A blog actively promoting considerate cycling

It’s always rather lovely when one has written a blog to receive a comment or two at the bottom. Usually the comment will be something supportive (as they tend to be read by like minded people), occasionally it’s offensive enough to require moderation, but perhaps the best comments are when they spark another idea, sometimes leading to corrections or additions to the blog, or even better when it leads to a spin off.

So last week’s blog was a review of some of the intricacies of the Highway Code; bits and pieces we’re perhaps all guilty of either being unaware of, or simply ignoring. This was a spin off from another blog which in the end just focussed on rules directed at drivers overtaking people riding bikes, and to to be honest it’s going to end up as a trilogy when I cover the rules and advice directed at people riding bikes. Now you may say we’re straying into nerd levels of Highway Codology here, but honestly, we’re all supposed to know this schnizzle, particularly those of us who hold a current driving licence.

But I digress. The comment, perfectly reasonable, and copied below:

We’ll go into some of the detail shortly, but yeah, Dunc has got a point. Of all the blogs I’ve done, I don’t think I have written one specifically promoting considerate cycling. I mean, it’s kind of inherent in everything Bike Worcester does, and we certainly don’t encourage people to cycle inconsiderately either (checks blogs…phew). But it’s a fair cop, so I’ll give it a go here.

A bit of background; there is very little genuinely segregated cycling infrastructure in Worcester; so little in fact Worcestershire County Council advised via an FOI a couple of years back that they aren’t aware of any in the whole County (we think there’s 5 very short sections in Worcester; answers on a postcode where they are). The County Council is however responsible for maintaining 139 km of off road shared use footway / cycleway in the County (more fun stats like this can be found here). A fair amount of this is in Worcester and provides the ‘networks’ (deliberate use of sarcastic quotation marks there) that exist on the riverside and canal paths and bridges, the race course, St Peters and Warndon Villages.

I use these a bit as part of my rollings and walkings around the city, maybe not as much as I would if the infrastructure was improved, and I’ve written about why here. Actually scratch that; I use the river bridges every time I, errrr, cross the river. Anyway, when I am using them I go out of my way not to inconvenience other people, whether on foot or bike. Or with my dog. By inconvenience I mean a few things; I’ll try to move out of the way of people running or wheeling, if I’m on my bike I’ll slow down if I see other people about (I’ll be going slower than if I was on the road anyway), I’ll try to make people aware of my presence with my bell or by saying something, if there’s a dog or small children about I’ll go even slower as they’re less predictable, with the overarching aim of making everyone feel comfortable. Thinking about it now, I’m actually going out of my way to make it a positive experience for everyone. It’s one of the reasons I like travelling by bike; it’s quick and convenient, but also usually a journey involves some enjoyable interactions with fellow human beings. Sometimes surprise wildlife encounters.

So I’m going out on a limb here, but I reckon the bits I’ve described above where I’m on two wheels is considerate cycling. So I’m encouraging that. If you’re going to ride a bike on a shared use path, think about how you might make other people and animals using the paths feel, go steady, be patient, let people know you’re there, pass wide, say hello, and generally spread a bit of love.

Of course, despite best efforts, it occasionally doesn’t quite meet expectations. It’s reasonably common that I’ll still pass someone and surprise them, which I’ll immediately apologise for in the hope it can be turned into a positive interaction. How does this happen? I guess sometimes people don’t hear me, maybe they’re distracted (a good conversation will do this), there’s background noise (cars are a bugger for this), it’s windy, they have suffered hearing loss, or are wearing head phones. On other occasions I think I’ve left a comfortable space, and they don’t. Does it matter what the reason is? Not really. It’s still a surprise or a shock, so the reaction is very similar to some occurrences of close passes by drivers when I’m cycling, where the physiological fight or flight response gives you a kick of adrenaline. Not great.

So what’s the answer? A citywide network of lanes physically segregated from pedestrians and motor vehicles (for this see the LCWIP blog). These exist in other cities, it’s just we’re several decades behind most other cities in Worcester. Political innit.

Before I go, a little more on what I consider considerate and inconsiderate (yep, I’m loving that sentence).

I’m not going to get excited about people cycling on footpaths, particularly when they are small people, or look like they’re maybe nervous or new to riding a bike, and the footpath is next to a road which is full of people driving cars. Particularly when the footpath is wide enough it could be considered shared use (blog here on what LTN 1/20 actually says about this), and particularly when there is low footfall of people walking, and the person is cycling considerately. Basically this covers lots of children cycling to school. If you think this is dangerous, go do one. No, don’t go do one, come and help us demand cycling infrastructure which enables children to cycle independently to school. Now. Please. And ask your councillor to trials a School Street (still no plans for any in Worcestershire). And what’s happening to the city TRO review enabling safe routes for people cycling across the centre during the day?

I’m also not going to get excited about dogs being off leads or people walking in groups taking up the whole path. It’s fine. Slow down, fuss the dog, ask politely if you can pass. If you’re trying to maintain a steady 30km/hr for your 50 km ride, I’m sorry, get on the road.

My final thoughts on all of the above, and I encourage you to reflect on your own observations next time you’re out and about. I like going places to see things and meet people. I do this by a variety of transport choices; mostly foot, bike, car and train.

When I’m on foot the biggest risk of me being injured or killed is people driving cars.

When I’m cycling the biggest risk of me being injured or killed is people driving cars.

When I’m driving the biggest risk of me being injured or killed is people driving cars.

If you’re in any doubt, check out our blog capturing all the RTCs and dangerous driving reports by the Worcester News in 2025.

Back to considerate cycling. Do it. Be nice. Don’t be a dick. Simples.

Ooopps, almost forgot to go back to Dunc. Whilst 3 mph walking and 12 mph cycling is a factor of 4 difference, I think in reality it’s a straight difference between the numbers we should consider, so the equivalent of a driver overtaking me cycling at 12 mph at a speed of 21 mph.

Sounds perfect.