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• Trail: , Say "passing left"
• Sidewalk: Slow down, Say "passing left"

I bike on the W&OD frequently and see all sorts of dangerous behavior by both pedestrians and cyclists. I think a lot of it is ignorance of the trail safety rules (see http://www.wodfriends.org/safety.html). I wish the rules were posted at more of the major entrances to the trails, so that both pedestrians and cyclists new to the trail know how to safely share it (and so that they know what to expect). On the W&OD, cyclists are required to audibly warn when passing, and pedestrians are required to keep to the right on the trail. But there are only a couple of signs on the entire trail.

I also wish that pedestrians knew that cyclists are vulnerable to them, too. Even if we're biking fairly slowly, we can easily get into a serious accident maneuvering to avoid a collision with a pedestrian who moves unexpectedly as we pass-- protecting the pedestrian, and protecting ourselves, is the reason we call out a warning.

by carol on Jun 13, 2012 3:00 pm • link • report