an unfortunate incident

[lph]

It's quite strange, but some people seem to get upset at the sheer speed of a bike. No matter how wide a berth you give them, no matter how early they see you coming, no matter that you slow down the second you see them and maybe pass them at a joggers pace - the fact that you at some point were moving a lot faster than they were truly upsets/provokes/frightens some people. And if you happen to wearing tightfitting lycra you're pretty much the devil incarnate.

I see it all the time on this one gravel road I ride in the woods. It's HUGE and completely straight, you could drive a logging truck down the one side and nary bother the walkers on the other side, but bike riders riding at an average training pace still get black looks from a certain segment of those walkers. As they pass with 10 feet to spare.

[Flybye]

Too bad someone doesn't invent a James Bond-like retractable leash cutter for bikes that can razor-cut a leash as we ride through it.

Hey, I think I just might have to agree with you on something for once

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Hey, I think I just might have to agree with you on something for once

Maybe it's best you don't- you wouldn't want it to become a bad habit.

[SouthernBelle]

Interestingly, dogs are not allowed on our local paths. At all.

I'll be riding some of the greenways in Nashville this weekend, but I'm not sure about the rules there. If I see them posted, I'll check.

[Tuckervill]

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

[Iris616]

I'm sorry that happened to you. I agree with others that there probably isn't much you could've said in the moment that would've got through to the man. I don't have much skill at being witty or well spoken during an adrenalin rush.

Last month, I had an experience with an irresponsible dog owner. For 3 days in a row, I saw him "walking" his dog off leash (huge pet peave of mine). He had no control of the dog, who was running across every ones yards, doing his business every where. On the 3rd day his dog came after mine.
So,I said to him "your dog belongs on a leash at all times"
Him:"He most certainly does not. He is a creature of God and should be free"
Me:"It's the LAW!"
Him: Turned around and gave me the finger.
Man watching the whole thing from his driveway: "That's a godly response."

Just goes to show, that you can't always have a reasonable conversation with some people.

[PscyclePath]

I'm glad you're ok but I'm afraid the best argument-even a copy of the Rules Of The MUT- wouldn't persuade this guy.
From your description of the incident he sounds like the type of person who is always right and the world should revolve around him.

Might have been time to pretend he's Superman and let him have a little dose of Kryptonite...

[lph]

Him:"He most certainly does not. He is a creature of God and should be free"

well that sure is a novel way of being holier than thou

[divingbiker]

Him:"He most certainly does not. He is a creature of God and should be free"

I wonder what he thinks of zoos.

[Flur]

Retractable leashes are only as good as the people using them. Properly used, they're fine.

+1. There are no bad leashes, only bad owners.

We use our retractable leash to walk our mini dachshund on the MUT at the lake by our house. He gets excited by people and wants to run up to everyone to get petted (he knows he's cute!), so when the path is narrow I can retract it to it's lowest setting (2.5 feet approx.) and keep him close. When the path is wider I can set it at a normal leash length (4-6 feet), and when we get to a clearing we can pull off and romp in the grass with a longer leash. And all this without losing blood flow to my hand like I would with a regular leash wrapped around it. This leash is a godsend pretty much everywhere (not just the MUT) b/c 4-6 feet can be too much for such a little dog in tight areas, but in more open areas w/o people or dogs around we can give him the full 16 feet and let him run a bit (we don't have a yard so this is great for him).

That said, in MN most paths are divided into pedestrian only and bike/skate. Usually they are separate paths that run parallel to each other with grass in between, and the bike/skate paths almost always are either one way, or two paths parallel, each one way, or one path with marked lanes, and they're all marked with pictures of bikes and the direction arrows. So when I say I walk him on a MUT, it's the pedestrian/stroller/dog walker/jogger path next to the bike/skate path.

[Pedal Wench]

So, here's a question. On one of my routes, to avoid traffic, I take a short cut on a short path for "pedestrian traffic only". I'm careful and no one has ever had an issue...but if someone did, isn't it true that a bicycle is "pedestrian"???? Government statistics for bikes are for "pedalcycles"

Mr. Silver, sorry, but under the law, bicycles are considered vehicles, NOT pedestrians. We have to follow the same rules that cars do, and give right of way to pedestrians.

[Grog]

Cyclists are definitely not pedestrians, at least they can't be both at the same time.

In North Vancouver along the water there is a walking, paved walking path that is reserved to pedestrians. The people there (a lot of retirees) will almost push a cyclist in the water if they see one! I discovered that one day when I took a wrong turn looking for the bike route (which is a designated street), and ended up on the promenade. For a few meters there was nobody and then a flurry of retirees doing their morning walk came around the next bend screaming at me that I had no business there on my bike. I kept apologizing and saying "Sorry I am lost!!" as I looked for the nearest exit, which thankfully came less than 500 meters later. Needless to say, I never went there again.

I'm sorry about your incident. I'm sure you did the right thing by rolling away... Hopefully you can find safer places to ride. In the meantime, perhaps ringing your bell before entering a blind corner?

[mimitabby]

I re-read what you said, and you said the right thing. The guy was full of it and he's lucky his dog wasn't hurt. what an idiot!

The last time I was in an altercation like that (actually woman and dog, both of us aiming for the curb cut and nearly having a head on collision ) I was only able to emit nonsense. kind of like "Ahhhh!!" "arrgggh!!!" "bwwwwaaaH!"
while she told me off.
so at least you were coherent!!

[fastdogs]

I hate retractable leashes too. Used properly, probably they are ok, but I'd venture to say MOST people using them do not seem to realize the length can be locked. They assume everyone wants to greet their dog and everyone else's dog wants to play with it.
I usually walk multiple dogs at a time, 2 to 4, and I don't want any other dogs coming up to them, it makes for tangled leashes and not much time to react if the other dog is aggressive. So I usually carry a 5 foot sjambok (long flexible stick) and keep other dogs at a distance.
The other owner usually says things like "he just wants to play" or "he's never done that before". I just tell them to please get control of their dog, and will whack the ground hard in the direction of the dog to let the owner and the dog know I'll use the stick if the dog gets close enough. I go to areas requiring leashes in hopes that I'll be able to walk the dogs in peace, but some people think the rules don't apply to them.
The owner probably knew he didn't reel in his dog quickly enough, and took it out on you. I'd probably have done the same thing- I can never think of the really good things to say until after the fact, then I brood over it all the way home, what I should have said.
vickie

[fastdogs]

I meant, not that I would have done the same thing as the stupid dog owner, but that I would have reacted like you did.
vickie