Rufford Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Sorry for the thread on cyclists. i just feel this needs posting for completeness. However I had a cyclist run into me yesterday. First thing I knew about it was when he rode into my back. He was thankfully going slow and had braked, however I just did not see him nor hear him. The lady holding her centre line on the boat next to me did not look impressed and I dread to think what could have happend if the cyclist had rode into her. Is it time for compulsory bells on all push bikes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerra Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Is it time for compulsory bells on all push bikes? Long past time in my opinion but then you couldn't make people use them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbfiresprite Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Last time I rang cycle bell, I lost two teeth when the person whacked me in the face with their walking stick, while swearing at me for ringing a F******g bell at them. Apart from that bells are too quite in most cases. A loud bellow works best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boat&Bikes Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Last time I rang cycle bell, I lost two teeth when the person whacked me in the face with their walking stick, while swearing at me for ringing a F******g bell at them. Apart from that bells are too quite in most cases. A loud bellow works best. Ouch. I am beginning to get the impression that our canals are becoming a war zone. Some recent threads are quite scarey. Ian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Sorry for the thread on cyclists. i just feel this needs posting for completeness. However I had a cyclist run into me yesterday. First thing I knew about it was when he rode into my back. He was thankfully going slow and had braked, however I just did not see him nor hear him. The lady holding her centre line on the boat next to me did not look impressed and I dread to think what could have happend if the cyclist had rode into her. Is it time for compulsory bells on all push bikes? As far as know it is a requirement for push bikes to be sold with a bell. Mine came with one (which I had to fit). How do you ensure cyclists use them though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufford Posted October 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 It is crazy. But then again one of the key factors for many people, be they boaters, cyclists, fishermen, walkers, joggers, dog walkers and artists etc is the peace and quiet, tranquility and solitude that can be found on the canals. Not something that can really be marketed to the masses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbfiresprite Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Ouch. I am beginning to get the impression that our canals are becoming a war zone. Some recent threads are quite scarey. Ian. I was on a road at the time, The person just walked out without looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicknorman Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Locking ahead at Garrison locks yesterday I heard a faint wheezing sound in the distance. I always worry about leaving Jeff alone in the boat in a filling/emptying lock in case of hang up etc. So was it Awooooogah from our klaxon as an emergency signal in the distance? No, it was a cyclist coming along the towpath playing a harmonica "hands free". So that seems to me to be the solution. If all cyclists play the harmonica you will be alerted of their approach, but in a pleasant way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 I have a bell on my bike. From a pedestrian's point of view, I often don't hear the bells on bikes owing to poor hearing, so in my case they may as well not have one. I am certain that I am going to get mowed down by a push bike at some time in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufford Posted October 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Locking ahead at Garrison locks yesterday I heard a faint wheezing sound in the distance. I always worry about leaving Jeff alone in the boat in a filling/emptying lock in case of hang up etc. So was it Awooooogah from our klaxon as an emergency signal in the distance? No, it was a cyclist coming along the towpath playing a harmonica "hands free". So that seems to me to be the solution. If all cyclists play the harmonica you will be alerted of their approach, but in a pleasant way. I need to see this. Just when you think life holds no more surprises someone tells you about a superlambana or a bicycle playing a harmonica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Québec Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 We were moored at Vale Royal on the Weaver, standing on and around the towpath chatting with fellow boaters when a bloke on a bike, in full cycling battle gear, shot out of the trees bellowing 'I don't f*****g stop for anyone' as we leapt out of the way. Thank goodness dogs and children were still on board! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_fincher Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 As far as know it is a requirement for push bikes to be sold with a bell. Mine came with one (which I had to fit). How do you ensure cyclists use them though? Bikes at a point of sale certainly used to have a bell fitted. However after they left the shop I don't think it was ever a legal requirement that they stayed fitted - certainly not in many yeras, anyway. I know as part of the "government getting rid of red tape" initiative it was planned to get rid of the requirement they were fitted at the point of sale, but a quick attempt to Google leaves me uncertain if that was scrapped or not. However either way, you don't need to have one on a bike you are using. (And any cycling rule of the road would not apply on a tow-path anyway, of course), Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bizzard Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 We used to do quite a bit of cycling in France, Tosca wheelers we called ourselves, sometimes just for the day (Calais-Bologne) and sometimes for a week around the Cherbourg peninsula. Well every time we passed into France through customs the customs officials without fail would always asked us or rather just pointed to our bicycle bells as we passed along and we would get the message and all ring our bells or blow our hooters in turn, this made the official nod in glee in happy satisfaction, they never even bothered to look at our passports. Different story coming back though, the miserable British customs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 We used to do quite a bit of cycling in France, Tosca wheelers we called ourselves, sometimes just for the day (Calais-Bologne) and sometimes for a week around the Cherbourg peninsula. Well every time we passed into France through customs the customs officials without fail would always asked us or rather just pointed to our bicycle bells as we passed along and we would get the message and all ring our bells or blow our hooters in turn, this made the official nod in glee in happy satisfaction, they never even bothered to look at our passports. Different story coming back though, the miserable British customs. Sonner la cloche de monsieur! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Holden Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 If my memory serves me, the requirement for bells to be fitted to bicycles was relaxed in the mid to late 1960s and replaced with the requirement for bicycles to have an audible means of warning. It was accepted that a panic stricken shouted "oi" was generally more audible than the dulcet tinkle of a bell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufford Posted October 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 I would have settled for any audible warning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bizzard Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Sonner la cloche de monsieur! Bonjieur, yes, it was one big ding-a-ling. If my memory serves me, the requirement for bells to be fitted to bicycles was relaxed in the mid to late 1960s and replaced with the requirement for bicycles to have an audible means of warning. It was accepted that a panic stricken shouted "oi" was generally more audible than the dulcet tinkle of a bell. Shouting 'oi' wasn't very audible if the rider was out of breath or had a sore throat or tonsillitis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Holden Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Shouting 'oi' wasn't very audible if the rider was out of breath or had a sore throat or tonsillitis. Neither was a bell if the rider had a broken thumb! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHS Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 We were moored at Vale Royal on the Weaver, standing on and around the towpath chatting with fellow boaters when a bloke on a bike, in full cycling battle gear, shot out of the trees bellowing 'I don't f*****g stop for anyone' as we leapt out of the way. Thank goodness dogs and children were still on board!Now I want to deal with this in a calm, rational way. But I've become Michael Douglas in the film Falling Down. So I pick up a boat hook, and ram it in his front spokes. As he looks up at me, spitting out his front teeth, I calmly say " you appear to have stopped for us " If he has any fight left in him, I park the boat hook in his chest and put him out of his misery. Oh dear, did I say the above aloud? That what happens when you've just watched the 1st episode of the latest Fargo series on Channel 4!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W+T Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 I think i mite teach Zig to dislike cyclists/bikes , they must be as soft in the head as a stuffed animal as they speed away so quick and so god dam ignorant. `Gone in 60 seconds` i call this pic LOL 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patty-ann Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 It all comes down to good old fashioned courtesy..wonder where thats gone? In an ideal world..Utopia...all would respect one another's right to use canal paths on equal footing..bicycles would not need to speed and would join in with life's merry throng. To-day many rush from a to b not stopping for anyone..to much speed...what happened to "time to stand and stare" Head down, helmet on Lycra kitted and go go go.... Maybe we can blame these keep fit initiatives which seem to have turned people into demons with drive to increasing fitness and ever increasing need to improve their time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 Lots of bad things have been said about the Rochdale on here recently. I was there in the summer and a lot of the towpath is as cycle way. Every cyclist I saw was courteous and used the bell, you could hear them all ringing as they approached the bridge holes ,........ so there are some good ones out there! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGA Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 We were moored at Vale Royal on the Weaver, standing on and around the towpath chatting with fellow boaters when a bloke on a bike, in full cycling battle gear, shot out of the trees bellowing 'I don't f*****g stop for anyone' as we leapt out of the way. Thank goodness dogs and children were still on board! That would have been enough for me to prove him wrong :-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chagall Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 (edited) `Gone in 60 seconds` i call this pic LOL I call it ominously frightening! Edited October 20, 2015 by Chagall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterboat Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 We were moored at Vale Royal on the Weaver, standing on and around the towpath chatting with fellow boaters when a bloke on a bike, in full cycling battle gear, shot out of the trees bellowing 'I don't f*****g stop for anyone' as we leapt out of the way. Thank goodness dogs and children were still on board! i always find a pole through the spokes stops them nicely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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