Scared To Cycle On Shared Bike Path. Thoughts?
 

Hello everyone,

Because of work schedules, and a lack of a car, I only have access to one bike trail in Toronto.

I am terrified of getting into a head on collision with the careless lyrca lance armstrong types riding in tandem, e-bikes, dirtbikes, electric unicycles, and scooters that just rip it along the trail.Is my fear unrealistic, or can I get hurt colliding with them? The point is I ride very carefully, but I cannot control if someone like this collides into me. This is the bike path I use, and these are the types of people I see on the path:

https://www.youtube.com/@IdiotsOnTheBikePathInEtobicoke/short

I googled cyclist/cyclist collision and stumbled upon this youtube channel.


Please have a look at the 7:00 and 8:55 markers.

I didn't know you could get this injured colliding into a cyclist. I have a family to support and cannot afford injury. They rely on me. I am also an avid runner and tennis player, so giving up cycling would not affect me too much. Please share your thoughts.

My rough estimate of lifetime dedicated two-way bike trail miles comes to around 10,000.
Never experienced anything close to a head-on collision. Clueless pedestrians present the biggest threat.
The key involves paying attention to your surroundings and path companions. Stay alert!
Far more people die or suffer injuries in auto accidents, especially on roadways and intersections.

Head on collision - no. Dogs with or without leash, as well as their careless owners - YES.

I do try to avoid MUPs lately and ride on the road, so I head out at break of dawn.

Nothing is safe, and lack of exercise is probably more of a risk to your health than getting into a crash on a bike trail. I’ve been playing dodge’m with motor vehicles and other cyclists for decades, and am still here (knocks on wood) to tell the tale.

If you are "terrified" of imagined possibilities, then the answer is pretty obvious and straightforward: give it up, especially if doing so would not "affect" you too much.

You are in Toronto; I am in the largest city in SW Ontario. Same issues here. I too cannot "afford" to be seriously injured, but ... so what? The chances of an incident are pretty remote. They are especially remote if one simply keeps one's head up and exercises a modicum of care. Yes, you (or I) could get hurt, but whatever ... make a decision, and live with it. As far as I'm concerned, the benefits (and joy) of cycling outweigh the relatively miniscule risks.

Check the A&S section for more food for thought. You are riding in about as safe an environment as can be found beyond circling your neighborhood. This apparently causes you too much anxiety to be fun. I'd move on to something else. In fact, no need to take the time for 10 repetitions.:thumb:

Instead of getting involved with the forum you decided to just bump your own thread. Not a good start the whole point of this forum is to talk about bikes not to bump your own threads.

Yes a multi-use path (MUP) can be semi dangerous because you are dealing with other humans who are unpredictable but in the end if you have good spatial awareness and some reasonable bike control you will be generally fine. I personally don't enjoy riding on these paths and prefer the road which is also unpredictable but maybe a little bit more because there are rules most people follow. Occasionally the bike path has some idiots going in the wrong direction and even more occasionally a pedestrian but they usually get out of the way but that is not often. I would rather deal with that then so many others not paying attention and not really following any sort of rules except some they made up in their head that says "I do what I want, sharing sucks".

Also as of note no need to mention L.A. completely irrelevant these days. However there are people who do use the path as their own personal training ground but there are so many worse people on the path and the training road cyclists are generally gone in a flash I worry less about them.

For the future get involved with the forums, there are so many current threads going on with great discussions and great questions being asked. You don't have to insulate yourself in your own thread. That is how you continue being scared to get out into the world.

There is a lot you can control:

your visibility.....I wear bright clothes and have a front and back flashing lights
your awareness.... you can slow and be extra careful on blind corners, hills etc.
your awareness....know what type of users are likely to do things like dart across the mup
get a bell and use it, especially when passing


what are your other options for commuting? are they better or worse than biking?

you can always start slow like one day a week until you get comfortable

Please do not flash white lights anywhere. Please keep everyone safe. A light is fine but a flashing white light is actively dangerous. Having to literally close one eye and look away from what is ahead of me which is quite dangerous to avoid getting hit in the face by the flashing white light.

Fear is the mind-killer ... it is the little death which brings on the greater death.

If you are afraid, stay home. No need for you to be endangering others, out there panicking on your bike.

I am not totally kidding, either.

Or, more reasonably ... accept the fact that your odds of serious injury or death are a lot higher in your car, and probably higher in your bathroom. You cannot control cars in traffic, you cannot control meteors or wild animals, or criminals, or much else. What you can control is your mind. keep your mind on what it is, they tell me ... then just live. it's only life, after all.

No one can afford to get injured ... so don't.

If you really cannot handle riding on a bike path, for whatever reason ... don't. Everyone has limitations, attachments, odd notions ... if that is one of yours, go with it.

Sometimes trying to do what you are too afraid to do well creates a self-fulfilling prophecy situation.

I don't know how it is up north. Down here anyone riding two abreast when they see someone coming the other way goes to single file to allow room.

Sounds like cycling may not be your cup of tea.

Actual safety can be very different from perceived safety. Sometimes something that looks or feels dangerous can be statistically very safe. Sometimes something that looks pretty safe can be dangerous. Sometimes the very perception of danger is what makes a situation safe, and vice versa.

Ask yourself - how many people do you know that have been hit/killed on bikes? On this trail? Have you seen police and EMS activity? Try to get a fair and actual assessment of the risk for every situation you might encounter in life.

My guess is that the trail is actually a great option. I would rather crash on a MUP than on a road. Follow the excellent recommendations above. Sometimes, the presence of other traffic helps to keep everybody on their toes.

Get 10 Wheels's setup: Bike Forums - View Single Post - When to ring your bell (Warning: vent alert).

So give it up and run to work. :foo:

Get up earlier and ride when no one is on the trail

I worry more about ebikes on the Manhattan Greenway.

ebikes are just bikes that will give you some assistance while you are pedaling and only while pedaling. You might be confusing them with e-mopeds which may have pedals but also use a throttle to move you forward and are probably what your issue is as it is many people's issue but they sometimes accidentally get lumped in with actual e-bikes.

When is the last time you rode the Greenway in Manhattan? Anything that allows people to ride faster than they ought to is not good. In major metropolitan areas, a lot of people on e-assist bikes are reckless thanks to the bike’s ability to allow them to go faster than they ever could if they had to do all the work. I see it all the time with Philly’s e-assist bike share bikes. Wheeeeee! This is fun!”

Not around here. E-bikes are the weapon of choice for the new-to-bikes-gee-I-can-go-full-throttle-weeeeee! Just like snowboarders early on who had no idea of safety or ettiquite.

Head on collision: Why yes, I've been there on a public path - twice. Guy learning to ride on a WalMart cheapo swerved into me across the marked center line and kapow! Both legs of my carbon fork broke cleanly (actually raggedly) in two. Another time a methhead who was freaking out dashed from bushes onto the path and, again, kapow! Knocked me off my bike. I won't tell you about the homeless guy who tried to knife me while I was riding on a public path....twice...same day, an hour apart. Go figure.

Be worried, be very worried.

https://i.imgur.com/ln1Zjrtl.jpg

I bet you have heard the phrase, “You create your own reality”. Your user name reinforces your reality.

I have bike commuted and generally ridden on multi-use trails for decades traveling 10s of thousands of miles. In all this time, I have only had one incident, but it did not result in anything other than relief I have good skills.

I would suggest that you change your perspective to one of confidence, that you can do this, like thousands of other people who have never had an issue. When you tell yourself, I can do this and I will be fine, then your whole point of view will change.

Stop looking for confirmation of your fear.

People responding above make excellent points about being aware, riding defensively but confidently because you can do this like thousands of others every day.

I haven't but yes human beings can be a problem on all sorts of different bikes including non-electric stuff and bike adjacent stuff like e-mopeds. Bikeshare stuff is problematic in it's own right but overall at least the docked stuff is generally a decent net good but it all comes down to the humans on top of the machines not the actual machines.

So you are conflating electric bicycles and e-mopeds. STOP THAT. Seriously I get that e-mopeds have been lumped in with pedal assist bicycles according to lawmakers who couldn't tell the difference between their heads and their rear ends but a bicycle cannot move forward without someone pedaling. A moped can be pedaled but has a throttle and that is what you are talking about.

I don't think the answer is to be worried, obviously any of these situations could happen anywhere to anyone for any number of reasons. The world can be a dangerous place but living in fear is not a good way to go through it. Being spatially aware and having some caution is not a bad thing but fear should not lead your life. What happened to you sucks but it is an uncommon occurrence and the fork probably had some issues to fail like that, I cannot recognize the brand and the taped on bottle cages don't inspire confidence but the crash sucks regardless but it is not a common thing. However I again am not saying sweep it under the carpet and don't talk about it and don't be aware things happen but know the world is unpredictable and if you live in fear of it you cripple yourself but if you keep your wits about you and have some common sense you will do well (and no that part is not you specific but you general)

I have plenty of handicaps when ridding. S0 even my rural no traffic rides require my complete attention. I think back long ago when I could ride in a pack. Not so today. Over in Austin I have seen some young ones ridding in traffic with Head Phones on and even some Texting as they ride.

One of my handicaps is not having the patience for indoor training. I am an Outside Guy. I have never been psychological wired to enjoy Stationary, Treadmills, Bikes and Ellipticals. I can do it, but its not something I enjoy.

So if you are one of those guys that has gotta be outside, a bicycle is a great way to do it...

I am sorry to hear about your experiences and what happened to your bike. I would ride an e-moped too if I have to dodge homeless knife wielders and meth heads. Or may an e-recumbent setup like Mad Max Fury Road.

I AM 'conflating' some E-Bikes with idiots. I've witnessed on more than one occassion customers at a bike shop getting 'boosted' electric motors that are more powerful and increase the top speed of their bikes, yes bikes, not scooter-tooters. These customers were not your average roady looking sort either. There is absolutely NO difference between an E bike or an E scooter or an E-Moped or an E-Youped or and Ezoomthingy or.... If it has an "E" non-human motor, then it shouldn't be anywhere near a public path. PERIOD! Oh, and don't get me started on those one wheel contraptions that exceed 25 mph that I often see (and dodge!) on the paths....

If this gives legit E-bikers heartburn, then I suggest Tums.