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Cyclist in canal


Ray T

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That's very sad, cycling along narrow towpaths is potentially dangerous.

We recently pulled a cyclist out of the canal and without the presence of boaters it would have been another very serious incident.

I just don't know what can be done about this, I expect to see one serious cycling accident every year or two. I have now seen four that had the potential to be fatal.

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9 hours ago, dmr said:

That's very sad, cycling along narrow towpaths is potentially dangerous.

We recently pulled a cyclist out of the canal and without the presence of boaters it would have been another very serious incident.

I just don't know what can be done about this, I expect to see one serious cycling accident every year or two. I have now seen four that had the potential to be fatal.

Put a fence between the canal and towpath

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I've been in the canal once with my bike, it was that or risk losing an eye on the end of a badly-pruned branch. Stood up and climbed out, helped by the apologetic pedestrian I'd been avoiding too.

 

At least it was nice and refreshing on a hot summer's day. Phone died though (just short of its fifth birthday) and even a couple of days in a dessicator didn't revive it... 😞

 

Still almost certainly *far* safer than cycling on the roads though, in spite of DMRs warning about how dangerous it is...

Edited by IanD
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13 minutes ago, system 4-50 said:

Clearly cyclists riding along a towpath should be wearing appropriate PPE, including self-inflating raft, and distress signalling equipment eg flares.

I have always said a lifejacked would be better than a cycling helmet on the towpath

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8 minutes ago, frangar said:

Dont even joke about it....CRT would love that...they could fix more signs to it!

 

Strange coming into Birmingham on the Worcester and Birmingham canal you can see where there use to be canal side railings under the bridges that have been removed

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If you haven't got a bell, you need one; gives pedestrians an alert and helps them avoid cyclists coming up on them from behind. If you still don't want to buy a bell, slow down to walking speed, use your voice and wait. The older ones can be hard of hearing. It's surprising how many cyclists haven't got a bell, and it's surprising how many walkers haven't got rearward facing radar to compensate.  

 

 

 

 

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Whilst I have the greatest sympathy for the gentleman and his family, I have never really understood how so many cyclists manage to fall into the canal, unless it is due to careless, reckless or unobservant riding. As already mentioned towpaths are often narrow with obstructions, so why do cyclists fail to take these factors into account when using the towpath. Of course there are the head down and pedal like hell merchants who are destined to cause themselves (or someone else!) serious injury, but I am not a particularly fast or adventurous cyclist, and always slow right down when any potential hazard presents itself (also have a bell and loud voice!) In more than fifty years of being associated with the canals, I have never managed to cycle into, or fall off a bike, into the canal.

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39 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I have always said a lifejacked would be better than a cycling helmet on the towpath

Having clipped a pipe bridge that was lower than i thought it was i’d disagree :) 

 

Only time i’ve come close to going in was avoiding a puddle by skirting it on the cut side rather than the hedge side and my tyre slid off the path edge. Unfortunately my wife was with me on this occasion and will mention it at least twice if i head off to cycle the towpath to this day. The incident was at least 20 years ago :( 

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1 hour ago, system 4-50 said:

Clearly cyclists riding along a towpath should be wearing appropriate PPE, including self-inflating raft, and distress signalling equipment eg flares.

 

Flares could be a disaster given the number of boats that carry combustibles like coal on wood on the top.

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I do hope its nothing to do with the person who pushed Philip, the member from here into the canal nearby a few days later.

 

This happened on the 21st very near to where  Philip was pushed in while walking at Gas Street on 4th Jan.  

 

Very sad. We obviously don't know what happened, could have been anything from a medical blackout to a mis steer/ crash to a push. 

 

 

 

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5 minutes ago, cuthound said:

 

Flares could be a disaster given the number of boats that carry combustibles like coal on wood on the top.

They looked pretty cool in the '70s but are a little passé now.

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1 minute ago, Athy said:

They looked pretty cool in the '70s but are a little passé now.

I’m informed by the 16yr old daughter that bootcuts are making a comeback, which are like mild flares. She also tells me that although she’s not in favour of this, she much prefers it to the craze a few years back of tight trousers with lads wearing womens ones as they were tighter.

 

Thankfully i’ve not been fashionable since about 1984, and even then… :D 

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2 minutes ago, Hudds Lad said:

Thankfully i’ve not been fashionable since about 1984, and even then… :D 

 

Black jeans and a Metallica T-Shirt?

 

Also one of my biker mates refused to wear a suit for his wedding. 

 

His now wife compromised on T-shirts printed with a tuxedo jacket, white shirt and bow tie design.  Looked surprisingly good on the day.

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1 hour ago, David Schweizer said:

Whilst I have the greatest sympathy for the gentleman and his family, I have never really understood how so many cyclists manage to fall into the canal, unless it is due to careless, reckless or unobservant riding. As already mentioned towpaths are often narrow with obstructions, so why do cyclists fail to take these factors into account when using the towpath. Of course there are the head down and pedal like hell merchants who are destined to cause themselves (or someone else!) serious injury, but I am not a particularly fast or adventurous cyclist, and always slow right down when any potential hazard presents itself (also have a bell and loud voice!) In more than fifty years of being associated with the canals, I have never managed to cycle into, or fall off a bike, into the canal.

I'm so glad that your superior cycling skills mean that you have never fallen into the canal, mine are obviously inferior... 😞

 

Slow down, bell, loud voice, do all that -- so how would you cope when a pedestrian steps sideways so you can pass (fairly slowly) on the hedge side, and there's a pointed cut-off branch stub hidden amongst the foliage right at eye level which you spot just before it takes your eye out. Do your superior skills/reaction time/brakes allow you to react and stop instantly, or do you have a diamond-coated eyeball so it wouldn't hurt you? Or is it possible that you too would swerve to avoid it and end up in the cut? Hindsight is wonderful but not very helpful at the time... 😉

 

Incidentally, how many miles of canal towpath cycling (with consequent accident potential) do you do -- as a rough benchmark, more or less than a thousand per year?

Edited by IanD
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17 minutes ago, IanD said:

I'm so glad that your superior cycling skills mean that you have never fallen into the canal, mine are obviously inferior... 😞

 

Slow down, bell, loud voice, do all that -- so how would you cope when a pedestrian steps sideways so you can pass (fairly slowly) on the hedge side, and there's a pointed cut-off branch stub hidden amongst the foliage right at eye level which you spot just before it takes your eye out. Do your superior skills/reaction time/brakes allow you to react and stop instantly, or do you have a diamond-coated eyeball so it wouldn't hurt you? Or is it possible that you too would swerve to avoid it and end up in the cut? Hindsight is wonderful but not very helpful at the time... 😉

 

Incidentally, how many miles of canal towpath cycling (with accident potential) do you do -- more or less than a thousand per year?

 

You do an excellent line in sarcstic hypocracy.

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11 minutes ago, David Schweizer said:

 

You do an excellent line in sarcstic hypocracy.

As you do, superba vehentem equitem 😉

 

So how much towpath cycling *do* you do? If you've clocked up 50,000 miles without an incident then that is indeed admirable 🙂

Edited by IanD
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Having been a boater for just over 7 years, I've often joked about not being a fully fledged boater because I've never fallen in.

 

Last year I stopped for a few days on the Peak Forest canal and had a couple of days cycling. One of these rides took me back into Macclesfield along the towpath. When I went under a particular bridge, I remembered from a few days earlier that the towpath was closed, so turned and headed back through the bridge. Lucky I had my helmet on because this bridge had some extra brick pieces jutting out by about 4 inch, they are probably there for added strength. Anyway, these bits follow the shape of the bridge, have been rendered over and painted to blend in. I rode through and gave one of these invisible protrusions a glancing blow with my head which knocked me off balance and over I went into the canal. I think had I not been wearing the helmet, the knock to my head would have been much worse. Luckily, the canal was only about 5 foot deep and I was able to stand up, push my bike out and climb out myself - and my bike came out cleaner than when it went in.

 

So, am I now a fully fledged boater? 🙂

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