Dogs on cycle paths - how many where you live?

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sjs
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Re: Dogs on cycle paths - how many where you live?

Post by sjs »

greyingbeard wrote:None.
There are no dedicated cycle paths near where I live.
A few bits of road have bike sybols on the wide bits, which stop at the less-wide bits where they are needed, most of the "bike" bits or road are littered with parked cars. WELL DONE North Herts District Council.

+1.
MikeF
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Re: Dogs on cycle paths - how many where you live?

Post by MikeF »

sjs wrote:
greyingbeard wrote:None.
There are no dedicated cycle paths near where I live.
A few bits of road have bike sybols on the wide bits, which stop at the less-wide bits where they are needed, most of the "bike" bits or road are littered with parked cars. WELL DONE North Herts District Council.

+1.
I don't live in the area, but shouldn't that be Hertfordshire County Council? County Councils are normally responsible for Highways not District Councils.
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ANTONISH
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Re: Dogs on cycle paths - how many where you live?

Post by ANTONISH »

khain wrote:
Dogs are not unpredictable - you might not be able to read their body language, but that's a different problem.

In many years of cycling I've had a "face plant" from a loose dog.
I've been pursued by dogs ranging from a Great Dane (had to get the police to deal with that as it was a regular occurrence so I suppose it was predictable )
to a Jack Russell - shouted at that and it ran back into a driveway only to reappear backed up by a Rottweiler - (I discovered I could still sprint)
I've had a playful border collie running out of a farm entrance and biting my shoes ( the farmer saw my point and I never had any problem after that.)
I've had foul abuse from owners of uncontrolled dogs who resent a request that they call off their dog.
When I was a child I was knocked over by a playful Alsation - this to the amusement of the owner.
My sister had four ridgebacks - she also had a cat which had lived amicably with the dogs for some years. One day the cat jumped down from the refrigerator and set on by the dogs and torn to pieces.
IMO no owner will know with 100% certainty what their dog will do. They are pack animals - they cannot be reasoned with and can only be controlled - something which many owners are unable or unwilling to do.
Some of us are wary of dogs with good reason.
I generally avoid shared use paths.
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Heltor Chasca
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Re: Dogs on cycle paths - how many where you live?

Post by Heltor Chasca »

I was in the 2 Tunnels near Bath yesterday. Scores of families out on their bikes without lights.

BUT there was also a dog walker with his terrier off the lead AND the damn thing had no lights either. [emoji849]
greyingbeard
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Re: Dogs on cycle paths - how many where you live?

Post by greyingbeard »

I like playful dogs, even the big ones. Ive yet to be so hassled by one that I've had to take control of it and march it back to its owner. Looking forward to it, tbh, provided I dont get bitten, that would not make a good day out.

I love them, others dont. I do see their point of view. Those who dont like them often get anxious and afraid, then situations get confrontational which is unpleasant for all involved. Nothing worse than an anxious over-reactive owner who gets stroppy and ups the ante, transmits her fear straight down the lead etc. Then they start the blaming nonsense. IMHO a lot of owners dont ubderstand how their pets tiny mind works, join in, fught their childrens squabbles etc. There are very few overtly aggressive dogs, but many that will react to their owners feelings.

Best way to behave is to calm oneself down, deep slow breaths as needed, then talk sensibly to people. Easier said than achieved.
Of course, those with a strong dislike of dogs tend to avoid the doggy areas. A mile further on is almost always dog-free.

My dog has only ever shown interest in one person on a bike, and knocked him off - me.
Who can I blame, shout at, and denounce to the authorities ?
Of course, the council, its always their fault, "they should do something about it". Nice soft grass verges to land on please.
bikerwaser
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Re: Dogs on cycle paths - how many where you live?

Post by bikerwaser »

greyingbeard wrote:I like playful dogs, even the big ones. Ive yet to be so hassled by one that I've had to take control of it and march it back to its owner. Looking forward to it, tbh, provided I dont get bitten, that would not make a good day out.

I love them, others dont. I do see their point of view. Those who dont like them often get anxious and afraid, then situations get confrontational which is unpleasant for all involved. Nothing worse than an anxious over-reactive owner who gets stroppy and ups the ante, transmits her fear straight down the lead etc. Then they start the blaming nonsense. IMHO a lot of owners dont ubderstand how their pets tiny mind works, join in, fught their childrens squabbles etc. There are very few overtly aggressive dogs, but many that will react to their owners feelings.

Best way to behave is to calm oneself down, deep slow breaths as needed, then talk sensibly to people. Easier said than achieved.
Of course, those with a strong dislike of dogs tend to avoid the doggy areas. A mile further on is almost always dog-free.

My dog has only ever shown interest in one person on a bike, and knocked him off - me.
Who can I blame, shout at, and denounce to the authorities ?
Of course, the council, its always their fault, "they should do something about it". Nice soft grass verges to land on please.


When you think that as cyclists we have our lives at risk sharing the road with 1 tonne vehicles (or more) so we have the option to use a shared path. In this case we get bitten, chased, barked at or sometimes run over their defecation. Just today I ran over a dog sh!t and while i was at work a dog p!ssed against our work sign. No apology from the owner.

To be honest dogs are a big problem in many ways, not just while cycling. There are over 9 million of them in the UK.

Over 650 people have to go to A&E every day in England alone due to dog bites. some of these bites cause life changin consequences. All recreational grounds are infected with toxocariasis due to dogs feaces.

Why we got rid of dog licencing i don't know.
Last edited by bikerwaser on 4 Apr 2016, 8:55am, edited 1 time in total.
recumbentpanda
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Re: Dogs on cycle paths - how many where you live?

Post by recumbentpanda »

Heltor Chasca wrote:I was in the 2 Tunnels near Bath yesterday. Scores of families out on their bikes without lights.

BUT there was also a dog walker with his terrier off the lead AND the damn thing had no lights either. [emoji849]


I really don't see the need for lights in the two tunnels - the installed lighting is perfectly adequate, and bright cycle lights just dazzle and annoy. If you need other cyclists (or dogs!) to have lights in there, then my feeling is you are going too fast anyway.
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Heltor Chasca
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Dogs on cycle paths - how many where you live?

Post by Heltor Chasca »

recumbentpanda wrote:
Heltor Chasca wrote:I was in the 2 Tunnels near Bath yesterday. Scores of families out on their bikes without lights.

BUT there was also a dog walker with his terrier off the lead AND the damn thing had no lights either. [emoji849]


I really don't see the need for lights in the two tunnels - the installed lighting is perfectly adequate, and bright cycle lights just dazzle and annoy. If you need other cyclists (or dogs!) to have lights in there, then my feeling is you are going too fast anyway.


I agree you don't need to fly through like some of the roadies. However I completely disagree on lights. Cyclists take enough cop for supposedly not being considerate to other shared path users. Even at 10 mph, 2 bikes smashing into each other is going to hurt. Some of the ramblers going through are elderly and don't need to be injured.

Be sensible, considerate and light up. How difficult can it be?

EDIT: FWIW I followed a recumbent, south through the tunnels on Saturday who was part of a group of leisure cyclists. The way was clear and it was doing 15-20 mph easily. It was a fast machine. Was that you?

EDIT 2: I almost always get thanked by walkers for pinging my bell. I think bells are polite and choose to fit them on all our bikes. I have also adjusted my headlamp so no walker or cyclist gets dazzled. I can't adjust it any further to accommodate the riding position on a bent. Impossible on most bikes to do and something you laid back riders will have to put up with should we cross paths in the dark. Sorry.
arnsider
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Re: Dogs on cycle paths - how many where you live?

Post by arnsider »

We have a lot of Canal Tow Path and Former Railways where I live.
Inevitably there will be walkers with children and dogs.
I think we need to take a view on a situation that was never going to be ideal.
You have the alternative of cycling on the road.
You need to slow right down and you must have a bell.
You are never going to alter the situation so pragmatism and tolerance are the only way forward.
We can all trot out examples of near misses, belligerent dog owners etc etc ad nauseam, but it will never change the facts.
Walkers , Children and indeed Dogs need space too.
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mjr
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Re: Dogs on cycle paths - how many where you live?

Post by mjr »

climo wrote:My dogs are often walked on a shared use path. Many cyclists are a real problem there as they approach silently from behind at speed and passing the pedestrian (with or without dog) far too close for comfort. It seems to be some sort of sport. A reasonable call of 'Slow down' results in a bad tempered look or abuse from the cyclists. The police are aware but can't do anything.

Do you stand alongside other highways shouting at their users to slow down, or is there something special about cyclists that makes you think their journeys are fair game to be slowed by ill-behaved dog owners?

As for passing silently from behind! Many times, I've rung my bell as I approach a dog and owner and the dogs hear, look up and react (mostly by staying) more often than the owners. I don't mind if someone wants to walk on a cycle track as long as they don't aggressively expect all other users to go at walking speed and maybe, if their hearing's rubbish, it would be a good idea to look behind frequently to see what's approaching?
Most dogs are off the lead but then why shouldn't they be? It is, after all, a well known dog walking area.

Because it's a highway and http://highwaycode.info/rule/56 says they should be kept on a short lead. If you want to let a dog run free, go to open spaces, or even specific dog exercise areas now found in many towns and villages. If you let a pet run amok on highways, it may end unhappily. At least bikes kill fewer dogs than cars.
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mjr
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Re: Dogs on cycle paths - how many where you live?

Post by mjr »

arnsider wrote:You have the alternative of cycling on the road.
You need to slow right down and you must have a bell.
You are never going to alter the situation so pragmatism and tolerance are the only way forward.

Cyclists don't need opponents if we defeat ourselves like that! We can alter the situation and we must.

At the moment, if anyone complains about anti-cycling misbehaviour on cycle tracks, the old trope "you have the alternative of cycling on the road" is trotted out, but if you complain about anti-cycling misbehaviour on the carriageway, you get the old trope "you have the alternative of cycling on the cycle tracks". That's the "dual network", it's holding cycling down and it's time to change it: both cycle tracks and many carriageways should form part of one integrated universally-cyclable network.

And yes, this will probably mean building footways alongside busier cycle tracks for walkers and pet animals...
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Heltor Chasca
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Re: Dogs on cycle paths - how many where you live?

Post by Heltor Chasca »

mjr wrote:
arnsider wrote:You have the alternative of cycling on the road.
You need to slow right down and you must have a bell.
You are never going to alter the situation so pragmatism and tolerance are the only way forward.

Cyclists don't need opponents if we defeat ourselves like that! We can alter the situation and we must.

At the moment, if anyone complains about anti-cycling misbehaviour on cycle tracks, the old trope "you have the alternative of cycling on the road" is trotted out, but if you complain about anti-cycling misbehaviour on the carriageway, you get the old trope "you have the alternative of cycling on the cycle tracks". That's the "dual network", it's holding cycling down and it's time to change it: both cycle tracks and many carriageways should form part of one integrated universally-cyclable network.

And yes, this will probably mean building footways alongside busier cycle tracks for walkers and pet animals...


Like in the NL? Spot on [emoji106]. However that takes educating. Go into Bristol and all the peds are walking in the cycle lanes rather than on the pavement. AND tutting at the cyclists weaving around them. [emoji23]
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Re: Dogs on cycle paths - how many where you live?

Post by Bicycler »

mjr wrote:
Most dogs are off the lead but then why shouldn't they be? It is, after all, a well known dog walking area.

Because it's a highway and http://highwaycode.info/rule/56 says they should be kept on a short lead.

I take it that you wear a helmet and hi-vis as the HC says you should? :wink:

More seriously, I agree with you that cycle facilities ought to be useable at cycle speeds. The problem is that a lot of places we are allowed to cycle aren't really 'cycle paths' per se. They are existing pedestrian routes or public spaces which cyclists have (often begrudgingly) been permitted to use. We're probably more likely to get cycling banned from parks and towpaths than get other users to facilitate our cycling at whatever speeds we might be capable of cycling.
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mjr
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Re: Dogs on cycle paths - how many where you live?

Post by mjr »

Bicycler wrote:
mjr wrote:
Most dogs are off the lead but then why shouldn't they be? It is, after all, a well known dog walking area.

Because it's a highway and http://highwaycode.info/rule/56 says they should be kept on a short lead.

I take it that you wear a helmet and hi-vis as the HC says you should? :wink:

Hey, I only said it was a reason they should, not that they must, nor that it was a great reason :wink:

More seriously, I agree with you that cycle facilities ought to be useable at cycle speeds. The problem is that a lot of places we are allowed to cycle aren't really 'cycle paths' per se. They are existing pedestrian routes or public spaces which cyclists have (often begrudgingly) been permitted to use. We're probably more likely to get cycling banned from parks and towpaths than get other users to facilitate our cycling at whatever speeds we might be capable of cycling.

If park routes and towpaths aren't upgraded soon to be useful cycling routes, then it might be better that cycling is banned from them, or at least restricted in some way. That would make it clear that there still needs to be a decent cycle route network developed.

As for "existing pedestrian routes" - wasn't everything? Even the A5 Watling Street was originally for walking Romans...

I know I'm spoiled in that some of our local cycle tracks were built/rebuilt as cycle tracks, but even there, some ignorant dog owners still meander about and let their pets be dangers to themselves and others, so I don't think this has much to do with quality of the track. It's more of a problem of a few dog owners who seem to act as if everyone should love their slobbering/snarling/defecating beasts as much as they do, rather than keep them out of our way and we'll do our best to keep out of theirs.
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arnsider
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Re: Dogs on cycle paths - how many where you live?

Post by arnsider »

Well carry on with your heads up your backsides!
It really beggars belief the state of mind of some people that rant on about dogs and ped's.
I'm beyond all this strife.
Roads and cycle tracks are not places where Automatons prevail.
Thank God!!!
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