Trails, walkers and bells

QuinnDexter

Travelling along the transpennine trail is usually a joy. However I have found recently that more and more walkers appear oblivious to cyclists. They either don't respond to your bell when you are approaching from behind or, when they walk in groups covering the entire path, they attempt to initiate a game of chicken, even though you are saying "Excuse me".

So either my bell doesn't work (I don't think so). Or people just dont realise the danger of peds and cyclists or are just plain arrogant.

Anyone else have any experience with this behaviour?

bails87

Just idiots being idiots. Shout if you need to, maybe they're old and can't hear very well It's not worth giving them any abuse because if you do, it'll probably turn out that they're deaf!

Hercule Q

i just shout at them if they still dont move although a few years ago i fitted a fog horn to my frame for riding along the seafront, a blast on that one would clear the cyclepath in seconds :twisted:

cat_with_no_tail

Just think of them as trailside obsticles. Bunnyhop over them.

Tolk

Cat With No Tail wrote:

Just think of them as trailside obsticles. Bunnyhop over them.

I'd like to see a piccie/vid of the attempt please!

tdougan

Wear a Full face helmet and scream when you get near them in a slipnot kinda way! ;D

.blitz

I have had the misfortune to skittle a few groups and they are much softer than trees/the ground etc.

cat_with_no_tail

Tolk wrote:

Cat With No Tail wrote:

Just think of them as trailside obsticles. Bunnyhop over them.

I'd like to see a piccie/vid of the attempt please!

You dont need pics, I said it happened, so it happened, it's a real life internet fact. Now go out and do it!

QuinnDexter

.blitz wrote:

I have had the misfortune to skittle a few groups and they are much softer than trees/the ground etc.

You skittled them...HAHA.. I can just hear the noise now. Did you get the spare?

P-Jay

Yeah unless you're running some delicate superlight rims plough on in.

In fairness the ones I meet on my local loop are nice enough and usually make some inane comment: if the weathers nice "That's cheating! or I should get one of those!" or if the weathers bad and i'm 5mm thick in mud "you must be mad!" - but it's nice to hear.

But it's better than the gerrrofffmoiland tw@ who only allows walkers past the end of his drive and not riders! Even if we get off and push! Which begs the question. If I'm using a signposted right to roam style footpath, do I stop being a cyclist if I'm pushing? I think so. If I was carrying a snooker pool on a walk it wouldn't make me a snooker player.

mkf

i tend to give a yell of CYCLIST at 20 feet or so then at 10 feet if no responce i give them a blast of my airzound horn, 110 decibel of trail clearing heaven.
boy you should see them redsocks move when they hear the horn hee hee

mkf

p-jay

i have had that argument with a farmer before and it jjust makes them see red.
the guy even thought the footpath belong to him cause it ran through his land and he could say who can and who can't use it.
what a b@ll@ck

workhard

p-jay If you are pushing your bike on a footpath you are legal and have a right of way so tell gerrrofffmoiland to go hang. If he stops you and it is a public footpath report him to your LA Rights of Way officers and have a word with your local CTC right to ride rep.

mkf - he does own the land the footpath runs over. but you have a right of way to use it on foot (not on your bike) politely assert your rights - or risk losing them.

all - anyone who uses a fog horn/airzound around/against peds is a juvenile tw@t imo and will be doing a great job of alienating every rambler/walker they come across, which means we all suffer. Just grow up slow right down down, trackstand if you have have to - you can trackstand right? - and engage them in a 'nice day' style conversation then trickle past.

nickfrog

Never had a problem with walkers, BUT I would not use a bell. I'd rather slow down and wait for them to notice me, which usually means they get out of the way instinctively.
The bell can be perceived as "aggressive" (wrongly or not).

P-Jay

workhard wrote:

p-jay If you are pushing your bike on a footpath you are legal and have a right of way so tell gerrrofffmoiland to go hang. If he stops you and it is a public footpath report him to your LA Rights of Way officers and have a word with your local CTC right to ride rep.

Thanks, he's a proper prick. He's even errected signs saying 'No Cyclists' and quoting some highways law or something, but the real thing that gets me is he's gone really out of his way to make them look like the goverment or council put them up.

Dude came very close to driving into me the first time we 'met' and was gobbing off about something or other whilst I was trying to get my ipod earphones out ha ha.

I'd rather go another way, but it means a boring road climb up a 10% hill and road descent back to the other side of his drive.

RealMan

Its obvious your bell just isn't good enough.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/MKS_T ... 360043405/

Or just yell.

Dirtydog11

Is their a law against scaring the sh1t out people?

Because I reckon you could have a lot of fun with one of these.

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=4

RealMan

Dirtydog11 wrote:

Is their a law against scaring the sh1t out people?

Good question, very good question..

timmys

workhard wrote:

p-jay If you are pushing your bike on a footpath you are legal and have a right of way so tell gerrrofffmoiland to go hang. If he stops you and it is a public footpath report him to your LA Rights of Way officers and have a word with your local CTC right to ride rep.

I thought the law stated you are allowed to walk on a footpath with a "normal accompaniment" ie. dog, pram BUT that in the eyes of the law a bike was not a normal accompaniment hence you were not allowed to push (or even carry) a bike on a footpath.

ie. as quoted here;
http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/enviro ... sofway.htm

or here, from the mouth of a Right of Way Officer;
http://www.bikeradar.com/MTB/forums/vie ... aec8fab3ab

Dirtydog11

timmys wrote:

workhard wrote:

p-jay If you are pushing your bike on a footpath you are legal and have a right of way so tell gerrrofffmoiland to go hang. If he stops you and it is a public footpath report him to your LA Rights of Way officers and have a word with your local CTC right to ride rep.

I thought the law stated you are allowed to walk on a footpath with a "normal accompaniment" ie. dog, pram BUT that in the eyes of the law a bike was not a normal accompaniment hence you were not allowed to push (or even carry) a bike on a footpath.

ie. as quoted here;
http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/enviro ... sofway.htm

or here, from the mouth of a Right of Way Officer;
http://www.bikeradar.com/MTB/forums/vie ... aec8fab3ab

Isn't the Trans Penine trail part of the National cycle network?

timmys

Dirtydog11 wrote:

Isn't the Trans Penine trail part of the National cycle network?

Quite probably but I was referring to footpaths in general such as P-Jay seemed to be talking about.

Dirtydog11

timmys wrote:

Dirtydog11 wrote:

Isn't the Trans Penine trail part of the National cycle network?

Quite probably but I was referring to footpaths in general such as P-Jay seemed to be talking about.

Just checking, I reckon this guy has got the right idea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2LaOrji ... re=related

P-Jay

Well that's a kick in the nuts (the not allowed to push a bike on a footpath thing), I'll push my bike along the 20 meter section I need to cover. If it comes to an argument I'll react accordingly, TBH if he drives his Car at me again he's gonna get a shoeing.

Shame, I fancied being able to take the moral high-ground for once.

RealMan

Dirtydog11 wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2LaOrjiw7A&feature=related

God, you'd think it was a semi coming up behind you.

And the rules are even worse for unicycles, apparently they're not classed as a bike, so you're allowed to ride them on footpaths, but for some reason, not bridleways. Apparently.

Dirtydog11

RealMan wrote:

Dirtydog11 wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2LaOrjiw7A&feature=related

God, you'd think it was a semi coming up behind you.

Quote of the day that!

You might want too rephrase it, it cold be taken out of context.

RealMan

How old are you?

Dirtydog11

RealMan wrote:

How old are you?

43

RealMan

:roll:

Less then half your age, and feeling slightly more mature..

Northwind

On the same ride I had one walker get angry because I didn't use my bell, and another one get angry because i DID use my bell, you can't win so I stopped trying. The good walkers are fine, the bad ones are c***s without redemption so why bother?

peter413

I was once out and there was a walker on the trail. I obviously slowed down, he turned around hearing my brakes and said "why didn't you shout". He was pretty mad so I thought the best thing to do was leave and forget him.

Well, a week later I saw him again on the same trail (further up though) and I shouted. He then got mad at me going "I have just as much right to be here as you, if not more" :?

Some people you just can't win with :x

Radioactiveman

I ride the lakes lots but try and avoid the honeypot areas on weekends,bank holidays etc

On the whole walkers are fine if you say hello and slow down where possible. Quite often they are amazed at where you get to on the bike. Had some excellent craic coming off Helvellyn down to grisedale last summer with everyone I met. I always think of myself as an ambassador for biking when i meet walkers, however ......

There really are some ignorant gits. You know the sort they get their map straight out to check if its a footpath or bridleway, intentionally don't move or give an inch even if you are already descending technical bits,deliberately dont say hello back even if all 10 of you say hello.

I have found a solution that really pisses them off, be really polite to them and make them say hello or interact with you in some way( I dont mean fighting) it either really gets their back up or in some cases melts the frostiness away.

PS Night riding is the future if you want to avoid walkers, just make sure you dont accidentaly stray onto any footpaths as no one is about to point it out to you