"Terror" on the Trail

Fox 2 news ran a story on the 9 PM edition last night about a cyclist who is bothering people on Grant's trail with rude and confrontational behavior.

Of course, there's no excuse for the guy to push other people around, though I would like to hear his side of the story. I wonder if he was calling out to people in advance of passing them? Whatever he was doing, he definitely crossed way over the line when he decided to get physical with other people.

Too bad Fox 2 didn't contact Trailnet, whose offices are right on the trail, because it would have been a great opportunity for Trailnet to talk about trail use etiquette. I have definitely experienced my fair share of frustration when cycling that trail. In particular, I come upon situations where there are several people together walking abreast, taking up the majority, if not all, of both lanes of the trail. I always call out loudly that I am passing on the left and in that situation, I'll usually call out at least twice. Most people don't move over or even acknowledge that they have heard me. As long as I can get by, I don't care if they move over -- I just want a simple hand wave or head nod that tells me I have been heard, so that when I pass, I know they are aware of my presence.

What I really would like to know is whether those rollerbladers were exercising single file as the clip shows or if they were taking up both sides of the trail when these confrontations have happened?

Unfortunately, the net result of this news story is that it reinforces in people's minds that cyclists are inconsiderate jerks. The vast majority are not, but there are a few gung-ho types, as with any sport, who are. If he's that gung-ho about cycling without "pesky" pedestrians and rollerbladers in his way, he should be a real man and try doing his workout on the road. At the mercy of cars and trucks, then he'll see what it feels like to be the vulnerable one!