Rollfast

Nobody gets out alive. You just read too many A&S threads.

Groundhog2

Not true (to the extent that our English is accurate.) It IS their responsibility to clear the path if they are blocking it. They have no right to block a path nor is there reason initially anyway for confrontational behavior in these scenarios. We bikers need to have a way to warn pedestrians and to concurrently request by implication that they move over enough for us to pass by. Idiots wearing ear stuffing obviously require louder noises to overcome their self-imposed hearing loss. I think there is a good analogy with snow skiing. When approaching anyone who might not be aware of your passing you yell or say loudly enough to be heard "ON YOUR RIGHT" or "ON YOUR LEFT" which lets them know what action is best for them and that you are approaching. This works fine for me when biking and coming up behind pedestrians except where the self-destructive nut cases have their ears stuffed. In those cases you just get as loud as you have to. In worst cases I pull up beside them, hopefully scaring the crap out of them, and say "Pardon me." None of this is a big issue among responsible, congenial people.

KraneXL

We do, its a bell. It instantly does all of the above.Is that the action you're taking or the action they should take? That's the inherent problem with shouting instructions on the flyYou can't fix stupid. The best you can do is follow the law and hope for the best.

JoeyBike

Thankfully there is no law in Louisiana that commands me to yell at every knucklehead I pass. The best I can do is just be certain to not run them over. Just today on a MUP I bailed onto the grass well before some dad training his daughter to ride a 2-wheeler, oblivious to the other 7.2 billion people occupying this planet, ran into me. I just gave them plenty of space. Yelling or ringing my bell would almost certainly cause the kid to panic and fall. I am not a nice guy, I just don't want to be delayed by smacking into people.

Groundhog2

1) The bell is nice. I think I'll get one. And it is so muted and no where near loud enough, esp when the obstruction has plugged their ears.
2) When you yell or say loudly enough to be heard "ON YOUR RIGHT" the meaning is 100% obvious and requires no time for thought. The person in the path KNOWS something is about to be suddenly there ON YOUR RIGHT. Not at all ambiguous. That is exactly why it is so effective on the ski slopes (and anywhere that the person being passed inherently knows their own direction and thus inherently knows what "on your right" means. ) There is no better solution and worst case you may have to stop for the obstruction.
3) There is no relevant law. These situations are "what works best" and common sense. All experienced skiers cope in this manner quite well. So do MOST bikers.

KraneXL

Which is neither in your control, nor your responsibility.No, it is not. That sounds unlikely. I suggest you read your driver handbook since cycling laws are pretty similar in all 50 states. I have no idea what skiers do.

eja_ bottecchia

JoeyBike

Thanks for shining a tinted spotlight on that as well.

If you have ever taken a creative writing class you might know that telling a story is like painting a picture. Details add to the storyline. So if he was actually painting a picture, when it came time to color in the woman the OP would have to choose a color from his palette. Same with writing. You can paint an accurate picture without being a racist. Just throwing that out there. No need mentioning she was a woman either. Or an Earthling.

eja_ bottecchia

JoeyBike

Perhaps you should read more Hemingway. And pay attention to how each character gets painted so you can "see" them in your mind's eye. Or imagine their "southern" dialect. Hemingway could have been a racist, I have no idea, but he is certainly in good company when it comes to describing characters with words. Like every single writer out there. There would be zero novels in the library if this practice were so offensive to everyone.

eja_ bottecchia

JoeyBike

Do you know for a fact that the OP is NOT Hispanic? I don't. And I don't automatically assume the worst about everybody. But if the OP happens to be Hispanic, or part Hispanic, or in anyway identifies with the Hispanic community, then you should feel shame.

Groundhog2

1) I see you are in CA and apparently belong there. Character assassination combined with being illogical is the most common tool of the left, but I digress. It is my responsibility to handle the obstruction placed in front of me. You are responsible not to hit what is in front of you. It is in my control & transferred to me when the obstruction failed to handle their responsibility. 2) Yes it is. "On the Right" said loudly enough is by far the best tool. 3) There is no "driver's handbook" for biking or skiing much less "law." There is a code of responsibility consistently posted at almost all ski areas in North American and in agreement with what I have said " you are responsible for those "downhill" from you. Same in biking if they don't move or have sense enough to unstuff their ears.

eja_ bottecchia

JoeyBike

Oh boy.

My only responsibility is to not hit them. I am not legally bound to call out, ring a bell, blow a horn, give them financial advice, hold their hand at the dentist, or soothe them in any way. ALL of that stuff is in THEIR hands and in their power to deal with. Not being startled is 100% avoidable by them. If they can't pay attention to the surroundings, I don't care and neither does the law. All I am charged with legally is not running into them. Yes, they have right-of-way, and I grant that. I even leave the paved path to go around them if need be. The rest is on them.

Skiing is a poor example anyway since many skiers can not turn or stop proficiently and gravity is relentless. If I stop pedaling, I slow down and eventually stop. If they stop walking, they stop instantly. Dry land propulsion is much less dynamic than a bunch of skiers carving down a steep mountain on a friction-free surface with no lane markings.

JoeyBike

Two years ago I got ambushed by a white dude with the body of a mixed martial arts fighter and tattoos. [True story btw] Does mentioning that he is white appear racist, or just part of telling a story with visual content? Also, where I live, if I left out the color many would assume he was not white.

My point has been made, IMO. Details of a story are not racist by nature. Perhaps the OP is a racist, or perhaps he is Latino/Hispanic himself. I am not even certain of he or she for the OP.

This thread is headed for the padlock anyway looks like. Congrats.

KraneXL

Using a race, nationality, culture, etc. is not inherently racist, but it depends on the context and how its used. What I learned about writing is to ask yourself is the description necessary to tell the story?

JoeyBike

True. Was it really necessary for the OP to mention the gender of the person? We painting the OP a sexist too while we're at it?

I enjoyed the OPs account as is. I fully realize how different parts of the USA have vastly different sensibilities about such things as this. I have relatives in Seattle. They are appalled at so much of the way we speak of each other in New Orleans. I guess we are pretty lazy here when it comes to describing people. I currently work with 4 black people (USA), 2 white (USA), one Hispanic guy (Puerto Rico). I used to work with half a dozen Hispanic guys (Honduras) at another company. Then my number of acquaintances were vast. So, I could be talking to any one of my coworkers about any one of a hundred acquaintances who come in a rainbow of colors. If one of us didn't know the dude's name, the conversation would start with "He's the white dude who drives the blue pickup truck", or "He's the Hispanic dude with the pony tail, remember him?" "Kinda tall, always wears wife-beater shirts." This is pragmatic and saves everyone time when the point of the story is not about the guy's appearance but some other thing they did. "Remember that white dude who came in here two days ago asking for a jump on his car?" None of us are offended, but my kinfolk from Seattle freak the hell out when we talk like this. They think we're politically incorrect, I think they are overly sensitive.

Also we call each other "Baby", "Darling", "Sweetheart", "Honey" like it's nothing. The girl working the grocery store register says: "Hey Baby, how's your day going?" Never seen her before in my life. Again, my out of town people freak out. I'm a sexist for calling her Darlin'. Even though it's no different than just saying "Hello" to any of us in NOLA.

Pretty typical of this forum. Making assumptions without proof or any personal knowledge of the OP.

Groundhog2

Oh boy Oh Boy !
Your lack of logic and rules of the road are at least consistent. Consistently wrong. You are not legally bound to do anything but pay taxes and die. And I have to tell you again there is no law regarding bike rules off of public highways (in any state other than Calif. but, you never know about the left coast...)
And skiing is a great example, perfectly analogous and sharing most of the same reasons.

"Many skiers cannot turn or stop proficiently..." ?? Yep, that illustrates how much you know about the whole topic. Many bikers cannot stay upright or ride a bike ...until they learned to ride. Duh. You don't like me either, the feeling is mutual, and I will never reply further. The end.

eja_ bottecchia

JoeyBike

Some androgynous person yelled at me on the sidewalk for allegedly passing too close.

How utterly boring.

KraneXL

My personal rule is to give the pedestrian the same courtesy I'd expect from a motorist: I slow and move to the maximum distance for safe passing.

JoeyBike

Without honking, yelling, or ringing a bell? How is that possible?

KraneXL

Yelling induces panic. But I always ring my bell.

Rollfast

I left this thread almost a week ago, it still rear ended a car. Somebody administered first aid but it died.