Dafydd17 wrote:iandusud wrote:I regularly use cycle path that is shared with pedestrians and as such I moderate my speed and always give way to pedestrians.
Ian
If you are not quite in a minority of one, you are most certainly in the minority. It's unfortunate that the black looks you are getting from pedestrians are probably due to the previous cyclists who have
whizzed by them at silly speeds, often from behind, with no warning whatsoever, thus scaring the daylights out of them. Please don't tell me this doesn't happen, I have seen this from both sides, and have now got to the point that I'm reluctant to take my dogs for a walk on my local path, which is shared use, with signage asking cyclists to give way to pedestrians. Some do, but one never knows if an approaching cyclist is one or not. A simple "Hello" to let me know they are there, and give me a chance to get out of the way, is all that's needed, but that's too hard, it seems. OK, rant over.
What is 'whizzing' and what is 'silly speeds'? Do you expect people on bikes to slow down to less than jogging speed and move onto the road instea dof passing within a metre or so, often greater than received by motorists at three and four times the speed? Pedestrians are no more vulnerable than people on bikes, whilst you can/should take caution for pedestrians who cannot see you, being disgruntled because a cyclist came past you at a reasonable distance given the harm posed at 2-3 times LESS than the posted speed limit for motorvehicles just 3-4 feet away is ludicrous.
Pedestrians over react far too often, they get a bee in their bonnet over nothing, you always hear, 'nearly hit me', funny how that's a very common theme and government stats prove that peds put themselves in danger and do not take care when it comes to collisions with pedestrians, 50% worse when it comes to deaths. So the evidence shows us it's not cyclists not taking care but pedestrians, that's even through the eyes of those wanting more laws and wanting to punish people on bikes greater than they already are.
Let's not start down the route of using subjective language like 'whizzing' and 'silly speeds' when they are meaningless, particularly when the facts show us pedestrians take less care than people on bikes for their safety despite the similarities in vulnerability.
My advice to the OP, avoid Royal Parks, they are nothing short of an anti cycling playground with those policing it simply there to penalise rather than try to modify behaviour through advice and despite no actual threat being posed. Unlike the way police behave when it comes to actual life-threatening behaviour. Typical double standards.