A close call with dumb pedestrians

[FlyboyEUC]

So on the way home today from work I was doing my typical route and lately pedestrians have been on my nerves. 

I don't mind the occasional jaywalker when they are in the middle of the block if they look both ways. But if you are at an intersection and you decide to jump into the street when the cross traffic is green without looking both ways and almost getting run-over by me and call me out for going fast, I'm sorry that's the last straw. I had to speed up to not hit them.

I was angry, but as I continued on my way and tried to cool off, I realized that if a had collided with them, EUCs would get the negative press even if I had the right of way and they were breaking the law. 

Anyways, just had to put this out there to help cool down and so we all can be doubly cautious around pedestrians. But again they clearly were at fault, just be careful.

[Rehab1]

Reading your post made my Iphone shoot flames! We all have bad days.  Beer break.

[wheelr]

1 hour ago, Flyboy10 said:

But if you are at an intersection and you decide to jump into the street when the cross traffic is green without looking both ways and almost getting run-over by me and call me out for going fast, I'm sorry that's the last straw

This is where a EUC horn would come in handy 

16 minutes ago, Rehab1 said:

Beer break.

And this  ^ haha

[Rehab1]

3 minutes ago, wheelr said:

This is where a EUC horn would come in handy 

And this  ^ haha

I’ve used a horn in the past and scared the sh.t out of the pedestrian followed by a one finger gesture. I hate when my hand does that. 

[wheelr]

3 minutes ago, Rehab1 said:

I’ve used a horn in the past and scared the sh.t out of the pedestrian followed by a one finger gesture. I hate when my hand does that. 

LOL

[TonyGrayCanada]

Sorry you had the run in, but good for you for keeping you cool!

What we do is weird, and you're right, we're going to get blamed if something goes wrong, no matter whose fault it is.

I use a bicycle bell but there's no way I would react in time to use it for somebody jumping out, it's only good for warning before passing from behind.

[Daley1]

The Ks 16s app has a horn on it and is loud as Fxxk.If u clean up a pedestrian u still lose even if its there own stupid fault because u then have to defend urself to police,courts etc whilst riding a legally questionable or downright illegal device. 

[Meserias]

Just buy one of these and you will be fine....

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32978319611.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.36724c4dNAf1St

it's absolutely perfect for safer ride...

 

[FlyboyEUC]

I purchased a voice amplifier that I will test out. I find myself yelling to people who are going the wrong way on the street, about to jump out in front of me.... It arrives on friday so I'll try it out and make a video and throw it on my YouTube channel and here. 

[LanghamP]

I just use an old bicycle bell. It's very friendly, unfortunately still occasionally makes pedestrians jump which isn't my intent.

I don't hate pedestrians like the way @Flyboy10and @Rehab1 hate them. Using the Klaxon of Shame when you've already seen a person in order to avoid them is pointless, and teaching them a lesson by screaming and screeching at them (which is essentially what a horn does) while not actually stopping and politely explaining to them the difficulty of avoiding them seems like a womanly thing to do.

Now EUC and bicyclists seem prone to be stepped in front of by pedestrians, because they are quiet, narrow, and move differently from cars. 

People stepping in front of you is an honest mistake, and even if it's just from clumsiness or indifference that still doesn't justify a response all out of proportion to the crime.

Try this: take your noise blaster to the grocery store, and use it there whenever people piss you off. If it seems to work fine there, by all means use it on the streets.

[Elder Meat]

1 hour ago, LanghamP said:

People stepping in front of you is an honest mistake, and even if it's just from clumsiness or indifference that still doesn't justify a response all out of proportion to the crime.

Different cities, different norms. My guess is pedestrians (and cars for that matter) behave differently in Montgomery than they do in New York city. This is why I will not ride a EUC in downtown San Francisco. Yes some people are comfortable doing so but I am not.

[Rehab1]

1 hour ago, LanghamP said:

I don't hate pedestrians like the way @Flyboy10and @Rehab1 hate them.

Sorry that my little joke gave you the wrong impression but unfortunately you have me pegged wrong. I love pedestrians and go out of my way to make them feel comfortable on all occasions which has been depicted in my videos numerous times. 

[wheelr]

1 hour ago, LanghamP said:

teaching them a lesson by screaming and screeching at them (which is essentially what a horn does) while not actually stopping and politely explaining to them the difficulty of avoiding them seems like a womanly thing to do.

What? First off, the purpose of horns, as used in transit, is to alert others in order to prevent accidents. How any of this is womanly, I don't even know.

[LanghamP]

32 minutes ago, Rehab1 said:

Sorry that my little joke gave you the wrong impression but unfortunately you have me pegged wrong. I love pedestrians and go out of my way to make them feel comfortable on all occasions which has been depicted in my videos numerous times. 

My apologies, I should have used to word "irritated". I use the word hate too much, because I'm using it as the antonym of like, when disklike or irritation is warranted.

Although I do feel that the word hate is occasionally warranted, as, the woman last month in her Mercedes who honked at me several times then hit me with her mirror despite being on a empty road with four lanes. She hates bicyclists (wearing a US flag).

[LanghamP]

4 minutes ago, wheelr said:

What? First off, the purpose of horns, as used in transit, is to alert others in order to prevent accidents. How any of this is womanly, I don't even know.

Are horns effective in preventing crashes?

I'd guess most people use a horn, and don't brake or swerve, thereby enabling the crash. Lots of people use a horn as a form of rage against someone else trying to merge into their lane.

Basically, a horn says, "if you try to get in front of me, there's the strong possibility I will hit you just to teach you a lesson."

Screw that crap; I drive slower than the speed limit, never use my horn, anyone want to hop in front of me be my guest, since we all end of at the same damned red light!

I wish we'd treat pedestrians with care, because pedestrians who collide with others don't kill or injure others. It's like shooting someone then blaming them for being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Sure, pedestrians often act like zombies. So what? They aren't hurting or killing anyone most of the time, at least not by accident because they need to go somewhere quicker.

[Rehab1]

25 minutes ago, LanghamP said:

My apologies, I should have used to word "irritated". I use the word hate too much, because I'm using it as the antonym of like, when disklike or irritation is warranted.

No issues. I purposely discontinued using my electronic bell any more because it startles pedestrians. I usually just verbalize : “Coming on your left (or right). “

 

[wheelr]

58 minutes ago, LanghamP said:

I wish we'd treat pedestrians with care, because pedestrians who collide with others don't kill or injure others.

Agreed, along with our electric motors comes the burden of care. We should drive responsibly.

58 minutes ago, LanghamP said:

Basically, a horn says, "if you try to get in front of me, there's the strong possibility I will hit you just to teach you a lesson."

This is not always the case. There are instances where an adjacent vehicle is in another's vehicle's blind spot and if that vehicle decides to turn, it is imperative for that other vehicle to warn it as to avoid a collision. This can happen even at a complete stop. There are other times where a vehicle could place itself at risk if it lets another vehicle or person commit an infraction. Of course, like everything, there are polite ways of conducting oneself, having to blow one's horn and all.

Edited August 14, 2019 by wheelr

[LanghamP]

33 minutes ago, wheelr said:

This is not always the case. There are instances where an adjacent vehicle is in another's vehicle's blind spot and if that vehicle decides to turn, it is imperative for that other vehicle to warn it as to avoid a collision. This can happen even at a complete stop.

My observation is that it's almost always the case.

Rather than blow the horn, slightly touching the brakes so the person in front of you can merge seems more prudent.

I can see a horn being useful in this intersection.

 

[FlyboyEUC]

To clarify I don't hate pedestrians, I just dislike when people yell at me when I am in the right and they are in the wrong. What happened to me yesterday is exemplified in any of "one cyclist in Lisbon" 's videos. Scooters are crawling all over San Diego and they were stepping into the bike/scooter lane without even looking. Again to clarify it wasn't the guys who stepped out that yelled at me, it was some guy in the middle of the street while traffic was crossing. I'm over it now but was fired up when a guy(not the guys stepping out in front of me), breaking the rules, yelled at me who was obeying traffic laws. 

[ir_fuel]

On 8/14/2019 at 3:15 AM, TonyGrayCanada said:

What we do is weird, and you're right, we're going to get blamed if something goes wrong, no matter whose fault it is

This has been true for cars for a long time, when hitting a pedestrian or a cyclist. 

[FlyboyEUC]

Here is my typical ride...

 

[Lillian]

On 8/13/2019 at 6:35 PM, Flyboy10 said:

So on the way home today from work I was doing my typical route and lately pedestrians have been on my nerves. 

I don't mind the occasional jaywalker when they are in the middle of the block if they look both ways. But if you are at an intersection and you decide to jump into the street when the cross traffic is green without looking both ways and almost getting run-over by me and call me out for going fast, I'm sorry that's the last straw. I had to speed up to not hit them.

I was angry, but as I continued on my way and tried to cool off, I realized that if a had collided with them, EUCs would get the negative press even if I had the right of way and they were breaking the law. 

Anyways, just had to put this out there to help cool down and so we all can be doubly cautious around pedestrians. But again they clearly were at fault, just be careful.

I relate. As I approached two pedestrians, they just stood in the street without moving until the last minute. I had to ask them to move.

I was trying to be considerate by riding in the street vs. the sidewalk, and there they stood - in the street. But that's NYC for you, and one reason I am not yet a confident street rider.

[Lillian]

On 8/13/2019 at 8:02 PM, Rehab1 said:

I’ve used a horn in the past and scared the sh.t out of the pedestrian followed by a one finger gesture. I hate when my hand does that. 

Better to scare them than have a collision.

I have a Loud Bike horn (car warning horn meant for my now sold e-scooter). I wanted it after ringing my pedestrian-friendly hand bell resulted in being ignored. 

Also, screen zombies are everywhere. They walk aimlessly with eyes focussed on their devices. 

Edited August 16, 2019 by Lillian

[Rehab1]

1 hour ago, Lillian said:

I have a Loud Bike horn (car warning horn meant for my now sold e-scooter). I wanted it after ringing my pedestrian-friendly hand bell resulted in being ignored. 

No need for bells and whistles. Just have a drone follow you. 

 

Edited August 16, 2019 by Rehab1

[Lillian]

19 minutes ago, Rehab1 said:

No need for bells and whistles. Just have a drone follow you. 

I wish. There are heavy restrictions on those. 

Just this week I saw a man casually walking in the clearly marked bike lane. No one used a bell. They rode around him. 

I like the idea of horns/bells as warnings so that people are aware especially for lane changing. Not everyone's (--->me<---) good at avoiding obstacles.

When first learning on the sidewalk, a man stood right in place as I approached. I had time to explain that I couldn't swerve yet. He got a good laugh out of it and kindly stepped aside. This was before 5am on a very wide sidewalk when it wasn't crowded. I would wear a "Rider In Training" sign if I could  but I think my massive amount of protective gear makes it obvious.

Edited August 16, 2019 by Lillian