PawPaw wrote:And why should a bike bell be compulsory when pedestrians wear ipods?
We see all the time reader responses in the web-media when some palpably innocent rider is killed by a careless driver. The idiot readers start on about some other cyclists that they have seen doing stupid things as though that puts the particular incident in a context that makes the victim somehow culpable for the bad driving.
Well, this sounds too much like that. Flawed argument.
Those that are NOT wearing buds in the ears should not be put at a safety disadvantage because some other walkers DO wear buds.
But your comment about noob riders is close to the mark in many cases. However I would not give the not-so-noob rider a pass either.
PawPaw wrote:FWIW, within a week of walking the dog on busy KBB, I learned to always hold the leash in my left hand with the dog on my left. That kept her away from people with dogs heading the other way, and cyclists passing either way. I am stunned that people who've walked dogs for years don't do the same. But they are probably the same deadheads who don't pick up their dog's turds.
I am as stunned as you are - It is capital-S stupid not to walk them off to the left.
Basic dog training teaches it. And to do so at ALL times on lead so the dog is clear on what is expected. The fact that so many handlers do not walk them on the left indicates that far too many people do not take their dogs to class or are just too inattentive if they do.
