Speeding Cyclist injures Dog on towpath

[Dharl]

Sadly after recent thread on here about an injured Kitten and also an injured pedestrian on the towpath by SPEEDING Cyclists, reported yesterday on Narrow Boat Users group on Facebook of a dog been injured. Also this time the Cyclist has received injuries and as per a later post the cyclist is now threatening to take legal action against the dog owner!

 

As a user of the tow path, as a Cyclist, pedestrian, dog walker and boater, this effects and concerns me greatly. Why do SOME cyclist (and in my personal experience on the Basingstoke and K&A seemingly the majority) treat the towpath as THEIR right of way rather than expecting that there will be dogs, walkers, CHILDREN, elderly, etc also using the Towpath! What can be done by CRT so that they are safe places for all to use?

 

 

 

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My Jack Russell was hit by a speeding cyclist this morning (before anyone jumps down my throat, my more 'wayward' dog was on a lead and the little JR, though off lead, was simply crossing the towpath from our boat to the safety of the grass opposite, she is a very well behaved dog). I looked before we stepped out so the cyclist must have been travelling at 30/40mph because he came out of nowhere and the damage he sustained from running over my dog was awful, like he'd had a s...erious car crash, what looks like a possible broken jaw and wrist, huge bruising and cuts to his face amongst other smaller injuries. My dog is in the vets under observation now and I have spoken to CRT about the incident who were less than helpful and say they do all they can. I simply don't know what to do anymore. I can't help but feel let down by CRT as they refuse to even put signs up warning of the dangers of speeding. My children were nearly hit recently and another boater's dog was hit last week. It's getting ridiculous. If I can't see a cyclist coming at that speed what chance do my kids have. We all need to respect each other a little more on the towpath. Anyway, just a bit upset for my dog and the cyclist

 

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[Athy]

Hope your dog recovers OK.

Serves the cyclist bloody well right.

[TheBiscuits]

Sue the cyclist for the vet bill through the online small claims procedure.

[Leo No2]

On the Basingstoke the reason they speed from at least the top of Deepcut to Woodham Junction (River Wey) is:

 

A - the need to get from the Deepcut area to the trains at Brookwood station which take just 35 mins or so to get to Waterloo

B - the initiative under CycleWoking (now no longer in existence I believe despite Woking being one of the first 'cycle' towns) to publish cycle times on their signage and thereby 'challenge' cyclists to do it in less time - signage generally from Deepcut bottom lock (Lock 15) down to Woodham Junction. Basingstoke Canal Society complained to CycleWoking at the time but they refused to remove the timings - I have been away from that area for two years now so it may have changed (hopefully for the better). The signage was more appropriate to a motorway (bright blue and reflective) than it was to an SSSI!

Edited July 15, 2015 by Leo No2

[magnetman]

 

There have been several threads on this subject.

 

My view is what is 'needed' is a very unpleasant accident involving a small child or something then authorities will hear the message that there is a safety problem and make attempts to address the issue. Its not a road. Its a path.

Its horrible to say that and I don't wish an accident on anyone but it will happen

 

Sad for the cyclist to be injured but to then look at sueing the dog owner

[Wanted]

Do boaters need to add a couple of traffic cones to their mooring equipment?

[Dharl]

Sadly I agree with you magnetman. However if you read the OP, the lady who's dog it is, said that her children had been hit (clipped?) by a passing cyclist only recently.

 

These things need to be reported to CRT as a minimum, understand they have a reporting system in place,

Do boaters need to add a couple of traffic cones to their mooring equipment?

 

With all seriousness I am thinking of adding a couple when we go away this weekend.....Going to be first trip with our 8 month old dog and am getting a little concerned!

[MtB]

Do boaters need to add a couple of traffic cones to their mooring equipment?

 

That's a good idea!

 

In fact LOTS of traffic cones populating the towpath are easy to negotiate on foot but would slow the speeding bikes down briilliantly!

[peterboat]

Sorry for the dog and owner but the cyclist got what he deserves and I would sue him for the vet bill. Perhaps pictures of the injured cyclist could be put up at hot spots with warnings about stupid speeds

 

Peter

[Sabcat]

Got a dog? Keep the bloody thing on a lead then.

[ChimneyChain]

Got a dog? Keep the bloody thing on a lead then.

I think you need to be kept on a lead and muzzled

 

Darren

[Joe Bourke]

Loose dog v speeding cyclist on a tow path should make an interesting legal case. Does anyone know of a precedent?

[Dharl]

Got a dog? Keep the bloody thing on a lead then.

 

thank you for your helpful comment Sabcat

[Boat&Bikes]

30 to 40 MPH... he should be in France right now.

 

Ian.

[nicknorman]

Loose dog v speeding cyclist on a tow path should make an interesting legal case. Does anyone know of a precedent?

Yes, if it was a child that was hit it would be a different matter as one is not supposed to keep ones children on a lead, but since it was a loose dog I suspect the courts might side with the cyclist, or at least it will be a close run thing, or perhaps decide on "knock for knock".

[tagulablue]

Hope the little dog is ok...

 

Loose dog v speeding cyclist on a tow path should make an interesting legal case. Does anyone know of a precedent?

just think of the other possible cases ...loose pensioner ...loose child ...loose boater versus speeding cyclist.

[Sabcat]

Does anyone really believe this account is accurate?

 

"My Jack Russell was hit by a speeding cyclist this morning (before anyone jumps down my throat, my more 'wayward' dog was on a lead and the little JR, though off lead, was simply crossing the towpath from our boat to the safety of the grass opposite, she is a very well behaved dog). I looked before we stepped out so the cyclist must have been travelling at 30/40mph because he came out of nowhere"

 

They looked before they stepped out? The dog presumably waiting for them before it stepped out in which case why wasn't the owner or the other dog hit by this Olympic level cyclist? He came out of nowhere, so presumably not only was the cyclist managing impressive speeds he was doing it around a corner.

 

A link to the FB thread would be fun but it seems to me a more accurate account would be something like "I sent my dog out of the boat to go and shit in the hedge and I heard a terrible commotion and when I get outside I found my dog had been run over by a cyclist"

[Bunny]

I think I'm right is saying, a few years ago 8 maybe 9 , a speeding cyclist coming down the main Hatton flight frightened a two year old toddler so much she ran/ jumped into the water , and almost drowned. Luckily there was an off duty paramedic who pulled her out administered cpr . The child was airlifted to hospital and survived . The cyclist ........ kept going . Bunny.

[Dharl]

The Proposed signage from CRT looks good.....perhaps they could be put on boats instead of the "Slow down for Moored boats" signs that you see?

 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/library/8535-national-towpath-policy.pdf

[Guest]

Does anyone really believe this account is accurate?

 

"My Jack Russell was hit by a speeding cyclist this morning (before anyone jumps down my throat, my more 'wayward' dog was on a lead and the little JR, though off lead, was simply crossing the towpath from our boat to the safety of the grass opposite, she is a very well behaved dog). I looked before we stepped out so the cyclist must have been travelling at 30/40mph because he came out of nowhere"

 

They looked before they stepped out? The dog presumably waiting for them before it stepped out in which case why wasn't the owner or the other dog hit by this Olympic level cyclist? He came out of nowhere, so presumably not only was the cyclist managing impressive speeds he was doing it around a corner.

 

A link to the FB thread would be fun but it seems to me a more accurate account would be something like "I sent my dog out of the boat to go and shit in the hedge and I heard a terrible commotion and when I get outside I found my dog had been run over by a cyclist"

 

The main point of this is that whilst it was a dog that was hit it could just as easily have been a small child - should we leash them too?

[Dharl]

Sabcat I am sure that I am not alone in seeing speeding cyclists on the towpath? I have had to jump out the way several times when out for a walk. As a young(ish) man just shy of 40 I have no problem however say people of my parents age in their 70's, or younger children would have less ease...let alone a dog...Even if a dog is on its lead they still have some freedom of movement and could still cross in the way. Do you propose that we should wait for an even more serious incident to occur with a young Child or older adult (we know there have been a few already) before we do anything or would it make more sense that everyone treated everyone with respect and travelled at a safe speed?

[Sabcat]

 

The main point of this is that whilst it was a dog that was hit it could just as easily have been a small child - should we leash them too?

 

It's not though is it? The main point of this is that a dog has been run over and the only account is dubious at best but this hasn't stopped it fuelling the latest CWDF band wagon - evil cyclists - and don't ever miss an opportunity for a "wont' someone think of the children" line.

[nicknorman]

The main point of this is that whilst it was a dog that was hit it could just as easily have been a small child - should we leash them too?

Although you are also making a presumption that the cyclist would have behaved in the same way if he saw a loose child on the towpath, as he did when he saw a loose dog. That is perhaps an unwarranted presumption, although of course we don't know.

 

Personally I think both speeding cyclists and owners with loose dogs are equally irresponsible. I should be able to walk on the towpath without either being brushed by a cyclist, or by having a large dog bound up to me and jump up, bark threateningly etc. The latter happens more often than the former in my experience. And what about a loose dog encountering a small child?

[dmr]

My fear is that when the big accident (or accidents) does happen and the stupidity of the current situation becomes "public" then because cycling groups are much more organised and militant than boaters the obvious solutions will be fill in part of the canal to widen the cycleway (as the towpath will be called) and also to demolish and rebuild many of the inconvenient historic bridge 'oles.

 

This will probably happen in the next 5 years, but certainly in the next 10 unless boaters get organised and united.

 

............Dave

[Guest]

Although you are also making a presumption that the cyclist would have behaved in the same way if he saw a loose child on the towpath, as he did when he saw a loose dog. That is perhaps an unwarranted presumption, although of course we don't know.

 

Personally I think both speeding cyclists and owners with loose dogs are equally irresponsible. I should be able to walk on the towpath without either being brushed by a cyclist, or by having a large dog bound up to me and jump up, bark threateningly etc. The latter happens more often than the former in my experience. And what about a loose dog encountering a small child?

 

We don't even know if he saw the dog before he hit it.