Towpaths and Joggers

Lancslad

mark1964 wrote:

On the Bristol to Bath Railway Path, why is it that joggers at night insist on wearing all black kit??.

Is there some reason not to? Perhaps they see themselves to be less of a target for yobs when they can not be seen 200 yards away.

Personally I only wear hi-viz stuff with running club as it keeps them happy. But then I'm made to wear hi-viz kit at work all day so I dont like the stuff.

jeremyrundle

WGWarburton wrote:

flatneasy wrote:

If I was on a horse would I have right of way ? and what if it galloped?

If I may refer you to the department of the bleeding obvious... have you considered where the "Tow" bit of the towpath comes from?

.

!

Try GOOGLE, surely this applies to ALL towpaths, manners on BOTH sides.

http://www.waterscape.com/canals-and-ri ... of-conduct

jedster

To the OP, my suggestion is ride on the road.

Tow paths are rubbish for cycling for all the reasons discussed in this thread and the only time I use them is when I'm out for a slow pootle with my son (7).

Cheers,

J

flatneasy

I actually find it quite hard to believe that there's a towpath code of conduct and a leaflet that's been printed. Are we really that obsessed with our rights to do things our own way, and to hell with other people, that we can't manage to use a path in a considerate manner ?

In the end, the idiots will take no notice anyway and it just gives all the 'right to this and right to that' people ammunition for moaning.

Or perhaps we've become so stupid that we don't realise that if we can't see around a bend or through a bridge fully, there might be someone coming the other way !

pastryboy

Tow paths can be great for cycling - just depends which ones and where. Large sections of what I use are almost completely deserted in the mornings (and evenings for a lot of the year) and you can see a good few hundred metres ahead so there's a free reign on speed - cruising at 25 for a couple of miles uninterrupted isn't going to happen on the roads or cycle lanes.

In terms of two tings for passing I don't bother if there's plenty of space. Occasionally it makes someone jump but if I do use a bell it's either ignored, makes them jump or they get confused and wander all over the place. I always ride with care in the areas I know I'm likely to encounter human life, always slow right down for blind corners, bridges etc. and usually ring a bell.

I've done thousands of miles on tow paths and the only collision I ever had (and a couple of really near misses) has been cyclists - usually because they haven't grasped the stay to the left principle or just can't manage riding straight.

bails87

Christ, what's with all the hostility on here?!

What's wrong with wanting to let someone know that you're behind them? What if you were jogging on the towpath and there was a group of walkers in front? Would you expect to be told "this is no place for you, go and run on the road".

For the most part towpaths are straight, flat and relatively quiet. If they are then there's no reason why you can't cycle down them extremely safely, you generally are able to see people a few hundred yards away, so can ride at 15-20mph and then slow down near bridges, locks, paths, peds and anything else that could be a hazard.

If the OP was genuinely wanting to push people into the canal then yeah, he'd be an idiot, but he wants the opposite, he wants to alert people to his presence so that he can get past, and it's rude of the joggers to have their headphones so loud that they can't hear his shouting or his bell.

So, OP: as long as the towpath is fairly quiet, and it's a section where cycling is allowed, keep riding, and (politely) shout louder or use an airzound, there's no reason why, given the space, you should have to sit behind a jogger who's got their music on too loud.

jeremyrundle

I agree with bails87, in fact the worst people I find are the older, I was on a cycle path today, saw two pensioners hundreds of yards in front going my way, so instead of scaring the (*^*&p out of them I used my airzound from a VERY long way back, the looked round looked back and carried on wealking taking the whole path, and they say it is the young who have no manners, I find the opposite.

Ryan Jones

The towpaths near me must be the best places to ride, long straight stretches of quiet paths where you can see far in front of you most the time with nothing going to jump out of nowwhere at you, just as long as you slow down for the corners at bridges locks etc you shouldn't have any problems. Obviously courteous cycling is needed but canal users are a courteous bunch on the whole (except the layabout druggies and chavs) and providing you don't get too engrossed with the scenery at 25mph i really cannot see why anyone has any problems.

I like riding the towpaths to the point my Cycle to work bike will be a cyclocross bike for the best towpath performance

flatneasy

@ Bails87

Yes, quite. I was wondering exactly what crime I was supposed to be committing !
:?

Pat Murray

WGWarburton wrote:

flatneasy wrote:

If I was on a horse would I have right of way ? and what if it galloped?

If I may refer you to the department of the bleeding obvious... have you considered where the "Tow" bit of the towpath comes from?

As a general rule, horses have absolute priority on towpaths, since that's what they were built for. Your galloping bit is tricky- it's hard to gallop when dragging a 20-ton boat behind you... :-)

Actually the towpaths may have been built for horses but subsequent Acts of Parliment have made it illegal to take one on one. There are certain dispensations in place at a few locations.

jeremyrundle

Pat Murray wrote:

WGWarburton wrote:

flatneasy wrote:

If I was on a horse would I have right of way ? and what if it galloped?

If I may refer you to the department of the bleeding obvious... have you considered where the "Tow" bit of the towpath comes from?

In fact towpaths were used by MEN pulling barges and "walking" them through bridges with their feet on the walls before and when horses were doing it, note the before horses were used, also not all operators could afford horses. So "towpath" originally meant towed/pulled by men.

"A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge".

No so "BO" then...... :!:

tptvmbircn

Lancslad wrote:

I believe an airzorn is the dogs nuts for that kind of thing.

+oinion (potatoe was done to death)

jeremyrundle

stealthelite1986 wrote:

Lancslad wrote:

I believe an airzorn is the dogs nuts for that kind of thing.

+oinion (potatoe was done to death)

Airzound

spen666

The Beginner wrote:

Which makes a mockery of my local NSR as it's along a towpath......I agree though, it's shared use and we should treat them with courtesy, and not expect to cycle fast along it.

Simon

why does it make a mockery? :?: :?: :?: