The Dumb Cyclists and Pedestrians thread...

[MisuVir]

Surprise, surprise, some people are idiots. We're required to give way to pedestrians on shared paths, so slow down, ring your bell, wait for things to settle, THEN overtake. Don't be afraid to slow down and don't be afraid to stop if you need to wait for a safe time to overtake. Too many idiots ringing their bell (or yelling, or nothing) then barging through without waiting for people to react.

I've had a mildly amusing head-on collision with a kid on a bike. We both saw each other and I slowed down to a walking pace... and then we "crashed" into each other in slow motion. Somewhat of a hilarious incident. Not sure what happened - I think I saw them coming straight at me, went into a panic, and forgot that the best thing to do would be to stop completely instead of slowly rolling into them.

I've also had a young child dart across the road and run straight into my bike while I was going at speed. Terrifying moment. Luckily, she bounced off my pannier and didn't get stuck in the wheel. No harm done. I informed her mother that if I had been a car, her child might be dead. Hope it never happens again. That incident messed with my nerves and anxiety for weeks.

Be careful around kids. If adults can be dumb cyclists and pedestrians, then children can be worse because they don't know any better.

[Ross]

Above all else the world does not need "this guy" to ever attempt to control a motorcar. Being legally blind 'n all.

Supposedly his brake cable snapped and therefore he couldn't stop

[herzog]

Heading home yesterday after work on the Koonung Creek trail, I really wish some people would recognise that a kid may not react as you want them too and that going at 30km an hour on a shared path towards a kid on a scooter is a stupid and unnecessary way to ride. Slow down show some patients and make sure they are well out of the way before you go barrelling past. Luckily the kid was ok, i was biting my tongue not to berate the bloke on the bike for riding like a douche bag.......

Wow! Good on you for turning around and making sure the kid was ok. You really must have wanted to give that rider a serve.

Yesterday I had a similar encounter on a share path - parent with a child on a scooter, and I thought I'd share a video of how things can go when riding courteously:

The whole interaction was very positive. I made it totally clear I was stopping and respecting their right of way. I smiled, they smiled, everyone was happy.



When parents walk their kids to school rather than get in a 4wd, they are ok by me.

[duncan16v]

Heading home yesterday after work on the Koonung Creek trail, I really wish some people would recognise that a kid may not react as you want them too and that going at 30km an hour on a shared path towards a kid on a scooter is a stupid and unnecessary way to ride. Slow down show some patients and make sure they are well out of the way before you go barrelling past. Luckily the kid was ok, i was biting my tongue not to berate the bloke on the bike for riding like a douche bag.......

Wow! Good on you for turning around and making sure the kid was ok. You really must have wanted to give that rider a serve.

Yesterday I had a similar encounter on a share path - parent with a child on a scooter, and I thought I'd share a video of how things can go when riding courteously:

The whole interaction was very positive. I made it totally clear I was stopping and respecting their right of way. I smiled, they smiled, everyone was happy.



When parents walk their kids to school rather than get in a 4wd, they are ok by me.

+1,000,000

[wellington_street]

Yesterday I had a similar encounter on a share path - parent with a child on a scooter, and I thought I'd share a video of how things can go when riding courteously:

The whole interaction was very positive. I made it totally clear I was stopping and respecting their right of way. I smiled, they smiled, everyone was happy.



When parents walk their kids to school rather than get in a 4wd, they are ok by me.

Wonder what this location is like in peak. There is a similar set up (with give way signs rather than zebra crossing markings) at City West train station in Perth, including a median island to separate opposing directions on the shared path. I always give way when going through but quite often get overtaken by other cyclists blasting through on the 'wrong' side of the path or witness cyclists pushing through pedestrians, particularly in the morning when a crowd of people get off the train at once.

[jasonc]

geez herzog. that delayed you for 3 seconds. what are you going to do?

[WhingingPom]

geez herzog. that delayed you for 3 seconds. what are you going to do?

Spend another 30 seconds tutting and muttering under his breath at having his strava KOM attempt wiped out?

Seriously though, I stop at crossing across shared paths for peds and sometimes get a weird looks as if I'm supposed to fly through and swear at them for daring to slow me down. Can understand why that happens in Docklands - quite a few cyclists don't see or ignore the big "give way to peds" markings

[cp123]

ianintas - did you just get a vibe that something was going to happen, or did you hear the kid scream and/or the scraping sound of a bike on the ground?

[g-boaf]

Above all else the world does not need "this guy" to ever attempt to control a motorcar. Being legally blind 'n all.

Supposedly his brake cable snapped and therefore he couldn't stop

So Herzog, is the above indeed true? Puts the video in a different light.

As for the previous posts, I too slow down a lot on shared paths around kids. It's the right thing to do.

[mmc22]

Hit a ped this morning... she stepped out onto the road just after the car that I was following. I swore. Stopped on her foot. She apologized. I rode off. She limped away. Uneventful mostly, but annoying.

[jasonc]

Hit a ped this morning... she stepped out onto the road just after the car that I was following. I swore. Stopped on her foot. She apologized. I rode off. She limped away. Uneventful mostly, but annoying.

did you get her details? she knocked your wheel out of true.

[Dragster1]

Yep a douche. Kids are super unpredictable even if they know you are there and you just have to go at a speed that will let you avoid them if they suddenly move into your path. No excuses for colliding with a child on a path.

+1000 I'm pretty sure that most people here already know this.

[mmc22]

Hit a ped this morning... she stepped out onto the road just after the car that I was following. I swore. Stopped on her foot. She apologized. I rode off. She limped away. Uneventful mostly, but annoying.

did you get her details? she knocked your wheel out of true.

didn't bother... figured she'll step out in front of a car soon enough and her details will be superfluous

[bychosis]

My wife experienced a douche jogger on the weekend. Was walking with another mum 'in charge' of a nearly 3yo on a strider bike. Jogger passing let fly an expletive or two berating the parent for allowing the child to dare cross into his path. Apparently after copping one too many arrogant douchbags over the preceeding days said jogger also got told what for (without the foul language).

As above kids are unpredictable, and you have to make allowances. I know that my sharepath commute is much more hazardous and therefore slower in the afternoons and school holidays for that very reason.

[herzog]

So Herzog, is the above indeed true? Puts the video in a different light.

According to the article on road.cc, yes the cyclist is claiming his front brake cable snapped.

[Bah77]

Minor one that was annoying, yet amusing.

A cyclist seemingly put out by a truck blocking the path to turn around decides to have a chat with the driver... and in the process obliviously blocks the path for me.

(I didn't see the initial issue, and the traffic control guy further back didn't seem to be doing much...)

[herzog]

Cut a fellow rider some slack.

The truck driver may have done something to endanger the rider. Good on the rider for speaking up for himself.

[InTheWoods]

Overtook a jogger on a shared path this morning, wasn't going fast (20kmh) and was a wide path with a good runoff area on each side and there must have been well over a 1m gap between us.

No problems passing but when I look in my mirror 30m down the path, the jogger is lying face first on the ground and I'm panicking wondering what's gone wrong, then I realise he is doing pushups on the path Not really a moron, just wanted to post the story.

[duncan16v]

Me. For riding today. Must have been under 4 degrees...

Yes - I'm a wimp.

[Summernight]

Overtook a jogger on a shared path this morning, wasn't going fast (20kmh) and was a wide path with a good runoff area on each side and there must have been well over a 1m gap between us.

No problems passing but when I look in my mirror 30m down the path, the jogger is lying face first on the ground and I'm panicking wondering what's gone wrong, then I realise he is doing pushups on the path Not really a moron, just wanted to post the story.

Haha. That would have given you a heartattack!

[InTheWoods]

Another anecdote from tonight's commute...

Oncoming is 2 walkers and a dog, path is over a bridge with high railings. I squeeze against one side and slow to a crawl and as we are safely going by each other I hear the bloke muttering crankily and pick out three words- bike, stupid and f$#%.

I stop and am like like whoa is there a problem? The lady turns and says oh no he's talking to the stupid dog. I say OK and move on, I should have said have a good evening in retrospect.

I guess maybe I can be the dumb cyclist in this one. People should be careful what they say though!

[Dragster1]

Minor one that was annoying, yet amusing.

A cyclist seemingly put out by a truck blocking the path to turn around decides to have a chat with the driver... and in the process obliviously blocks the path for me.

(I didn't see the initial issue, and the traffic control guy further back didn't seem to be doing much...)

That worksite looked pretty dangerous when I rode past on Friday, I was surprised to have machinery like cranes working within 1 meter of people cycling without any sort of barrier or spotter. Dodger Roger if you ask me.

[redsonic]

Another anecdote from tonight's commute...

Oncoming is 2 walkers and a dog, path is over a bridge with high railings. I squeeze against one side and slow to a crawl and as we are safely going by each other I hear the bloke muttering crankily and pick out three words- bike, stupid and f$#%.

I stop and am like like whoa is there a problem? The lady turns and says oh no he's talking to the stupid dog. I say OK and move on, I should have said have a good evening in retrospect.

I guess maybe I can be the dumb cyclist in this one. People should be careful what they say though!

Yep, I was on the other end of a situation like this. Walking the dog on a shared path, recumbent bike approaches us from the opposite direction, I say "watch out" then quickly tell the rider I meant my dog, not him

[cp123]

Me. For riding today. Must have been under 4 degrees...

Yes - I'm a wimp.

a brisk -7 in my world this morning.

[duncan16v]

Me. For riding today. Must have been under 4 degrees...

Yes - I'm a wimp.

a brisk -7 in my world this morning.

Holy sheets!