am I allowed my lane on the bike path?

[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.

[Bron]

Today I sortof waved two people over (with a nod of my head) who were riding side by side, coming against me, so I did not have to slow down, and reaped a "whoa" from them -

so question: am I allowed my lane in the bike path?

Hmm, I would hope so but how does Swiss law differ from German law? Over here bike paths are one way unless specifically signposted otherwise and then they usually have a little dividing line like on the road.
Of course, a lot of people ignore the rule which is a pain in the neck.

[Irulan]

From Best of Craig's List. If you are easily offended skip this post.

RANT: Minuteman Trail: People Who Suck
Date: 2005-04-26, 8:26AM EDT


I know this is a rant but whatever, I put it in the rant section also. Every once in a while I take an easy ride on the Minuteman bike path. By the time I am done I swear never again. A month later I don’t want to go to the fells and repeat the same mistake again. I know the bike path is for everyone but HOLY **** there are some really annoying people on it.

1) Two-A-Breasters: There is a reason the bike path has a yellow line. You *** wipes ride (or walk) side by side and hog the whole thing. Get with the program! The only good thing about you are your screams of fright as I blow by you without warning.

2) Queer-Eye-For-The-Biker-Guy: I realize that it is possible to buy an entire suit made from Spandex. It is also possible to beat off with a cheese grater, that doesn’t necessarily make it a good idea. If you were you going fast enough to make wind resistance an issue I might be more understanding but you are usually granny-gearing it as you swerve around trying to adjust your $200 sunglasses. Spend less time buying expensive crap and more time riding.

3) Slow-And-Lowers: Do you know that you can adjust your bike seat so that you don’t look like a bear riding a mini-bike at the circus? Take the 30 goddamn seconds to raise the freakin’ seat. Your back will thank you and you’ll be able to break 12 miles per hour with out blowing out a knee cap.

4) Sky-Bar-Enders: Bar ends ARE NOT for getting your hand six inches above the handle bars. They should not be pointing straight up in the goddamn air! If you don’t know exactly why you would want bar ends then YOU DON’T NEED THEM. They are not a convenient resting place for your chubby hands. They are for getting your weight forward during a STEEP TECHNICAL CLIMB. I hope impale yourself on them after you hit a tree because you couldn’t reach the brake lever in time.

5) Richie-****: Yah you, the guy with the $3000 full suspension big hit bike poking along the bike trail. The biggest hit you have ever taken was when you got butt raped by the guy who sold you that bike. YOU SUCK! You are the same dumbass who buys a Hummer so you can gun it when you roll over some construction on Mass Ave. You buy a sweet bike and then ride it on freakin’ pavement. I know you have never hit the trail cause’ there is NO DIRT on the thing. Not a spek. Plus you look like a *****. Either take it off pavement or give it to someone who will.

6) On-Your-Late: Ok there is absolutely nothing wrong with a well timed “On your left” but here is the thing. The whole point of saying it is to warn the rider in front of you that you will soon pass them. Not that you are already next to them on their left side! If your bike is next to mine, IT’S TOO FREAKIN LATE. If we were going to collide we would have. You screaming “On your left” in my ear at that point will only increase the chances of me making an error and crashing into you. Just pass you re-tred.

7) The HFS (Huge ****ing Stroller): HOLY ****! Are you running a cloning lab? If your stroller needs a brake it’s too damn big. Take your kids to the playground and play some tag or something. Jesus, there are bikes flying by at 30 miles per hour. If one hits you your kid will ****ing die. I know you think the world will stop for you and your precious little angels but get a clue. Three words “Severe Head Trauma”.

8) Woof-Woof-Splat: Keep your dog on a leash you ***. First of all it’s the ****ING LAW. Second of all your dog is dumb. So dumb in fact, that it will run in front of my bike to eat some piece of **** left by another jackass dog walker. I WILL hit your dog. I will not get killed or hurt somebody else trying to swerve around Fido. I almost died last year trying to avoid an unleashed dog and will not repeat the mistake. I love dogs but I like my unbroken bones better. Take responsibility for your pet.

9) Roller Bladers: You all suck ***, flailing your arms wildly as you coast along on you roller skates. YES they are roller skates and thus, quite lame. I don’t care if the wheels are “inline”. You jackasses suck so hard I have to break you down into sub-categories of suck.

9.A) Newbi-Tard: You people are ridiculous. You are all decked out in helmets and pads. You mostly look terrified as your (usually fat) *** careens down the very slight grade of the trail. Here is a hint. If you don’t know how to STOP then it probably isn’t safe for you or anyone else for you to be on the path. I swear one of you is gonna fall in front of me and get an imprint of my front sprocket on your fat thighs.

9.B) Pack Of Newbi-Tards: See above but clustered together, literally hanging onto each other for protection. You are worse than the individuals. You take up the WHOLE TRAIL so nobody can pass. Heed the dirty looks you get and go find a freaking parking lot. I hope to kick one of you as I ride by and watch as you all fall over in a flabby whimpering heap.

9.C) Hot Chicks With Skimpy Outfits: The only reason you suck is because you are fully clothed and make me slow down to check you out. Other than that you rock.

9.D) Super Sweet Doooods: You guys are sooo ****ing gay it’s not even funny. You think you are awesome as you take up the whole trail gliding back and forth in super sweet slow motion. I dream of you flying off the trail and getting wrapped around a tree.

People Of Mention:
Having been on the path more than a few times I have come to recognize a select few people who require special attention.

The kid who shot me with a plastic BB gun: I saw you hiding behind the bush well before you shot me. You were lucky I was going fast when the yellow BB hit my chest and thus had to slow down a little before leaping off my bike and chasing you as far as your back yard. You were scared shitless which is good because you could kill someone doing that ****. If I ever see you again you won’t be so lucky.

The 35 people who rode by me pretending I didn’t exist as I asked for a spare tube or a patch kit after blowing both of my spare tubes: You all suck ***. A very nice lady eventually stopped and gave me a patch. I know I was covered in mud but come on people. I always stop and ask people if they need help, common freaking courtesy.

The Decked Out Intense Midget Woman: OK you are not actually a midget but you do look very small. Or perhaps you look small in comparison to the mounds of crap attached to your mountain bike which is too big for you and I am sure has never left the pavement. Not only do you fall into categories 2, 4, 5 and 6. You were also one of the 35 jerks who didn’t help me. In fact you looked me in the eye and didn’t even slow down. I KNOW you have every sort of tool and tube imaginable packed away in your various slings and packs yet you rode by as if I were invisible. You look like a goddamn scuba diver with your neoprene outfit and mirrors sticking off of every available part of your bike. I see you on Mass Ave. from time to time in the morning on my way to work. You look retarded. And why do you hang a huge plastic bag from your bar ends?!?!?! It looks like your gear makes you waterproof to the depth of at least 15 meters. What are the bags doing? Worst of all YOU ARE SLOW!!!!! God you are slow. Jettison some of your useless **** and maybe I won’t blow by you 4 times in one ride.

Tubby Guy On The Tiny Road Bike: I’ve only seen you a few times. Once I passed you through an intersection not knowing that this would enrage you so much that you would be forced to almost hit me as you sprinted past me sneering. I must say I was impressed, you hauled *** dude. I’m guessing you didn’t keep it up very long tho. If I hadn’t been on the tail end of a five hour ride I would have raced.

Gay Guys On The Tandem Bike: I am assuming that you are gay simply because I don’t know any straight guys who would go in 50/50 on a bright yellow tandem Cannondale and then ride it regularly in spandex forgive me if I am wrong. I haven’t seen you guys in a year or so. You were my arch rivals. Holy crap you were fast. One time I kept up with you (on the downhill) for a few minutes and almost died. I swear you would slow down until I got close and then take off again. I salute you, you bright yellow bastards. Oh and good call making the one eyed guy ride in back.

People Who Rock: Yes there are some people who rock! I’m not a total *******.

Hard core road bikers: Holy crap you guys (and gals) are fast as hell, keep it up.
Mountain Unicyclers: I’ve seen you in the fells and there is only one word for you BADASS!!!!!!!!
Messengers/Anyone on a fixed gear with no brakes: You know it but I’ll say it anyway. Elite.
Trials Riders: I wish I had skills like that.
Little Kids with Big Helmets: You rock, two thumbs up!

See you on the Minuteman!!!!

[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...

[PscyclePath]

The 35 people who rode by me pretending I didn’t exist as I asked for a spare tube or a patch kit after blowing both of my spare tubes: You all suck ***. A very nice lady eventually stopped and gave me a patch. I know I was covered in mud but come on people. I always stop and ask people if they need help, common freaking courtesy.

The Decked Out Intense Midget Woman: OK you are not actually a midget but you do look very small. Or perhaps you look small in comparison to the mounds of crap attached to your mountain bike which is too big for you and I am sure has never left the pavement. Not only do you fall into categories 2, 4, 5 and 6. You were also one of the 35 jerks who didn’t help me.

I'll bet a cold Coke that all those folks who passed him up probably knew this wanker, or at least read his blog or whatever.

What goes around, comes around, d00d...

[alpinerabbit]

I can totally feel for the guy. And I'll take the cold coke. yeah baby.

[Fujichants]

I hate it when paths are clearly marked as 'bike path only' yet people see it as a multi-use path and then give you dirty looks or won't move out of the way when they see you coming on your road bike.

And yes, I do believe you are entitled to your own lane, especially if there is a yellow line down the middle of it. Luckily everybody i've encountered always moves into a single file, and I do the same.

And wow...that guy from the Craigslist post...what an a**! Its people like him that give us all a bad name!

[aicabsolut]

I hate it when paths are clearly marked as 'bike path only' yet people see it as a multi-use path and then give you dirty looks or won't move out of the way when they see you coming on your road bike.

And yes, I do believe you are entitled to your own lane, especially if there is a yellow line down the middle of it. Luckily everybody i've encountered always moves into a single file, and I do the same.

And wow...that guy from the Craigslist post...what an a**! Its people like him that give us all a bad name!

Haha. Yeah, no, even with the yellow line, you do not get your own lane, really. Depending on traffic, people will be passing. People will be all over the place... especially when it's a MUP (as I assume yours is with the joggers)--and by this I mean a de facto MUP, regardless of signs. Around here, there are some "bike lanes," supposedly bikes only. Motorists yell at me all the time for being on the road traveling at 20+mph. The reality is that the "bike lane" in more crowded areas is really a multi-use path. Out in the boonies, I can use it, but not in town, which is of course where most of the motor vehicle traffic is too. A true path with it's own dotted line and whatnot is still to be a bike at your own risk kind of adventure. Pedestrians will almost always take the right of way. They will be wearing iPods. They will be clueless. They will go the wrong way. I find that those who exercise the most alongside the bike commuters tend to have the biggest clue, from habit. I still make no assumptions, and I just resign myself to going maybe 15mph on a moderately crowded section of a wide 2-lane path, with frequent braking and yelling of "on your left!"

Hmm, I would hope so but how does Swiss law differ from German law? Over here bike paths are one way unless specifically signposted otherwise and then they usually have a little dividing line like on the road.
Of course, a lot of people ignore the rule which is a pain in the neck.

Munich is in its own world with bike lanes. There, pedestrians know that if they're in the lane and not on the sidewalk, they WILL get run over by a bike. Plus, bikes get their own traffic signals. I have not encountered this anywhere else in the world.

[OakLeaf]

I just resign myself to going maybe 15mph on a moderately crowded section of a wide 2-lane path, with frequent braking and yelling of "on your left!"

Ha! 15 when it's moderately crowded? Forget about it. I'm constantly braking for oblivious people when I'm trying to go 12 mph on the hybrid. You ring the bell, they ignore you; you honk the very loud horn, they still ignore you; you holler "On your left!" at the top of your voice, and either they ignore you or they move to their left.

[Fujichants]

Actually, in Holland, cyclists have the right of way in every sense. They rule the road over there!

[aicabsolut]

Ha! 15 when it's moderately crowded? Forget about it. I'm constantly braking for oblivious people when I'm trying to go 12 mph on the hybrid. You ring the bell, they ignore you; you honk the very loud horn, they still ignore you; you holler "On your left!" at the top of your voice, and either they ignore you or they move to their left.

I meant as top speed . I get down to a crawl sometimes. I had to ride a trail for a while yesterday as the usual evening spot was flooded. I wish I had an air horn.

[Bron]

Munich is in its own world with bike lanes. There, pedestrians know that if they're in the lane and not on the sidewalk, they WILL get run over by a bike. Plus, bikes get their own traffic signals. I have not encountered this anywhere else in the world.

You are so right and I wish people would appreciate this and play by the rules. The numer of cyclists who still go the wrong way or blast through the stop lights (it's a red light in the shape of a bike, who do they think it's meant for??????). And then there are always the tourists who haven't learnt about the bike lanes yet.......

On the whole though we are very lucky here and it definately beats my commute when I lived in Manchester.

[RoadRaven]

Actually, in Holland, cyclists have the right of way in every sense. They rule the road over there!

How do we develop this culture in car-driven (literally) countires....

I wish there was an easy way!