why do you ride on a shared path

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Muso
Just wondering, you guys in the lycra, nearly all going
through a midlife crisis or what? little kids on a "SHARED"
path and [censored] riders flying past yelling watch out!!! what
a pack of losers, it's a shared path for christ sake! if you
want to ride like real tossers use the road and yell at the
cars. at least they'll hit you back.

I ride on a shared path because it's a shared path.

Later.

Muso said:

Just wondering, you guys in the lycra, nearly all going
through a midlife crisis or what?

You certainly do have one big chip on your shoulder there!

Such paths are happily shared between commuters, fittness
riders, roller-bladers (except just after Christmas when
they are a PITA), joggers, pram-pushers, dog walkers (with
leash!) etc. All regular users know to keep left, especially
when they hear the warning bell of an approaching cyclist.

Quoted message said:

little kids on a "SHARED" path

Little kids have _no_place_ on a shared path until they have
learned to ride safely and correctly. Keep your wobbly
dyslexic brats away until they know right from left and can
be trusted on a public way.

Quoted message said:

and [censored] riders flying past yelling watch

So you never [censored] Muso? You must feel so guilty when you do.

Quoted message said:

out!!! what a pack of losers, it's a shared path for
christ sake! if you

Or are the loosers the parents who recklessly take their
chilren beyond their depth?

Quoted message said:

want to ride like real tossers use the road and yell at
the cars. at least they'll hit you back.

It seems to me you are doing a lot of yelling there, and
from a cowarldly anonamous address too. What a [censored].

Muso <[email hidden]> wrote in message
[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Just wondering, you guys in the lycra, nearly all going
through a midlife crisis or what? little kids on a
"SHARED" path and [censored] riders flying past yelling watch
out!!! what a pack of losers, it's a shared path for
christ sake! if you want to ride like real tossers use the
road and yell at the cars. at least they'll hit you back.

Yes, it is a shared path, so stop moaning because you're
expected to share
it. If you keep left so you can be overtaken there isn't a
problem. If your kids can't keep left then they
shouldn't be riding on the path and if they ignore the
warning bell then they can expect to be yelled at. They
are not only doing the wrong thing but causing a
dangerous situation.

It's people ignoring the bell who really give me the [censored].
I think I might invest in an air horn. I nearly ran up the
[censored] of three middle-aged [censored] walking three abreast on
the path near Elwood the other day who simply ignored my
frantically ringing bell as they drifted along in their
respective fantasy worlds. Can you get frame-racks for sawn-
off shotguns?

--

"I'm proud that I live in a country where witnessing two
hours of bloody, barbarous torture in gloating detail is
considered indicia of religious piety, whereas a mere second
gazing upon a woman's breast is cause for outraged
apoplexy." Betty Bowers,
bettybowers.commelgibsonpassion.htmlOpen ↗

Muso said:

Just wondering, you guys in the lycra, nearly all going
through a midlife crisis or what? little kids on a
"SHARED" path and [censored] riders flying past yelling watch
out!!! what a pack of losers, it's a shared path for
christ sake! if you want to ride like real tossers use the
road and yell at the cars. at least they'll hit you back.

I remember riding along a shared path (Yarra bike trail
before the paper mills) where you could see for many
hundreds of meters and yet the -gaggle- of women who were
walking around 6-7 abreast (the path is -very- wide) still
couldn't get out of the [censored] way!

The only thing that moved them at all was the fact that I
was about to run into them - and I was right on the very
edge of the path.

Dale

--
[email hidden]

In article <[email hidden]>, DRS wrote:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

It's people ignoring the bell who really give me the
[censored]. I think I might invest in an air horn. I nearly ran
up the [censored] of three middle-aged [censored] walking three
abreast on the path near Elwood the other day who simply
ignored my frantically ringing bell as they drifted along
in their respective fantasy worlds. Can you get frame-
racks for sawn-off shotguns?

mount a single barrel shotty along one side of the top tube
with a trigger attachment rigged up from an old brake lever,
you could then clear a path without having to endarger
yourself by taking your hand away from the brakes.

you might need knobbly tires though...

--
| Joel Mayes | /~\ ASCII Ribbon campaign Accordionist | \_/
| stop HTML mail and news Musician | / \ Music Teacher |

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>> "Muso" == Muso <[email hidden]> writes:

Muso> Just wondering, you guys in the lycra, nearly all
Muso> going through a midlife crisis or what? little
Muso> kids on a "SHARED" path and [censored] riders flying
Muso> past yelling watch out!!! what a pack of losers,
Muso> it's a shared path for christ sake! if you want to
Muso> ride like real tossers use the road and yell at
Muso> the cars. at least they'll hit you back.

Blah blah blah...

Biggest law breakers on the road, pedestrians. Rarely obey
lights, look where they're going or act with due care for
other road users.

I ride on the road because I'd rather put my safety in the
hands of motorists who have a clue than pedestrians who
don't. Shared paths are just way too dangerous.
--
Cheers Euan

In article said:

Muso said:

Just wondering, you guys in the lycra, nearly all going
through a midlife crisis or what? little kids on a
"SHARED" path and [censored] riders flying past yelling
watch out!!! what a pack of losers, it's a shared path
for christ sake! if you want to ride like real tossers
use the road and yell at the cars. at least they'll hit
you back.

I remember riding along a shared path (Yarra bike trail
before the paper mills) where you could see for many
hundreds of meters and yet the -gaggle- of women who were
walking around 6-7 abreast (the path is -very- wide) still
couldn't get out of the [censored] way!

The only thing that moved them at all was the fact that I
was about to run into them - and I was right on the very
edge of the path.

Dale

three and a half words

Air Zound II

I've never had problems with people not leaving room to over
taking since I got one of these, and with a bit of practice
you can half depress and valve to get a normal volume honk,
which is enough for most people, and save the full volume
blast for inconsiderates.

--
| Joel Mayes | /~\ ASCII Ribbon campaign Accordionist | \_/
| stop HTML mail and news Musician | / \ Music Teacher |

Arrr, stop it!

All this shared bikepath chatter is bringing back bad bad memories of the dogs on/off lead shenanigans on the Merri bikepath a few years back. Does walking/cycling on a standard width path bring upon selective deafness, perception and limited intelligence on the end users? ie; a temporary dose of the stupids. :p

vale, Andy I., from those of us who remember in Moreland.

Joel Mayes <[email hidden]> wrote in message
[email hidden]

[...]

Quoted message said:

three and a half words

Air Zound II

Who carries them in Oz and for how much?

--

"I'm proud that I live in a country where witnessing two
hours of bloody, barbarous torture in gloating detail is
considered indicia of religious piety, whereas a mere second
gazing upon a woman's breast is cause for outraged
apoplexy." Betty Bowers,
bettybowers.commelgibsonpassion.htmlOpen ↗

Damned if you do, damned if you dont - when we ride on the
road there are often drivers annoyed that we're NOT on the
shared path!

It might not have occured to you Muso, but shared paths are
intended to be used for transport not just recreation - my
council has made this very clear in its latest transport
planning sessions. I often ride on a shared path for part of
my route, when it's the most direct and traffic-free option.
Even allowing for slowing to overtake pedestrians, by using
the bike path I can get to one destination in 30 mins by
bike, only 5 minutes more than by car.

There's no "mid-life crisis" here, just a decision to be a
one-car household for reasons like cost, fitness/health
and environment. And I wear lycra when it's the most
practical clothing!

Road rules DO apply on a shared path - keep left etc. Here's
what I googled: bv.com.auACF41B.pdfOpen ↗
vicroads.vic.gov.autr2001121.pdfOpen ↗
vicroads.vic.gov.aupart 15.pdfOpen ↗

You certainly do have to be careful overtaking kids, slowing
down as much as appropriate, judging their likelihood to
step in front of you, level of parental control, your
braking ability etc. Just as you should on the road, eg at a
school. The cycle path experience should also be part of the
kids' "road-sense" education.

DRS, I got an Air Zound air horn for exactly the reason you
describe, and it definitely works! Sometimes I feel it's too
loud, but you can control it with a short "tap" rather than
a full press. I've also been thanked by pedestrians for
giving good warning that I'm approaching. Much better than a
bell, considering that people might be wearing headphones or
hard of hearing. It's also come in handy to ward off an
aggressive dog at night...

In article said:

Joel Mayes <[email hidden]> wrote in message
[email hidden]

[...]

Quoted message said:

three and a half words

Air Zound II

Who carries them in Oz and for how much?

I got mine from <blush> Rebel Sport </blush> but I'm sure I
have seen them in bikes stores around the traps.

--
| Joel Mayes | /~\ ASCII Ribbon campaign Accordionist | \_/
| stop HTML mail and news Musician | / \ Music Teacher |

I'm one of the "[censored] riders" you're referring to, and use
a combination of shared path and road. Shared path because
it's safer at certain locations, and road for the same
reason. I always use a bell to warn pedestrians, but as some
other posters have pointed out, it often means nothing to
many pedestrians. Most of the time they jump the wrong way.
As for the lycra, it feels great against the skin, don't you
reckon?! Once swore I'd never use it, but once you have, you
can never go back!

Slightly OT, but has anyone noticed that most pedestrians
using the shared paths are, um, weight disadvantaged? (and
take up more than their fair share of the track!) I'm often
tempted to stop & tell them that walking a couple of km's
with a water bottle just isn't going to achieve the desired
result, and that maybe they should take up cycling - just
haven't had the guts to do it - yet.

"Muso" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Just wondering, you guys in the lycra, nearly all going
through a midlife crisis or what? little kids on a
"SHARED" path and [censored] riders flying past yelling watch
out!!! what a pack of losers, it's a shared path for
christ sake! if you want to ride like real tossers use the
road and yell at the cars. at least they'll hit you back.

Joel Mayes <[email hidden]> wrote in message
[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

In article said:

Joel Mayes <[email hidden]> wrote in message
[email hidden]

[...]

Quoted message said:

three and a half words

Air Zound II

Who carries them in Oz and for how much?

I got mine from <blush> Rebel Sport </blush> but I'm sure
I have seen them in bikes stores around the traps.

How much was it? There's nothing like knowing the full
retail price. :-)

--

"I'm proud that I live in a country where witnessing two
hours of bloody, barbarous torture in gloating detail is
considered indicia of religious piety, whereas a mere second
gazing upon a woman's breast is cause for outraged
apoplexy." Betty Bowers,
bettybowers.commelgibsonpassion.htmlOpen ↗

In article <[email hidden]>,

cfsmtb said:

Arrr, stop it!

All this shared bikepath chatter is bringing back bad bad
memories of the dogs on/off lead shenanigans on the Merri
bikepath a few years back. Does walking/cycling on a
standard width path bring upon selective deafness,
perception and limited intelligence on the end users? ie;
a temporary dose of the stupids. :p

I was cycling to the shops a few months back. I was only a
few hundred meters from home when I heard the familiar sound
of the dog owner earnestly calling her yappy dog back.
Looked down and saw said yappy dog quickly catching up with
me, and -seriously- attempting to bite my foot.

Released the clips, and managed to get a nice glancing blow
to the head of the dog who was promptly unbalanced and went
for a tumble. It rather sheepishly ran back home.

What a nice feeling that was! I don't know if I would have
felt guilty if the kick had caught the dog properly...

Dale

--
[email hidden]

In article said:

Joel Mayes <[email hidden]> wrote in message
[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

In article said:

Joel Mayes <[email hidden]> wrote in message
[email hidden]

[...]

> three and a half words
>
> Air Zound II

Who carries them in Oz and for how much?

I got mine from <blush> Rebel Sport </blush> but I'm sure
I have seen them in bikes stores around the traps.

How much was it? There's nothing like knowing the full
retail price. :-)

$45 IIRC well worth it, its the only bike horn I've seen
(heard...) which I *know* will be heard inside a car with
the stero blasting

--
| Joel Mayes | /~\ ASCII Ribbon campaign Accordionist | \_/
| stop HTML mail and news Musician | / \ Music Teacher |

Tony <[email hidden]> wrote in message Obi3c.95456$Wa.41115@news-
server.bigpond.net.au

Quoted message said:

I'm one of the "[censored] riders" you're referring to,
and use a

I think we need to know which paths the OP frequents so we
can try to work out which one of us is the guilty one. :-)

--

"I'm proud that I live in a country where witnessing two
hours of bloody, barbarous torture in gloating detail is
considered indicia of religious piety, whereas a mere second
gazing upon a woman's breast is cause for outraged
apoplexy." Betty Bowers,
bettybowers.commelgibsonpassion.htmlOpen ↗

jazmo <[email hidden]> wrote in news:Jmg3c.51653$Ja7.37337
@fe11.usenetserver.com:

Quoted message said:

I ride on a shared path because it's a shared path.

Coming from the UK I'm kind of in two minds about your
shared paths over here (Perth). I was never keen on shared
paths back home as they are often less safe than the
alternative road for a variety of reasons. But the shared
paths around Perth seem to be pretty good as there doesn't
seem to be as much sharing going on, it's mainly cyclists.
However a number of them seem to share a lot of the problems
from the UK, e.g. crossing driveways, side streets etc.
There's a fairly decent SP along the side of the Leach
Highway near where I live, but it hacks me off to have to
keep stopping for side roads. If I cycled on the road with
the traffic I'd not have to stop all the time but I don't
because - a) I'd probably get deafened by shouts of "Get on
the path/off the road!" and b) my wife would kill me if she
found out :-(

Anyway, my back is still crook (getting better though), so
it's all pretty academic at the moment :-(

Graeme

Andrew Reddaway <[email hidden]> wrote in
message [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Damned if you do, damned if you dont - when we ride on the
road there are often drivers annoyed that we're NOT on the
shared path!

It might not have occured to you Muso, but shared paths
are intended to be used for transport not just recreation
- my council has made this very clear in its latest
transport planning sessions. I often

I wish Port Philip Council would do that but they probably
think putting signs up teling people of their obligations
and responsibilities is too fascist or something.

[...]

Quoted message said:

Road rules DO apply on a shared path - keep left etc.
Here's what I googled:
bv.com.auACF41B.pdfOpen ↗
vicroads.vic.gov.autr2001121.pdfOpen ↗

Has anyone ever seen any of the signs (keep left, etc) on a
bike or shared path? I haven't. The road stuff, yes, but not
the Level 2 stuff.

[...]

Quoted message said:

DRS, I got an Air Zound air horn for exactly the reason
you describe, and it definitely works! Sometimes I feel
it's too loud, but you can

It's now high on my list. I may even get one before I get my
new tyres.

--

"I'm proud that I live in a country where witnessing two
hours of bloody, barbarous torture in gloating detail is
considered indicia of religious piety, whereas a mere second
gazing upon a woman's breast is cause for outraged
apoplexy." Betty Bowers,
bettybowers.commelgibsonpassion.htmlOpen ↗

jazmo <[email hidden]> wrote in news:Jmg3c.51653$Ja7.37337
@fe11.usenetserver.com:

Quoted message said:

I ride on a shared path because it's a shared path.

Coming from the UK I'm kind of in two minds about your
shared paths over here (Perth). I was never keen on shared
paths back home as they are often less safe than the
alternative road for a variety of reasons. But the shared
paths around Perth seem to be pretty good as there doesn't
seem to be as much sharing going on, it's mainly cyclists.
However a number of them seem to share a lot of the problems
from the UK, e.g. crossing driveways, side streets etc.
There's a fairly decent SP along the side of the Leach
Highway near where I live, but it hacks me off to have to
keep stopping for side roads. If I cycled on the road with
the traffic I'd not have to stop all the time but I don't
because - a) I'd probably get deafened by shouts of "Get on
the path/off the road!" and b) my wife would kill me if she
found out :-(

Anyway, my back is still crook (getting better though), so
it's all pretty academic at the moment :-(

Graeme