Forest trails, walkers and dog owners
Discussion
Shared space. I know. But if I've had the courtesy to ding my bell and let you know I'm coming, I think it's only fair that you a) pick a side, either side, I don't care, just don't stand in the middle of the path like you've never seen a bike before and just shåt yourself, and b) get your dog under control.
Nearly wiped out some woman the other day who decided to change from one side to the other without warning. On a loose gravel path. Hmmm.
(on a walking forum somewhere: "Cyclists. Go slower". I know).
Nearly wiped out some woman the other day who decided to change from one side to the other without warning. On a loose gravel path. Hmmm.
(on a walking forum somewhere: "Cyclists. Go slower". I know).
+1. Drives me nuts. The glares I get from some walkers, as if I'm the devils spawn for cycling along the same path as they are strolling along.
Dinging a bell appears to upset them even more, I prefer to shout ding ding as I'm approaching, usually wakes them up a bit more and is less 'confrontational' than ringing a bell.....I know but it works.
Oh and didn't you know that dogs are far more important than a cyclist, they have every right to walk in front of you and try and bite your arse as you pass, they can also crap where they like especially in the middle of styles and gate openings.
Dinging a bell appears to upset them even more, I prefer to shout ding ding as I'm approaching, usually wakes them up a bit more and is less 'confrontational' than ringing a bell.....I know but it works.
Oh and didn't you know that dogs are far more important than a cyclist, they have every right to walk in front of you and try and bite your arse as you pass, they can also crap where they like especially in the middle of styles and gate openings.
I had that the other day in Swinley Forest. Whole family out with a couple of dogs. As I was approaching I politely rang my bell (not an aggressive ring, a polite 'I'm here'!). They looked at me like I was a criminal to have the audacity to say excuse me & grunted something as I went past. But to be honest, they looked like the kind of family who would not understand politeness & manners. Typical scum.
As a cyclist and a dog owner, I will chuck my 2p in. Yes I will always make sure my dog is grabbed by her collar and we stand to the side of the path if there are cyclists approaching. However if you approach from behind and give little (if any) warning then you can expect the dog to be roaming about all over the place - sometimes out of my reach. Unfortunately the dog doesn't know she should keep to one side of a path, and it's pretty hard for me to explain it to her!
Please also remember that cyclists should give way to walkers and horseriders:
Under the
Countryside Act 1968 (section 30)
bicyclists (but not unicyclists or
tricyclists) have a right to use
bridleways provided they give way to
walkers and horse riders.
Which technically means you should stop, pull to the side of the path and allow the walker or horserider to pass rather than expect the walker to give way to you. If you are going in the same direction then you should stop, dismount and walk your bike past the walker, or at least trundle past slowly.
Please also remember that cyclists should give way to walkers and horseriders:
Under the
Countryside Act 1968 (section 30)
bicyclists (but not unicyclists or
tricyclists) have a right to use
bridleways provided they give way to
walkers and horse riders.
Which technically means you should stop, pull to the side of the path and allow the walker or horserider to pass rather than expect the walker to give way to you. If you are going in the same direction then you should stop, dismount and walk your bike past the walker, or at least trundle past slowly.
I'd agree with the above:
'Shared use' - are they really bridleways? Are you on footpaths? You don't have 'right of way' in any circumstance.
If cyclists get aggressive and make a nuisance of themselves, then this slap happy government will simply legislate to keep us off anything that isn't a designated cycle route.
Dogs are inherantly unpredictable. There's nothing they like more than a suicide dive under your front wheel, and many dog walkers are easily pulled off balance by their dog if it decides to go for it. Slow down, proceed with caution and a cheery 'good morning'.
'Shared use' - are they really bridleways? Are you on footpaths? You don't have 'right of way' in any circumstance.
If cyclists get aggressive and make a nuisance of themselves, then this slap happy government will simply legislate to keep us off anything that isn't a designated cycle route.
Dogs are inherantly unpredictable. There's nothing they like more than a suicide dive under your front wheel, and many dog walkers are easily pulled off balance by their dog if it decides to go for it. Slow down, proceed with caution and a cheery 'good morning'.
WeirdNeville said:
I'd agree with the above:
'Shared use' - are they really bridleways? Are you on footpaths? You don't have 'right of way' in any circumstance.
If cyclists get aggressive and make a nuisance of themselves, then this slap happy government will simply legislate to keep us off anything that isn't a designated cycle route.
Dogs are inherantly unpredictable. There's nothing they like more than a suicide dive under your front wheel, and many dog walkers are easily pulled off balance by their dog if it decides to go for it. Slow down, proceed with caution and a cheery 'good morning'.
Exactly'Shared use' - are they really bridleways? Are you on footpaths? You don't have 'right of way' in any circumstance.
If cyclists get aggressive and make a nuisance of themselves, then this slap happy government will simply legislate to keep us off anything that isn't a designated cycle route.
Dogs are inherantly unpredictable. There's nothing they like more than a suicide dive under your front wheel, and many dog walkers are easily pulled off balance by their dog if it decides to go for it. Slow down, proceed with caution and a cheery 'good morning'.
Except some people don't appreciate a 'cheery good morning'. But thats their problem I guess.
itsnotarace said:
As a cyclist and a dog owner, I will chuck my 2p in. Yes I will always make sure my dog is grabbed by her collar and we stand to the side of the path if there are cyclists approaching. However if you approach from behind and give little (if any) warning then you can expect the dog to be roaming about all over the place - sometimes out of my reach. Unfortunately the dog doesn't know she should keep to one side of a path, and it's pretty hard for me to explain it to her!
Quite. Another biker + dog owner / walker here, and it's much appreciated if there is some kind of warning, so I can call the dog, who'll then sit by me while the cyclist goes by. Some cyclists say thanks and/or morning, & if I can I'll say something back, though to be honest as I'm still training the dog not to chase cyclists my attention is usually on the dog.At the end of the day there are just as many dumb dog owners as there are dumb cyclists.. drivers etc, so just because you come across one of the braincell challenged it doesn't mean they/we're all like that (*)
Just thank god you're not a runner, who
a) don't have a bell
b) never give any warning when they go past
c) are all grumpy f
kers as far as I can tell *d) are seen as a better game than cyclists by my dog
e) can't outrun my dog
btw I'm currently also training the dog to cycle with me, though I'd never take her to a trail centre personally, but know that does happen quite often. There's a can of worms there too..
other cyclists can be just as bad, ya know the sort. out on a multi thousand pound carbon xc bike wearing jeans and flip flops, in the smallest chainring and the biggest cassette gear weaving all over the place and then shout at you for being in the right gear and overtaking them or just being plain stupid and dangerous even though they're the ones not wearing a helmet etc etc...
the other things that annoy me are extendable dog leads. they make the nylon rope really thin and black so you cant tell if the dog is on a lead or not and if there is anything in between said owner and dog, because it can be a fair distance sometimes. they should make it bright range or something.
the other things that annoy me are extendable dog leads. they make the nylon rope really thin and black so you cant tell if the dog is on a lead or not and if there is anything in between said owner and dog, because it can be a fair distance sometimes. they should make it bright range or something.
itsnotarace said:
As a cyclist and a dog owner, I will chuck my 2p in. Yes I will always make sure my dog is grabbed by her collar and we stand to the side of the path if there are cyclists approaching. However if you approach from behind and give little (if any) warning then you can expect the dog to be roaming about all over the place - sometimes out of my reach. Unfortunately the dog doesn't know she should keep to one side of a path, and it's pretty hard for me to explain it to her!
This ^ The woods is one of the few places my dog gets to have a right good run about, there's often just not enough time to get hold of the dog before said cyclist has zipped past without even bothering to slow down.itsnotarace said:
As a cyclist and a dog owner, I will chuck my 2p in. Yes I will always make sure my dog is grabbed by her collar and we stand to the side of the path if there are cyclists approaching. However if you approach from behind and give little (if any) warning then you can expect the dog to be roaming about all over the place - sometimes out of my reach. Unfortunately the dog doesn't know she should keep to one side of a path, and it's pretty hard for me to explain it to her!
Please also remember that cyclists should give way to walkers and horseriders:
Under the
Countryside Act 1968 (section 30)
bicyclists (but not unicyclists or
tricyclists) have a right to use
bridleways provided they give way to
walkers and horse riders.
Which technically means you should stop, pull to the side of the path and allow the walker or horserider to pass rather than expect the walker to give way to you. If you are going in the same direction then you should stop, dismount and walk your bike past the walker, or at least trundle past slowly.
Could not agree more with this. Please also remember that cyclists should give way to walkers and horseriders:
Under the
Countryside Act 1968 (section 30)
bicyclists (but not unicyclists or
tricyclists) have a right to use
bridleways provided they give way to
walkers and horse riders.
Which technically means you should stop, pull to the side of the path and allow the walker or horserider to pass rather than expect the walker to give way to you. If you are going in the same direction then you should stop, dismount and walk your bike past the walker, or at least trundle past slowly.
I cycle in a group around shared paths and have always felt we should pass with minimal intrusion. I've seen some faster cyclists whizz up behind people and ding their bells giving the walkers no time to react at all. Although my son is ding-happy, I make sure we slow until the walkers' have noticed us and have decided on a side of the path to stand. Then we thank them and pass. We also slow when we're around dogs because of their unpredictability.
Why alienate yourself for the sake of a few seconds? If your time was that important, surely shared paths aren't the right places to ride.
slomax said:
the other things that annoy me are extendable dog leads. they make the nylon rope really thin and black so you cant tell if the dog is on a lead or not and if there is anything in between said owner and dog, because it can be a fair distance sometimes. they should make it bright range or something.
The obvious solution in this case would be to "assume" presence of said lead until you slow down and get close enough to determine there isn't one there.Simples. No?
itsnotarace said:
The obvious solution in this case would be to "assume" presence of said lead until you slow down and get close enough to determine there isn't one there.
Simples. No?
Aim for the dog and there is no chance of hitting the lead.Simples. No?
When close enough, attempt to bunny-hop, or grit teeth for the ear-splitting yelp. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0dzMp61G5w
This is why I like the Surrey Hills so much.
You'd think they would be absolutely packed, given their location and how nice they are, yet they're pretty much deserted. I've been out riding for 2 hours on summer evenings and seen more badgers than people, and I've never seen more than one badger!
Even on a sunny Saturday afternoon you'll only get small handfuls of people away from the top of Leith Hill where the tower is.
There are some bridleways. There are some footpaths which 99% of cyclists stay clear of. There are also dozens of tracks and trails which aren't formally marked as anything at all. Wherever you happen to be, there's enough space for everyone to accommodate everyone else, and I've never once seen even the slightest bit of antagonism between bikers and any other users.
You'd think they would be absolutely packed, given their location and how nice they are, yet they're pretty much deserted. I've been out riding for 2 hours on summer evenings and seen more badgers than people, and I've never seen more than one badger!
Even on a sunny Saturday afternoon you'll only get small handfuls of people away from the top of Leith Hill where the tower is.
There are some bridleways. There are some footpaths which 99% of cyclists stay clear of. There are also dozens of tracks and trails which aren't formally marked as anything at all. Wherever you happen to be, there's enough space for everyone to accommodate everyone else, and I've never once seen even the slightest bit of antagonism between bikers and any other users.
slomax said:
other cyclists can be just as bad, ya know the sort. out on a multi thousand pound carbon xc bike wearing jeans and flip flops, in the smallest chainring and the biggest cassette gear weaving all over the place and then shout at you for being in the right gear and overtaking them or just being plain stupid and dangerous even though they're the ones not wearing a helmet etc etc...
there is a LOT of this in Epping Forest. For the record I'm talking about bridleways not footpaths. Lots of space for everyone as long as we all have a little consideration...
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