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carry an air horn for the benefit of rude cyclists


dominicebs

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Some days ago, in Leicester, at North Lock, which has a narrow towpath, I was "tinged" by one of the cycling fraternity. Giving him thanks for letting me know of his presence I was told that I should not obstruct the towpath, whilst pulling the boat into the lock mooring.

Arrogant sod (the cyclist, not you!)

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Carry a box of drawing pins and scatter them as you walk along the towpath - you will wonder why no cyclists have passed you!

(oops - seen I have been beaten to the post on this!)


Carry a live chainsaw and cyclists will slow down as they pass you?

Edited by Emerald Fox
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No need to scatter drawing pins, CRT do the equivalent for you when they cut the hawthorn hedges and leave 1" long needle sharp thorns all over the place.

 

Mending punctures becomes the bane of my towpath-cycling life later in the summer.

 

MtB

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perhaps then cutting hedges frequently, say weekly in places where most aggro would benefit all, slow cyclists down and ensure towpath widened for all.

Bit extreme though for the congenial cyclist, but would be a natural non aggressive deterrent.

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perhaps then cutting hedges frequently, say weekly in places where most aggro would benefit all, slow cyclists down and ensure towpath widened for all.

Bit extreme though for the congenial cyclist, but would be a natural non aggressive deterrent.

If you cut a decent amount off a hedge on a weekly basis it doesn't take long for the hedge to become very small.

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This was published in the "boaters update" from the trust this month. Where will it end?

 

Earlier this year we ran a consultation about sharing towpaths. One of the 2,000 or so responses carried a salutary tale from a boater. Definitely read on, the following could save you money!

 

‘I have a permanent towpath mooring on the Rochdale Canal. No rings or facilities. The towpath is fairly narrow and I put my mooring pins directly behind the large coping/edging stones at the edge of the canal, which are covered with grass. I cannot put the pins any nearer the canal edge.

 

‘Out of the blue I received a solicitor's letter sent on behalf of someone suing me because they had injured themselves while cycling. I was being blamed because the accident was, apparently, caused by my mooring pins. I have no idea what happened: I wasn't there.

 

‘To cut a long story short, my insurance company's solicitors tried, and failed, to fight this claim and paid out to the claimant. Now I have a higher insurance premium and had to pay the excess.

 

The respondent went on to support shared usage of the towpath but it just goes to show that you can never be too careful when considering where to put your pins!

[unquote ]

This story is doing the rounds on a facebook boaters page-Whenever I have asked anyone, it seems people have heard the story but cannot give any facts, Is this a genuine story or more scaremongering from this internet:- Does anyone know which area, (I see Rochdale), but have heard other versions, which boat, which insurer etc.

Edited by Woodstock
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  • 4 weeks later...

Two points:

 

First, bicycle bells have changed - when I was a kid, pushing the lever turned an arm inside the bell that was fitted with rollers inside that produced a characteristic 'brrrrrringng' sound that was easy to recognise (and the same when the lever was released). Modern bells just 'ting' once and by the time I've worked out what made that noise, it's often too late...

 

Second, we carry a pair of 'halma men' obtained from a friend who looks after a village hall and collects them when road menders, gasmen, etc. have gone away after finishing the roadworks and not collected them all. These aren't the 4 foot monsters used on motorways, but are a couple of feet high, made of bright orange plastic with reflective strips around the middle - they're obvious! When have to moor to pins, we place one over each pin...

 

Roger

Edited by MyLady
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  • 2 weeks later...

One problem is the fact that a bell is monentary, a continuous noise would be better such as a gadget operated from the handlebars that pushes a piece of plastic onto the spokes. The walker would be warned gently by a ticking sound gradually increasing in sound as the cyclist approaches. No embarrassing bell to make the cyclist feel a plonker and no problem with having to decide when to ring the bell, too early and it's not heard by the hard of hearing, too late and the walker panics and moves Iinto the path of the cyclist.

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I cycle lots so I understand the issues but one thing I have noticed is this. When I wander from lock to lock idly twirling my windlass away in my own little world...for some reason cyclists seem to pass me by much more warily.

Please don't drop the pins or tacks! The next slow wandering bell tinging cyclist along may well be me.

Last week on the Peak Forest, late in the evening, groups of incredibly fast cyclists passed by in the dark with lights so bright the interior of the boat felt like we were being floodlit.

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As a towpath cyclist I hate using the bell. It feels no different from rudely shouting an instruction "coming through, stand aside".

 

Instead as I approach pedestrians from behind I slow down to walking pace and follow them from about 30 or 40ft behind until either they notice me, or until the towpath becomes wide enough to pass (slowly) without surprising them. If I get bored waiting, I may ding the bell or perhaps call out "excuse me, may I come past", or stop for a rest/drink/check the map.

 

But I know I'm weird.

 

smile.png

 

MtB

As an apprentice electrician I use to repair cookers etc in the holiday chalets on the riverside at Potter Higham. I use to cart my tools and parts on a bike and like you always slowed down behind walkers and said excuse me if I needed to pass.

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we need more of those gate fences on the towpaths at regular intervals as the problem will only get worse

 

Better yet, just let the towpaths decay into a morass of ruts and puddles - rather like "traffic calming" speed bumps on the roads...

 

</irony>

 

More seriously, just bring back the old style bike bells - and let others enjoy the paths in their own way, just like we do.

 

Live and let live! Both are important.

 

Roger

  • Greenie 1
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Better yet, just let the towpaths decay into a morass of ruts and puddles - rather like "traffic calming" speed bumps on the roads... </irony> More seriously, just bring back the old style bike bells - and let others enjoy the paths in their own way, just like we do. Live and let live! Both are important. Roger

Trad bike bells on sale here, £3.89+ VAT. Only thing is, you have to buy 2,500 of them to get that price. But you can have them labelled with your corporate logo. CWDF bike bells?

 

Plenty of others on Google though.

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I cycle lots so I understand the issues but one thing I have noticed is this. When I wander from lock to lock idly twirling my windlass away in my own little world...for some reason cyclists seem to pass me by much more warily.

 

Similarly, on the occasion many years ago when I wobbled through South London on my bike with a danforth anchor strapped to the carrier and with a rucksack full of chain on my back, I found cars gave me much more room than normal...

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The inhabitants of our former colonies seem to much more civilised......

I go back from the boat to work in oz every year. I cycle everywhere including racing 3 times a week sometimes.

Driven off road, kicked, bottles thrown, sprayed with water, shouted at hooted at abuse, followed home, for daring to be on a bike, hit from behind with a stick by passenger.

I cycle here on and of road to and from boat on towpaths slowly and politely , sometimes I ring a bell, sometimes I say behind you sometimes just good'ay. If you recognise walkers as humans rather than obstacles it works. Shame pedestrians on getting into cars don't give me the same courtesy on my bike...

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I witnessed a young lad weaving in and out of traffic yesterday, i thought he'd come a cropper...and he did, took to the pavement, car drew up and wham passenger door knocked him flying...not the lads fault but if he'd been hit on the road with all the risks taken could well have been. Funny old justice really.

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I don't have a bell as it sometimes annoys people.

You're right. That annoys me. It's a poor excuse.

I often ride a bike to work along a mixed footpath/cycle path, and (as long as you don't ride right up behind people and ring the bell so that they jump out of their skin) most people are actually appreciative of the warning.

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Must admit with advancing deafness, the day is fast approaching when a lout on a bike mows me down. I have nothing but respect for the vast majority of cyclists, most of whom are considerate, but the few aholes spoil the reputation of decent ones.

As with boaters, drivers, dog owners, music lovers, mobile phone users, fisher, lawn mower riders (got one next to us waits till baby is asleep= has been asked nicely but) etc..it's sad indication of how things are now some people are just plain selfish and with so much leisure time now we are all crowding into the limited leisure areas about.

You just have to let it go over your head and ensure you aren't one of them in another guise.

  • Greenie 1
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I witnessed a young lad weaving in and out of traffic yesterday, i thought he'd come a cropper...and he did, took to the pavement, car drew up and wham passenger door knocked him flying...not the lads fault but if he'd been hit on the road with all the risks taken could well have been. Funny old justice really.

I thought cycling on footpaths was illegal (unless it is one marked for pedestrians on one part and cyclists on the other). If it is still illegal of course it was the lads fault, he shouldn't have been there and the passenger wouldn't be expecting rapidly approaching problems.

 

Just my opinion of course.

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When i was a kid i had 'spokie dokies' basically they fit on your spokes and made a noise as the wheels go round, they'd do the job, think they came free in my frosties !

We made do with folded fag packets on the forks poking into the spokes

I thought cycling on footpaths was illegal (unless it is one marked for pedestrians on one part and cyclists on the other). If it is still illegal of course it was the lads fault, he shouldn't have been there and the passenger wouldn't be expecting rapidly approaching problems.

 

Just my opinion of course.

Agree

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You're right. That annoys me. It's a poor excuse.

I often ride a bike to work along a mixed footpath/cycle path, and (as long as you don't ride right up behind people and ring the bell so that they jump out of their skin) most people are actually appreciative of the warning.

 

Had a similar situation whilst on a walking holiday in the Lake District earlier this year. Mrs Dharl and self was walking along a wide shared footpath between a town and the small village where we left out campervan. I knew it was a shared path and so was keeping an eye out for bikes coming astern or ahead, if seen we walked in line so they could pass with no issue. Some bikes came along very fast, but when ringing their bells happily stood aside for them, however one guy didn't ring his bell and the first we knew about it was when we heard the screeching of brakes right behind us! Turned round to see a cyclist in full lycra gear right behind so we stepped aside, only for him to say we shouldn't be walking along holding hands!! ....I just replied that if he had the courtesy to use his bell then it would never have been an issue!!

 

I don't normally get annoyed but just writing that has wound me up a bit! time for a walk! :)

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Going thro stoke the other day swmbo jumped off with the centre line at a queue for a lock...as she was pulling the boat in a yoof going rather fast clipped her...she then taught him a few choice phrases....his excuse was he couldn't brake cos he was on his phone...I was rather surprised at that point that he didn't end up in the cut...I certainly don't think he expected a mere girl to have quite a go...I must say the rest of us in the lock queue looked on in awe! Everyone was very polite to my missus afterwards...think they were all rather scared....never mess with a feisty woman...something I have learnt over the last 20 years!

 

Cheers

 

Gareth

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