Pedestrians

Beardy10

I have been commuting in Central London regularly for three to four months and so far can say that the most problems I have had have been with pedestrians just walking out in front of me. Despite me being a big lump and wearing a neon vest I think an awful lot of pedestrians rely on their ears as much as their eyes.

A few times I have shouted at people which has worked but there have been one or two instances when despite that I have had to take evasive action. I have thought about a bell but frankly I am not sure in Central London traffic this is audible and I think shouting at people can be seen to be a bit yobbish.

So.......

What about an air horn ? Is it too agressive?

Clever Pun

better to be aggressive when it's warranted than be bruised on the floor

if you don't want to shout a warning get a horn/bell they can hear

dondare

Be aware of what pedestrians are doing just as much as you are aware what the other traffic is doing. If there are any at all then they will step out so be prepared for that. Be patient and keep your temper, pedestrians do have the right to cross the road safely and if you forget that then you're no better than a motorist.

Beardy10

That's why I said I think shouting at them is a bit Yobbish............it sounds like you are losing your temper...even if you aren't.

Regardless of how much anticipating you do (I like to think I do it quite a lot) you will still invetiably get someone coming out of nowhere at busy junctions.

Parkey

Beardy10 wrote:

What about an air horn ? Is it too agressive?

Get one off an intercity 125. That'd make them jump.

lost_in_thought

Hey Beardy,

I'd go for a bell if I were you, although I know dondare is very anti-bells...

I've found that the high-pitched sound of a bell can catch people's attention better than shouting, and hearing a bell, at least in theory, would make you think 'bike!' rather than 'man shouting!'

And yes, it is a bit yobbish to shout oi! at people.

However, you must remember that some people, no matter what form of transport they prefer, are just idiots! Be on your guard....

jedster

The main thing is to shoulder check, take a defensive road position (i.e well away from the kerb) and cover your brakes when you see a ped moving towards the kerb. This generally allows you to manouvre to avoid even if they do something silly. I tend to back this up with a shout of "steady!" or "wait!" if necessary.

I prefer this to bells or airhorns because I like having my hands free for braking.

J

dondare

Avoiding pedestrians can be hard. They can't hear bells (or else they don't recognise the sound or realize where it's coming from) and they like to leap out from behind parked vans. The further away you are from the kerb and vehicles parked there the more chance you have of not having one walk into you. Don't ride fast if you're less than two paces away from anywhere that a pedestrian might be.

cee

A tip from someone on here a while back which I quite like is shouting 'Look Out!' instead of move/wait/hey/etc.....

It just sounds more like helpful advice rather than the order of 'Move!' and does actually seem to get a better response (maybe i am imagining it!)

dondare

What pedestrians can hear are squeeky brakes, if you're luck enough to have them.

el_presidente

I shout EXCUSE ME very loudly, has the benefit of remaining vaguely polite

lost_in_thought

Agree on the point of having hands for braking - I awlays had back-pedal brakes.

And I admire your self-awareness, el_pres, by the time I am surprised by a pedestrian the best I can usually do is a sort of strangled vowel sound!

I have to maintain though, that on Oxford Street and Long Acre, which is where i used to have most trouble, the bell was pretty effective.

redvee

If you shout at them, 1 of 2 things will happen. They will panic and either stop dead and give you chance to miss them or they will panic and move, usually in the same direction you decide to go :roll:

alan_sherman

A proper bell is great for commuting in London. Use it in advance of gettign close enough to needd to brake. if you are close enough to need to slam on the brakes you should have slowed / changed line earlier.

Of course there are occasions when most people get the littel devil inside them and pass close to a idiot that is crossing the road jabbering into their mobile :twisted: We know it is wrong, but it is human nature

squired

Personally I keep an eye on the pavement for any potential dangers from pedestrians stepping out. Yes they can do stupid things, but I think that I'm probably being stupid too if I ride fast in an area where they are likely to step out in front of me. The road up from London Bridge to Bank is a perfect example. Pedestrians are more likely to look on a road where there are large gaps in the traffic, but less likely where the cars are stacked up, as they automatically assume all traffic is stopped.

Recently I've seen cars being far more aggressive, accelerating towards pedestrians who started crossing when they were some way away. Often they do so with the horn pressed. Sadly, I've also seen some cyclists also aiming at pedestrians, even though it would be far harder to hit them than to miss them.

cupofteacp

I got taken out on Monday for the first time in years by a sleepy Ped.

I normally stay clear of the pavements so even if one does just step off I got some time to avoid them.

Unfortunately part of my route take me the wrong way down a one-way street on a mandatory cycle lane, which runs besides parking bays.
The Ped stepped out from behind a parked van and stood in the cycle lane waiting to cross, I hit the brakes and shouted at him, but he just stood there half asleep.
I wasn’t going flat out as I know that road and know people just wonder across.
Unfortunately I still hit him and knocked us both over. Once I picked myself up he apologised

victor ludorum

I've tried a few different kinds of bell and never once has a pedestrian paid the least notice...

I think most of them aren't loud enough to penetrate traffic, and even if they are, most people aren't attuned to the noise. Despite the fact that all bikes are supposed to be sold with bells (although mine wasn't...) people just don't seem to make the connection.

The only effective method I've found is to shout 'Look out!'. I try to do it so that it sounds like a helpful warning rather than a yobbish bellow, but that may be too subtle a distinction under the circumstances.

In general, the best way to avoid problems with pedestrians is to avoid pedestrians as much as possible. I find that what people tend to do is take one or two steps off the curb and then stop and look (Doh!), so if you ride down roads with pedestrians on the best thing to do is to maintain primary position in the lane as much as possible.

Be especially wary at junctions and crossings, because pedestrians are even more guilty of the 'oh, its a bicycle coming and nothing else, it won't be going very quickly so I can get across in time... Sh*t! Its right on top of me!' than car drivers. Since peds tend to behave like sheep, once one pedestrian has stepped out, a dozen more almost certainly will as well.

If you are filtering along standing traffic (inside or outside) keep a careful look out for people crossing in between the vehicles. (I got wiped out this way once... Spotted a couple with a pushchair crossing 40ft away and missed the woman who stepped out from behind a van 6ft away. I ended up going over the handlebars, failing to unclip my right foot as I went and doing an aerial 360 before landing on my back with my bike on top of me. I didn't touch her, but wrecked me...). Slow down as you pass the front half of the vehicle and try and look through their windscreen (vans and buses) for someone stood in front of them.

Surf-Matt

Lady got out of a car in the middle of the road today and I to screech to a halt.

But she was stupidly attractive so all was forgiven...

Dudu

lost_in_thought wrote:

Hey Beardy,

I'd go for a bell if I were you, although I know dondare is very anti-bells...

I've found that the high-pitched sound of a bell can catch people's attention better than shouting, and hearing a bell, at least in theory, would make you think 'bike!' rather than 'man shouting!'

Do you really think pedestrians would hear a bell above the mighty roar of London's traffic? And anyway, if you do ring a bell at meadering kamikaze pedestrians, they just get all offended.

The best way is a friendly vocal warning or whistle.

dondare

cupofteacp wrote:

I got taken out on Monday for the first time in years by a sleepy Ped.

I normally stay clear of the pavements so even if one does just step off I got some time to avoid them.

Unfortunately part of my route take me the wrong way down a one-way street on a mandatory cycle lane, which runs besides parking bays.
The Ped stepped out from behind a parked van and stood in the cycle lane waiting to cross, I hit the brakes and shouted at him, but he just stood there half asleep.
I wasn’t going flat out as I know that road and know people just wonder across.
Unfortunately I still hit him and knocked us both over. Once I picked myself up he apologised

I'd mave to say that when using a cycle lane of this nature then any speed that does not allow you to stop dead in your tracks is too fast.

Bassjunkieuk

I once hit a ped who was getting off a bus in the middle of traffic. It certainly wasn't a bus stop and I was filtering down only to have him jump out in front of me. He was very apologetic and I think my helmet probably hurt him more then me :-)

cupofteacp

dondare on the one hand, I don't want an accident so cycling at a walking pace would have allowed me to avoid the accident

On the other hand if I cycled that slowly every time there was a risk a Ped would step out then it would take hours to commute the 15 miles through central London.

As I said I slowed down as I recognised this as a possible accident black spot (not enough ! I still had an accident), I really didn’t expect someone to step from behind a van straight into a cycle lane without looking

Yes I should have expected the unexpected but I only do so much and I'm normally concentrating on the motorists trying to kill me rather than the Peds

But hey ho, today is my last day cycling for sometime as I’m changing jobs and I’ll need to work into the company before turning up on the bike. See you all in hopefully only a few months

Stay safe

snooks

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

I once hit a ped who was getting off a bus in the middle of traffic. It certainly wasn't a bus stop and I was filtering down only to have him jump out in front of me. He was very apologetic and I think my helmet probably hurt him more then me :-)

Yep, Peds seem to like those big red things, whenever there is one about you'll always see a numptey or two running towards one!

With the road awareness of a hedgehog they'll prance with gay abandonment into the road, and all to get to work or school 5 mins earlier. They're not too bright if you ask me
.

dondare

cupofteacp wrote:

dondare on the one hand, I don't want an accident so cycling at a walking pace would have allowed me to avoid the accident

On the other hand if I cycled that slowly every time there was a risk a Ped would step out then it would take hours to commute the 15 miles through central London.
Stay safe

Your 15 miles will not consist entirely of counter-flow cycle paths in parked-up one-way streets.

jedster

Yep, Peds seem to like those big red things, whenever there is one about you'll always see a numptey or two running towards one!

With the road awareness of a hedgehog they'll prance with gay abandonment into the road

Given all that, don't you think there is a shade of numpty about a cyclist who gets "surprised" by a ped appearing from the door of a stationary bus (even if it is not at a bus stop).

Bassjunkie - I'm not picking a fight. I know stuff happens. But if you are going to filter inside stationary buses, this is one of the risks you run.

J