They are not the most confident of riders. When I come up to some one going slower than me on a narrow lane, I just chill behind them. Happens on 5th a lot. Sometimes on the OB bikeway when full in OB proper. Everyone has different skills and making space for those who are not as confident, skilled, aware, etc., is important. Totally agree that bike lanes should be wide enough for ALL bikes, including full Bakfiets, to pass or be passed comfortably. But until then, I try to smile and relax.
That was my sense, too, which is why I didn't get too bent about it. Like most things, I think this points to a problem with design more than the fault of anyone using the road.
Thank you for bringing up this critical discussion as cities build out bike infrastructure. In the Seattle area, everyone is so proud of our completely separated trails, like the Burke-Gilman. But as a commuter, dodging dogs and leashes, children learning to ride and pay attention, friends strolling and taking up the full width, as much as I think all those things are great, they are in the way. Multimodal recreation trails are not transportation infrastructure. Especially when they're technically parks, so large sections have no lighting and are closed at night. I'd rather ride on the road! As far as passing in bike lanes, please keep in mind that some bikes are much more able to pass at an intersection or in a lane than others. I rode a bucket front Dutch ebike for a while, and found myself crawling up hills behind everyone on a more svelte bike, even though I had the capacity to go much faster than them. I'm pretty relaxed about having to go slow. As you pointed out, it's the design flaw that drives me up the wall!
I recently got a regular bicycle to supplement my electric motorcycle, and I did explicitly avoid e-bikes precisely because I wanted exercise, and an e-bike would be mostly redundant of my electric motorcycle. I've learned that acceleration and hills are murder, with even very minor grades having a huge impact on perceived effort, but I can maintain a fairly high cruising speed on flats. I managed to catch up to a recumbent cyclist, and I think the issues I have with acceleration and hills are exacerbated on recumbent bikes. I could've passed, but I decided to hang back a bit, and sure enough he managed to pull away once he was able to reach cruising speed, as his cruising speed was faster than mine. I don't know why a bit of patience and common sense are lacking.
On the bike I was riding, alas, I don't have a bell. I also didn't want to jockey by them shortly after they passed me. We usually say "on your left" when we intend to pass (but many people don't do that, either). We're not a sophisticated bike culture out there...
Lessons to be learned (or not) by every cyclist. My biggest complaint of cyclists is when they pass on a bike path, then jump the road crossing without pushing the button for the riders they just passed. I mean, I'm all for you trying to kill yourself running a red, but could you at least be a little considerate of others? I suppose this is an oxymoron, tho.
They are not the most confident of riders. When I come up to some one going slower than me on a narrow lane, I just chill behind them. Happens on 5th a lot. Sometimes on the OB bikeway when full in OB proper. Everyone has different skills and making space for those who are not as confident, skilled, aware, etc., is important.
Totally agree that bike lanes should be wide enough for ALL bikes, including full Bakfiets, to pass or be passed comfortably. But until then, I try to smile and relax.
That was my sense, too, which is why I didn't get too bent about it. Like most things, I think this points to a problem with design more than the fault of anyone using the road.
Thank you for bringing up this critical discussion as cities build out bike infrastructure. In the Seattle area, everyone is so proud of our completely separated trails, like the Burke-Gilman. But as a commuter, dodging dogs and leashes, children learning to ride and pay attention, friends strolling and taking up the full width, as much as I think all those things are great, they are in the way. Multimodal recreation trails are not transportation infrastructure. Especially when they're technically parks, so large sections have no lighting and are closed at night. I'd rather ride on the road!
As far as passing in bike lanes, please keep in mind that some bikes are much more able to pass at an intersection or in a lane than others. I rode a bucket front Dutch ebike for a while, and found myself crawling up hills behind everyone on a more svelte bike, even though I had the capacity to go much faster than them. I'm pretty relaxed about having to go slow. As you pointed out, it's the design flaw that drives me up the wall!
Love Russ' channel. I'm all about Party Pace as well.
For those who don't know, we're talking about: th-cam.com/users/PathLessPedaledTV
I recently got a regular bicycle to supplement my electric motorcycle, and I did explicitly avoid e-bikes precisely because I wanted exercise, and an e-bike would be mostly redundant of my electric motorcycle. I've learned that acceleration and hills are murder, with even very minor grades having a huge impact on perceived effort, but I can maintain a fairly high cruising speed on flats. I managed to catch up to a recumbent cyclist, and I think the issues I have with acceleration and hills are exacerbated on recumbent bikes. I could've passed, but I decided to hang back a bit, and sure enough he managed to pull away once he was able to reach cruising speed, as his cruising speed was faster than mine. I don't know why a bit of patience and common sense are lacking.
This is a nice bike lane. But you don't have a bell? In the Netherlands it is common to use a bell and people move over, even if the lane is narrow
On the bike I was riding, alas, I don't have a bell. I also didn't want to jockey by them shortly after they passed me. We usually say "on your left" when we intend to pass (but many people don't do that, either). We're not a sophisticated bike culture out there...
Lessons to be learned (or not) by every cyclist. My biggest complaint of cyclists is when they pass on a bike path, then jump the road crossing without pushing the button for the riders they just passed. I mean, I'm all for you trying to kill yourself running a red, but could you at least be a little considerate of others? I suppose this is an oxymoron, tho.