Apologies

El Diego

Whilst cycling through Manchester City Centre this morning a couple were about to step out in to the road and then thought better of it when they saw me (which makes a refreshing change from continuing anyway!)

As I past the man said THANKS in a very sarcastic tone. Is it bad etiquette not to express gratitude for people not stepping in front of you? I feel that he wouldn't expect thanks if it was a car and if I was to thank every ped that looks like they are about to step out, I would be continously saying thanks as I passed through the city, which would look pretty odd. I didn't give a dirty look or anything and wasn't going particularly fast. Was I violating some kind of unwritten highway etiquette and should I be more considerate to suicidal peds in future?

iain_j

I keep as much an eye on pedestrians as the traffic on city streets, for this reason. No need to thank all the ones who don't step out but if I did I'd make it more genuine than sarcastic (unless they did actually step out causing me to take evasive) :?

Aidy

iain_j wrote:

I keep as much an eye on pedestrians as the traffic on city streets, for this reason. No need to thank all the ones who don't step out but if I did I'd make it more genuine than sarcastic (unless they did actually step out causing me to take evasive) :?

Think you read it wrong (or I did), the pedestrian was saying that the OP should say thanks.

I had something similar a few years back, a dogwalker restrained her dog after he went after me (on a cyclepath), yelled at me that I "could say thanks".

kamiokande

I think if someone is about to step out, then sees you, and stops, it's courteous to at least acknowledge them. Of course you don't and shouldn't have to, but a nod in their direction is the way I'd choose to deal with it.

El Diego

kamiokande wrote:

I think if someone is about to step out, then sees you, and stops, it's courteous to at least acknowledge them. Of course you don't and shouldn't have to, but a nod in their direction is the way I'd choose to deal with it.

Your're right and I normally do but i'm glad I didn't on this occasion because the guy turned out to be a bit of an idiot.

iain_j

Aidy wrote:

Think you read it wrong (or I did), the pedestrian was saying that the OP should say thanks.

You're right, I read it wrong, thought it was the OP saying sarcastic thanks :oops:

Porgy

I was on the receiving end of a sarcastic thanks from another cyclist on the canal tow path. He'd been about to overtake this old man but couldn;t becasue I was coming in the other direction. So he chose to stop as the man was almost standing still.

The way I saw it - we were on opposite sides of the path going in opposite directions and the reason he didn;t pass the man is because I had right of way on the left side of the path. If he hadn't have stopped then we both would have been stuck until the old man had gone.

After I passed him I heard him go "THANKS" in a loud and sarcastic tone. :?

redddraggon

You don't go down Oxford Road do you?

El Diego

redddraggon wrote:

You don't go down Oxford Road do you?

Sometimes but normally I go down Princess St and on to Upper Brook St.

laughingboy

El Diego wrote:

Is it bad etiquette not to express gratitude for people not stepping in front of you? I feel that he wouldn't expect thanks if it was a car and if I was to thank every ped that looks like they are about to step out, I would be continously saying thanks as I passed through the city, which would look pretty odd. I didn't give a dirty look or anything and wasn't going particularly fast. Was I violating some kind of unwritten highway etiquette and should I be more considerate to suicidal peds in future?

I wasn't there, so take this as a general comment rather than a comment on your incident above...

I would say that if a pedestrian makes an obvious effort to be considerate - say, by waiting - it's worth acknowledging it: a little wave or nod or 'cheers' should do it. That way everyone goes on with their day happy.

There is obviously a balance to be struck (unless you particularly like waving at strangers) but one of the things I like about cycling - unlike cars - is that you can talk to people around you.

always_tyred

kamiokande wrote:

I think if someone is about to step out, then sees you, and stops, it's courteous to at least acknowledge them.

b0llocks!

jedster

Must admit I try to acknowledge anytime a ped or other vehicle gives way to me when I'm cycling. First, it's just good manners - the world would be a better place if people made a bit more effort to be courteous.

But also I'm running a one man guerilla coaching programme to improve road behaviour (guerilla in the sense of covert rather than actually training people to launch an insurgency 8) ). It is well proven that positive reinforcement is better than negative reinforcement - i.e., thanking people when they do something right is much more likely to encourage them to do the right thing in the future than having a go when they do something wrong. This is primary school teaching 101 and therefore very much applicable to most road users

Cheers,

J

Dudu

laughingboy wrote:

I would say that if a pedestrian makes an obvious effort to be considerate - say, by waiting - it's worth acknowledging it: a little wave or nod or 'cheers' should do it. That way everyone goes on with their day happy.

You mean like "thank you for not attempting to kill me by walking out in front of me because you think those legally using the roads should give way to any arrogant, half-blind jaywalker"?

attica

I agree with Jedster

Although I did ask a fellow cyclist what the fudge she thought she was doing this morning.
I was riding round a parked van (that started indicating to pull away as I got level with it's rear) when said numpty on a BSO appears in front riding around it as if she was meant to be on the RHS of the road and was subsequently dithering about which side to pass me on.

:roll:

Kieran_Burns

Good God. I'm more than a little p*ssed off with the people who don't think it's okay to acknowledge a bit of courtesy

Dudu - are you entirely missing the point? The guy almost made a mistake and realising this got out of the way. Okay so it the OP's right of way, but how many times have you seen people step aside, or hold open doors, or wait for oncoming traffic or let someone out of junction and NOT be thanked? People don't HAVE to be considerate, but it makes the world a far happier place if they are

Here we are, trying to address peoples appalling attitude to cyclists and we have regular members on here completely missing a simple way of doing so.

always_tyred

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Good God. I'm more than a little p*ssed off with the people who don't think it's okay to acknowledge a bit of courtesy

Hang on - am I reading the OP right - seems to me that someone nearly stepped out into the road in front of them causing all parties injury and got sarcastic that the slightly shocked cyclist didn't say thanks for not being put in harm's way. Is that correct?

Come on - the ped didn't do anything to be thanked for.

MonkeyMonster

Always Tyred wrote:

Come on - the ped didn't do anything to be thanked for.

Maybe not, but imagine if they say to someone else "I was about to step but he was faster than I thought, so i stepped back in because i didn't want to get run over by the lycra clad wanker and you'd never believe it but he thanked me... Maybe they aren't all sh1theads"

night_porter

I do not see any point in me getting wound up by people saying "Thanks!" in that lovely sarcastic way, my response is to look straight at them and with a great big grin say "you are most welcome..." pretending as though I thought that they were really thanking me turn away and ride on.

See I know how to be polite :twisted:

laughingboy

Always Tyred wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Good God. I'm more than a little p*ssed off with the people who don't think it's okay to acknowledge a bit of courtesy

Hang on - am I reading the OP right - seems to me that someone nearly stepped out into the road in front of them causing all parties injury and got sarcastic that the slightly shocked cyclist didn't say thanks for not being put in harm's way. Is that correct?

Come on - the ped didn't do anything to be thanked for.

Maybe they only did what they should do.

But when I am driving a car on a residential street and there is only enough room for one car - I acknowledge the car coming the other way when they don't pull out when it is, after all, my right of way. It's civil, and it doesn't cost me anything to do so.

Same principle applies in cycling.

I probably overdo it, I admit. When cycling, I sometimes wave to thank drivers for not entering mini roundabouts from my left, etc.

Eye contact, eye contact, wave. There - we all got to work in one piece. :-)

always_tyred

MonkeyMonster wrote:

Always Tyred wrote:

Come on - the ped didn't do anything to be thanked for.

Maybe not, but imagine if they say to someone else "I was about to step but he was faster than I thought, so i stepped back in because i didn't want to get run over by the lycra clad wanker and you'd never believe it but he thanked me... Maybe they aren't all sh1theads"

So, how many drivers thank pedestrians for leaping back out of their way having given them a scare by jumping out into the road without looking?

Answer - none whatsoever.

Don't be a cycling apologist.

always_tyred

laughingboy wrote:

But when I am driving a car on a residential street and there is only enough room for one car - I acknowledge the car coming the other way when they don't pull out when it is, after all, my right of way. It's civil, and it doesn't cost me anything to do so.

So do I. I do not, however, thank drivers who have almost cut me up and stop at the last minute - for example turning right onto a road I'm already on. Its just not the same thing. Nor is the scenario described by the OP.

Dudu

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Dudu - are you entirely missing the point? The guy almost made a mistake and realising this got out of the way.

Errr... walking into the road without looking isn't "making a mistake". It's sheer pig-headed stupidity. The pedestrian's the one who should be apologising.

navt

Did you stop and give his missus a big kiss? Then he'd be thanking you!

always_tyred

navt wrote:

Did you plough right into his missus? Then he'd be thanking you!

Fixed that for you.