Trail etiquette


[B' Spokes: You know there is a lot of talk out there how cyclists don't follow the rules of the road, so it would follow we would face the same accusations on bike trails. Now don't get me wrong, I am all for sharing and cyclists following rules but it cannot be the sole responsibility of cyclists to stay out of the way of every single thing no matter what random direction it decides to go. On trails I have used a bell before passing only to have a jogger u-turn into me. "Why didn't you give warning?" they yelled at me. "I did." was my retort. And their response "What?" as they pull earphones out of their ears.

If cyclists have a duty to give audible warning then it would stand to reason that pedestrains should have a duty to HEAR an audible warning, that is simple logic, yet there is no such duty so maybe we should look at things differently. If bike trails are funded by transportation money for the primary purpose of transportation and not recreation, shouldn't standard rules of the road be applicable, like the duty to signal and look over your shoulder before doing any lateral movement? To give cyclists all the duties and none to pedestrains is just wrong. While speeding/unsafe passing distance cyclists are a hazard to pedestrains and should be curtailed so should random turning no warning pedestrains, they are a hazard to cyclists at any speed. I don't mean to be self centered here but trails are being built to encourage more cycling (and its great that others enjoy them as well but) there should be more stress on cooperative behavior from all users. If everyone took some care for everyone else the world would be a better place and that is something I hope we can all stand behind.

Someone has to point out the obvious, I have used a bell to little to no avail so I decided it would be safer to have both hands on the brakes then one on the bell and now just say "passing" before I pass and of course I slow down while passing but some help from the other side would be appreciated as well. ]
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Lane Change: Kate Ryan Reports

I'm a WTOP reporter shifting from the driver's seat to the bike lane. And you can come along for the ride.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010

News from the (Bike) Trail...
Took a ride on the Capital Crescent Trail this morning and met up with a member of the Maryland National Capital Park Police. While we were riding and interviewing, a cyclist shot up alongside us to flag Officer Donald Brew: there'd been a crash on the trail,
not far from Massachussetts Avenue and Little Falls Parkway.

It was just before 8 a.m. We cycled back and found a cyclist down, blood near his ear and side of his face, and a runner sitting up, resting with her back against a companion, her face, palm, elbow, wrist and hip bloodied. Both were clearly shaken.

Initial eyewitness accounts indicate that the runner and cyclist were originally headed in the same direction, with the cyclist behind the runner, when the runner suddenly stopped and did a U-turn. According to one witness, she did this just as the cyclist was swinging wide to pass her, and the two collided--hard. The witness I spoke to could not recall hearing the cyclist call out to the pedestrian that he planned to pass her. All of this is preliminary information...Officer Brew will be filing a police report.

Expect to hear the interview with Officer Brew on WTOP soon...and in the meantime, be safe out there. <a href="http://kateryanreports.blogspot.com/2010/07/back-to-bike-centric-news-today.html">http://kateryanreports.blogspot.com/2010/07/back-to-bike-centric-news-today.html</a>;

by B' Spokes

Like most people I live a hectic life and who has the time for much exercise? Thanks to xtracycle now I do. By using my bike for daily activities I can get things done and get an hour plus work out in 15 minutes extra of my time, not a bad deal and beats taking the extra time going to the gym. In case you are still having trouble being motivated; the National Center of Disease Control says that inactivity is the #2 killer in the United States just behind smoking. ( http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/bb_nutrition/ ) Get out there and start living life! I can carry home a full shopping cart of groceries, car pool two kids or just get lost in the great outdoors camping for a week. Well I got go, another outing this weekend.
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