Bicycle Etiquette
It will be Spring soon! Time to dust off the bike and visit the local Multi-Use Paths (MUP).
That’s right, except for a very few, very specific, off road trails, The Quad Cities has no, “bike paths.” Just like motorists need to share city streets, we need to share the trails with pedestrians. In fact, pedestrians have the right of way!
Yes, just like us, they need to stay in their lane. They need to yield and check both ways before entering the road way and they need to practice a little common courtesy if traffic begins to back-up behind them. They do not have to move to the far right of the lane. They do not have to make room for your bike or trike, scooter or skateboard and no, they do not have to take out their ear buds!
When you approach a pedestrian, slow down. Announce your presence well in advance of passing. Do not pass until it is safe to change lanes to do so (you know, like we expect of motorists). Don’t speed up or return to your lane until you are well past them. A cheery, “hello” or “thank you” can make a more pleasant day for everyone.
When you wait til you are upon a pedestrian to ring your bell, or worse, honk a horn, it is startling. Of course they are going to be angry. BTW, the local lycra lads aren’t impressed that you know to use the cycling term, “on your left.” That’s great for passing other bikes, not pedestrians. They aren’t cycling savvy. It means nothing to pedestrians except maybe to look out for something already on their left (Also scary).
If you don’t have a bell or pleasant horn to announce your presence well in advance (we sell them new for $10 and have some used), a polite, “excuse me” or, “pardon me” will go a long way in building relationships with pedestrians that will soon be motorists annoyed by the presence of more cyclists.
I get it. Sometimes small groups will expand into other lanes. Sometimes they just aren’t aware of your presence, bells and all. That is no reason to scream at them or haul out the air horn. Slow down, you may even come nearly to a stop, but eventually they will be aware of your presence. Most of the time, there is plenty of room to pass in the opposite lane, without frightening them, if you pass at a low enough speed. This will not take ten sec’s out of your day. You should not be using The MUP’s as Strava segments (the speed limit on rail trails, lanes and MUP’s is 15mph). Wait til you are out in the country to go fast, or go mix it up with motorized traffic.
All the rules of the road apply to riding on our MUP’s. Don’t pass going up a blind hill or around a curve. It doesn’t matter how much you want to get around those slower cyclists or pedestrians. It is just plain rude and dangerous!
Hand signals still work. Let people know you are slowing. If you are getting off the path or turning, signal. Let’s treat each other and pedestrians better than motorists treat us.
Every pedestrian you upset on a trail or MUP is going to be a motorist. Don’t encourage them to harrass fellow cyclists. Not all of us wish to haul our bikes just so we can ride. Not all cycle just for leisure or exercise and not all trails lead everywhere we need to go. Help us out, please!