Speed Awareness Signs for Cyclists

[Alan de Enfield]

11 minutes ago, Thomas C King said:

 

Possibly, and flat earthers and similar, such as those who think that the study of law, linguistics, and philosophy of language is 'gibberish'.

 

 

I used to have to go past the 'Lunatic Asylum' on my way to college (Night School), both it, and the college were dark forbidding places, and the asylum didn't close until 1994

 

 

The hospital, which was designed by George Thomas Hine using a linear corridor layout, opened as the "Nottingham Borough Lunatic Asylum" in August 1880.[1][2] It was extended in 1889 and joined the National Health Service as Mapperley Hospital in 1948

After the introduction of Care in the Community in the early 1980s, the hospital went into a period of decline and closed in December 1994. The north end of the main building has been renamed "Duncan Macmillan House" and is now used as the headquarters of the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust while the south end of the main building has been renamed "Nightingale House" and has been converted into apartments. Meanwhile, a modern mental health facility, known as the Wells Road Centre, has been established to the west of the site and provides low secure in-patient services.

[Jim Riley]

Two cyclists meet at a blind bridge...

 

Https//www.msn.com/en-gb/video/viral/speedy-cyclist-falls-into-scottish-canal-after-passing-on-blind-corner/vi-AAKL3GW?ocid=msedgntp

 

I prefer to gently use my voice when coming upon pedestrians on the towpath. I certainly use my bell and slow down at bridge holes. With joggers and other cyclists, sometimes pedestrians I might say "bike coming by on right/left (just to confuse them?), keep going as you are." 

[Heartland]

I suppose for some cyclists, there is the practice of ignoring signs and instructions and the same applies on the roads. Near where I live some roads are closed and diversions put in place. The reason is through road resurfacing at the new roundabout. It seems that those responsible for the original new work did not put down an intermediate layer and laid tarmac on tarmac with the result the surface cracked and had to be replaced. Now drivers are ignoring the signs and head on down to the roundabout, only to be turned around and back the way they came! 

 

Instead of following the instructions, with a certain inconvenience they now had a much longer detour to face. 

[Heartland]

I had a walk along speed alley, the towpath of the Worcester & Birmingham Canal in Birmingham on Wednesday. This is the sort of walk where it is necessary to walk two paces forward and then stop and look back. Generally cyclists were conscientious, but there are those that speed ringing bells as they approach, It is one of the most common sounds on the towpath. Since the CRT announcement of checking on cyclists, I find myself wondering how many exceed the 8 mph rule. And there is also a thought of whom could get the award of rogue cyclist of the day. I was soon not to be disappointed as a lycra clad young man passed at speed wearing head cams, singing loudly to the music and swerving to avoid any body on the path, who had not jumped quickly out of the way. At times like this it would be nice for a member of the CRT to witness the event, but then they seemingly never are! 

[David Mack]

Just walk down the towpath carrying a shaft with a spike on the end. I found it was remarkably good at slowing the cyclists. And as I had just been using it to push the boat off the mud, I was perfectly justified in carrying it in a public place.

[Jim Riley]

On 17/06/2021 at 16:43, David Mack said:

Just walk down the towpath carrying a shaft with a spike on the end. I found it was remarkably good at slowing the cyclists. And as I had just been using it to push the boat off the mud, I was perfectly justified in carrying it in a public place.

A walking pole tucked under the arm...

[Slim]

On 04/06/2021 at 11:02, restlessnomad said:

lol, I do ride fast when nobody is around.. slowdown for children and dogs

the most annoying pedestrians are the ones walking in the middle of the road with headphone(cant hear you from behind) or walking in a phalanx, sometimes towards you but wont move. I tend to pedal faster and ride as close to the person near to me as possible without hitting, sometime swerving at last moment.

Such pedestrians annoy car drivers as well. However if they were to do something similar they would be prosecuted, fined and possibly lose their licence. Your comments only demonstrate some cyclists view that they are outside the law.  

[Jim Riley]

24 minutes ago, Slim said:

Such pedestrians annoy car drivers as well. However if they were to do something similar they would be prosecuted, fined and possibly lose their licence. Your comments only demonstrate some cyclists view that they are outside the law.  

Pedestrians on the towpath have priority, they have a right to meander aimlessly if they want. Cyclists must give way. 

[johnmck]

Several years ago now, after a stormy night, we left Brentford early doors.( we had to moor against a CRT workboat due to lack of space)

Working our way up the locks out of Brentford, I was aware of a cyclist coming at speed down the towpath towards Ali. I shouted a warning to her, but there was no need!

A rather large bough had fallen across the towpath overnight. 

Whilst not badly hurt, the cyclist needed at the least a new front wheel. A fine line in expletives was heard as he recovered from his somersault though!

[Ex Brummie]

It is a moronic attitude from cyclists that subjects vulnerable people such as pedestrians, to the same harassment that they continually whine they are subjected to when they are using the roads. To the majority of them, laying a good towpath surface is a challenge to go faster. It is galling to see the effort and expense that CaRT were doing last week on the towpath at Kinver when in the same week we encountered 5 paddles not working, with nothing planned as the other paddles were working.

[Richard10002]

On 04/06/2021 at 12:39, restlessnomad said:

not sure what you want me to do

1. aim my bike at the middle person: unfair

2. ring the bell: rude

3. slow right down and wait for parade to pass: pointless

 

You have a choice of making the situation worse, or better... it's no surprise that you choose the latter.

 

2 makes you stupid.

[Richard10002]

13 hours ago, Richard10002 said:

 

You have a choice of making the situation worse, or better... it's no surprise that you choose the latter.

 

That was a bit of a faux pas, wasn't it  Should have read:

 

"You have a choice of making the situation better or worse, ... it's no surprise that you choose the latter."

 

[IanD]

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/highway-code-changes-set-to-take-effect-this-weekend

 

People cycling, riding a horse or driving a horse-drawn vehicle should respect the safety of people walking in these spaces, but people walking should also take care not to obstruct or endanger them.

People cycling are asked to:

• not pass people walking, riding a horse or driving a horse-drawn vehicle closely or at high speed, particularly from behind
• slow down when necessary and let people walking know they are there (for example, by ringing their bell)
• remember that people walking may be deaf, blind or partially sighted

All common sense for towpaths, as practised by sensible cyclists and walkers, not tw*ts... 😉

[Heartland]

The reference to bells, not all cyclists have them. Sensible cyclists tend to have them those in the rogue cyclist category have a different agenda

I wonder is CRT will impose a £200 fine for offenders ?

[Jim Riley]

Forget the little ting a ling, get a Hornit, 140db battery operated bike horn. The loudest bike horn in the world. 

[Cheshire cat]

11 minutes ago, Heartland said:

The reference to bells, not all cyclists have them. Sensible cyclists tend to have them those in the rogue cyclist category have a different agenda

I wonder is CRT will impose a £200 fine for offenders ?

The guidance does provide for those without bells. It suggests shouting politely. Some of my bikes have bells, others don't.

[IanD]

Just now, Cheshire cat said:

The guidance does provide for those without bells. It suggests shouting politely. Some of my bikes have bells, others don't.

Sometimes -- such as walkers with headphones on playing loud music -- bells don't work anyway, impolite (i.e. loud!) shouting is the only way to get their attention... 😞

[IanD]

16 minutes ago, Jim Riley said:

Forget the little ting a ling, get a Hornit, 140db battery operated bike horn. The loudest bike horn in the world. 

Not going to get a friendly reception from the majority of walkers for whom a polite bell seems to work just fine, in my experience (walking and cycling). It doesn't seem sensible to antagonise/startle them -- what if they're so startled they fall in the canal? -- just to get the attention of the deaf/ignorant minority.

 

If you want to turn everything into a war between walkers and cyclists then a Hornit is probably one of the best ways to do it. But don't then complain if walkers get so piss*d off by cyclists with deafening horns that they indulge in the sport of waving cyclists past and pushing them into the canal as they pass... 😉

 

A Hornit seems completely against the idea that all the users of the towpath should have consideration for each other, as the new Highway Code states. Why are so many people apparently so determined to make war against people who aren't like themselves?

Edited January 26, 2022 by IanD

[ditchcrawler]

23 minutes ago, Heartland said:

The reference to bells, not all cyclists have them. Sensible cyclists tend to have them those in the rogue cyclist category have a different agenda

I wonder is CRT will impose a £200 fine for offenders ?

Can CRT fine anyone for anything?

[Alan de Enfield]

5 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Can CRT fine anyone for anything?

 

Unless, when C&RT was incorporated they were given such powers, then NO they cannot. In fact, they would actually be prohibited from taking such action.

 

 

 

Attorney-General v. Great Eastern Railway Co. (1880) 5 App.Cas. 473, Lord Blackburn said, at p. 481: 'where there is an Act of Parliament creating a corporation for a particular purpose, and giving it powers for that particular purpose, what it does not expressly or impliedly authorise is to be taken to be prohibited; ...' [my emphasis]

 

This was cited with approval by the same House in the 1991 judgment in McCarthy & Stone v Richmond LBC, with all 5 Law Lords in unanimous agreement on the point.

 

This is diametrically opposite to the rights of an individual where doing anything that is not illegal is legal

[LadyG]

Extreme loud alarms are anti social, I happen to have two bells, one ping to alert, if no response, a louder ring, if no response, furious loud ringing and a shout if they still show no response, I expect some response, otherwise they are unaware and likely to wander in to my path. 

As a pedestrian, I admit I tend to wander, a bit, but I rarely hear a bell, often someone zooms past me from behind, they give me a fright, obviously they don't give a damn about other people. Not all cyclists, but enough to spoil a good wander. 

[Heartland]

Yes, the key to this thread is care for all and it must be appreciated that some pedestrians do wear earphones as do some cyclists.

This thread was started because of those that do not have any care for others and whether the towpath user is a scooter travelling at speed or a cyclist rushing up behind a walker, it is a lack of care, which fortunately the vast majority of people are not included.

This thread was started because a friend of mine was injured on a local towpath by a cyclist who passed at speed and was caught by a blow to the side of the body.

The biggest problem is that little can be done unless the accident is seen by others or recorded by a video camera.

It is the same problem that applies on the footpaths and streets. In my local area there are the Deliveroo cyclists who have one speed, fast. and the scooter people who also have one speed, faster.

At least on our streets if the speeder is observed by a police officer, they can act. On our towpaths CRT seem powerless to act.

 

[Chagall]

21 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Extreme loud alarms are anti social, I happen to have two bells, one ping to alert, if no response, a louder ring, if no response, furious loud ringing and a shout if they still show no response, I expect some response, otherwise they are unaware and likely to wander in to my path. 

As a pedestrian, I admit I tend to wander, a bit, but I rarely hear a bell, often someone zooms past me from behind, they give me a fright, obviously they don't give a damn about other people. Not all cyclists, but enough to spoil a good wander. 

As does furious shouts and frantic bell ringing demanding that you move in case you wander into their path!  It seems it is impossible to stop and walk the cycle past or wait for them to pass you. At one time cyclists had to dismount for pedestrians on the towpath but cyclists no longer do that.  

 

 

Edited January 26, 2022 by Chagall
grammar!

[LadyG]

2 hours ago, Chagall said:

As does furious shouts and frantic bell ringing demanding that you move in case you wander into their path!  It seems it is impossible to stop and walk the cycle past or wait for them to pass you. At one time cyclists had to dismount for pedestrians on the towpath but cyclists no longer do that.  

 

 

If they are behind me, I can neither see nor hear them, no point in them stopping 😏.

I can cope if they are coming towards me, but I don't expect them to do anything other then move over to let me continue on my way. 

[Chagall]

13 minutes ago, LadyG said:

If they are behind me, I can neither see nor hear them, no point in them stopping 😏.

I can cope if they are coming towards me, but I don't expect them to do anything other then move over to let me continue on my way. 

Read it again, I quoted you and I was replying about you when on your bike!    "I happen to have two bells, one ping to alert, if no response, a louder ring, if no response, furious loud ringing and a shout if they still show no response, I expect some response, otherwise they are unaware and likely to wander in to my path."  

 

Do you consider it acceptable for cyclists to expect pedestrians to move for you by shouts and bell ringing?