Kris wrote <It's all just about awareness, right?> Good discussion. It's about more than just awareness, it's also about common courtesy. I received a call late last week from a woman who lives near the Southwest Path and enjoys walking there. She is at the point of being afraid to walk on the path because of the the actions (and inactions) of bicyclists either failing to slow down and give a warning before passing, or actually telling her to get off the path, that the path is for bicyclists. We (the collective, royal "we") have got to get into our heads that the most important thing when traveling about, no matter our mode of transport, is operating in a way that ensures the safety of others we interact with. I know the people on this list are the choir, but when we (there's that we again) have questions of courtesy and etiquette, not to mention what is legal, then what of the rest of the we that is not on this list? If we collectively agree to set a good example and operate in a consistent manner, maybe others will catch on.
Arthur Arthur Ross, Pedestrian-Bicycle Coordinator City of Madison Traffic Engineering Division 215 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Suite 100 PO Box 2986 Madison, WI 53701-2986 608/266-6225 ________________________________ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Kristine M. Niemann Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 2009 9:10 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Bikies] Rules Street Code I got a little excited about the "passing on the left" thing. I really was really only referring to was a bike approaching a bike traveling steadily on the bike path. I completely agree with warning a pedestrian and any other confused/dazed/not so bright cyclists. It's all just about awareness, right? kris ________________________________ From: Robbie Webber <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, September 9, 2009 5:30:35 PM Subject: Re: [Bikies] Rules Street Code It's generally not passing bicyclists that require a warning. It's passing pedestrians, and part of that is due to a speed differential. To a pedestrian, it FEELS like you are zooming by. Just like being passed by a car that is moving at 50 mph is more stressful than being passed by a car moving at 20 mph. Although state statute says we have to give an audible warning when passing bicyclists and pedestrians on the sidewalk or path, I generally only do when in one of these circumstances: 1. I'm going to pass a pedestrian closer than I think is polite. This usually happens if the path is particularly narrow, or two or more pedestrians are walking side by side. I don't want to startle them, so I let them know I'm coming. Rarely do I have to do this with bicyclists, but every once in awhile.... 2. I'm uncertain if the path/sidewalk user will maintain his/her course, and I don't want to have a crash due to an unexpected movement. Pretty common concern with families with kids, even on bikes. Or people that appear to be looking at things on the path. Or dog walkers with long leashes. Or people in larger groups. Kids on bikes are especially unpredictable, partly because they may not be able to control their bikes, and partly because they just don't think about people coming up behind them before moving laterally. If they are walking with their parents, kids may just run over to the other side of the path to pick a flower, poke a dead animal, grab a stick, or just out of joy. I'd rather not crash into a kid, and it's good PR for bicyclists to just slow down and not scare other path users. Robbie Webber Bike Walk Madison Steering Committee www.bikewalkmadison.org<http://www.bikewalkmadison.org> Join our group on Facebook! _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
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