Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

I crashed - hit by pedestrian - she was on right, went further right then suddenly left, hit me. I had no time to avoid.

Badly grazed - thigh swollen massively, bike ok, I'm out for a while. In lots of pain.

Seriously thinking of giving this all up. I've had enough.

Hope you exchanged details. She may be liable for your medical bills

Bugger!

Foo

sorry to hear mate. where abouts were you? i have had several close encounters with pedestrians around sydney, it makes me really nervous

il padrone wrote:Hope you exchanged details. She may be liable for your medical bills

She rushed off too quickly and I was in pain.

The shoulder has grazing, knee and right leg grazed as is elbow. Got a massive swelling bruise on the thigh, which is bleeding under the skin.

That's really nasty. Rest well in the meantime.

Bad luck for you. Must admit it is one reason why I avoid shared paths and am fairly cautious around peds when I do use them.

Remember - R I C E for a nice recovery. Get some ice on that haemotoma and rest with it elevated.

They are really unpredictable and calling out passing seems like it invites an accident. I was already slowing down anyway.

I've got Ice on the swelling, it's enormous and feels nearly solid to the touch.

With any luck ill be recovered quickly. I've got antibiotics to kill off any infection. And eventually hope to be back on the bike.

g-boaf wrote:They are really unpredictable and calling out passing seems like it invites an accident. I was already slowing down anyway.

The reaction to a blast from an Air-Zound when you're about 20 metres from them is very predictable. Virtually
every pedestrian over 10 years of age (even iPodders on max vol) will hear it and turn with the look of fear
usually reserved for the approach of a 30 tonne truck bearing down on them. Once you've got their attention, your passage
will be much safer - although it's still a very smart idea to slow down.

If it's a kid under 10, all bets are off. Even when you think you've got their attention, they can be totally
scatty and unpredictable. Air Zound helps, but you must slow down and expect the worst from them -
and will get toasted if you ever land up in court for having hit a child pedestrian.

Don't get too down about your injuries - just be thankful you've got no broken bones that'll lay you up
for 8 to 12 weeks. You'll be back on your bike before you know it.

If it's really "enormous", I'd suggest that you get it checked out in the hospital emergency department. A large haematoma may require specific treatments and may lead to complications. Treat it with caution.

Air-zound on a shared path = much overkill

A bell, rung 20-30 metres away will suffice for 80-90%. Heck, I've found even an inane whistling will do the trick, with much less stress or aggro.

It's not often we hear of a "hit and walk" accident.

Get well soon,

arkle

Trying to heal from my own last crash so I truly emphathise. Get checked out and look after yourself....

Damn, sorry to hear about that g-b. A big +1 to getting it professionally assessed.

Heal quick and well and jump back aboard, don't want to let the Skrulooses win.

Shaun

g-boaf wrote:

il padrone wrote:Hope you exchanged details. She may be liable for your medical bills

She rushed off too quickly and I was in pain.

The shoulder has grazing, knee and right leg grazed as is elbow. Got a massive swelling bruise on the thigh, which is bleeding under the skin.

This is why all peds should be required to pay registration and to wear a number plate.

g-boaf wrote:They are really unpredictable and calling out passing seems like it invites an accident. I was already slowing down anyway.

I've got Ice on the swelling, it's enormous and feels nearly solid to the touch.

With any luck ill be recovered quickly. I've got antibiotics to kill off any infection. And eventually hope to be back on the bike.

Calls from half a second behind are a very VERY V-E-R-Y poor substitue for a bell five seconds behind. And a call from more than that half a second is a dull out-of-perception bit of random noise. And I am speaking from a POV where I have riders passing me 300 days a year. A ped less occasional than me is unlikely to not know Say What is happening.

I really wish that cyclists would fit bells.

So, to almost everyone on this forum, fit a bell and use it!

(This almost universal failure makes a joke of all those that go to the statutes when defending their riding habits)

At the end of the day, nothing beats slowing down and defensive riding. Give wide berths, always.

sogood wrote:If it's really "enormous", I'd suggest that you get it checked out in the hospital emergency department. A large haematoma may require specific treatments and may lead to complications. Treat it with caution.

Yep, I had 500ml drained from my lower back after being hit by the truck and was not a comfortable experience neither.

Foo

Ouch! Heal well. A bit disappointed that the pedestrian didn't stop to help you.

I haven't used bike paths over 2 years now to avoid situations like this. If I am on a bike path, I would probably limit my speed to 15-20 km/h. Rather than using a bell (which some pedestrians seem to get really annoyed with) I just say good morning when I am behind them, slow down to a crawl, and when they move away, cycle past and say "Thank you." I will never overtake anyone if they have not acknowledged my presence - I would rather stop completely or crawl behind them. That way there is no possibility of a sudden movement taking me down.

Obviously that's impractical for commuting, which is why I don't commute on shared paths.

Christine Tham wrote:...I will never overtake anyone if they have not acknowledged my presence

+1.

g-boaf wrote:I crashed - hit by pedestrian - she was on right, went further right then suddenly left, hit me. I had no time to avoid.

Badly grazed - thigh swollen massively, bike ok, I'm out for a while. In lots of pain.

Seriously thinking of giving this all up. I've had enough.

Hope you pull up alright lad.

You should consider getting a bell, passing pedestrian's who don't know you are there isn't wise - bit late to tell you this... Often you'll scare the crap out of them and they might jump in front of you.

Ring the bell or yell out, whatever, make your presence known well before you arrive and you'll never have that problem again. Probably also wise to wash off some speed when passing.

I prefer the human voice, one that can be altered in tone and volume to suit the particular situation. Flicking a bell on a drop bar is less convenient.

Recent personal experience says this wakes up 90% of all pedestrians suffering situational awareness deficiency...

il padrone wrote:Air-zound on a shared path = much overkill
A bell, rung 20-30 metres away will suffice for 80-90%

+1. I'd get mighty pissed if some cyclist blasted me with a zound while taking a stroll on a path! . Unless I was being a moron of course!

I've travelled well over 5000km on shared paths in the past 2 years and have had almost no issue (touch wood) and I don't just pootle along either. When passing I look behind for mad sprinters, pull into the right lane, ring the bell (from the right to help ped work out where I am), check for a response (a slight step to the left, wave of hand etc) and pass. If there is no acknowledgement I slow and call out "passing right!" and be prepared to brake further.

Not suggesting g-boaf did anything wrong but there is a danger on shared paths and it's best to mitigate those - still sometimes things go wrong. I hope you heal up well g-boaf.

While I'm here... I saw a moron travelling probably 40+ kmh pass a couple walking on the left yesterday. No warning, he passed them within 20-30 cm (to try and avoid an oncoming cyclist). I bet if he had a car do the same to him, he'd cry blue murder!

Milar wrote:+1. I'd get mighty pissed if some cyclist blasted me with a zound while taking a stroll on a path! . Unless I was being a moron of course!

If you were a moron, you'll be even more pissed.

I agree, "passing right/on your right" etc are functional, especially when called at an appropriate distance. See the response and then make the pass. Haven't failed.