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Stay kind, slow down?


Ray T

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If you do use the bell as a cyclist, you will get people swearing at you because they think you’ve used the bell to say ‘get out of the way’. It’s hard to get it right when folk interpret everything through the lens of whatever resentments they hold anyway. A bit like ‘nearly being mown down’ is a way to describe a cyclist passing safely without incident on shared use path. 

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4 hours ago, Tigerr said:

If you do use the bell as a cyclist, you will get people swearing at you because they think you’ve used the bell to say ‘get out of the way’. It’s hard to get it right when folk interpret everything through the lens of whatever resentments they hold anyway. A bit like ‘nearly being mown down’ is a way to describe a cyclist passing safely without incident on shared use path. 

If you are a cyclist and use the bell for the right reasons, you retain the moral high ground, and have done the right thing.

 

Better to have a few people swear at you, than run someone, or a dog, over.

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8 minutes ago, Richard10002 said:

If you are a cyclist and use the bell for the right reasons, you retain the moral high ground, and have done the right thing.

 

Better to have a few people swear at you, than run someone, or a dog, over.

I would basically agree.   However bells are a problem for me, the silly little ting ting from most modern bells I can't hear.   Far better either speak or if they are still available a bell like bikes had when I was a kid, push the lever and you get a lot of noise from a good sized metal dome.

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10 minutes ago, Jerra said:

I would basically agree.   However bells are a problem for me, the silly little ting ting from most modern bells I can't hear.   Far better either speak or if they are still available a bell like bikes had when I was a kid, push the lever and you get a lot of noise from a good sized metal dome.

Agreed, but better a piddling bell than nothing. It takes two or more things to happen in order for some kind of accident to happen. In your case, it needs you to be hard of hearing, a piddling bell, and a cyclist who assumes that the bell has done its job. One could hope that a piddling bell would be enough for most situations.

 

This morning I saw two bikes coming up behind two walkers on the towpath opposite. The front cyclist sounded a horn which sounded like a decent narrowboat horn. “That’s a bit more like it”, we’re the words that went through my mind.

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13 minutes ago, Jerra said:

I would basically agree.   However bells are a problem for me, the silly little ting ting from most modern bells I can't hear.   Far better either speak or if they are still available a bell like bikes had when I was a kid, push the lever and you get a lot of noise from a good sized metal dome.

I agree, and i enjoy cycling. The bell tends to sound impatient and i much prefer to say hello or excuse me, as it also allows for those that are hard of hearing. 

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My bell is loud enough and goes on for few second in one 'click' (unlike the tring tring type).. I sometimes I do a semi click to reduce the volume so as not to offend the person...

sometimes people just walk in the middle of towpath(tricky to get around if the person is large), groups walk in phalanx ... most do get out of way.... 

 

usually I ring the bell and say sorry, the person moves out (and says sorry if he/she cant do quickly), I say thank you... 99 percent of people walking are considerate. Never been sworn at although I am not a slow rider, but I usually give way to walking ppl.

22 hours ago, BWM said:

I agree, and i enjoy cycling. The bell tends to sound impatient and i much prefer to say hello or excuse me, as it also allows for those that are hard of hearing. 

I prefer bell, sometimes cyclist ride past saying 'passing to your right' or something, I can only register after they passed me.

Edited by restlessnomad
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3 minutes ago, restlessnomad said:

My bell is loud enough and goes on for few second in one 'click' (unlike the tring tring type).. I sometimes I do a semi click to reduce the volume so as not to offend the person...

sometimes people just walk in the middle of towpath(tricky to get around if the person is large), groups walk in phalanx ... most do get out of way.... 

 

usually I ring the bell and say sorry, the person moves out (and says sorry if he/she cant do quickly), I say thank you... 99 percent of people walking are considerate. Never been sworn at although I am not a slow rider, but I usually give way to walking ppl.

The post seems like the sort of behaviour I would love from all cyclists, until I get to the highlighted word.   Do you mean that sometimes you don't give pedestrians priority?

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20 minutes ago, Jerra said:

The post seems like the sort of behaviour I would love from all cyclists, until I get to the highlighted word.   Do you mean that sometimes you don't give pedestrians priority?

sometimes if I see a bunch of slow walkers and I can see my future being stuck in an odd place, I would exercise the divine right of cyclist and push forward with endless amount of 'excuse me'... :)

 

I never race to the barrier with other cyclist (wait for others to pass) but do so with pedestrians if I think they would take forever...

 

Edited by restlessnomad
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1 hour ago, restlessnomad said:

sometimes if I see a bunch of slow walkers and I can see my future being stuck in an odd place, I would exercise the divine right of cyclist and push forward with endless amount of 'excuse me'... :)

Providing you aren't forcing your way through at speed and the excuse me gives them time to react sensibly I would say you were not doing anything wrong.

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On 21/09/2020 at 23:17, Richard10002 said:

On The Bridgewater, the rule is that cyclists give way to pedestrians, (and animals I think). 

I was taught that the rules are, Foot, Horse, Steam, Bike then Car on public highways.

 

And a bell is a legal requirement on a pedal cycle

 

No ones mentioned the next scourge.... electric scooters! ?

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21 minutes ago, Paul Gwilliams said:

 

And a bell is a legal requirement on a pedal cycle

 

I think it is only a requirement when they are sold not once they have been sold.   I may be wrong.

 

EDIT to add it is a requirement in NI and the Isle of Man but not the rest of the UK.

Edited by Jerra
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10 minutes ago, Jerra said:

I think it is only a requirement when they are sold not once they have been sold.   I may be wrong.

 

EDIT to add it is a requirement in NI and the Isle of Man but not the rest of the UK.

I was going to ask Isabel, last name, needed on a bicycle but you clarified the point before I could as her ☹️

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3 hours ago, Paul Gwilliams said:

I was taught that the rules are, Foot, Horse, Steam, Bike then Car on public highways.

 

And a bell is a legal requirement on a pedal cycle

 

No ones mentioned the next scourge.... electric scooters! ?

 

Hopefully the towpath will prove to rough for their small wheels to cope with. ?

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On 21/09/2020 at 23:17, Richard10002 said:

But have no interest in encouraging cyclists to obey the towpath rules. On The Bridgewater, the rule is that cyclists give way to pedestrians, (and animals I think). 

 

Several dogs have been run over, but it is probably going to take the death of a person to generate some proper enforcement.

Pedestrians have already been killed by cyclists on pavements. Hasn't resulted in any enforcement... Who's going to do it anyway? Especially now the police are being told their main job is to count up to six and tell the time...

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5 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

Pedestrians have already been killed by cyclists on pavements. Hasn't resulted in any enforcement... Who's going to do it anyway? Especially now the police are being told their main job is to count up to six and tell the time...

what kind of enforcement you want? death or injury can attract jail term (happened already)

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17 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

Pedestrians have already been killed by cyclists on pavements. Hasn't resulted in any enforcement... Who's going to do it anyway? Especially now the police are being told their main job is to count up to six and tell the time...

I think you will find pedestrians have also been killed, by other pedestrians. I am not sure where your argument leads but I think it may be helmets for all people outside, or compulsory personal registration plates. 

But it remains that the biggest risk to us pedestrians is some numpty in charge of a ton of metal, insulated form surroundings, dozily hitting the wrong pedal or something and just running someone over. 

It might help if people who drive had to take a test every 5 years - that might actually reduce deaths and serious injuries. Plus of course banning car radios and sound systems. 

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6 hours ago, Jerra said:

I think it is only a requirement when they are sold not once they have been sold.

You may be correct, but it would have been stupid to create a law that included a requirement to sell bikes with a bell fitted, but didn't require a bell to be fitted when its being ridden.

 

In fact, thinking about it, you are almost certainly correct.

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7 minutes ago, Richard10002 said:

You may be correct, but it would have been stupid to create a law that included a requirement to sell bikes with a bell fitted, but didn't require a bell to be fitted when its being ridden.

 

In fact, thinking about it, you are almost certainly correct.

cyclinguk.org say:

 

It's worth remembering that the legislation and regulations in Northern Ireland are slightly different, so for example it is actually a legal requirement to have a bell on your bike in Northern Ireland and in the Isle of Man, but not elsewhere in the UK.  

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17 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

Pedestrians have already been killed by cyclists on pavements. Hasn't resulted in any enforcement... Who's going to do it anyway? Especially now the police are being told their main job is to count up to six and tell the time...

I can only recollect two pedestrian fatalities in the last few years, and at least one of those was in the road whilst distracted by a phone. Although tragic, when weighed against the thousands caused by other vehicles it can't be seen as a major enforcement problem - i suspect their are more deaths caused by lightning strikes. 

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On 21/09/2020 at 14:06, mrsmelly said:

Quite correct, 99.9999999999 percent of cyclists neither know who CART are or care anyway. Remember cyclists can cycle anywhere without contributing to cost.

That applies to walkers and dog walkers, I'm mot sure that it could be changed, just had four kids on souped up gravel bikes passing me, they were going about 12mph, not aware of anyone but their own bubble, I guess I was like that as a young teen, I think it's inevitable ;...  :

Edited by LadyG
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On 23/09/2020 at 17:56, Tigerr said:

I think you will find pedestrians have also been killed, by other pedestrians. I am not sure where your argument leads but I think it may be helmets for all people outside, or compulsory personal registration plates. 

But it remains that the biggest risk to us pedestrians is some numpty in charge of a ton of metal, insulated form surroundings, dozily hitting the wrong pedal or something and just running someone over. 

It might help if people who drive had to take a test every 5 years - that might actually reduce deaths and serious injuries. Plus of course banning car radios and sound systems. 

Is the legislation requiring a man with a red flag to walk in front still enforceable?

When I lived in Toytown a guy with a red mobility thing used to charge along pavements at  terrifying speeds.

I got in to a big roundabout on my bike inadvertantly a week or so ago, not sure what to do, so I got off and walked on the r'bout, bike onthe road. Not sure why idiot car drivers felt it necessary to blast horn in my ear, nothing I could do, I just had to wait till the traffic cleared again, 

PS please please please buy your kids helmets, nice ones so they wear them .......

Edited by LadyG
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11 hours ago, LadyG said:

Is the legislation requiring a man with a red flag to walk in front still enforceable?

When I lived in Toytown a guy with a red mobility thing used to charge along pavements at  terrifying speeds.

I got in to a big roundabout on my bike inadvertantly a week or so ago, not sure what to do, so I got off and walked on the r'bout, bike onthe road. Not sure why idiot car drivers felt it necessary to blast horn in my ear, nothing I could do, I just had to wait till the traffic cleared again, 

PS please please please buy your kids helmets, nice ones so they wear them .......

there have been some studies that show wearing helmets make people feel invincible, so they take higher risk, so do the motorists that pass them.

that's my excuse, I just hate it. :)

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