am I allowed my lane on the bike path?

[OakLeaf]

Great tips Tom.

I'd add another one: NO iPODS and NO PHONES (for anyone using the paths)!!! In close quarters where people depend on audible warnings - and where posted rules may require audible warnings - the person being warned should at least have the courtesy not to drown out the warning.

But to answer rabbit's question: yes, it was them and not you who was being rude. In similar situations (and since I rarely take the road bike onto the trail, so I'm normally on the hybrid), rather than slow down, I'll very conspicuously veer into the grass, so they'll know they ran me off the road. Not that they probably care.

[northstar]

I would say, of course you're allowed your lane...

...but don't expect it to be given to you.

That's why I don't ride many of the paths anymore. I get too ticked off by the lack of common courtesy.

[pll]

That's why I don't ride many of the paths anymore. I get too ticked off by the lack of common courtesy.

Common courtesy and common sense should be protected species.

[Geonz]

The 15 or so of us on our Saturday Saunter were taking the MUS out of town and I was in front... so I pretty-close-to-literally brayed at the headphone-laden jogger as we approached (since we were already making a fair amount of noise and had called out "jogger up!" ... and I had this horrible laryngitis so I sounded rather donkeyesque anyway)... and she jumped and got out of the way and gave us a thumbs up and a smile...
... but I thought... gosh and golly, lady, you think that's what people should *have* to do to get your attention?
I kinda like doing both road and path on this route since it's educational. My beginner level riders can see the advantages and disadvantages to the path... and then for most of the ride we're on the roads, anyway.

[sundial]

I would say, of course you're allowed your lane...

...but don't expect it to be given to you.

That's why I don't ride many of the paths anymore. I get too ticked off by the lack of common courtesy.

Yeah, I feel this way about shoppers in Wally World. They hog the middle of the aisle with their cart and don't give one hooey about others. Oh, and the dawdlers who take their time walking as a group down the middle of the street as you are patiently waiting to pull into a parking place.

[crazybikinchic]

The one that gets me is the parent that knows you are in front/behind them, and yet allow their children to STOP in the middle of the path. I don't ride on paths anymore, but I do run on them and this irritates the fire out of me. Then there are the parents that allow their children to come running in front of me to look at my dog. Don't get me started.

[hermitclub]

I'm on the rail trail one Saturday last summer. There is a woman and man coming toward me on bikes, two a-breast. The man tells the woman that she should fall in to give me some room to ride. Her response is "but I was here first!"

Classic.

[alpinerabbit]

ROFL...


love the avatar, Hermit!

[dachshund]

I have a love-hate thing with the local multi-use path. I guess I could look at it as an opportunity to do intervals - speed as fast as I can, because soon I'll have to Stop! for someone.

Yesterday I was pinging away on my bell because runner-dude up ahead was smack in the middle of the path, not responding to the racket I was trying to make. Then he veered to the left side. Uh... I have to pass him on the right? As I got closer I realized he was plugged into an ipod. I slowly passed him on the left. That's when he decided to spit!!!! He missed me, but I rode off muttering.

I really have to get over my fear of traffic...