My riding has dropped to almost zero for April; i think i managed to commute to work at the start of the month once, but my shifts are 12hrs long And i’ve worked almost every calendar day since mid-march so didn’t want to risk further compromising my immune system. My next day off is May 7th and i’m very much looking forward to a bike ride.
I’ve found people hereabouts - metrovancouver - are very responsive to the crane bell chime when i ring it on bike paths. Maybe its because the note hangs in the air and as i quickly approach they hear it getting closer,, but often they almost scramble to get out of the way. Sometimes i won’t ring it and i’ll just wait for an opportunity to go off the path to get around pedestrians if i don’t feel rushed and don’t want to startle them. In general people here abide by the animal>pedestrian>human-powered>motor-powered hierarchy on shared access paths. The annoying exception is the electric bicycle and scooter crowd. There is a narrow shared pedestrian cyclist path on the Patullo bridge i commute to work across where there isn’t room for two cyclists to pass each other. The signs actually request cyclists to dismount and walk their bicycles, although given its 800m long or so, that seems a bit unreasonable. But certainly most prudent cyclists, if traveling downhill, will pull over and hug the rail for the uphill cyclist when passing. Not so the e-biker. Generally i find they continue at full speed without moving over much at all, expecting the uphill cyclist to either stop and get out of their way, or to continue on, along the razor edge of the path with large trucks passing within a foot of the handlebar. And they do it with a blissfully ignorant smile and not one whiff of bad intention. It’s really turned me off e-bikes a bit, although part of me would still like to put a copenhagen wheel on my clementine so i could commute even on the days i feel too worn out. But then i wonder how long it would be before i’d become exactly the rider that i loath when i’m sweatily peddling up that bridge. Sky in new west > On Apr 26, 2020, at 4:48 PM, Andrew Erman <aer...@ucla.edu> wrote: > > Too funny > >> On Apr 26, 2020, at 4:47 PM, Patrick Moore <bertin...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> Kicked her into the ditch, actually. But only in my sinful thoughts. >> >>> On Sun, Apr 26, 2020 at 5:44 PM Andrew Erman <aer...@ucla.edu> wrote: >>> Patrick, >>> >>> Great story! Did you really push the lady in the ditch? >>> >>> I have an electric bike I used to ride to work (till a few weeks ago, when >>> I switched to riding solely human powered bikes) - I have Zound horn on >>> that bike to use with cars - it will definitely get people’s attention! >>> >>> Best, >>> >>> Andy >>> >>>> On Apr 26, 2020, at 4:39 PM, Patrick Moore <bertin...@gmail.com> wrote: >>>> >>>> Bells are friendly, but don't work with too many walkers I encounter. Two >>>> instances: >>>> >>>> First, was riding along a ditch bank road, saw a couple ahead taking the >>>> width of the path, started ringing my Spurcycle bell 100' in advance of >>>> passing; no reaction, so I passed. Man said, peevishly, "You should ring >>>> your bell." I, already peeved myself, skidded to a stop and said, "I >>>> started ringing it 50 yards back" -- a bit of an exaggeration, but not >>>> grossly so. He replied, "Thanks for ringing." I, mollified, got back on >>>> the bike, at which point the woman, standing next to him, said, peevisly, >>>> "You should have a bell!" I pushed her into the ditch. >>>> >>>> A week or 2 later, I was riding north (fast, admittedly, with strong >>>> tailwind) along a ditch road and saw a small crowd walking south, >>>> stretched out across the width of the road. Rang Spurcycle like the >>>> dickens from well in advance of passing; no reaction! I got within 30 feet >>>> and deliberately skidded my rear tire, at which point all looked up in >>>> panic and scattered. I continued on my way with a triumphant and scornful >>>> laugh. >>>> >>>> I replaced my brass striker bells with Spurcycles at great cost (the black >>>> anodized one was 60 bucks), but sweet and piercing as they are, they don't >>>> have the loud commanding RRRRIIIINNNGGG of the large-size strikers. >>>> (Confession: Long, long ago, I used to enjoy using a Zounds! air horn on >>>> clueless pedestrians; tho' only after tiring out my bell thumb. They >>>> jumped!) >>>> >>>> Seriously, I try to rein in my temper; after all, so many people aren't >>>> used to shared routes. What is annoying is not so much the obstruction as >>>> the cluelessness; and I remind myself that I too am too often not mindful >>>> in other respects -- though I try to be. Mindfulness! It gets you so much >>>> more out of life! >>>> >>>> Or I could obey Garth. But there's no fun in that! >>>> >>>>> On Sat, Apr 25, 2020 at 9:15 PM Ray Varella <rayvarella...@gmail.com> >>>>> wrote: >>>>> I encounter walkers taking up entire paths quite frequently. >>>>> Some ignore bells. >>>>> So far, none of them have ignored a skidding tire. >>>>> I lock up my rear brake when I’m way behind them, they always turn around >>>>> and then move to the side. >>>>> I think it’s the impending possibility that someone is about to crash >>>>> into them that alerts them. >>>>> >>>>> Bells are friendly and they work with civilized people. >>>>> >>>>> Ray >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>>>> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>>>> email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>>>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/7f65393d-f228-4ff0-9aee-c04936322be3%40googlegroups.com. >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> >>>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- >>>> Patrick Moore >>>> Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>>> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>>> email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CALuTfgu5aj1HTC1oatujPVkRKL8imV-r_MBsg98ErkbOQK5ohQ%40mail.gmail.com. >>> >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>> email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/DA26FEE2-8692-428D-AE06-2C2385EE4C35%40ucla.edu. >> >> >> -- >> >> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- >> Patrick Moore >> Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum >> >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CALuTfguXRQ%3DTxrrz6wcjy9Mp%2Bvc8OMW5GPYPz16WuLtMFLep1w%40mail.gmail.com. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/B56A91D6-3F25-4197-921B-B441B9D82543%40ucla.edu. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/63D6137F-8F75-41EB-93BC-A70773D6AFD1%40gmail.com.
