Unlit pedestrians on cycle paths [short rant]

entershikari

So yesterday evening I was cycling home, coming down a fairly fast hill (easily 30mph) and out of nowhere I see a pedestrian about 3m ahead of me, I swerve and just manage to avoid him.

I should probably clarify that this cycle path is next to a road so car headlights are shining directly into your eyes as you ride and it was tipping it down yesterday evening; all this adds up to there being absolutely no way that I am going to be able to see someone who is completely unlit and isnt even wearing high vis.

It made me wonder what the hell goes through these peoples heads when they decide to do something like that?!... I just dont get it.

Rant over :twisted:

arran77

entershikari wrote:

So yesterday evening I was cycling home, coming down a fairly fast hill (easily 30mph) and out of nowhere I see a pedestrian about 3m ahead of me, I swerve and just manage to avoid him.

I should probably clarify that this cycle path is next to a road so car headlights are shining directly into your eyes as you ride and it was tipping it down yesterday evening; all this adds up to there being absolutely no way that I am going to be able to see someone who is completely unlit and isnt even wearing high vis.

It made me wonder what the hell goes through these peoples heads when they decide to do something like that?!... I just dont get it.

Rant over :twisted:

What like riding down a hill at 30mph when it's dark, wet and car headlights are shining directly into your eyes :P

entershikari

arran77 wrote:

entershikari wrote:

So yesterday evening I was cycling home, coming down a fairly fast hill (easily 30mph) and out of nowhere I see a pedestrian about 3m ahead of me, I swerve and just manage to avoid him.

I should probably clarify that this cycle path is next to a road so car headlights are shining directly into your eyes as you ride and it was tipping it down yesterday evening; all this adds up to there being absolutely no way that I am going to be able to see someone who is completely unlit and isnt even wearing high vis.

It made me wonder what the hell goes through these peoples heads when they decide to do something like that?!... I just dont get it.

Rant over :twisted:

What like riding down a hill at 30mph when it's dark, wet and car headlights are shining directly into your eyes :P

I was going quite a bit slower than that (probs less than 15) but thats the kind of gradient we're talking. It wouldn't be out of the question for cyclist to be going down there at 30mph+

marcusjb

Was it a cycle path or a shared use path?

If shared use, you should anticipate that there may well be pedestrians on the path and moderate your speed accordingly, especially if the weather and car headlights were hampering your vision.

entershikari

marcusjb wrote:

Was it a cycle path or a shared use path?

If shared use, you should anticipate that there may well be pedestrians on the path and moderate your speed accordingly, especially if the weather and car headlights were hampering your vision.

Cycle path, not shared use. But even if it was you'd have to be nuts to be walking down it unlit IMO

entershikari

madasahattersley wrote:

I don't think people walking about should have to wear Hi Vis. They're walking on the pavement. People have been walking about without Hi Vis for hundreds of thousands of years. I think the answer in this case is either you get brighter lights so you can see better, or you ditch the shared use path and use the road instead.

Its not a pavement its a cycle path and the road its next to is a fast A road with cars going over 60mph, I wouldn't feel safe cycling on it

debeli

entershikari wrote:

Its not a pavement its a cycle path and the road its next to is a fast A road with cars going over 60mph, I wouldn't feel safe cycling on it

I still see no obligation for pedestrians to carry lamps or wear hi-viz. Many of us cycle on roads alongside 60mph+ traffic. It's a reality of rural rding today and has been for decades.

The pedestrian you encounterd could easily have been a concrete block, a child or a cyclist fixing a tyre. If you had incomplete forward vision, it was up to you to moderate your speed.

Your argument is used by motorists who find pedestrians on the carriageway where there is no pavement. They have the right to be there. It's all about sharing and being nice to people, not about territorial one-upmanship.

markhewitt1978

Google street view please? I don't know of off road cycle paths which are not shared use.

slowbike

Interestingly - in northern Norway in winter pedestrians have to carry little reflective disks that dangle by their side as they walk - effective, unobtrusive and easy to carry - don't see why ppl would object to carrying them ...

arthur_scrimshaw

It's irrelevant whether it's shared use or not, if a ped was walking in the road (eg because there wasn't a footpath)it would be your lookout not to run into him, same as if you were driving a car.
What gets my goat is other cyclists on cycle paths without lights, even at moderate speeds, closing rates can be a bit rapid.

Mikey23

Same principle as the recent dazzled by the sun thread I would have thought. Don't go faster than you can safely see. Assume everyone else is an absolute idiot or out to kill you and you won't be too far wrong. You have a responsibility towards the most vulnerable ie pedestrians and even at 15mph you have a machine that can kill them and possibly you in the process

Phil Fouracre

Interesting how OP gave the impression of going faster than he admitted to. Sorry to see this sort of post as it reinforces all the stereotypes we throw at motorists, complaining about stupid cyclists, didn't see them, what were they doing there, 'getting in my way' etc. why were they not wearing lights and fluoro' , maybe a helmet for good measure? What a bl00dy idiot

Mikey23

Not a great deal of sympathy then and only 29 posts... No harm done and life moves on