Plenty of room on towpath for cyclists and pedestrians
Published: 23 July, 2010
• I WONDER if Howard Piper and I use the same canal (Cyclists have made canal a ‘no-go’ zone, July 16)? I regularly cycle along the canal, morning and evening.
There are plenty of cyclists and pedestrians and while both can occasionally be irresponsible or rude, mostly I see a model of cooperation and people sharing this lovely space.
Two tings of the bell is a polite way of letting pedestrians know we’re passing. Pedestrians routinely leave space and those few that don’t need to understand that this is a shared space.
I don’t want to cycle along busy main roads, any more than Mr Piper wants to walk along them.
But, please Mr Piper, being passed by bikes really isn’t a big problem, is it? Just leave a bit of space for us to pass and keep your eyes open and everybody’s happy.
MATTHEW HOMER
Eleanor Road, E8
• IN your article last week I was described as “believing” that “walkers and cyclists are as bad as each other”.
I feel I should clarify the point I was making, which is that it is unhelpful to attribute selfish behaviour to any one transport mode.
Car drivers, cyclists and even pedestrians are capable of anti-social and thoughtless behaviour, but reducing the debate to mud-slinging between pedestrians and cyclists just undermines the efforts of those seeking a constructive resolution to the issue of sharing limited towpath and road space.
However, as chair of Islington Living Streets, a pedestrians’ association, I must reiterate that pedestrians are the more vulnerable group and the towpath code of conduct asks for pedestrians to be given priority.
CAROLINE RUSSELL
Chair, Islington Living Streets
q during my half-hour ride to work this morning this particular cyclist – one who does not ride on the pavement or go through red lights – had to avoid more than a dozen pedestrians stepping into the road without looking, or otherwise wandering around like zombies, plus six pedestrians walking on the cycle path.
I believe the incidence of cyclists on the pavement is massively overstated.
After all, it is not uncommon for a pedestrian to shout “Get off the pavement!” at me when I’m on a cycle path.
If it is green and has a picture of a bicycle on the ground then it is not a footpath.
I agree there are far too many inconsiderate cyclists out there, but the correspondence pages of this and other newspapers, not to mention radio phone-in shows, are so one-sided, so heavily biased against cyclists it is ridiculous.
All of us, all of you, need to be more considerate to one another, less selfish, and more patient with one another.
MURRAY ABISCH
Eyre Street Hill, EC1