Super mini rant.

[Gofurtherfaster]

I hate dog walkers on bike only trails.

 

[MattyB]

Somewhere out there on a t’interweb pets forum is a dog walker ranting in miniature about cyclists on footpaths... ?

 

[Gofurtherfaster]

Rightly so! My ex used to drive me crazy riding on the sidewalk when it wasn't a cycle/walk one.

I mean I'm not overly fond of dog owners in general, but it takes the biscuit walking contra flow on a bike only trail and they even have the audacity to give me a cold stare as I went past them, its only dog owners that act like that, I don't know why.

 

[Gary]

sidewalk

Oh

Condolences

 

[outerlimits]

Wtf is a sidewalk ? ?‍

You can bunny hop dogs and dog shit. Horses however, are best to drift under. ?

 

[Janluke]

Are there "Bike only" trails in the UK? I'd always assumed they are suggestions rather than strict

 

[mark.ai]

I assume ones in Bike Parks are "bike only", but I see them in places like Forestry Commission land where they are marked as bike only at the start and no entry at the other end.

I went down a track today that I thought was a bridleway that had no markings or anything, but I thought I'd been down it before. After a bit I realised I didn't recognise it at all. Until I reached a cross trail that I did recognise and which is cycle only with lots of warning signs at the intersection ... and I'd just come down a footpath. So I had to switch to the other trail and ended up right back where I'd started ...

 

[steve_sordy]

The FC place I ride most has a triangle at the start saying who should give way to who. Bearing mind it says clearly that it is a mtb trail, it says that people give way to horses and mtbs give way to both!
All the trails also have a warning sign at the start; "Is this trail for you?" It lists how hard it is what the features are etc and it manages to put off many (but not all) horses and walkers from entering. All good stuff! And wherever the trail crosses a forest road, the sign is repeated before the entrance. But if you turn round 180 degrees the walker and horse rider see no warning sign. "Oh, no warning sign, I'll go up there!" That is why the walkers and horses always seem to be coming the other way and why they seem so upset at your audacity to be riding there.

I was going full tilt down a trail and met a family of three adults, two kids, a baby in a push chair and two free range dogs strolling towards me. The trail was narrow, twisty, banked, rutted, brambles, nettles and so forth. Not really suited for walkers at all. They had no idea that they were on a bike trail. I didn't get cross with them, I just warned them that for their safety, the adults should go in front and keep a look out for more riders heading their way who might not be able to stop as quickly as I did. and to get off the trail asap. There are dozens of miles of surfaced walks, why on earth they choose to choose mtb trails to walk down is a mystery to me.

 

[Janluke]

Couple of years ago at a bike park near me the local ramblers used to turn up on a Sunday morning and walk mob handed up the DH tracks, stop part way up and get their flasks out. The rangers "advised" them against it but had no power to stop them. It was both childish and dangerous but they just wanted to prove the point. Annoyinly the forestry closed the run to bikes until the ramblers got bored and buggered off

 

[steve_sordy]

........... Annoyinly the forestry closed the run to bikes until the ramblers got bored and buggered off

How unsporting of them!
The FC should have advised the ramblers of the danger they were putting themselves and others into.....and then let loose the riders (who also would have been warned). I suspect that the armoured-up riders would have come off much better than the ramblers in that coming together.

 

[highpeakrider]

I love dog walkers that assume it’s up to the bike rider to avoid the dumb dog roaming without a lead on the canal or down a fire track.

 

[Gofurtherfaster]

Are there "Bike only" trails in the UK? I'd always assumed they are suggestions rather than strict

Yup, not only bike only but one way.

 

[Gofurtherfaster]

The FC place I ride most has a triangle at the start saying who should give way to who. Bearing mind it says clearly that it is a mtb trail, it says that people give way to horses and mtbs give way to both!
All the trails also have a warning sign at the start; "Is this trail for you?" It lists how hard it is what the features are etc and it manages to put off many (but not all) horses and walkers from entering. All good stuff! And wherever the trail crosses a forest road, the sign is repeated before the entrance. But if you turn round 180 degrees the walker and horse rider see no warning sign. "Oh, no warning sign, I'll go up there!" That is why the walkers and horses always seem to be coming the other way and why they seem so upset at your audacity to be riding there.

I was going full tilt down a trail and met a family of three adults, two kids, a baby in a push chair and two free range dogs strolling towards me. The trail was narrow, twisty, banked, rutted, brambles, nettles and so forth. Not really suited for walkers at all. They had no idea that they were on a bike trail. I didn't get cross with them, I just warned them that for their safety, the adults should go in front and keep a look out for more riders heading their way who might not be able to stop as quickly as I did. and to get off the trail asap. There are dozens of miles of surfaced walks, why on earth they choose to choose mtb trails to walk down is a mystery to me.

Haha, i've had a similar experience with 2 poor bewildered backpack/hikers who'd climbed sideways up the hill and ended up meeting a part of the trail where it gets super steep (but easy and fun fast and twisty) and like you said, you can't get upset, but i did warn them they might want to keep on high alert.

 

[Janluke]

Yup, not only bike only but one way.

Not legally though

 

[Gofurtherfaster]

Not legally though

lol.. I've literally no idea why this would matter.

If someone is walking on a one way bike track, they are in the wrong. Nobody is calling the police mate.

 

[Gofurtherfaster]

Came up with a fun thing to do with the over cautious dog owners, had one guy who held his dog super tight from approx 150m away, so from that moment, I went as slowly as I could and took probably a full min to get there, and rode past him at the very extreme left of the fireroad almost trackstanding, I looked over at him and he was just cowering over his dog, so I said that it was very brave how he was protecting his dog from such high speed and dangerous bikers. :/

 

[Gofurtherfaster]

so in case anyone missed the fun aspect, lol.. it involves really hamming up the danger element and making a mockery of the situation. I was amused anyway.

 

[Janluke]

lol.. I've literally no idea why this would matter.

If someone is walking on a one way bike track, they are in the wrong. Nobody is calling the police mate.

My point is there are no "bike only" trails, walkers, dog walkers etc can and do use bike trails and while selfish and possibly dangerous they are entitled. I'm not supporting it in anyway but they do have more rights than cyclists

 

[Gofurtherfaster]

My point is there are no "bike only" trails, walkers, dog walkers etc can and do use bike trails and while selfish and possibly dangerous they are entitled. I'm not supporting it in anyway but they do have more rights than cyclists

Haha, I'm sorry but something doesn't have to be illegal for it be an enforced rule.

Is running by a swimming pool illegal? No?

And yes, its BIKE only, it has a big red no entry sign with a picture of a human AND a bike, its no entry for both as you're walking towards oncoming downhill bike riders.

 

[Gofurtherfaster]

Entitled? Can you explain how they'd be entitled to walk the wrong way past a no entry sign on a bike only downhill track?

 

[Gofurtherfaster]

Furthermore, there is a section of tarmac at the bottom of all the trails where it splits into 2 paths, one for humans and dogs and one for bikes, yup.. the bike one is ALWAYS full of idiots walking their dogs, literally 3m from their dedicated pathway. More entitled people doing what they like I guess.

 

[Janluke]

Haha, I'm sorry but something doesn't have to be illegal for it be an enforced rule.

Is running by a swimming pool illegal? No?

And yes, its BIKE only, it has a big red no entry sign with a picture of a human AND a bike, its no entry for both as you're walking towards oncoming downhill bike riders.

Ok so Illegal might be a poor choice of words but bike only trails are not enforceable

Run by a swimming pool and the lifeguard can ask you to leave. Walk on a bike trail and no matter what the signs say you can't be removed. They are all shared paths

 

[Gofurtherfaster]

Ok so Illegal might be a poor choice of words but bike only trails are not enforceable

Run by a swimming pool and the lifeguard can ask you to leave. Walk on a bike trail and no matter what the signs say you can't be removed. They are all shared paths

We are talking about very different things mate, this is NOT a shared path, that is the whole point. I know what a shared path is, and this is not one. You can't even ride up it as you'd crash into riders coming down the track.

And who's talking about being removed? Walking up a bike only track is wrong, stupid, selfish and dangerous, I will let every single person doing it know that they're in the wrong.

 

[Janluke]

Furthermore, there is a section of tarmac at the bottom of all the trails where it splits into 2 paths, one for humans and dogs and one for bikes, yup.. the bike one is ALWAYS full of idiots walking their dogs, literally 3m from their dedicated pathway. More entitled people doing what they like I guess.

I agree its an idiotic, selfish and dangerous thing to do and it shouldn't happen but it does and there is nothing we can do about it. Walkers have a legal right to walk on the bike trails no matter what the signage. Once again I'm not supporting it at all.

 

[Gofurtherfaster]

I agree its an idiotic, selfish and dangerous thing to do and it shouldn't happen but it does and there is nothing we can do about it. Walkers have a legal right to walk on the bike trails no matter what the signage. Once again I'm not supporting it at all.

I actually don't think the law would support your argument in the instance of a fatal crash. The walkers would be in the wrong, just like if you jumped in front of a moving vehicle the driver wouldn't be to blame, even though being in the road as a human is not against the law.

Nothing we can do about it? lol

 

[Janluke]

I actually don't think the law would support your argument in the instance of a fatal crash. The walkers would be in the wrong, just like if you jumped in front of a moving vehicle the driver wouldn't be to blame, even though being in the road as a human is not against the law.

Nothing we can do about it? lol

I'd like to think you're right in the instance of a fatal crash.

I don't think we're going to agree and we're just going round in circles now

all the best pal and ride safe

 

[Gofurtherfaster]

I'd like to think you're right in the instance of a fatal crash.

I don't think we're going to agree and we're just going round in circles now

all the best pal and ride safe

What don't you think we're agreeing on?
We agree 100% I just don't know why you'd even bring up legality of it, its wrong and dumb, end of.


Thanks and you too!

 

[outerlimits]

I hate dog walkers on Strava, and horses on dog walking trails, and kids on bikes on footpaths. And car drivers on bike lanes, and mobile phone users on skateboards, whilst I find trail runners with headphones not too bad. Narh, I pretty much hate everything that gets in my way. ?‍

 

[Gofurtherfaster]

I hate dog walkers on Strava, and horses on dog walking trails, and kids on bikes on footpaths. And car drivers on bike lanes, and mobile phone users on skateboards, whilst I find trail runners with headphones not too bad. Narh, I pretty much hate everything that gets in my way. ?‍

hahaha my inner monologue

 

[lmartins]

I hate dog walkers on Strava, and horses on dog walking trails, and kids on bikes on footpaths. And car drivers on bike lanes, and mobile phone users on skateboards, whilst I find trail runners with headphones not too bad. Narh, I pretty much hate everything that gets in my way. ?‍

Exactly this! Go ride more, and you'll hate less