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> A horn or bell is mostly for telling other people "hey I'm here, stay out of my way and dont suddenly cross into my path" This. I only use the bell on bike p
by jwr 6mo ago
> A horn or bell is mostly for telling other people "hey I'm here, stay out of my way and dont suddenly cross into my path"
This. I only use the bell on bike paths, too. Sometimes it feels like a game of pac-man, where baddies will wander into my path from all directions and in all kinds of ways. Cars doing a right turn, zombies staring into phones, people walking backwards (!), zombies staring into phones walking backwards, it doesn't end.
- lostlogin 6mo agoThe ultimate cyclist killer: those stupid extending dog leashes.
- jwr 6mo agoBack when I roller skated, the ultimate question: you see a person and a dog, several meters apart. Is there a leash between them? :-)
- lostlogin 6mo agoOof. If yes, you might be about to get nailed. If no, will the dog run after me and bite me? I’ve had a dog on my heels doing doing 40kmh. They were at my heel, past the back of my rear tyre. I was briefly a competitive sprint cyclist.
- jwr 6mo agoFWIW, it's better to stop and talk to the dog. Dogs don't really want to bite you, most will just chase you and don't really even know why. If you stop and confront them, they are confused and don't know what to do next. Get off the bike on the side opposite of the dog and keep the bike between you and the dog just in case, if you are afraid.
- lostlogin 6mo agoNope, I was out of there. This one was a biter.
- prmoustache 6mo agoThat is an issue on bike paths that are build inside a sidewalk, the cycling path is usually build using a smoother surface than the one designed for pedestrians. Plus it sometimes has a brighter paint. I am pretty sure most people don't realize it but they are inconciously attracted to it. It just feels better walking on it.
- pandaman 6mo agoThat's an issue on any bike path in the US, even if it's a fire road in the middle of nowhere. I bet there are people walking their dogs or checking Instagram on the single track course that is used for the Red Bull Rampage.
- kube-system 6mo agoYeah, it happens on sidewalks, bike trails, mixed use trails, and dedicated bike lanes. If anything, dedicated bike lanes are the worst because they get errant pedestrians and cars.
- jwr 6mo agoNo, every bike path in a city inevitably has crossings or is laid out next to a sidewalk. People just do their random-walk thing (Brownian motion, really, sometimes) and wander into the bike path.
- prmoustache 6mo agoSometimes you clearly see more people on the bike paths than on the regular sidewalks. And I definitely attribute that to its smoother nature compared to the fake cobbles you have in many places, amplifyied if there is a baby stroller in the mix.
- jwr 6mo agoIt's funny, because if that is true, it should give pause to city planners and officials: people prefer smooth sidewalks :-)