Originally Posted by
wheezing donkey
Bowland tends to be a lonely, quiet place and I've never had this issue whilst out running.
Cycling is a different matter however. Our group make use of both the canal towpath and the Millenium Path alongside the River Lune.
In these situations, when approaching a pedestrian from behind, I always take heed of which side of the path the pedestrian(s) are on and having slowed I shout a warning to them; e.g. "If you stick to the Left please, I'll pass on your Right."
One elderly lady responded with, "Oh how lovely, a cyclist who's prepared to speak to me rather than just ring his bell at me."
The problem with a bell, in these situations, is that it does not convey to the other party just what your intentions are.
Ian Roberts, Bowland F.R.
P.S. Sadly nothing is helpful when dealing with idiots walking along a shared useage path, in their own little world, wearing headphones injecting a loud "noise" directly into their ears.
I experienced a classic case of this several years ago, whilst riding the 'cross bike on The Ridgeway in Wiltshire. On an overgrown section that was effectively single-track, I came up behind a runner and for 300 - 400 yards I was shouting warnings that I was behind him, with zero response from the lad. When the way broadened to a Land Rover track, I passed him, allowing plenty of clearance, at which he pulled out his earphones and started to berate me for giving him a fright. I stopped and pointed out that I had been shouting warnings to him for quite a while and that his fright was of his own making. He responded that he could not possibly endure (the agonies of) running without a musical accompaniment. I suggested that he found something that he actually enjoyed doing without the need for an aurally injected anaesthetic.