People complained? Shit, when a lycra-ed and logo-ed wheelman does give a warning, I sing out with a pleased and encouraging “thank you”!
Yeah, I can see how losing your momentum would be a kind of first-world drag. Maybe get one of those air-horns people take to sports events, or use to scare bears. Or just raise your voice to a painful level.
Or bleed off a little speed when you see pedestrians up ahead.
Happy motoring!
Dan
Bicycles shouldn’t be going much above 10mph on a path shared with peds. Ride 30mph on dedicated bike-only routes or on roads where your speed better matches those of the competition.
On occasion, I’ve asked a phone solicitor “does your Mother know what you do for a living?”. Which will get me a snarled “fuck you!” followed by a hangup.
Dan
How about pedestrians don’t walk right in front of me without looking, and then call me a jerk?
I’m generally between 10 and about 15mph.
Where are these bike-only routes of which you speak?
That had that on the ChatGPT site! Why do I have to prove to a robot that I’m not a robot!?
They don’t want you training your robot against their robot.
Many will not admit that they may have made a wrong decision. Work or a bike path.
Instead they will point fingers at others.
The very best move is to say “I screwed up, I’ll fix it. I may need some help”.
Otherwise it’s not only going to bite you in the ass your screw up could affect others.
It’s very important to be able to admit that you where wrong. There are many that can’t do this.
Well, what can I say? You are moving several times faster than me, and here the trail is less than ten feet wide, so it’s easy for the pedestrian to just swivel one step and be in front of you. You’re the one with the speed, and if you’re coming up from behind, you’re the one who should apply more caution.
If this were a boating situation, the powerboat always gives way to the wind or muscle powered vessel.
And you have to “slam on the brakes”?
Dan
This wasn’t someone who swiveled a few inches on a skinny path. This was an idiot who saw a bright, shiny object on the left side of the path and took three steps toward it. You know that “look both ways before crossing a street” that most five-year-olds master? She didn’t.
I’ve been riding bikes for fifty years. I’ve done about 5,000 miles on the paths around Boston. I know how to do it safely. The woman who walked in front of me was wrong. And I would have just ridden on. She decided to be insulting.
I’ve seen plenty of bad behavior from cyclists. I know we’re not all angels. But we’re not always at fault, either.
Beer is bad for dogs, and not just when they’re driving home from the craft brewery.
You should stop by one of my favorite breweries, Leaning Cask. Dogs are welcome, people are generally tolerated. There is an outdoor courtyard area with dog dishes, tennis balls, etc. Dog Biscuits made from spent grains are available. We do a 5k human/dog fun run each month through the neighborhood. All of the beers have dog related names. My current favorites are Zoomies (an IPA) and Beagle Bitter (a bitter). They also have a cask beer usually, but it goes fast.
Leaning Cask is in Springdale. We drive 32 minutes to get there, but the vast majority of drinkers walk from Springdale/Cheswick/ and the surrounding communities.
If I am going to complain about breweries, it’ll be about how “kid friendly” they tend to be. I’m out drinking. If I run into my buddy Joe, who I haven’t seen in who knows how long, I might just drop an F bomb or two. Then someone with a 4 year old is going to give me the stink-eye, because I’m a potty mouth. Sure, they’re staggering around, but I’m the bad guy.
The local trail that I walk (usually with a dog or two) is specifically a “walking trail”. Bicycles are permitted, as are horses. Currently there is tension between walkers and bikers because the walkers feel bikes, especially ebikes, are going too fast. If there are any rule changes that result, they will involve bicycles being banned or their speed throttled. I’m on the board (a lifetime sustaining member) so I’ve been talking to others on the trail about this.
Their national surveillance system is actually called “SkyNet.”
I thought I recently heard that the Chinese under-counted their population by 100 million. Is their AI…um…sorry, can’t think of a P C way to phrase the question.
Dan
Excellent kayaker. I’m sadly away from home for another week or so. But I have one (of our two dogs). My Wife will be down (with our other dog) from the mountains to Denver this afternoon.
My Wife has been taking a dog into work for about 2 weeks. Everyone loves the dog. Usually, the dogs stay with me because I work from home now.
But I’m not at home.
Just as an personal anecdote from this poor pedestrian. Hearing “on your left” doesn’t work well for me. When I hear someone yell “something something Left” my automatic reflex is to move to the left (which is exactly what I shouldn’t do.) With practice I’m sure I could eventually get used to it, and since its convention I don’t recommend changing it, but I really wish that the conventional request was “Keep to the right!”
Yes, “on your left,” then a look over the left shoulder, which causes a step to the left, and instead of the Timewarp, you’re now that much closer to the oncoming bicycle. When I used to walk on the creek path here, I had to train myself to not look when I got the call out. Just keep going predictably.
And to the bicyclists. Calling out “on your left” as you pass is not helpful. I know you’re there, you’re actively passing me. Same as the people who honk at a backing car after it has already stopped because it sees them. A brief honk to let somebody know there is cross traffic they may not see is what the horn is for. Once the person sees you and stops, there is no need for a honk, they see, and have stopped backing up.
I’ve tried both and had people do the opposite of what I’d hoped in both cases. I’ve even had a pair pf walkers split up to either side of the trail. 
The best approach is to call out early (and loudly) enough so I can steer clear no matter what they do.
Bicycles are a great diversion in a dystopia thread, because they are an excellent form of post-collapse transportation.
But back to the “we’re living it now” dystopian aspect of this thread: climate change. Over all greenhouse gas emissions were at their highest point ever in 2021 (and probably even higher in 2022). The proverbial racing towards a cliff, and stepping on the gas.
When I hear :“…left!” I put out my left hand to show I’ve heard, and stop walking 'til the bike passes. I also say “Thank you!” to show that I appreciate thoughtfulness. I walked this morning and was able to save my breath three times.
I would keep to the right, but then that would put my back toward the majority of cyclists who also keep right. So I go with Mommy’s advice - “walk facing the oncoming traffic”.
Our trail here in the mountains is an old rail bed, so there is a decent grade which doesn’t exactly discourage speed.
Dan
My hearing is so bad that I do not hear it. My dog (Simi) hears it though, and part of our training involves teaching Simi that in situations where bikes or joggers pass us, I move us to the right and stop. Simi sits until the passing is complete, then gets a treat. He is getting really good at this.