The Dumb Cyclists and Pedestrians thread...

[jasonc]

on the way home last night going along the bicentennial bikeway. through the roadwork zone. let's say I was doing 11km/h *cough*
i noticed a female, no helmet, on a citycycle ahead of me. she was riding on the centre line. As I get closer I yell "on your right"
said city-cycle rider moves right
heavy brakes applied

[Summernight]

on the way home last night going along the bicentennial bikeway. through the roadwork zone. let's say I was doing 11km/h *cough*
i noticed a female, no helmet, on a citycycle ahead of me. she was riding on the centre line. As I get closer I yell "on your right"
said city-cycle rider moves right
heavy brakes applied

That's why with most commuters I try not to tell them what side I'm passing on - as the last thing they hear is 'right' and it sticks. For a group of cyclists who know what they are doing I'd probably say passing on your right, but I've devolved to just saying 'passing', waiting for the commuter in front of me to pick a line and hold it, and then passing on the right. She may have gone right no matter what you said though.

[jasonc]

on the way home last night going along the bicentennial bikeway. through the roadwork zone. let's say I was doing 11km/h *cough*
i noticed a female, no helmet, on a citycycle ahead of me. she was riding on the centre line. As I get closer I yell "on your right"
said city-cycle rider moves right
heavy brakes applied

That's why with most commuters I try not to tell them what side I'm passing on - as the last thing they hear is 'right' and it sticks. For a group of cyclists who know what they are doing I'd probably say passing on your right, but I've devolved to just saying 'passing', waiting for the commuter in front of me to pick a line and hold it, and then passing on the right. She may have gone right no matter what you said though.

I was definitely in between a rock and a hard place - actually between her and the temporary fence. a fellow commuter suggested she looked like a backpacker/tourist.

[citywomble]

Basic rule of the road: Overtaking vehicle (bike) must give way.

Consider yourself as a car and treat the other cyclist as you would like an overtaking car to treat you.

[il padrone]

I believe there is a funny psychological response at work here - often to call ".....right!" at a sudden, late stage, will cause a person to respond in that direction as a virtually autonomic reaction . Not the desired response. Once some years ago I managed to called "Passing on the left" as I was actually passing right. Happily the person moved to the left

Call early to get a more logical response. Another reason why I have used a bell for the past 7-8 years. Less chance for any confusion - it's just a sound, and I always try to ring early.

[98octane]

Riding home tonight around 7pm on the MYT up the crest at Morell Bridge, I see two (large) women walking towards me. Each was taking up a full lane, one on the wrong side of the path. I got eye contact with the woman on my side and rang my bell say 100m ahead (she could have seen me for hundreds of metres as it was still light and sight distance is good there). But she didn't move a millimetre. I got closer, slowing down at this point. Still no movement- she just looks straight at me with as if I am to ride around her off the path. As I got within 20m, I shouted "Get out of the way!", a braked hard. Finally she moves ever so slightly and yells expletive-laden abuse at me as I passed her. A complete oxygen thief.

[Mulger bill]

Riding home tonight around 7pm on the MYT up the crest at Morell Bridge, I see two (large) women walking towards me. Each was taking up a full lane, one on the wrong side of the path. I got eye contact with the woman on my side and rang my bell say 100m ahead (she could have seen me for hundreds of metres as it was still light and sight distance is good there). But she didn't move a millimetre. I got closer, slowing down at this point. Still no movement- she just looks straight at me with as if I am to ride around her off the path. As I got within 20m, I shouted "Get out of the way!", a braked hard. Finally she moves ever so slightly and yells expletive-laden abuse at me as I passed her. A complete oxygen thief.

Quick, you can borrow mine...

[il padrone]

Hmm... yes I'm waiting for the next one of those because I plan to just ride straight up the path not moving from the centre of my lane, and brake to a halt right in front of him/her. With suitable 'advice' about trail use

[Lukeyboy]

The very exact same thing happened to me today. I was riding along the Kedron Brook Cycleway and two fat people took up the whole pathway coming towards me. 50m away they didn't move so I turned the light from low constant to flash. 15m still no sign of direction of them moving so the light went to the constant 1200 lumens. 10m in front and I yell out "f****** move!" to which they start ranting. I'm always courtious, slow down to pass, give plenty of room but I seriously can not stand these idiots that can't take a couple one steps to the left. Might be time to buy an airzound and just blast it while maintaing speed towards them.

These people still annoy me just as much

[g-boaf]

3 pedestrians, all with headphones on.

The last one - a middle aged lady couldn't hear bells, she couldn't hear me shouting at full volume when I was right behind her going at 10km/h. Stupid and dangerous...

As I went past I threw one hand up in the air, shook my head and point to my ear. Hope she got the message. I'm now very aggressive about that now - especially given that I slow right down to go around them. Same with the folk who won't move over, or walk on the wrong side. Had one of those too.

But it didn't put me off my game.

[Howzat]

a fellow commuter suggested she looked like a backpacker/tourist.

...perhaps she moved to the right from habit, being from a country where you drive on the right and overtake on the left.

[Howzat]

The last one - a middle aged lady couldn't hear bells, she couldn't hear me shouting at full volume when I was right behind her going at 10km/h.

15m still no sign of direction of them moving so the light went to the constant 1200 lumens. 10m in front and I yell out "f****** move!"

As I got within 20m, I shouted "Get out of the way!", a braked hard.

Any chance you blokes were doing say "11km/h *cough*", as jasonc would put it?

[g-boaf]

No, really slow. Next time I will get a speed trace to satisfy the naysayers. Perhaps the other lady who also got the same problem earlier than me will also chime in... When I say slow - I mean it!

I don't take chances around these peds.

[jasonc]

a fellow commuter suggested she looked like a backpacker/tourist.

...perhaps she moved to the right from habit, being from a country where you drive on the right and overtake on the left.

absolutely possible. i didn't get pissed at her seeing that as a major possibility. was just difficult slowing down from my "11km/h"

[98octane]

The last one - a middle aged lady couldn't hear bells, she couldn't hear me shouting at full volume when I was right behind her going at 10km/h.

15m still no sign of direction of them moving so the light went to the constant 1200 lumens. 10m in front and I yell out "f****** move!"

As I got within 20m, I shouted "Get out of the way!", a braked hard.

Any chance you blokes were doing say "11km/h *cough*", as jasonc would put it?

Normally I go 30-35kph up that hill. But I saw her from a while away and would have been doing only 15-20kph as I passed her. Any slower and I may as well have jogged home.

[Mulger bill]

I don't take chances around these peds.

QFT!

An unintended and unwanted consequence of that is that some (many) will take your caution as tacit approval to do stupid things. Because you are taking such care they don't have to.

Case in point, a while back I was headed workwards along Spencer St towards a green light at a comfortable rate not exceeding R when 2 or 3 sheeple stepped out. No time for the "audible warning device" but the bellowed "SHIII-FAAAAR" coupled with the howling of overstressed, cherry red brake rotors sufficed. I came to a screaming, nosewheeling, adrenalin pumping halt with the front wheel just inside the crossing lines (still green for me BTW) and half a dozen more of them decided this was just the opportunity they needed to also redman right in front of me.

[Lukeyboy]

The last one - a middle aged lady couldn't hear bells, she couldn't hear me shouting at full volume when I was right behind her going at 10km/h.

15m still no sign of direction of them moving so the light went to the constant 1200 lumens. 10m in front and I yell out "f****** move!"

As I got within 20m, I shouted "Get out of the way!", a braked hard.

Any chance you blokes were doing say "11km/h *cough*", as jasonc would put it?

Giant puddle of water, mud and rocks across the pathway at the bottom so i went across at crawling pace and dordeled up to them at about 20-25kph before slowing right down when I noticed both of them didn't show any intention of moving.

[cp123]

does this count as a dumb cyclist event?

I was walking between jobs yesterday afternoon on a shared recreational path and it was just after a fairly good dump of rain. Oncoming cyclist coming towards me on an mtb and there's a big puddle on his "half" of the track right in front of me. my side is reasonably dryish. So i keep walking. guy looks at puddle, looks straight at me, again at the puddle and ploughs straight into it without changing a thing. So of course i'm directly next to it by now and cop a fair spray right up my right hand leg.

"gees thanks mate!"

I know it could be just a spit happens moment, but i thought surely he's going to register he'll spray me if he didn't slow. Hell, maybe i was the dumb ped for expecting him to slow?? Maybe he didn't know how deep it was? If he'd slowed down to any degree it would've just been a dribble over my shoes - but as it was i copped a fairly good degree of soaking. He would've heard my response though....

[Summernight]

Taking up the wrong lane of a cycle path= bad. I would have thought an overweight person would jump (pun intended) at the chance to do some 'interval training' and step off the wrong side of the road, wait until you've gone past and then walked faster to catch up with their friend.

And being splashed by a cyclist is just plain mean of them. At least with a cyclist doing it (as opposed to a car) you can vent your annoyance at them and know that they'll hear.

My one yesterday was a dumb lower socio-economic pedestrian man who thought it would be amusing to pretend to jump out in front of me as I'm travelling down the road at 40kph (it was a two car lane plus copenhagen bike lane road with no cars parked). He didn't get anywhere near me, he was about 2 metres from the edge of the road (he was on the footpath) and I was already level with him when he did it so there was no danger to me, but I seriously wonder about some people and what they do to get their kicks.

[redned]

I was riding along the Kedron Brook Cycleway and two fat people took up the whole pathway coming towards me. 50m away they didn't move so I turned the light from low constant to flash. 15m still no sign of direction of them moving so the light went to the constant 1200 lumens. 10m in front and I yell out "f****** move!" to which they start ranting. I'm always courtious, slow down to pass, give plenty of room but I seriously can not stand these idiots that can't take a couple one steps to the left. Might be time to buy an airzound and just blast it while maintaing speed towards them.

Pedestrians creating an obstruction on a shared path is not only annoying but contrary to the RTC in most states. Let me encourage you to continue to be courteous, slow down to pass, give them plenty of room and politely explain to them how they can follow the RTC and add to everyone's shared path experience. The reference to fat people, idiots, the expletive and buying an airzound to just blast it while maintaining speed towards them contributes nothing.

[find_bruce]

Pedestrians creating an obstruction on a shared path is not only annoying but contrary to the RTC in most states

Got any references for that redned ? So far as I am aware, there is no obligation on a pedestrian to keep left on a shared path & a pedestrian is not obstructing the path merely by walking slowly. The person with the positive obligation is the cyclist who must give way to pedestrians on shared paths at all times. Give way means "slow down and if necessary stop to avoid a collission". Some of the references however were to pedestrians on the road and on bike paths where different rules apply. Pedestrians on bike paths is a red button for me & I am usually less courteous to them.

Let me encourage you to continue to be courteous, slow down to pass, give them plenty of room and politely explain to them how they can follow the RTC and add to everyone's shared path experience. The reference to fat people, idiots, the expletive and buying an airzound to just blast it while maintaining speed towards them contributes nothing.

Couldn't agree more

[blkmcs]

Pedestrians creating an obstruction on a shared path is not only annoying but contrary to the RTC in most states

Got any references for that redned ? So far as I am aware, there is no obligation on a pedestrian to keep left on a shared path & a pedestrian is not obstructing the path merely by walking slowly. The person with the positive obligation is the cyclist who must give way to pedestrians on shared paths at all times. Give way means "slow down and if necessary stop to avoid a collission". Some of the references however were to pedestrians on the road and on bike paths where different rules apply. Pedestrians on bike paths is a red button for me & I am usually less courteous to them.

Let me encourage you to continue to be courteous, slow down to pass, give them plenty of room and politely explain to them how they can follow the RTC and add to everyone's shared path experience. The reference to fat people, idiots, the expletive and buying an airzound to just blast it while maintaining speed towards them contributes nothing.

Couldn't agree more

Causing an obstruction and not keeping left are not the same and should not be confused.

WA Road Traffic Code
201. Pedestrians not to cause an obstruction
(1) A person shall not unreasonably obstruct or prevent the free
passage of any other pedestrian or a vehicle upon a path or
carriageway.
Modified penalty: 2 PU.

[il padrone]

Pedestrians creating an obstruction on a shared path is not only annoying but contrary to the RTC in most states

Got any references for that redned ? So far as I am aware, there is no obligation on a pedestrian to keep left on a shared path & a pedestrian is not obstructing the path merely by walking slowly.

Spread right across the path sure sounds like an obstruction to me. Yes pedestrians do have an obligation to make way for other path users to go by, at a safe and reasonable speed of course.

The two lukeyboy described were not doing this, or rather showed no intent to do so until they got yelled at

[merlin6014]

does this count as a dumb cyclist event?

I was walking between jobs yesterday afternoon on a shared recreational path and it was just after a fairly good dump of rain. Oncoming cyclist coming towards me on an mtb and there's a big puddle on his "half" of the track right in front of me. my side is reasonably dryish. So i keep walking. guy looks at puddle, looks straight at me, again at the puddle and ploughs straight into it without changing a thing. So of course i'm directly next to it by now and cop a fair spray right up my right hand leg.

"gees thanks mate!"

I know it could be just a spit happens moment, but i thought surely he's going to register he'll spray me if he didn't slow. Hell, maybe i was the dumb ped for expecting him to slow?? Maybe he didn't know how deep it was? If he'd slowed down to any degree it would've just been a dribble over my shoes - but as it was i copped a fairly good degree of soaking. He would've heard my response though....

Maybe he thought he was doing u a favour by not taking the "dry lane"

[outnabike]

does this count as a dumb cyclist event?

I was walking between jobs yesterday afternoon on a shared recreational path and it was just after a fairly good dump of rain. Oncoming cyclist coming towards me on an mtb and there's a big puddle on his "half" of the track right in front of me. my side is reasonably dryish. So i keep walking. guy looks at puddle, looks straight at me, again at the puddle and ploughs straight into it without changing a thing. So of course i'm directly next to it by now and cop a fair spray right up my right hand leg.

"gees thanks mate!"

I know it could be just a spit happens moment, but i thought surely he's going to register he'll spray me if he didn't slow. Hell, maybe i was the dumb ped for expecting him to slow?? Maybe he didn't know how deep it was? If he'd slowed down to any degree it would've just been a dribble over my shoes - but as it was i copped a fairly good degree of soaking. He would've heard my response though....

I reckon we have to accept some responsibility for our survival as well.You don't know how switched on the rider was, nor he you. And speed is subjective. The rider may have thought "oops a puddle, the ped will stop so as not to get wet, I would if I was the ped." "I will not hold him up and get through it quick."
So he maybe did you a favour and you are getting upset.

Mind you he probably did it on purpose , as there is not a lot of love around for peds, is there?