Cycling UK Forum

This pic any help?

http://www.alun-armstrong.net/images/nt ... -large.jpg

I may give a different type bell a try - I chose a single ding one as I thought it would seem less aggressive

I have an Airzound but that may be going too far the other way

When I use my bell on a shared use path I will more often than not get one of the following results:
a) They will completely ignore it
b) They will randomly jump sideways without looking (often into my path)
c) They will give me some abuse (or at least sarcastic response) for ringing a bell at them
d) They will cause their dog to run into my path

BTW - I don't find saying "excuse me" gives much of a different response

One thing I noticed in the Japanese video is that people seem to know to move to the left when they hear a bell, in this country there is no such standard so people don't know what to do when they hear a bell and cyclists have no idea what to expect?

I have two mirrors on my bike and find them very handy for seeing what the vehicle behind is up to etc.
BUT if you do have a mirror it is vital that you never let yourself start relying on it (i.e. not looking behind when turning etc.) as there will always be a blind spot which will eventually catch you out otherwise

Sorry if this is already common knowledge, but I have just seen this and it seems to me like a good idea. Maybe not the cycle lane?, but projecting something on the road would get you noticed.

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/02/lightlanes-lase/

It basically uses a laser/hologram to project an image on the road behind you

IrishBill76 wrote:This isn't rocket-science.

I agree, but for some reason we don't seem to be able to do it (not round here anyway)

People will walk/cycle either side of the path and swap at any moment without signalling or looking
cyclists come at you round a blind corner on the wrong side of the "road" and get annoyed you are in their way
if you ring your bell people will often then just swap sides without looking and so block your path, if you don't ring your bell you can get a mouth full when you pass
dog walkers will be the opposite side to their dog and then call it to them when you are passing
a couple will split up and move to opposite sides of the path to let you through resulting in there is not enough room to cycle between them
- as I say, anarchy

Geriatrix wrote:There are examples outside of the UK where pedestrians and cyclists (legally) share the same space surprisingly well. I recently returned from a Munich visit and was quite surprised to find lots of cyclists belting down shared paths along the Isa River at speeds around 20mph or more. Perhaps there is greater acceptance because most pedestrians are cyclists as well and are also more conditioned to look out for cyclists, I don't know.

Do people tend to stick to one side of the path when walking etc.?
i.e. is the problem here mainly that people are just walking and riding without any kind of rules to follow and so we just constantly get in each others path.....

As I have been saying, the main problem with shared paths here seems to be that it is just total anarchy with everyone just doing their own thing
e.g. on another thread we couldn't even agree that cyclists when on a canal towpath should keep to the left when passing others !

BTW - I suspect the paths in Munich are much better designed than ours which is also going to help ?

BTW - I am speaking as both a cyclist and a walker, whichever I am doing I often find the other irritating

The problem is that if it is going to be a combines cycle and foot path then it can't be ideal at either and we have to somehow find a way to exist together with the least stress?

Where there are shared paths then I think there will always be conflict as the two activities are not really compatible.

The problem when cycling is that pedestrians will often block the whole path and take an age to make space (if they have a dog they will often fail to manage to make space even after this age).

When walking it is a constant irritation being expected to keep a lookout for cyclists coming and have to keep getting out their way

The result is everyone is unhappy......


I think if we had some kind of highway code for shared paths that everyone used (both for cyclist and pedestrians) with things like keep to the left of the path, don't take up both "lanes", keep dog under tight control etc. etc
this is the only hope of keeping things civil on the paths.

I would consider having a try at seeing if you can repair it
I did so on one a while back and they are not as difficult to work on as you might imagine.
http://sheldonbrown.com/sturmey-archer/aw.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/sturmey-archer_3-spd.html
http://hadland.wordpress.com/2012/07/02 ... cher-hubs/

here is some info. I found on converting to fixed
http://sheldonbrown.com/awfixed.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmMoIGMY6dM

lots more info here: http://hadland.wordpress.com/

having the relevant parts of the highway code printed on small cards and presenting this to the driver would be good - I must get round to making myself some...
btw - there is probably a market on eBay for such an item (or even a sticker for the window)

or asking why they think the alleged crime of not being close to the kerb is one requiring the death penalty

I agree that reporting it to the employer is the best way to go (difficult with a white van though)


in my experience these drivers are just so enraged at the very idea that they might have to slow down for a bicycle that they will happily run you off the road rather than do so. As one car driver who had forced me out of the way with his car said "you were in the middle of the road, what else could I do".

I do not have a car, if a car is essential then what does this mean - what will become of me?

Well, actually I am on thin ice here as I do have a car, but I put it into storage a few years ago as I realised that the age of the car has now passed, there are just too many of them, it has got way out of hand - so I decided to stop using one but as I had spent so much time and effort building it I couldn't bring myself to sell it. I also sold my 3 motorbikes.
You just have to take a look at the road where you live, a few years ago it would have been a nice place with children playing etc. etc., now you are living in the middle of a vast car park.

There is a nice bit of grassed area outside where I live, but as I am sure you have guessed it is now just covered in peoples cars......
Just look at this picture of a back street where I grew up (I think this picture was taken in the early 50s?) and see how strange and alien this looks to us now - today you literally struggle to drive a car down this street as both sides are just a solid line of parked cars - how did we end up living like this?
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/alan.blackham/ctc/street.jpg


The car may be essential if they want to maintain doing what the car allows them to do, but it is not essential.

One thing I have found many times (and this is really dangerous) if you indicate the car behind will often speed up and try to overtake you (especially when you are trying to change lane position or change lane)
It is almost guaranteed that if you are changing lanes on a multi lane road you look round to check there is a gap, indicate and you will suddenly have a car next to you as they sped up to close the gap !
In fact I have even been over taken whilst I have my arm out on several occasions !!!

so the "life saver" is real must - not that you are in the wrong but never forget the car behind will often rather kill you than risk having to slow down for a cycle

BTW - welcome to the forum - you are no far from me (I am in Beeston but grew up in Stapleford)

Mick F wrote:Microwaves? Good for defrosting stuff, melting butter, heating baked beans. That's about it.

Don't forget porridge !
It is worth owning a microwave just to use it for porridge making


I have seen something on t.v. recently which showed what Yorkshire pudding was originally and it is nothing like what is made these days...
for starters it wasn't made in an oven. A roast joint was cooked on a spit by the open fire and a tray below which caught the fat from this roast is where the Yorkshire pudding was made.

I can confirm that a palm slap never fails to really upset a motorist.

but, I have recently purchase myself a Airzound air horn and I am finding this to be my best purchase in years.
You just give them a good blast with this and not only does it surprise the hell out of them and draw attention to their actions by everyone around, but you then feel you have had your revenge so you are not left feeling angry and frustrated
I also give it a blast when any car is parked on the cycle path etc. so I feel I have annoyed them as they annoyed me and again I am left feeling calm rather than angry......

BTW - I have always thought it would be great to make a device something like an inkjet printer head which if a car passes too close it can paint a message down the side of their car as it passes