Towpath etiquette
Discussion
I recently started a new job and am commuting by bike when I can. The last 5 miles or so are along the towpath leading down into Uxbridge so it's a nice easy finish to the ride.
I'm still rattling along though (21ish kmh) and come across the usual towpath users; walkers, runners, dogs etc., and of course other cyclists.
I slow down to walking pace to pass and most are, of course, friendly and accommodating, moving over and saying "hello", but the other day there was one cyclist travelling the same direction as me who steadfastly refused to move over.
Now it's not that he was dawdling, but he was probably going 20-30% slower than I would have been. From first sight I caught him in about half a mile, he glanced round and caught sight of me after about another half a mile (I didn't use my bell, I figured I'd just let him see me then pass), but then he just sat there for the next 2.5 miles, refusing to move over or even slow down enough in the wider sections to allow me to pass. As it was I just sat 5m off his rear tyre and we trundled into Uxbridge before he turned off.
By chance he is also a Strava user and it was possible to see him on the flypast view. We're a lot alike; middle-aged professionals and mountain bike users who do the odd commute to and probably total 1-2,000 miles a year, so it's even more odd that he wouldn't even move over considering I would hate to be thought of as holding anyone up on the road, on trails or on a towpath.
At the risk of going a bit Mumsnet, am I being unreasonable to expect someone to move over to let another cyclist past in these circumstances?
Should I have tinkled the bell?
I'm still rattling along though (21ish kmh) and come across the usual towpath users; walkers, runners, dogs etc., and of course other cyclists.
I slow down to walking pace to pass and most are, of course, friendly and accommodating, moving over and saying "hello", but the other day there was one cyclist travelling the same direction as me who steadfastly refused to move over.
Now it's not that he was dawdling, but he was probably going 20-30% slower than I would have been. From first sight I caught him in about half a mile, he glanced round and caught sight of me after about another half a mile (I didn't use my bell, I figured I'd just let him see me then pass), but then he just sat there for the next 2.5 miles, refusing to move over or even slow down enough in the wider sections to allow me to pass. As it was I just sat 5m off his rear tyre and we trundled into Uxbridge before he turned off.
By chance he is also a Strava user and it was possible to see him on the flypast view. We're a lot alike; middle-aged professionals and mountain bike users who do the odd commute to and probably total 1-2,000 miles a year, so it's even more odd that he wouldn't even move over considering I would hate to be thought of as holding anyone up on the road, on trails or on a towpath.
At the risk of going a bit Mumsnet, am I being unreasonable to expect someone to move over to let another cyclist past in these circumstances?
Should I have tinkled the bell?
rhinochopig said:
You did actually say excuse me didn't you, and didn't just sit there hoping he would move over?
I wouldn't have thought that necessary, but I can see why you say that.Equivalent would be tractor on singletrack road with passing places. Would the tractor driver expect the driver behind to flash/beep before they pulled over at some point?
I think the speed differential was such that I assumed he was just waiting for a decently wide bit to pull over safely, but by the time we'd passed two or three such spots I realised he probably wasn't going to do that.
British reserve had kicked in by that point and I would have felt silly pinging the bell 10 minutes after he saw me.
So I just sat there.
Then moaned about it on the internet later
British reserve had kicked in by that point and I would have felt silly pinging the bell 10 minutes after he saw me.
So I just sat there.
Then moaned about it on the internet later
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