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Comment by lscdlscd | Hacker News Reader

As this is a UK based article, I'm assuming you mean the Cambridge in England. I happen to live in Cambridge, Massachusetts and the while cyclists can be reckless, the drivers pose a 1000x greater threat to safety than cyclists.

As a tip for dealing with cyclists: continue your movement as a pedestrian: they'll go around you. Most pedestrians have headphones in/little awareness of their surroundings, and as a cyclist I always assume I'm invisible to them and to cars.

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  >As a tip for dealing with cyclists: continue your movement as a pedestrian: they'll go around you. Most pedestrians have headphones in/little awareness of their surroundings, and as a cyclist I always assume I'm invisible to them and to cars...

This! I used to do a 10 mile commute to work through several areas that were designated as shared cycle lane / footpath. Every trip was a slalom of avoiding pedestrians dawdling along on the cycle lane side of the divide. Always either with headphones on, or their phone clamped to the side of their head. Completely oblivious to the world arund them. So I'd have to swerve round them. And then hear the involuntary gasp of surprise behind me, as I zipped past.

But much worse were the ones who'd wake up enough to spot you at the last minute and then suddenly jump to the side --usually the side I was just about to swerve round them on.

Just keep on walking in your own oblivious bubble. I saw you about 1/2km ago and have already planned to my route round you!

You could just about rewrite this and substitute car for bike and bike for pedestrian, and have it still be true. It's like there is a hierarchy based on speed, and everyone thinks the level below them is a bunch of twats ruining their commute.

I was going to reply and say "You wouldn't see a cyclist riding down the road with headphones on, blissfully unaware of what's around them..." but then I thought back to my cycle commuting days and remembered a fair few examples of seeing just that. And anoher one in similar vein; the cyclist who swerves out into the road to avoid a puddle at the kerbside --without so much as a rearwards glance to see if any cars are coming up behind.

No. Pedestrians don't have a monopoly on obvlivion. But neither do cyclists. Some of the things I saw people doing behind the wheel of their cars or lorries, as I cycled past them would put you off going out on a bike for life.

> As a tip for dealing with cyclists: continue your movement as a pedestrian

As a pedestrian (I am not wearing headphones) please ring your bell if you are passing me on a shared path.

It is very frightening to have a cyclist suddenly appear in your field of vision, from behind, terrifying.

The problem is that a lot of people will jump to a random side if you ring. Another large fraction will yell at you.

Something that worked comparatively well for me it so shout “I’ll pass on your (left/right)”

Yep, I’ve been yelled at for:

- Ringing the bell

- Asking nicely too quietly

- Asking nicely too loud

- Just passing

You can’t win.

Ultimately people just don’t want you to cycle. This is very much a cultural thing. Anyone cycling past age 15 or so is either poor or dangerously counter cultural. One of the most interesting things about the Netherlands is that is very little bike culture! You don’t see people signalling with messenger bags, cycling caps, bike brand stickers etc. because choosing to cycle is not unusual.

>.... so shout “I’ll pass on your (left/right)”

That will do.

> continue your movement as a pedestrian: they'll go around you.

Please, please tell that to my local cyclists. Especially the commuters. The norm here is "ON YOUR LEFT!" about 1.5 seconds before blowing by at 25 mph with two feet of clearance.

How about when you're going to pass a pedestrian, you give them a lot of space and slow down to 5 mph.

Yes: Cambridge, UK.

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