Posted on 06/11/2024 2:02:09 PM PDT by Morgana
WYOMING, Mich. (WOOD) — When two friends took a walk on the Kent Trails in Wyoming, Michigan, Sunday with their children, they never expected it to lead to a police report and a viral video.
The men, who asked their names not be shared due to the attention the confrontation is receiving online, say a cyclist they encountered on the trails hit one of them in the face, cursed at them and told them to put one of their children on a leash.
One of the men had his 3-year-old son and 4-month-old daughter with him on the walk. His friend, who was visiting from Detroit, was with his 2-year-old. They were both pushing strollers, with the toddlers climbing in and out at various times.
The father of the 3-year-old said they were on their way back home after stopping at a park, and the kids had “reached their limit.”
“We had made sure to stop for other people who were on bikes. We have been pretty aware of that. We had to pull over to the side, grab our kids, hold their hands just to make sure they go by. We had actually just done that for a couple of other cyclists when this man approached us,” the friend who recorded the video said.
That man rode up as the 3-year-old sat down in the middle of the trail, according to the two friends.
“At that point, you know, my mind is like, OK, just stay put. Because, you know, if I run out in front of the cyclist, that’s a danger. If the kid runs out, that’s a danger, because where’s the cyclist going to go?” the 3-year-old’s father said.
The friends say the cyclist began cursing at the 3-year-old, telling him to get out of the way.
(Excerpt) Read more at kxan.com ...
Chris Horner, who was on Armstrong’s team, was asked once what it felt like crashing in the tour. He replied, dress in your underwear, tie your feet together and jump off the back of a car at 35 mph.
Never said it wasn’t. Though rules could vary (in AZ muli-uee trails right of way goes to horses first then bikes, pedestrians having the shortest stop time have to yield to everything).
But again, the laws of physics don’t. You have GOT TO be aware. Assume other traffic doesn’t see you, won’t yield, and will your kid over if the chance occurs. So don’t let them. Don’t let your kid be a position where the law their only defense. Put physics on their side.
And slow down and let people know when you are coming up on them so they can move.
Slowing down isn’t a universal answer. Define slow. I rode at an average of 15 mph, and got passed constantly. Was I slow or fast?
I started off saying the cyclists shouldn’t have reacted the way they did. But that doesn’t change the math. If the parents had recognized the inherent danger of multi-use trails (because they are inherently dangerous, lots of random going on out there) and done a better job of controlling their the entire incident doesn’t happen.
“When on a multi-use trail control your dogs, control your kids, and control yourself.”
Bikes are going 15-25 mph, it is not responsible to let toddlers wander around combined bike/hike trails. Its the same as walking on the shoulder of a busy road. toddlers should not be doing this because they have no comprehension of the risk. For example the President of the United States might be riding on that bike trail !!
https://vimeo.com/showcase/10567031/video/846038412
A woke vegan cyclist ...
As a former cop, I always carry my old ASP baton (and a .40 cal). If I ran into that situation, first, the sound that baton makes while extending would be a definite attention grabber…then…it would utterly destroy an aluminum framed bike.
There MANY reckless drivers here in Central Florida MANY. But as an alert defensive driver it’s not just the vehicles that are a threat- people walking and cycling do NOT obey any signs or laws, I never see them ticketed, and they can appear out of NOWHERE- no matter how alert and careful a driver you are. It seems they have a death wish- they appear to feel that everyone everywhere will and can stop for them- they cross and ride in places that are not safe to be ALL THE TIME and without looking. Oh for the days of common sense, unselfishness, ‘cross at green not in between’ (or not against the ‘do not walk’) and when cyclists actually obeyed the rules of the road. In meantime no matter how RECKLESS pedestrian and cyclist may be, and no matter how very careful the driver may be, you know who will be charged if something happens. I also notice it’s a rare thing to come upon an intersection that does NOT have an obstructed view.
“Why would anyone wear that spandex crap anyway…”
I used to bike a lot with a club outside Amsterdam. I will say this…the padding with the chamois in the crotch really helped make for a more comfortable long distance ride. That of course is no defense on the attitude of the idiots today.
“There is only one creature on this planet more insufferable than a vegan and that is the cyclist.”
This cyclist can’t get enough baby back ribs or ribeye.
Space coast checking in…don’t forget about the idiots (adults and kids alike) on the golf carts…blowing through stop signs.
I love sitting at a red light or stop sign in my turbo diesel truck when the cyclists roll up. I can not help it when I pull off suddenly, leaving them in a very black cloud of humid diesel exhaust.
It is what it is.
But then I'm careful about money.
And I buy my bikes used. A lot of young couples buy expensive bikes and let them sit in the garage. And then they start having babies and have to sell their barely used bikes.
My road bike is a Trek Madone that was expensive when new. I paid $800 for it and it had been barely ridden when I bought it.
I ride between 5 and 7 hours a week and spend most of my biking budget on tires and tune-ups.
LMAO those numbers are all fake for 2021 Covid was the true cause of death
so, I went to the Kent Trails site, and seems to me, that the rules for accommodative vehicles should also apply to bikes, to wit, sounding an audible signal when approaching others (such as pedestrians), and staying to the right - especially if traveling more than 5mph. A toddler ‘in the middle of the road’ should have been easily avoided for a biker ‘staying to the right,’ slowing when approaching others, and situationally aware he was on a multi-use paved path.
“Motorized Vehicles are prohibited outside marked parking areas. Single seat Motorized Vehicles used by or for accommodation purposes under the Americans with Disabilities Act or the Michigan PWDCRA are permitted. All vehicles used under this Rule shall not exceed five (5) miles per hour on park trails, shall stay to the right on all trails, and shall make an audible noise or alarm to signal or alert other trail users to their presence...”
https://kentcountyparks.org/rules-regulations/
Yep. It isn’t hard to be courteous. I have actually met a lot of nice people that way.
I’m torn on this. Clearly it’s wrong to yell at a 3 year old but there ARE kids who need to be on a leash. Some parents think kids are like dogs...they should be able to go where they want when they want. There are some dog owners who do not comply with leash laws because THEIR dog isn’t the problem. It’s those other dogs.
I was on the service road of a major highway here in San Antonio and a biker was peddling between the center and right lane. Most of the following cars avoided the idiot , but as I passed the king of the road, a Tesla clipped him and he was last seen flying through the air toward the ditch. I couldn’t tell how bad the bike was damaged however
On Lakes, the slowest boat has the right of way over any faster boat.
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