I'm in one of these lanes and it happens I'll have to break of course (although I'll be worried about any cyclist behind me not being able to break and going into the back of me). But I don't think I can swerve any more because presumably those bollards are quite solid and I can't risk hitting one. And I don't want to go into the pavement either. So if a pedestrian steps out right in front of me they are going to get hit, and potentially badly hurt. 
Also (a) there is often debris in these lanes which can be hard to avoid, (b) the entrances and exits to these lanes are often not easy to navigate and (c) I can't pass other cyclists in them. So I'm inclined to not use them and just stay out in the road. How much is that going to annoy car drivers?

JamoLew

Nothing you can do like when cyclists do erratic things and get hit by cars (and vice versa)
Some form of video recording device (think dash cam type) and insurance would seem like sensible precautions to take

tacpot12

You need a loud horn on your bike, like this one: https://www.evanscycles.com/brand/hornit/cycle-horn-930750#colcode=93075001

At 140 dB, you should be able to sound it a good way ahead of the pedestrian and still have them hear it even if they are wearing earphones. 

bouicca21

Join one of the cycling organisations that offer insurance and legal cover.

Johnmcl7

Personally I wouldn't cycle at a speed I couldn't avoid a crash particularly when a cyclist is at risk of injury as well in a collision with a pedestrian.  Even if the bollards weren't there I wouldn't assume I could swerve out wide onto the road without checking since that risks getting hit by a car where you're definitely going to come off worse.  I go at a pace I can slow down or stop the bike as needed if a pedestrian steps out and managed it fine on narrow cycle lanes up until now.

theoretica

Chomeur said:

 But I don't think I can swerve any more because presumably those bollards are quite solid and I can't risk hitting one. And I don't want to go into the pavement either. So if a pedestrian steps out right in front of me they are going to get hit, and potentially badly hurt. 

Do you think you would be significantly less hurt hitting a pedestrian than a bollard? I would have thought what will be most damaging is you hitting the ground, and that would be the same in either case.

stragglebod

Shouldn't you be slowing down when passing pedestrians, and watching out for potential hazards, so you've got enough time to react?

unforeseen

Same rules apply as with a car. Ride to the conditions. If there is a risk of pedestrians stepping out then ride at a speed where you can stop safely.

fred246

The danger lies when they walk across and you see them. You think "OK walk across in front of me. I will just cycle behind you." They then spot you and decide to go back to the pavement. That's when you hit them. The good thing is that if they are healthy and of a similar weight to you it normally isn't a big problem. There are plenty of cyclist pedestrian bumps on youtube to watch if you are bored. It's sort of 50:50 who comes off worst.

fred246

It's different if a cyclist is run over by a 40 tonne truck. Their bodies are squashed like sandwich spread on the road. I am not a great fan of cyclists sharing space with motorised vehicles. Cyclists and pedestrians need to be shielded from these killing machines.

Hasbeen

Op: Invest in one of these helmet cameras that a lot of cyclists seem to have.

Good for proof when someone steps out right in front of you.

And if pedestrians ahead, then go slow and be prepared to brake.

You do not want to break any of your limbs or injury to others etc