Cycling etiquette

DaisyHamilton

I can't believe someone would do that! That's terrible.

Lolli1986

...how in the world did a cyclist run over your dog? o_O

cycling/pedestrian etiquette depends on which path you are travelling on in my city. along the designated bike paths, bikes are expected to ring a bell before 'overtaking' a pedestrian. pedestrians are expected to NOT take up the whole path. this is along a commute route.

however, along the strand, which is a popular family destination, it is considered EXTREMELY rude to ring your bell and disrupt someone's peaceful day, so you slow down. generally, if you are riding along the strand is it just for the pleasure of a slow ride, and there are dogs and kids everywhere.

if dogs are allowed off-leash there then cyclists should definitely give way to pedestrians. it sounds like the same sort of location as our Strand.

jms3533

I bike a lot and I ALWAYS either ring my loud bell or yell "behind you!" way before I pass someone. It scares the ****ens out of me when a biker passes me unannounced.

IronmanPanda

This reminded me of a saying I saw somewhere

"As a driver I hate pedestrians, As a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what my mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists"

Now, I agree, some cyclists are fine, but those a-holes who weave all through traffic, or take up a whole lane in rush hour do kind of get on my nerves. There was a cyclist the other day who went up onto the sidewalk to go around one car (it was slow as it was rush hour), then came back onto the road and cut me off and I had to slam on my brakes, I wanted to get out and smack him.

Cyclists shouldn't pick and choose if they want to follow pedestrian rules or vehicle rules but as a cyclist by law I am entitled to take up a lane of traffic if I deem it unsafe to ride all the way to the right.

FlynnMacCallister

If I'm riding on a shared path, I always ring my bell when approaching pedestrians. Unleashed dogs are a menace around bikes though; they're utterly unpredictable! After having one launch itself at my bike while I was riding through the park once, I slow to a stop until the owner has the dog out of the way or at heel and completely controlled. (Thankfully, in that incident, neither the dog, which was some sort of little psycho terrier thing, nor I were injured in the slightest.) Either the path should not be shared, or dogs shouldn't be allowed off the leash.

FlynnMacCallister

This reminded me of a saying I saw somewhere

"As a driver I hate pedestrians, As a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what my mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists"

Now, I agree, some cyclists are fine, but those a-holes who weave all through traffic, or take up a whole lane in rush hour do kind of get on my nerves. There was a cyclist the other day who went up onto the sidewalk to go around one car (it was slow as it was rush hour), then came back onto the road and cut me off and I had to slam on my brakes, I wanted to get out and smack him.

Sorry, what are we actually meant to do if not take up a lane?

sarahgilmore1

Often when cycling in traffic, the safest thing to do is to take the whole lane.


Also, if I was riding that fast and RAN OVER a DOG I'd be eating pavement. As much as I'd love to be above the laws of physics, Conservation of momentum wins this one.

cyclical01

Doesn't matter whether you are riding a bike or not. Rude cyclists, drivers, runners, even walkers are all symptoms of the problem which, at its root, is a general absence of consideration for others in contemporary society. You just gotta do the right thing yourself, and in this particular instance bikes yield to everything and everyone. Pretty simple rule to follow but you gotta care in the first place.

MisterDubs303

...how in the world did a cyclist run over your dog? o_O

Because many of them ride like a bat out of hell and act like the trail is theirs alone.

I'm having the same issue with mountain bikers outside of Denver. The place is infested with them, and it's nearly impossible to take a hike and actually enjoy it. There's plenty of signage stating the right-of-way protocol, but everyone knows it's easiest for the pedestrian to get off the trail, and the cyclists expect it. I always yield to the cyclists, just as a courtesy. What gets me, though, is the attitude of expectation and lack of appreciation. Right now I'm getting about 5-10% of them acknowledging that I've offered them MY right-of-way. Even a freaking nod or smile would be nice.

I've been so disgusted with the whole thing lately that I'm considering selling (or destroying) my own mountain bike, because I don't want to contribute to the broader issue of the area being completely overrun by them. I've fantasized about contacting Raid to see if they can develop a Mountain Biker Spray - compact size, for hiker and backpacker use. Oh, and I do make sure my dog is out of the way, no matter what type of trail or path I'm on. I can sympathize with cyclists, runners, other peds, and especially skateboarders, about people with long leashes letting their dogs and paraphernalia taking up the entire path.

"On your left" shouldn't mean "get the f*** off my trail - to your right."

unsuspectingfish

I don't know about where you are, but here, bicycle LAW is that they are supposed to give way to pedestrians. Many of them seem to think it's the other way around, though. Honestly, if you're on a crowded stretch of sidewalk and you don't want to ride in traffic, get off your bike and walk it through. Same goes with people on skateboards. Of course, pedestrians also need to learn how to give way to each other, but that's a whole different rant entirely.

Also, I hit my neighbors dog (a lab) with my bike a couple of times when I was really young, but that was because the dog was trying to bite me and wouldn't move and there was no way in hell I was getting off my bike to avoid him. It wasn't a full-on impact, but I hit a good portion of the dog at about half speed, and never once did I lose control of my bike. So, it's possible to hit a dog and not lose control, but to hit a dog that is not being aggressive in any way and NOT STOP to see if it's OK is just a jerk move.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I love cyclists who obey basic etiquette. There are always weekend warriors on the back roads near us, I wasn't used to this where I grew up in PA, but here in NC it's an 8 month riding season on these back roads. Initially it bothered me that I had to sit there and wait to pass them, but now it's just another part of life. I sit and wait, I don't push the pass without room, and I don't draft. I expect the same respect and usually they are very polite, when you come up most sit back to single file and snug the berm even though most of the berms are poor. However, I do get annoyed by the riders who set up in 3 across and never single file. 2 weeks ago I was crossing the street in uptown with the cross walk and had to jump around in an attempt to not get run over. 6 inch heels, skirt, sushi take out, jumping around in the cross walk because he couldn't be bothered to wait for the light.

jrojeck

Cycling, particularly group cycling is very popular in my neighborhood because the roads are scenic. My biggest frustration just as a driver is when they spill out entirely into a vehicle lane and take it over. I'm not talking about a few inches, I mean the entire vehicle lane. I tolerate this more on the weekend because the road they like to use is not a particularly busy road and I have no place in particular to be on those days.

A few weeks back, I was on my way to work and some cycling guy and his buddy are again, spilling out into the vehicle lane because they were riding side by side. It was either slow way down and drive behind him the entire way or hit the car on my left to avoid him. So I honked for the first time ever to get him to move.

To me, this behavior comes off as really rude. Cyclists have their own lane and I realize that there's a social element to the hobby, but I don't see why I have to be inconvenienced because this guy wants to talk to his friend. Some people work on the weekdays!

LiveEnjoyEndure

I find the whole attitude to cyclist unbelievable! Cycling is a valid, environmentally friendly, healthy, economical and safe way to travel. I drive, run, walk and cycle, usually on an almost daily basis. My preferred mode of commuting / travel to work and for errands is cycling. If the roads were full of cyclists there wouldn't be so much congestion, fewer accidents and less stress. As I spend most of my time as a cyclist waiting for cars in city traffic I cannot understand unreasonable and inconsiderate attitude of car drivers.

Ask yourself how much time do you actually spend waiting behind another car and how much time do you spend behind a cyclist..?

IronmanPanda

I don't know about where you are, but here, bicycle LAW is that they are supposed to give way to pedestrians. Many of them seem to think it's the other way around, though. Honestly, if you're on a crowded stretch of sidewalk and you don't want to ride in traffic, get off your bike and walk it through. Same goes with people on skateboards. Of course, pedestrians also need to learn how to give way to each other, but that's a whole different rant entirely.

Also, I hit my neighbors dog (a lab) with my bike a couple of times when I was really young, but that was because the dog was trying to bite me and wouldn't move and there was no way in hell I was getting off my bike to avoid him. It wasn't a full-on impact, but I hit a good portion of the dog at about half speed, and never once did I lose control of my bike. So, it's possible to hit a dog and not lose control, but to hit a dog that is not being aggressive in any way and NOT STOP to see if it's OK is just a jerk move.

First of all cyclists should be riding in the streets as sidewalks are for pedestrians. I am sure though if they were in the street you'd still complain while driving that the cyclist was taking up a lane of traffic. Even though by LAW it is allowed.

So you keep on ranting, I'll keep on riding.

kaned_ferret

Hearing everyone's cycle rage (joke!) actually makes me feel very thankful that the majority of riders in my area are NOT like the guy who ran my little bean over! That's probably why I have been taken so by surprise, because usually cyclists in the area slow for dogs and pedestrians (they're riding on a beach promenade in a holiday town after all!) and they also usually smile, say hello, and thankyou when we move to one side.

As for the physics of staying on a bike having ridden over a dog - have you never ridden up onto a raised kerb? or over a speedhump? she's only little, it's perfectly doable

I think really my gripe is with lack of etiquette and politeness in this case, it's nothing to do with cycle hate! I'm always a very patient driver behind bikes, and I am sure I pee off drivers behind me when I won't overtake a bike on a road - unless I can give them a wide berth, there's no way I'd risk it, so everyone behind me can wait

I had my maiden outing today on my borrowed bike, and it was a very enjoyable way to ride into town and back - I just have to get used to the whole braking thing without falling off at junctions! :blushing:

mummyv811

I walk to and from work and I'm constantly hearing bells ringing at me from cyclists coming up fast behind me on the pavement.... the truly annoying about it is that there is a cycle path on the road next to the pavement!!! :explode: So I have to jump out of the way, as a pedestrian, in a pedestrian zone (the pavement) to let some K**bhead on a bike pass when he (not to be gender bias but it is normally a bloke) has 2 other options (the cycle path or the road!)

I apologise to any cyclists reading this but it really p**ses me off! I also apologise for my censored language! :frown:

SueGremlin

sigh

I guess cyclists will always make people angry. It's our culture. That makes me sad because I'd be so much healthier and use so much less gas if I could ride my bike to work.

But I will not put my life in danger to do it. And that sucks.

graelwyn

I always slow down if I see dogs or children ahead, as I know both are prone to just running around without awareness of what is coming along. However, I find it very annoying when on a path that is designated for both cyclists and pedestrians, people will give me dirty looks as I pass, or simply not move at all and carry on walking in a line right across the path. Having said that, I find motorists the worst. I had two pull out into a road right in front of me as I was coming along last night, leaving me having to brake and swerve into the middle of the road. I have realised that to many drivers, human life is very cheap compared to getting where they are going a few seconds quicker.

AirCircleI

This may be cnotroversial, but as a cyclist who has hit a dog, I think dogs should be kept on a lead unless there are somewhere enclosed, like a dog park, or well trained enough to not run off, particularlly after wheeled things.

I am not saying that your dog ran in front of the cyclist, and it sounds like the cyclist should have taken a bit more care by riding more slowly if there are walkers/runners on the trail and CERTAINLY should have stopped to check everything was ok and apologise.

My only cycling accident I have had (and I cycle daily in heavy traffic in London with cars, buses, taxis, motorcycles and pedestrians) was with a dog, when a dog off its lead ran away from its owner straight in front of my bike whilst I was going down a hill. I hit the dog and there was no way I could have kept going, in fact on impact I flew over the handle bars and ended up facedown on the pavement with quite a few scrapes and bruises and blood.

What did the owner do? With blood coming off me, he didn't even check that I was ok, he just went after his dog and spent the next five minutes talking to the dog whilst the only person who came over to check that I was ok was another cyclist.

The bottom line is that everyone is using shared spaces, everyone should take care, be aware of their surroundings and look out for each other.

StrengthIDidntKnow

Thanks for posting, it has been something that has been on my mind but I always forget to ask. I like to run on a towpath between a river and canal near my house. For the most part everyone gets a long but I almost went for an impromptu swim one day. Three cyclists, side by side, coming in the opposite direction. I tried moving to the side of the trail as best possible but there was only so far that I could go. Usually I have seen more than one just line up behind each other if the path is full but not these 3.