The Dumb Cyclists and Pedestrians thread...

[outnabike]

My wife and I had a rest off the path today and let a group through. We soon caught up to them , but I didn't want to pass as we would soon be going down a side track and it just wasn't worth the bother of forcing our way through.
I wouldn't call them morons, just a group of nice folk out for a spin. But forget about overtaking or be prepared for a near miss on some of the corners. As it happened no one came the opposite direction in the kay or so that we followed them so no harm done. But 3 and 4 abreast all the way.
just a screen grab so not great res.

[il padrone]

Hmm.... not a good image to present. What trail was this on?

I am aware of a group - not a formal club* - of mostly middle-age/senior riders who ride in this style. A friend tells me he used to ride with them. They would ride the trails and shared paths here in Melbourne, in a peleton of 20-30 riders two-abreast and virtually expect oncoming riders to just pull aside ie. they do not move over to single-file . My friend was not happy with this, for the image and for the safety issues of riding in a large group on a narrow trail; so he would press on ahead to spread out the group, or get himself out of harms way. Eventually he was told to keep within their 'peleton' style by the leader of this group and publicly castigated (via their website).

They are also doing night rides, riding in a similar style on the trails, with most of the group sporting a certain brand of the typical marsupial-fryers which would be extremely blinding to any oncoming cyclist especially from a large group.

He no longer has anything to do with them, and nor would I


* They like to say they're not a club as if this has some benefits. They do however have all the attributes of a club - formal program, web-site, ride leaders and group guidelines, and a list of 'members' - but they are unincorporated and have no legal liability protection for the ride leaders/organisers, the 'members', nor for the participants. Very foolish IMHO.

[Mulger bill]

This is what you get when riders behave like peds, all over the place chatting away with their brains in neutral

I actually came across my first group of 5 like this in my town while out on the FG yesterday evening. I'm glad the leader was about 10m in front to call or the stack on a blind turn would've been nasty.

[g-boaf]

I've seen them do that too. They are usually going slower than you are, it's impossible to get past them, and the self-preservation instinct kicks in, so you stay well back so you can avoid the inevitable accident. That's my way of dealing with it. When they do it coming up to blind corners, where the opposite direction has a down-hill run, that's crazy and totally dangerous.

The particular run I'm thinking of, and the particular corner, I expect that cyclists or pedestrians going the other way might be doing this, so I'm already on the brakes just in case. The hard-core road-bike riders I don't worry about, these people know the drill and they are among the most steady and dependable riders of the lot. Even if they are hammering along at high speed, they are doing it in a steady manner.

I'm not really one of those pack riders, so I don't get much of a chance to be doing what the photo above shows.

[ColinOldnCranky]

[edit] Just re-read that subrule (2) more clearly. No it does not apply - see above.

Enough of the bush lawyer antics.

Just ride with courtesy, give way to pedestrians in shared zones, and generally use common sense, and you'll get to your destination.

Incidentally I have NEVER seen a female cyclist behave aggressively towards pedestrian. It's always blokes. Interesting.

thinking about my experiences I would probably agree. however when it comes to people with a bee in their bonnet about cyclists those few I have experienced have been women in twos our threes or more.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[jasonc]

commute in this morning. roads were wet but no rain
dumb cyclist decided the best time to overtake a runner on the path behind brisbane boys/girls colleges was on a blind corner. unfortunately, I happen to be coming the other way at the time.
All I had time to yell was feces (or a similar word)
Dumb cyclist then locked them up
I then called him a genius

[il padrone]

Ouch!!

Not a good start to your day.

[twizzle]

Un-flipping-believeable. Shared path. I slowed for a blind left-hand entry to an underpass, I'd just called out "Bike!" in case peds/ cyclists were on the wrong side (happened a few times), when another cyclist overtakes me on the outside on the wrong side of the path. He looked at me like I was some kind of idiot when I went off at him. A hundred meters later, the shared path crosses a road at a T-intersection, he rode straight across without doing head checks. Nut-bags like this are the reason all cyclists get grief from peds and cars.

[outnabike]

Hmm.... not a good image to present. What trail was this on?

.

snipped

That is part of the Dandenong creek to Carrum trail going from Heatherton Rd towards the Kidd Road / Clow St Bridge.You would follow it through Dandenong to Patterson river, a nice ride.
The whole party of around 12 gents all were all elderly, probably a club and just cruising along talking away. Nothings a problem unless the unexpected happens and they would probably just move over if a rider came towards them. But rearwards , they had no Idea We were there. . I still reckon good on them for getting out and about.

[cp123]

Un-flipping-believeable. Shared path. I slowed for a blind left-hand entry to an underpass, I'd just called out "Bike!" in case peds/ cyclists were on the wrong side (happened a few times), when another cyclist overtakes me on the outside on the wrong side of the path. He looked at me like I was some kind of idiot when I went off at him. A hundred meters later, the shared path crosses a road at a T-intersection, he rode straight across without doing head checks. Nut-bags like this are the reason all cyclists get grief from peds and cars.

I've had that happen before just near my place - obviously going into a slightly uphill but blind corner I must've been a tad too slow so someone went to pass me. In my case there WAS an oncoming cyclist and lucky for the guy who was now right next to me that the oncoming rider about to pop out in front of both of us dinged his bell. Dopey rider next to me then grabs the brakes and drops back behind me. was that 5 seconds totally worth it??? it could've been V E R Y ugly.... as it was, i turned at the exit and sprinted off and he didn't catch me anyway.

[il padrone]

Hmm..... but everybody keeps telling me bike paths are so safe compared to riding the road

[cp123]

the paths are fine. They never buck you off or bolt off on you. It's just that sometimes there are stupid people on those paths.

[DarrylH]

And, stupid pedestrians and cyclists on paths are less dangerous than stupid people in cars.

[Lukeyboy]

Hmm..... but everybody keeps telling me bike paths are so safe compared to riding the road

Especially when going around that corner in the pouring rain only to come across the "very grippy" painted distance markers on the ground right on your line.

[Hergest]

Ouch!!

Not a good start to your day.

I love this photo, a larger version would be perfect for framing.

[il padrone]

Ohh, nooooooo.........



From Cycling-inform

[Ranga Tang]

I was on a shared path years ago ( bad youth years), wasn't even dedicated as a shared path but most people behaved fairly well.

I was on roller blades, and cutting a fairly straight path down a slight incline, when a bike hero came past me at light speed, misjudged, and clipped my shoulder. No warning, no bell, call, anything.

Well....down I went and so did he, abusing the crapper out of me. As if it was my fault. If he called out prior, I would have simply moved off the track.

It's amazing what roller blade wheels do to the spokes of a racing bike though when you jump on them.......

[g-boaf]

Lady pedestrian this afternoon on the phone, dawdling along on the wrong side of the path (crossing a bridge). Cyclist on flat bar bike coming pretty slowly behind her (opposite direction to me), she suddenly runs to the correct side of the path in a panic, instead of staying safely where she was. I slowed right down almost to a stop from a distance since I could see what might have happened. Absolutely silly.

Exchanged pleasantries with the other rider who probably knew exactly why I was going so slowly.

As I went past the pedestrian, I mentioned to her very politely and gently that she might stay on the left side of the path for the better safety of us all. Result? Abuse from the pedestrian. I'll take that instead of one running into me.

If he called out prior, I would have simply moved off the track.

I wish everyone behaved so predictably. A lot of people do, the runners are all pretty good in my area. See the same people a lot of days, they all seem pretty cool.

Hmm..... but everybody keeps telling me bike paths are so safe compared to riding the road

I have an idea for an experiment, shall we use you in it? We'll see which does more damage, a car or a pedestrian.

[outnabike]

I was on a shared path years ago ( bad youth years), wasn't even dedicated as a shared path but most people behaved fairly well.

I was on roller blades, and cutting a fairly straight path down a slight incline, when a bike hero came past me at light speed, misjudged, and clipped my shoulder. No warning, no bell, call, anything.

Well....down I went and so did he, abusing the crapper out of me. As if it was my fault. If he called out prior, I would have simply moved off the track.

It's amazing what roller blade wheels do to the spokes of a racing bike though when you jump on them.......

All things are subjective all right, and speed of impact always feels fast. But accidents do happen. I suggest that if I yelled to a skate boarder and he moved over or stepped off his board that it would be a first. Especially in their (bad youth Years) which most seem to be in, that I come across. The reverse placed cap is a sure sign.
The only way I could see a bloke jumping on my wheels with a skateboard and wilfully damaging my bike is if I was totally incapacitated, the same as any road accident. To display the amount of manoeuvrability you did, indicates you were not hurt or disabled.
From my experiences in bikes hitting peds or mobile unpredictables, the cyclist seem to get the worst impact. I don't want to judge but I can not applaud your actions here.
Seems to me, the first thing to do at the scene of an accident is to render assistance. That cyclist may have been more hurt than at first thought and you are busting up his means of maybe getting home to attend an injury.

[il padrone]

Hmm..... but everybody keeps telling me bike paths are so safe compared to riding the road

I have an idea for an experiment, shall we use you in it? We'll see which does more damage, a car or a pedestrian.

It all depends on what type of shared path, and they skill and techniques used on the road. With the typical Australian shared path with "movable bollards", the ever-present "wacky racers" and the plethora of blind corners and uncontrolled road crossings, I'm much happier with my personal skills and the much more predictable road environment.
"

[Percrime]

I well remember my near miss last year with a oncoming Camry on a shared path that I defy anyone to have any expectations on meeting a car on. In fact I defy the average driver to even fit even someone else's stolen camry on. And a mate still tells the story of meetig one of the early 60,s tiny 2 seater Hondas on the suspended under the freeway section of Gardiners Creek trail. WHo on earth thinks you are safe from cars on shared paths?

[Percrime]

I well remember my near miss last year with a oncoming Camry on a shared path that I defy anyone to have any expectations on meeting a car on. In fact I defy the average driver to even fit even someone else's stolen camry on. And a mate still tells the story of meetig one of the early 60,s tiny 2 seater Hondas on the suspended under the freeway section of Gardiners Creek trail. WHo on earth thinks you are safe from cars on shared paths?

[jasonc]

workmate was driving to work this morning. driving down the road beside work and a cyclist in front of him did a U-turn. It was close enough for my workmate to give him a whack on the behind.

give way to traffic.

[Lukeyboy]

I remember my near hit head on with a Brisbane City Council truck driving the wrong way around the back section of the Nundah crit circuit while doing "45kph". I shat bricks. The driver shat bricks. The passenger shat bricks. A few days later the tall grass along the sides were cut followed a week later with the instalation of drainage ditches and wider areas of short cut grass surrounding the track

[Summernight]

I thought this was a dumb thing to do by the cyclist, especially during morning peak hour, although I know some people have different opinions to me about going through red lights and left hand turns. From where I was sitting on my bike waiting for the light to change he passed me very quickly.