qmatodd@me.com

I have always taken the approach that in order to be safe while riding a bicycle, that you must anticipate that every driver, pedestrian, skate board rider, mother with a stroller, jogger and yes other cyclist too... that they are not paying attention to you, don't know that you are there (or care) and will unexpectedly take the most outrageous and reckless action and then act accordingly.

Does it really matter that you are right, if you end up dead or in the hospital???

Bill in VA

The 'rule' for the road is not the same as the MUP. However, rather than get all legalistic, there is a certain amount of common sense (or lack thereof) needed by both parties. The person in the front is at fault (he did not look or signal), the overtaking rider should be announcing, NOT because of any rule/law/custom, etc. but because many people on the roads and trails are idiots, or too self-absorbed.

In riding and driving, it is far better to be proactive, and assume the other person is going to do something erratic, stupid, or not paying attention. You may have the right of way and be 'in the right,' but as my father said when he was teaching us to drive, NEVER assume you have the right, because if you are wrong, you could be DEAD wrong. As my bicycle had no armor, and to avoid adverse encounters, I always announce or make noise (bell, voice) of some type when approaching people and animals.

Bill in VA

Depends on the state, and the type of road in that state.

jonathanf2

Cycling is like chess, always anticipate a few moves ahead given any situation that might occur.

relrrt

Ask Judge Judy, she would know for sure.

I-Like-To-Bike

Try one of these low cost, low tech "devices", requires no batteries, microchips or yelling. Understood in all languages.

Steeler_fanatic

I expect unexpected behavior on MUPs due to pedestrians not paying attention, children randomly cutting across the path and don't get me started on animals. It's why I seldom ride MUPs versus roads. I would say the overtaking rider is at least 50% at fault for not alerting the rider with an "on your left." I do this automatically and as as loud as I can. Even so, I don't take for granted that the person heard me as they may be listening to music. If they look back or move over to the right, I proceed on my way. If they don't do anything, I slow and proceed with caution. The other rider is at least 50% at fault for performing an unexpected turn. Another "rule" of the road for cyclists is to be predictable as practical and a sudden u-turn is not. But like I said - you have to expect the unexpected on MUPs.

WinterCommuter

Sorry to say, but it’s your fault.

Vixen21

Rather than wasting energy searching for fault….
Lets do what we can making sure it doesn’t happen again.

As we age we gain faults.
1. hearing loss
2. balance loss
3. Flexibility to turn our heads backwards
4. Slower reaction time
5. We get tired, lazy and cut safety corners

What precautions do we take to minimize ourr faults?
1. Verbal traffic helpers
2. Lights
3. Bells
4. Horn
5. Radio “ not in ears” lol
6. screeching rear brake “ my fav”
7. Ride covering brakes.
8. Bright clothing
9. Expect faults in others
10. Pretend your an opera singer on your bike if thats your gig.

These helpers don’t work with wild animals.
A goose locked up my front wheel. and I ended up in the ER.
Cheers!
jack

Spikem

Yup--your fault overall. He was careless for now looking behind to see if anyone was there before the U turn, but you didn't notify him of your presence. I always say "on your left" and you should too.

sewupnut

I also assume every car is going to do some thing stupid. I should know, cause I drive one. Many people are annoyed by "on your left", so I rephrase that to "I'm coming up behind you" as I slow down. On busy days, I rarely use the bike paths. As far as the accident, you just have to anticipate.

PaulRivers

It's 100% their fault.

Look at it like it's a car:
1. You are driving straight, in your lane, on a 4 line highway.
2. A car in front of you suddenly pulls itself into your lane without looking - causing a collision.

There's no situation where you can change lanes without looking (in open road with no traffic signals), cause an accident, and expect other people to be responsible because they didn't "anticipate" your reckless behavior.

The person changing lanes - is always responsible for checking that the lane they are moving into - is free.

livedarklions

Classic question begging. A MUP is not a road, and a bike is not a car. The rules are not the same.


And if you insist on making a car comparison, passing without announcing would be a bit like driving with your headlights off at night. You're not doing the primary thing people do to warn people ahead of them of their presence.

No one is saying that the Uturn bicyclist wasn't wrong, but this is a two-wrongs don't make a right situation.

crewdog

Is there a special hand signal for a U-turn? Do you hold your arm in a 90 degree bend (whichever arm depends on if you are going right or left) and twirl your hand in a circle?

Trakhak

I wish people posting in this thread would stop referring to all MUP users (other than the poster and his friends) as morons or idiots. They're precisely as smart as the people complaining here. They're out there on the trail to relax and have fun. Some of them may use the MUP exclusively for walking or riding because they find roadways intimidating, with good reason. Why expect them to know what "On your left!" means, especially when they hear it when the poster is only three seconds away from passing?

(FYI for the would-be non-idiots and non-morons here: the use of "On your left!" originated in the US in the 1970s, during the growth of cycling in the first bike boom, and is still used almost exclusively by people with group cycling experience. I never expect a casual rider or a walker to know what the phrase signifies, and I have an opinion about those cyclists who unaccountably expect universal recognition of the rights that they think the use of the phrase confers.)

To the complainers; lower your expectations. Constantly complaining about things that will not change is pointless. Reminds me of a guy I used to work with in a bike store. After his 15th complaint that day about stupid questions from people calling the store, I lost it and said, "The reason it never bothers me is that I'm used to it, since I'm always surrounded by people dumber than I am, whereas you . . . . "

bbbean 

Blame to share here, but I think making a U turn without signalling AND looking back is pretty inexcusable.

PaulRivers

They're not inherently different either.
The person changing lanes is responsible for making sure the lane they're moving into is clear before moving into it.

This "sorta like it" situation doesn't seem to apply here. They did not check the lane and didn't see them because it was night and they didn't have lights.
They just broke both the legal and moral rules by moving into the lane without looking whether they could do so safely first.

"no one is saying" somehow consistently means "lots of people are saying this, in this very thread". I don't know why people make this claim.

From a "you're not technically required to but it's a good idea for safety" point of view I'm not seeing what the OP could have done differently without putting others in danger or acting obnoxiously on the trail. I don't usually shout at people who are stopped at a bench as it tends to be taken as aggressive and obnoxious rather than being safe.

Nick Payne

Some years ago a friend of ours who worked at the Australian National University here in Canberra was getting some lunchtime exercise with a bike ride along the shore of the lake. As she was overtaking a runner he looked down at his wrist and suddenly did a U-turn, resulting in them colliding and both falling. He picked himself up, looked at her accusingly, and said: "This is my 20 minute point, I always turn here".

livedarklions

Go ahead, quote one post in this thread that says the uturn cyclist did nothing wrong. I checked, there aren't any.

Illinois law required the op to announce. It's not legally optional, and your belief that it's obnoxious is rather eccentric. Also, no one was on the bench. I learned a long time ago that people meandering a bit is often the most dangerous situation because it's when people are most likely to act like they're on a regular sidewalk.

Sorry, I have little sympathy for complaints about incidents like this from people who don't announce--it's completely predictable that things like this are going to happen when you sneak up on people.

PaulRivers

I understand you're a habitual liar.

Don't have to go more than 10 posts up:
/22228207-post160.html
WinterCommuter: Sorry to say, but it’s your fault.

It's the responsibility of the person changing lanes to check first that it's safe to do so.
If you're charging back and forth across the trail without looking, thinking everyone has to look out for you while you don't have to think about them, don't be shocked when you get hit and run over.

livedarklions

Nice try, but now you're lying. I said no one said the Uturn did nothing wrong. Obviously, I and a lot of people on this thread attribute some or all of the blame for the crash on OP's failure to announce. If you know anything about tort law, it may actually be the but for cause.

That quote says nothing about the uturner not doing anything wrong. I again defy you to find anyone on this thread who claims it's ok to turn into a lane without looking.

The whole fault question is a red herring, btw. You really want to delve into our disagreement, I challenge you to defend your case against announcing. Your objections to it are really ridiculous.

billridesbikes

I was thinking of an app where you could yell, ‘Hey Siri, Ring Bell!’ and it would ring a bell sound in any Bluetooth headsets nearby. Some MUP users have their music so loud they don’t hear a thing going on around them.

njkayaker

Bluetooth doesn't work that way. No one would want it to work that way.

Clyde1820

^ This.

MUP user myself, most of the time, where they occur.

Plenty of MUPs near where I live. And most people don't seem to readily "get" the language used. In my own experience, they tend to be surprised by the warning call (whatever it is they imagine was said), then all too frequently jet to one side in fear of being struck.

By far, the safest technique I've been able to employ is: allowing a good 5-7+ seconds prior to ever coming near a person on the MUP, if passing them where they're currently unaware I'm approaching, and not actually passing until they've had sufficient time to register and "settle" into a straight and sane path along the MUP. Rushing upon a person who's looking away then shouting something (even "On your left" or "I'm passing on your left") often doesn't allow a person sufficient time to do anything but react badly to an oncoming collision they fear.

The occasional MUP near me has serious, brightly-painted lane lines dividing the flow of traffic on the MUP, and these seem to be somewhat safer with far fewer people playing the part of the dolt with the head in the clouds. But the narrow, unmarked MUPs where I'm hoping the person won't do the unconscionable seem the worst. It's generally safer on the right hand side of the street, with those "bad" (narrow, unmarked) MUPs.

Of course, then there are the frequent people who demand to walk in the narrow street area instead of the MUP twelve feet away that's designed to keep them safe. As if that makes them safer. (Had a handful of those a few weeks back, sad to say. And their utter indignation at being asked to use the MUP and not clog traffic wasn't taken well by a couple of them.)

Takes all kinds.

OldTryGuy

Every bike should be Factory equipped with a proximity sensor that rings a bell, honks a horn and shots loudly "I AM APPROACHING YOU TO PASS YOU SO STAY OUT OF MY WAY"

Would like to see the WRITTEN STATUTE mentioning that the overtaking bicycle rider MUST ANNOUNCE. Pretty cool if that was the "RULES OF THE ROAD" for vehicles. Here a HONK, There a HONK, everywhere a HONK-HONK