# walkers in the bike lanes



## mootinator (Apr 4, 2003)

hey, gotta ask.

I may come off as a jerk, and some of you will say so, I am sure, but...
I am riding down the bike lane on a fairly busy road, and I come across 2 walkers side by side coming toward me in said bike lane. I have to move into the road to avoid them..
I kinda give them the "hands up" with the look like, WTF? I see this daily on the same bike lane. Across the street is a perfectly fine sidewalk. My question is; should I lighten up or am I right to be a little PO'd? I don't ride on the sidewalk...I am sure most sidewalk users would not want me riding my bike, even slowly, if there was a perfectly good bike lane available. Comments?


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## MerlinAma (Oct 11, 2005)

mootinator said:


> hey, gotta ask.
> 
> I may come off as a jerk, and some of you will say so, I am sure, but...
> I am riding down the bike lane on a fairly busy road, and I come across 2 walkers side by side coming toward me in said bike lane. I have to move into the road to avoid them..
> I kinda give them the "hands up" with the look like, WTF? I see this daily on the same bike lane. Across the street is a perfectly fine sidewalk. My question is; should I lighten up or am I right to be a little PO'd? I don't ride on the sidewalk...I am sure most sidewalk users would not want me riding my bike, even slowly, if there was a perfectly good bike lane available. Comments?


Sidewalk is for walkers and they should be there. If they were and you were riding on sidewalk, they would be upset.
If people drove, rode and walked where they actually were supposed to, everyone's life would be safer.


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## kjdhawkhill (Jan 29, 2011)

I wouldn't recommend flipping them the bird, but I'd be annoyed too, particularly if this is a painted and paved bike like. A nice "HELLO! and EXCUSE ME!" might be better (both morally and pragmatically) than an elbow brush back, although I must admit option number two might be slightly tempting on a bad day.


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## RUFUSPHOTO (Oct 14, 2010)

Or if you see them regularly, stop and ask them nicely to use the sidewalk as you are uncomfortable going into a driving lane to avoid them. 

Why not just be courteous and ask instead a douche and throwing useless WTF gestures?


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## dysfunction (Apr 2, 2010)

Walkers?!? Sheesh. Runners I totally understand, concrete hurts my knees far more than asphalt. Good thing I prefer to trail run, no one seems upset when they run into another trail user (well... Except for equestrians)


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## TomH (Oct 6, 2008)

Sounds like an event that had pretty close to no impact on you what so ever.. probably a good one to just let go of.


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## kjdhawkhill (Jan 29, 2011)

TomH said:


> Sounds like an event that had pretty close to no impact on you what so ever.. probably a good one to just let go of.


Might be the most mature and logical statement ever posted on any message board. Anywhere.


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## seacoaster (May 9, 2010)

Share the road.

I look at &*%$# pedestrians in the road the way I wish motorists would look at &*%$# cyclists in the road. If you can’t get in the lane and give them 3 feet, then slow down to make sure nobody gets hurt. Same on MUTs. I know, it’s complicated by the fact that they are coming at you. Remember, they are going to get back in their cars and you’ll meet them again.


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## Gnarly 928 (Nov 19, 2005)

In my experience (somewhat limited, I admit) bike lanes are pretty much useless. I've tried them in a few urban areas and they simply aren't 'right' to try to ride in. Debris, dumb lay out, cross traffic that is not expecting something coming at that point, people with baby strollers and unleashed dogs or kids, etc etc.

On normal streets and roads, an adequate shoulder is a much safer place for riding..Going with the traffic and obeying the same laws as the vehicles...that makes more sense to me than trying to fit in with pedestrians and pets and broken bottles and gravel and curbs.

People in bike lanes are often pretty lame, thinking they can simply 'turn off' their brain because there are some lines painted or 'no vehicles allowed'. 

And cities or towns that have extensive bike lanes often have militant motorists who shout at cyclists who are not in the bike lane, even when that lane is really a very poor way to get from A>B on a bike or to get your heart rate up with a sustained ride.


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## mootinator (Apr 4, 2003)

RUFUSPHOTO said:


> Or if you see them regularly, stop and ask them nicely to use the sidewalk as you are uncomfortable going into a driving lane to avoid them.
> 
> Why not just be courteous and ask instead a douche and throwing useless WTF gestures?


Kind of figured there would be at least one person to resort to namecalling...


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## mootinator (Apr 4, 2003)

TomH said:


> Sounds like an event that had pretty close to no impact on you what so ever.. probably a good one to just let go of.


Tom,

I guess the first...10 times it happened, I didn't really do or say anything about it. the problem is it happens DAILY. Do I blow that off? Do I stop every single time to let them know that it is unsafe for a cyclist to have to deviate into the busy road to accomodate them as the walker? How should I react when they tell me to piss off? A pacifist attitude is not always the best way to go..IMO. Again, they have a sidewalk directly across the road.


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## MikeBiker (Mar 9, 2003)

Just share the road.


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## CleavesF (Dec 31, 2007)

Ride towards them and stick out your legs sideways to make an inverted Y shape. They will be shocked at losing the head on collision. 

Car vs Bike ---> Car wins

Bike vs Walker ---> Bike wins


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## TomH (Oct 6, 2008)

mootinator said:


> Tom,
> 
> I guess the first...10 times it happened, I didn't really do or say anything about it. the problem is it happens DAILY. Do I blow that off? Do I stop every single time to let them know that it is unsafe for a cyclist to have to deviate into the busy road to accomodate them as the walker? How should I react when they tell me to piss off? A pacifist attitude is not always the best way to go..IMO. Again, they have a sidewalk directly across the road.


The reality of it is that you have very few options. You can get on with your life because it has very little impact on it, you can continue making gestures at people walking and really just piss yourself off, or you can wage some war against hikers in the bike lane which you have no chance of winning. 

Im not saying they're right, Im saying theres nothing you can do about people.


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## Scott B (Dec 1, 2004)

I tend to slow down and ask people to walk on the sidewalk. Walkers in bike lanes just aren't that safe for anyone. If I don't have time I just ding my bell at people and make sure then know I'm coming. Making people aware of your presence I think helps.

I try to be friendly, but I get being pissed when people are constantly doing stupid things without thinking. It just gets annoying and it's hard to always keep your cool. It's the same with drivers. I try not to get mad, but sometimes I do. Just something to be aware of for sure.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

This is a travesty. Thank you for bringing attention to this great problem.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Local laws?*



mootinator said:


> I am riding down the bike lane on a fairly busy road, and I come across 2 walkers side by side coming toward me in said bike lane. I have to move into the road to avoid them..
> I kinda give them the "hands up" with the look like, WTF? I see this daily on the same bike lane. Across the street is a perfectly fine sidewalk. My question is; should I lighten up or am I right to be a little PO'd? I don't ride on the sidewalk...I am sure most sidewalk users would not want me riding my bike, even slowly, if there was a perfectly good bike lane available. Comments?


In my local jurisdiction, it is illegal to walk in the street when there is a sidewalk available. You might want to check your local laws.


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## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

Stick a frame pump between their legs....


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## andulong (Nov 23, 2006)

Just ask them if you can please have a few inches of the "bike" lane so you don't have to ride in traffic. And let them know that there is a group of 40 riders coming behind you that won't be so polite. 

Or maybe try telling them this..." Hey, I saw the cops out here yesterday writing tickets to runners and walkers in the bike lane." Might make them think!


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## dysfunction (Apr 2, 2010)

I passed about 50 walkers/runners today, wasn't an issue. Including the one that was running with traffic, rather than against it. At an average of .6 passed per mile, I'd have had an aneurysm had I gotten worked up about it. Life is far too short.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

PlatyPius said:


> Stick a frame pump between their legs....


Hawt c()de!


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## lampshade (Jul 18, 2002)

It's pretty much a fact of life you have to deal with. Around here we get runners, walkers, dog walkers, roller bladers, long boarders, segway enthusiasts, UPS trucks, and who knows what else in the bike lanes. Just deal or ride in the street.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

I don't have any bike lanes on my route but encounter plenty of joggers and occasional walkers on the streets. Although I would prefer that they didn't walk in the road, it's not much trouble riding around them and I don't let it bother me. The way I look at it, most drivers view cyclists the same way -- they think we have no right to ride on the road and should be on the sidewalks. Although legally cyclists are supposed to ride in the road and walkers/runners are supposed to use sidewalks or road shoulders, most people are apparently ignorant of the law.


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## black_box (Jun 7, 2008)

Just break it down for simplicity and politely explain it to them.


mootinator said:


> walkers ... in said bike lane. I have to move into the road to avoid them.. ... fairly busy road, ... Across the street is a perfectly fine sidewalk.


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## ZoSoSwiM (Mar 7, 2008)

Squirt your water bottle at them..

If people would all travel in their designated zones life would be easier but it'll never happen. Kinda like that one group of people walking against the grain at the mall.. 100 people walking on the right.. yet 2-3 decide to walk through them.. Ah well whatcha going to do..


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## My Own Private Idaho (Aug 14, 2007)

This always makes me wonder too. There's a perfectly good asphalt walking path, 8 feet wide, right next to the road in my neighborhood. The walkers, joggers, and whatnot still use the bike lane. My favorite is the dog walkers with five dogs on 40 foot leashes. The dogs are frequently out in the road. Stupid pet owners.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*Not that big a deal*

Here is the sentence that jumped out at me in your original post:


> I have to move into the road to avoid them..


The assumption seems to be that that is an extraordinary and perhaps even dangerous demand to put on you. At least where I ride, moving "into the road" is a regular event, one that I am always prepared to do at short notice. Obstacles appear on the side of the road for lots of reasons, and you have to go around them. For long stretches of my commute there is no shoulder and the lane is too narrow for cars to pass safely, so I ride "in the road."

If you know what's behind you (I use a mirror), you know where the breaks in traffic are, and with a little speed adjustment you can smoothly move around obstacles (statiionary or ambulatory). It is entirely futile to attempt to educate people about where and how they should walk or run, and it is a complete waste of psychic energy to be angry about it. 

Learn to ride "in the road." You're allowed to be there.


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## chocostove (Jan 31, 2007)

Get a bell and be super obnoxious, but don't say a word. Just like every other vehicle out there. 

True story, pedestrians do whatever they want. Sure it's annoying. But if you don't like it you could always take up tilting windmills...


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## pedalruns (Dec 18, 2002)

Be careful... Last year on the Katy trial in Dallas... A cyclist hit and killed a runner. The runner was wearing headphones and abruptuly did a U-turn without looking and was hit by the cyclist. 

Even though IMO the runner was at fault (headphones and a U-turn without looking) a giant war broke out and many wanted to ban cyclist all together on the trial. So... no matter what it is usually the cyclist fault in the eyes of the public... 

http://www.wfaa.com/news/national/D...safety-following-joggers-death-104347148.html

I still perfer to ride on a trial (not the Katy, but the WRL in Dallas, not nearly as busy) on my commute and deal with people and not deal with giant SUV's bearing down. I just slow down for any people, pets, etc. and go slowly around, I'm not there to get a workout, just get to work... My commute is about 60% trial and 40% road, I'll take the trial anyday compared to dealing with rush hour traffic. And I'm really lucky and have a good neighborhood route which is safe, so the roads aren't to bad for me. Now the weekend is nice on the roads, just not M-F in traffic. I really wish Dallas had a MUT system like Denver, but Dallas is getting better.

EDIT: Also, Dallas really doesn't have any bike lanes to speak of.. so, I guess I can't really give an opinion about walkers in a bike lane!


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## pigpen (Sep 28, 2005)

two best options


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## HM1Sturgill (Mar 15, 2011)

I would go with the air horn. Some are just a little bigger than a screw in CO2 cartridge.


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## Kai Winters (Aug 23, 2009)

I'd not use a bike lane other than riding with my children when they were little then I'd still give ground to a pedestrian.
Bike lanes or paths, other than a specific commuter lane on a public road, in my opinion, are for slow rides while enjoying the scenery and the day. Not for anything else. Hence since being on a path on a bike I'd consider myself a vehicle and always give way to a pedestrian even if just to avoid the hassle. I would want to enjoy the day rather than cause or be involved in aggravation.

On an aside whilst riding today I stopped to make a saddle adjustment. A driver, in a pick up truck loaded with fire wood, stopped and asked if I needed help or something. I said no, just making an adjustment and thanked him. 
I love riding my bike in Northern NY...


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

> commuter lane on a public road


Pretty sure that's the kind of thing the OP was talking about.


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## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

Every time I see the title of this thread in "New Posts", I think it says "Wankers in the bike lanes"....


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## lampshade (Jul 18, 2002)

PlatyPius said:


> Every time I see the title of this thread in "New Posts", I think it says "Wankers in the bike lanes"....


I saw that early one morning on the W&OD MUT in Arlington, VA. I think we were both pretty shocked.


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

I'd say just learn to live with it. Share the road and be glad you have a bike lane. I have to pedal by throngs of tourists in DC to get to the MUT that is occupied by cyclists, runners, rollerbladers, strollers, little kids, dogs, ... At least rollerbladers seem to be a thing of the past in the last few years. Those guys were really annoying.


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## CleavesF (Dec 31, 2007)

pigpen, that is exactly the picture that needed to be poasted.


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