Tailgated by other cyclist!!

[rapid cycler]

I've often wondered why there isn't a line down the middle of paved paths just l;ike on the road. At least if someone isn't in their lane they would be at fault.

Oh, my local MUT has lines dividing the path into directional lanes, not to mention the helpful "Bike Lane" legend painted every 20 feet or so.

Lisa S.H.: "It's up to us to ride in such a way as to avoid hazardous encounters. That might mean riding extremely slowly, avoiding such multi-use paths during crowded hours, or even avoiding them altogether."

*pout* We can't have anything nice. *kicks ground petulantly*



Seriously, I know that we're always making choices based on the pros and cons of MUTs and the road—each have their disagreeable and downright dangerous issues—but whichever we choose, I don't think there's anything wrong with a little good-natured ranting about each.

In that spirit, I went for a quick ride after work last night, trying to get an hour in before the sun set. To avoid rush-hour traffic hell, I stuck to a lovely bike path the city thoughtfully added when it built a dedicated rapid bus corridor traversing the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. Not only does it allow for crossing the breadth of the SFV (about 20 miles from one end to the other) free of vehicular competition, it allows for doing so in relatively fresh air—the metroliner rapid buses are all clean-fuel rigs.

I was admittedly booking since I was racing against nightfall, but there weren't many peds or kids to speak of, so no harm. Then I came up on a knot of people who were chatting while blocking both lanes. I slowed a bit, thinking they'd soon notice me coming since it hadn't gotten dark yet and they were, after all, facing me, but when there wasn't any movement I gamely said "coming through" (maybe "permission to pass" would be more accurate to the situation?). Still no movement. I issued an "excuse me" as I got closer, and they still stood their ground, with one of them making and maintaining eye contact with me, as if we were engaged in some war of wills I didn't know I'd signed up for. I had slowed to such a crawl that I was going to have to unclip when other members of the cabal finally saw me and parted like bowling pins. "Thanks," I said, still friendly, as I turned the crank to regain momentum, and that's when Mr. Defiant Eye Contact lunged back into my path saying, "Go ahead and hit me. I want to die!" I managed to spit out "I don't!" as I lurched between him and his friends.

It reminded me of the yahoo-y behavior of pro cycling "fans" who crowd and crane into the route and try to run alongside and touch the riders. I can't imagine what it would be like to negotiate that level of idiocy on a regular basis!

As for bells, I used to rely on the noise of my freewheel to help announce my presence, but my new bike is just too darn quiet.

[Zen]

...Mr. Defiant Eye Contact lunged back into my path saying, "Go ahead and hit me. I want to die!" ...

Given such an opportunity for retort, I doubt I could have been so civil.

[mimitabby]

As for bells, I used to rely on the noise of my freewheel to help announce my presence, but my new bike is just too darn quiet.

did you switch from Campy to Shimano? I love my freewheel noise. It is so cool
and it brings back memories from the deep dark past of other bikes that did this.

[rapid cycler]

did you switch from Campy to Shimano? I love my freewheel noise. It is so cool
and it brings back memories from the deep dark past of other bikes that did this.

Freewheel noise is cool. Maybe I'll clothespin some playing cards in my spokes? That would definitely help to announce my approach!

Nope, my new bike has an Ultegra drivetrain, just as my last, though now it's 10-speed instead of 9. It may be all in my head (which is crowded enough as it is, thanks), but my 10-speed group seems quite a bit smoother than my 9. Then again, comparing a spanky-new drivetrain to one with thousands of miles in its wake unfairly stacks the deck (hey, there are those playing cards again).

[onimity]

Interesting thread.

Here our most crowded multi-use paths are divided into multiple lanes, a bike lane in either direction and a lane for pedestrians, etc. Most people stay in the correct lanes and it helps a lot. Plus, the passing protocol seems a bit easier for everyone to understand.

It seems that there are a couple of issues in this thread, first the issue of 'road rage,' whether on the road or not. That's a tough issue, in many ways. When people behave rudely or in dangerous ways it is easy to get frustrated, and that frustration, while natural, rarely contributes to our safety or that of others. It's especially frustrating to keep your cool when someone else does something wrong and gets angry at you.

So, to be clear, Jenn, it sounds like the guy you encountered was a real jerk and a dangerous one at that. It is a shame that there is no really good way for dealing with dangerous cyclists. That said, in general there are a few things that I try to keep in mind on multi-use trails.

First, at least here the rule is that bikes yield to everyone else. I try to follow the general rule on the road as well, where you are at fault if you hit someone from behind. When I find myself thinking about how frustrated I am when I am trying to go fast and someone is blocking my path, I think of all of the drivers that scare me when I'm riding on the road and then those (the majority) that do show me courtesy and watch out for my safety. It's funny, but I find myself taking on more of a car driver mentality when I am on my bike on paths...maybe it's something about being the fastest/most powerful vehicle. But I try to fight that feeling.

Second, good trail etiquette. I always make sure that I let people know that I am coming well in advance. Many people will stop and turn, even block your path inadvertently if you yell 'on your right/left' and you have to expect that. And hope that they learn. I always thank people for getting out of my way, that never hurts.

Third, while drivers have varying skills and experience on the road, the same is true to a much larger degree on trails. Kids, as several people have mentioned. I *love* seeing kids out on their bikes, but they do scare me when I am flying down a hill and come up on a trailfull of them. They can be a lot harder to see until you are close. I figure, though, that it is a good opportunity to teach kids the rules of the trail and use the same 'on your left' that I would with adults, and of course always compliment them on their cool bikes.

I had a Taekwon-Do instructor years ago who had a philosophy that we are all responsible for the things that happen to us. He illustrated this with the story of the time he was hit on his bicycle and thrown across an intersection by a drunk driver that made an illegal turn. 'It was my fault,' he said. I was a little dumbfounded at that, but he brought out some good points: he could have been more attentive, he could have been more visible, etc. And maybe it wouldn't have changed the outcome, but I thought it was a remarkably positive way of looking at ways to avoid being angry at things he couldn't change while finding ways that he might improve his own behavior by seeing his responsibility for his own safety.

Of course all that doesn't mean it isn't great to vent about the idiots we encounter. The other day, for example, I was crossing a bridge on a multi-use path by my house. It is a large log bridge on the path that is tall enough that you can't see the ground on the other side but bumpy and steep enough that you have to come at it with a good amount of speed to get across it. So I came flying up over the bridge like I do every morning only to see a woman crouched down at the other end of the bridge trying to untangle her two dogs, headed in opposite directions, whose massively long leashes blocked the entire bridge. I hit my brakes hard to avoid hitting her or one of the dogs, stopped almost instantaneously but toppled into the rail when I couldn't unclip in time. I was scared. She was scared. She yelled 'watch it!' angrily. Since I was already stopped I took the time to explain to her that I had of course looked but since she was crouched down I couldn't see her or the dogs blocking the *entire* path until I was on top of the bridge and a few feet from her. But of course it wouldn't have been a problem if I'd been going more slowly, either, even if that meant walking my bike across the bridge, which I now do.

IMO, multi-use trails can be a fantastic place to ride and train but as cyclists we should be as courteous to others as we would like cars to be to us on the road.

My two cents.

Anne

[Dr. Liz]

Most of the MUTs around here are steeper than the roads, so I generally avoid them, as the roads are steep enough! A couple of weeks ago one of our riding buddies took us on one of the local MUTs as a 'recovery ride' and I needed another day to recover from my recovery ride! So now, I stick to the roads!