The Dumb Cyclists and Pedestrians thread...

[nitestick]

I nominate the senior citizen walking his dog on the right hand side of a path in an underpass where the path turns on either side; thus making visibility non existent from the outside. He was heading the same direction as me so after I passed him I went back and told him "you should be careful walking on the right hand side, people will come blindly around the corner and might clean you up". He responded "yeah, they do".

[human909]

Me, yesterday. I cut in front of a motorist in such a way to give them a fright and make them emergency brake. Mind you they only emergency braked AFTER I was already off the road. I judged the turn correctly, I performed the turn correctly however I was hardly being a good road citizen by doing so as I did give the motorists a fright.

[Summernight]

To the two pedestrians in dark clothing in the dark and pouring rain last night who decided to run out off the footpath and onto the bike lane (presumably to get to their car which was on the right of the bike lane) in Albert St, East Melbourne, please please look next time before you go all kamikaze. You're lucky I was predicting what you were about to do and could call out and try and avoid you.

[find_bruce]

I met a prize idiot iPed today - thinks that 99% of people on the shared path have it wrong and that the rule is not keep left but keep right I complied with all of my obligations - I kept left, slowed down and stopped to avoid a collision. I also gave the benefit of my opinion of him and some advice for the future, neither of which appeared to resonate with him

[blkmcs]

I met a prize idiot iPed today - thinks that 99% of people on the shared path have it wrong and that the rule is not keep left but keep right I complied with all of my obligations - I kept left, slowed down and stopped to avoid a collision. I also gave the benefit of my opinion of him and some advice for the future, neither of which appeared to resonate with him

Why could you not just pull out to your right and go past the pedestrian?

Had this pedestrian stopped walking towards you, turned around on the same side of the path and started walking in the opposite direction I suspect that you would have happily pulled out to go past him. You think that the pedestrian is a prize idiot, what do you imagine the pedestrian thinks about a cyclist who cannot work out how to get past someone facing towards him on the path as opposed to someone facing away from him on the path?

[jasonc]

Why could you not just pull out to your right and go past the pedestrian?

I would have and have in the past, done the same as Bruce.
1. They are walking against the traffic/flow. If they are able to do that, who says they won't veer into your path as you go around them

common sense:

[find_bruce]

Some meanderthal walking the wrong way, meh whatever, as you say ride past on whatever bit of path is safe to do so. Someone telling me that I am required to ride on the right - not just to pass him but at all times, prize idiot.

[human909]

Some meanderthal walking the wrong way, meh whatever, as you say ride past on whatever bit of path is safe to do so. Someone telling me that I am required to ride on the right - not just to pass him but at all times, prize idiot.

So that makes two of you then. If I was you I would stop and ponder blkmcs' comments.

Had this pedestrian stopped walking towards you, turned around on the same side of the path and started walking in the opposite direction I suspect that you would have happily pulled out to go past him. You think that the pedestrian is a prize idiot, what do you imagine the pedestrian thinks about a cyclist who cannot work out how to get past someone facing towards him on the path as opposed to someone facing away from him on the path?

Your behavior was poor, and not something that you would expect from a good citizen. Try to learn and improve for next time.

[outnabike]

I get this a lot too. I give a toot on the bugle to make them aware of me coming at them.
Some jump onto the left of the lane, some just stay where they are. I don't mind going around a person as long as I am not sneaking up on them.
Things get a bit harder with the two abreast walkers, and some take bit of time to work out what to do.

[find_bruce]

Your behavior was poor, and not something that you would expect from a good citizen. Try to learn and improve for next time.

What a load of twaddle - I stopped well clear of the pedestrian. He was perfectly capable of walking past me & did so. My rear camera shows him crossing over to walk on the left hand side of the path.

[g-boaf]

If I'm not sure what they are going to do, I'll stop and wait. Make it clear I'm there and want to go past. Some pedestrians don't like this, but it is better than having a meanderthal walk into me at last minute and cause me to crash.

[InTheWoods]

If this cyclist was a car or truck, this pedestrian would be dead.

[jasonc]

If this cyclist was a car or truck, this pedestrian would be dead.

have always wondering if it'd be frown upon to throw up the elbow in these situations...

[find_bruce]

If this cyclist was a car or truck, this pedestrian would be dead.

have always wondering if it'd be frown upon to throw up the elbow in these situations...

I wouldn't - you could seriously hurt your elbow like that.

[jasonc]

If this cyclist was a car or truck, this pedestrian would be dead.

have always wondering if it'd be frown upon to throw up the elbow in these situations...

I wouldn't - you could seriously hurt your elbow like that.

found my new elbow pads:

[wellington_street]

If this cyclist was a car or truck, this pedestrian would be dead.

have always wondering if it'd be frown upon to throw up the elbow in these situations...

I wouldn't - you could seriously hurt your elbow like that.

AFL Tribunal will give you 2 weeks

[Summernight]

If this cyclist was a car or truck, this pedestrian would be dead.

Why, why, why would you step out onto the road in front of a huge vehicle that you can't see over? I nearly cleaned up a lady when I was riding in a signed bike lane ages ago because she did exactly the same thing that man did - stepped out blindly into the bike lane without looking. She came from in front of a bus stuck in traffic. Why wouldn't you, as a ped, decide to cross in an area where you have a clear view and, if no clear view, stick a head out and look before stepping out blindly? It isn't rocket science.

[jasonc]

AFL Tribunal will give you 2 weeks

Just as well my sport is CCR not AFL

[find_bruce]

Why, why, why would you step out onto the road in front of a huge vehicle that you can't see over? I nearly cleaned up a lady when I was riding in a signed bike lane ages ago because she did exactly the same thing that man did - stepped out blindly into the bike lane without looking. She came from in front of a bus stuck in traffic. Why wouldn't you, as a ped, decide to cross in an area where you have a clear view and, if no clear view, stick a head out and look before stepping out blindly? It isn't rocket science.

You are correct, yet it happens so commonly that I am wary when passing buses for that very reason

[Summernight]

Why, why, why would you step out onto the road in front of a huge vehicle that you can't see over? I nearly cleaned up a lady when I was riding in a signed bike lane ages ago because she did exactly the same thing that man did - stepped out blindly into the bike lane without looking. She came from in front of a bus stuck in traffic. Why wouldn't you, as a ped, decide to cross in an area where you have a clear view and, if no clear view, stick a head out and look before stepping out blindly? It isn't rocket science.

You are correct, yet it happens so commonly that I am wary when passing buses for that very reason

Yup, if I can't see over the vehicle, then there is a person just waiting there to step out in front of me as I roll past.

[Percrime]

Why, why, why would you step out onto the road in front of a huge vehicle that you can't see over? I nearly cleaned up a lady when I was riding in a signed bike lane ages ago because she did exactly the same thing that man did - stepped out blindly into the bike lane without looking. She came from in front of a bus stuck in traffic. Why wouldn't you, as a ped, decide to cross in an area where you have a clear view and, if no clear view, stick a head out and look before stepping out blindly? It isn't rocket science.

You are correct, yet it happens so commonly that I am wary when passing buses for that very reason

Oh I can do so very much better than that. Woman gets off bus... walks around front of bus and pushes her pram out to see if anythings coming. Cab was. Poor sod had no chance at all of dodging. Woman grabs child from out of pram. Runs around screaming holding child and screaming in ...er an asiatic language. Huge cloud of spectators descend.. mostly being rude to the poor cabbie. None checking on child. Eventually I intervene Kids mouth is full of blood and he cannot breath. I clear his airway and he starts breathing. And screaming.. cos mum is still screaming. I make reassuring noises to kid mostly of the lines of "there there.. its not your fault your mum is a cretin and they may all be wrong about genetics anyway....." Crowd calms down amazingly. Ambos arrive.. take over. Ambo helicopter arrives. Cops don't arrive. Meh.. its Broady.

[FuzzyDropbear]

I'll nominate myself today for the dumb cyclist award; I forgot how bad the brakes are on my steel Shogun (steel wheels, nuff said) and nearly ended up rear ending a car

Was riding a safe distance behind said car at somewhere between 25 - 30km/hr as we approached a roundabout I was slowing, looked around and saw noone but the car still decided to slam it's brakes on and undertake an emergency stop (no idea why, there was noone within 50m of the intersection). So I grab 2 handfuls of brakes and realise I'm not going to stop, so foot off the pedal and onto the rear wheel and slide to a stop at the last minute with a bit of a swerve to the side... She continues on her way, oblivious to what nearly happened, I turn right at the intersection and the car that was behind me at the roundabout pulls up next to me and states that some drivers have no idea, gives me the thumbs up and then continues on past me.

Lesson: I should've seen that coming, don't anticipate that people won't stop at an empty roundabout.

[Newcastle Dave]

Not sure if this is a dumb cyclist (me) or dumb pedestrian

Riding home on my usual commute along the Fernleigh track (a shared cycleway for those who are unfamialiar with the Newcastle area) last night around 6.00 pm. Its pouring rain and completely dark (the track is completely unlit, and with overhanging trees and a cloudy night it was black). I have a 300 lumens headlight, so all is normally good

Come around a bend doing about 25 k (normal speed on that section in the day/dry would be closer to 40). Think I see something up ahead (but the pouring rain reduces effectivness of headlight) so I slow even further. Out of the gloom I see two joggers, black shorts, dark coloured tops, not a scrap of reflective material anywhere, running side by side talking up 90% of the width of the track. I had to slow to walking pace to squeeze past

[bychosis]

Def dumb peds... and they're probably the sort to get all shouty when you near run into them and complain about maniac cyclists on their path.

[jasonc]

Out of the gloom I see two joggers, black shorts, dark coloured tops, not a scrap of reflective material anywhere, running side by side talking up 90% of the width of the track. I had to slow to walking pace to squeeze past

When I go past people like that I tell them they are invisible.

Dumb cyclist this morning: young female goes straight through a red light I'm waiting at, with no lights, before sunrise. Caught up to her at the next red light (for some reason she decided stopping at this one was required. Tried talking to her but of course she has headphones in. I just shake my head. If she doesn't care about her safety, why should I?