steppinthrax

I commute to work daily.

It was around 6ish this morning. I primarily ride on the rode if possible, but I'm forced to enter the sidewalk to bypass several road barricades that I come across. During these hours in the city in this area it's pretty quiet.

Anyway I was heading down the road and was approaching a vehicle barricade. I veered my bike to the right to jump on the sidewalk. There's a break in the sidewalk where wheelchairs and "wheeled" vehicles can transition onto. Whenever I'm coming behind people I always ring my bell several times. Usually It gets their attention and they either look up from their phone or shift their body with confirmation that they are aware of a cycle presence. There was one lonely woman walking down this wide ass sidewalk and she went ballistic when I jumped on the curb. I had my headphones in so I didn't hear what she said, but she went off as I passed her. I'm assuming she just freaked out at the sudden "bang and pop" as I transition from the road to the curb.

Unfortunately just a few yards after passing her I came to a pedestrian cross sign, she did as well. This is one of those long ass signs that I'm always forced to stay.

Just a little more background, In my city I'm legally allowed to ride on the sidewalk.

Anyway she very angrily came to me and stated "Did you know what you did to me? this was the dialog the pursued.

Woman: Did you know what you did to me?
Me: What, what happened to you?
Woman: You came from there and almost hit me?
Me: I made my bell.
(She had a hispanic accent and honestly I couldn't understand her correctly. At this point I'm infuriated since I don't feel I did anything wrong and she was an idiot for not having basic situational awareness. Then she tries to accuse me for hitting her.)
Woman: And you expect me to hear that? #@$$#$#$ You *******.. #@$#@$ You #@$#@$
Me: F--- You ***** (At this point she starts walking the opposite direction and our distance grows)
(At this point we are probably a block apart as I've already crossed the crosswalk).
Woman: #@$#@$@$#@$
Me: ***** (yelled from across the block)
Woman: #@$#@$#@$# (yelled again from across blocks)

IDK she seemed to want to somehow claim that I physically hit her with my bike when that was never the case. I need to start back on wearing my GoPro.

cb400bill

How do you know that she was lonely?

steppinthrax

Physically lonely. There was no one around that whole block. We are talking pretty early in the morning.

mr_bill

livedarklions

To get even more grammar geeky, "lonesome" can mean "lonely" or "lone".

JoeyBike

I had a steroided-out jogger dude track me down a couple of years ago and threaten me with bodily harm for passing him on a bike path without calling out. It's a long story but very similar to yours. I didn't touch him or come close to touching him. He had a point about calling out of course, but you know what happens - they jump right in front of your wheel half the time. And if you NEED passing traffic to call out, this is an admission of guilt that YOU are likely to do something stupid. Do I honk my horn every time I pass a car while driving a motor vehicle? No. I expect people to look in a mirror or over their shoulder before changing lanes. Same with peds. I don't feel like yelling at people all day long. BUT...he did have a valid point only to go WAAAAAY overboard to make it.

MattTheHat 

Half the people seem to be wearing headphones and don't even hear the call, so one can feel awkward. There is a solution, though. Handle it like you're announcing a sporting event. In your best announcer voice: "The cyclist known as JoeyBike is approaching some angry, roided-out jogger freak. JoeyBike is now moving carefully to the left to pass safely! Nice pass, JoeyBike!"

Is for fun.

-Matt

berner

The world is full of people blaming everyone else for their inadequacies.

Aubergine 

JoeyBike

It IS their responsibility to PAY ATTENTION. It is also RUDE to spread out across the entire path, both lanes, as if you are the only person on Earth. "Making way" is another way of saying "don't HOG the path". Why do I have to yell at idiots and inconsiderate people all day on a quiet, relaxing bike path though the woods? Heel the kids and the dogs too while you're at it. Look back before you make some boneheaded U-turn at random. It's not that difficult to be considerate and aware.

I do use a bell, but them listening to music negates the bell usually.

mr_bill

livedarklions

Am I the only person who would much rather have a human voice call out than a bell ring? I hate bells--they vary so much in volume that they're really difficult to locate behind you, and they really don't tell you what the rider is doing.

I use a fairly loud "passing on your left". Completely nonambiguous, very easy to say. Just saying "left" confuses people who don't know the drill.

livedarklions

Funny, I thought the reason I was doing it was that people don't have eyes in the back of their head and I might be going faster than they expect someone to go on a path. People make mistakes, so I don't want to be responsible for ruining someone's life because they forgot to look behind them to cross the other side of the path to get a better look at a butterfly or whatever.

And frankly, someone who gets bent out of shape because parents can't perfectly control their kids with the training wheels is probably way too angry to be out in public. I fully support your decision to retire from recreational riding for everybody's sake.

trailangel

Good answer. OP hasn't said how fast he was going. Need to slow down on these ped passings... almost to walking speed.

livedarklions

In the words of the Lonely Ranger, "Hi-yo, Silv....sigh."

JoeyBike

Kids on foot are a bigger problem that kids on training bikes actually. The other thing I enjoy on segregated paths are the people who walk on the wheels side, and the other folks who have their kid on training wheels going 1mph on the wheeled side because they are on a bike, while the parents/guardians block the walk side. But I fully realize that stepping into the public domain will certainly expose me to human stupidity, inconsideration, and mindlessness. And stepping into the public domain also exposes them to angry old men/women who just want a peaceful ride on the path without yelling at every nincompoop rube who crawls up out of an open landfill and onto the bike path.

mr_bill

livedarklions

Whatever. I'm an old fart myself and I just don't find uttering a polite "passing on your left" disrupts my buzz, and actually I have some nice interactions with people. And on an MUP, we are literally the most dangerous users, so I think we have an obligation to courteously warn what you so charmingly call the nincompoop rube.

I ride a lot of MUPs. In sections where it's safe to go fast, I go very fast. If there is foot traffic or slower riders, I slow down sufficiently to ascertain when I can or can't pass safely and don't worry a lot about whether I approve of someone's dog or kid handling practices. I only get angry when I see other bicyclists buzzing kids and dogs like idiots or when some damn fool shines a strobing light in my eyes.

Judging from your spate of increasingly bystander-hostile posts, may I suggest you're now beyond the point where you can find any kind of biking relaxing?

livedarklions

Now have him set out alone to take out a loan and you've got the start of an Abbott and Costello routine.

Tonto wasn't a ranger, so while the masked man wasn't a lone individual, he was the lone ranger.

dabac

JoeyBike

Yes, there are a few places. All require renting a car unfortunately. My favorite place is the Tammany Trace across the lake from New Orleans. 30 miles long through bottomland hardwood forests and swamps. Too far between trailheads for kids, and no pets allowed. It is truly heaven. I have biked/skated it a hundred times+ over the past 30 years of its existence and can't think of even one bad interaction. The path is CLEAN, well maintained, scenic, mostly shaded, and pretty near adults only. Mostly cyclists, a few joggers, and a few skaters. The length of it really spreads out the trail users and weekdays it is deserted. Perfect!

Also the Gulf Coast in Mississippi has some nice paved beach paths. Dogs and children are well heeled (almost non existent anyway) because the paths parallel busy highways. Actually, almost no one uses the paths for fitness. Again, weekdays are deserted. There are also two large bridges along the way with wide pedestrian walkways. Zero dogs and kids because the bridges are about 2 miles long with a huge hump near the center.

So YES!...I can be happy on a bike or skates. Thanks for asking!

genec

You folks having a difficult time negotiating with slower "traffic" on the MUP sound just like motorists complaining about cyclists.

Consider that perspective for a moment, and how YOU want to be treated when sharing the roadway... then extend that desired courtesy to other users of the MUP.

79pmooney

True. Now if only this woman was blocking a path, not just minding her own business on a sideWALK. I walk sidewalks without looking for overtaking bikes.

Ben

JoeyBike

I pay close attention to my surroundings no matter what I am doing. Like a gazelle on the Serengeti. I look over my shoulder about every 15-30 seconds walking on sidewalks. I look in my rear-view mirror once every 5-15 seconds while cycling on roadways or bike paths. I never change my line of travel without a look over my shoulder or into a mirror. Never. It's the safe and polite way to live. And I have never been startled by someone overtaking me in any of those places. I even look over my shoulder cutting my lawn before I change my line. Every time.

livedarklions

Great, so either just ride there or get over yourself and call your passes on populated paths without hostility like a considerate human should.