Devil's advocate. I had two Jack Russells and used retractable leashes when I walked them (mostly in campground settings). I never allowed my kids to use them because they couldn't control the dogs the way I could. I paid attention to the stinkin' dogs! It was like a ballet, having those dogs on a leash. Retractable leashes are the only way I could walk those dogs. I never had any "incidents" with them, except for the time some stupid dog owner had their dog's leash attached to a FLIP FLOP and thought that would hold the dog down and their dog attacked mine!

Yeah, yeah, training and all that. Those dogs are gone and I have more sane dogs, now. Retractable leashes are only as good as the people using them. Properly used, they're fine.

Also, from a pedestrian's viewpoint on a gravel road, every car is fast--and has the potential to throw rocks at almost any speed. Also, the dust that is thrown up is terrible. Bikes throw rocks in gravel, too. The pedestrian only knows this, and doesn't know if the driver/cyclist is paying attention enough to stop in time, or if she is taking the pedestrian into account. It's a vulnerable feeling walking down a road when a big noisy thing comes along. I experience this myself, and it's an instinctual feeling, that vulnerability.

Karen