Bicyclists on the Southeast Greenway. (Hans Diessel photo)
By MARY KIM FOLDS
I love the greenway. A run or walk on it with my dog is part of my daily routine and I am so grateful for that. The natural beauty and peace and quiet are so rejuvenating no matter the weather. I enjoy seeing the familiar faces who share my routine as well as the robins, blue birds, hawks, deer, …whatever might cross my path.
Most days I have a lovely experience. Some days, however, I have encounters that make me wonder if we are all using our best judgment on the trail. In particular, I have concerns about people with dogs and cyclists.
Also today, a Letter to the Editor
“Is someone poisoning the squirrels?” See PETS & ANIMALS»
As a person with a dog, I try to prevent any problems with other dogs or people before they start. For example, if someone is approaching, I shorten the leash, put myself between my dog and the passerby, and keep moving along. I have seen that letting dogs “say hello” or wander into another dog’s path can cause problems. Also, I have seen that having an actual physical leash on your dog is a great idea! Owners who let their dogs off-leash or use electronic leashes are putting us all at risk. Off-leash dog aggression toward a leashed dog is an unpleasant experience. The greenway is not a place to test your off-leash training. And signs at all trail heads specify that dogs should be on leashes.
Speaking of training, I have tried to train “chase” out of my dog for years, but I don’t think it’s ever going to happen. Squirrels, trucks, and yes, bikes, are fair game to him. So when I am on the greenway with him and a cyclist approaches, I reel him in, move to the side and keep going. As a dog owner it is my responsibility to be in charge of this.
However, cyclists also have responsibilities on the greenway. One of these is to give a “heads up!” to people on the ground that they are coming from behind. Today a cyclist appeared out of nowhere from behind me without a sound. My dog and I were both surprised, so he barked and lunged at the biker. A simple “on your left” would have given me time to prepare. Another heart-rate-spiking moment that I didn’t need to have.
Other cyclist responsibilities would include SLOWING DOWN and falling into single file if in groups of two or more. Riding two and three abreast on this narrow path in large groups at high speeds just isn’t safe. The margin for error on the greenway is too small. HIgh speed group riding is best for the road.
So here’s to the greenway! It’s for everyone so come out and enjoy and bring your common sense!
Mary Folds
Davidson
ADDENDUM
Posted July 26, 2012
David, As a follow up to my piece on greenway etiquette I would like to pass along these links from other towns that have taken some more proactive measures to prevent accidents on the greenway than Davidson has:
http://www.roanoke.com/columnists/casey/wb/255912
I believe our town website should have THIS information, and then if it’s on the website, then signs could be generated basically making etiquette a perceived “rule”:
http://www.greenvillesc.gov/ParksRec/trails/Rules.aspx
The key is to sort of CODIFY the rules of etiquette, such that if they are broken, there will be consequences…not just something happening that is just selfish or rude:
http://clevelandbanner.com/view/full_story/17820098/article-Greenway-etiquette-is-critical-as-user-numbers-grow-again
And hopefully nothing happens that is bad like this below. There could always be a lawsuit or worse case, a death:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:xZ_2N5JiyE4J:www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/man-suing-roswell-over-bike-path-safety-after-moth/nJJsb/+&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
(via Facebook) I totally agree with everything you have said~ Thank you for posting this .
(Via Facebook) I hope that many read this thoughtful post and take action, thanks for speaking out Mary Kim.
Good comments about the greenway. It is a fantastic resource we all share. You made several good suggestions about people keeping their dogs under control and people on bikes. As a person that has jogged and ridden a bike down several of the greenways hundreds of times, I’d like to add to what you said. The greenways are a great place to ‘zone out’ with your favorite tunes, and most people do just that, to the point that they are oblivious to what is going on around them. I have startled walkers by jogging up from behind and I have startled walkers on my bike. My bike makes loud clicking sounds when I stop pedaling and can be heard for at least 50 yards, but you wouldn’t believe the number of people that never hear it because they have their headphones on, even after shouting ‘on your left’. Sometimes, they are just engaged in conversation with one another and they STILL do not hear or see you coming. I am convinced that many of the people listening to music wouldn’t hear the horn on a fire engine and the people on their bikes aren’t ‘coming out of nowhere’, they are coming from the same place you just walked from. The path is intended for walkers, joggers, strollers, and bikes, so you should be aware and expect to be passed by people on bikes or joggers when you are on the path. As far as slowing down, every single bike group I have been in does exactly this and is also very diligent about shouting back warnings to others in the group about walkers, joggers, etc. You mentioned that all bike groups should get in a single file line, but many times that isn’t practical, nor is it necessary. Take a look at the photo at the top of this article to see how much room remains on the path when two people on bikes are side by side. It really isn’t crowded. However, on a bike, you frequently encounter dogs off of their leash, dogs on a leash stretched across the path, people walking down the middle of the path side by side blocking passage, children on bikes weaving around across the path, groups of people standing in the path chatting, blocking the entire path from everyone on foot or on a bike, etc.
All of that being said, I think it is important for everyone to be aware that people are enjoying the greenways in a number of ways and they have grown increasingly popular in the last few years. We are lucky to have them and really, the issues you and I have mentioned are trivial to the overall attraction of the greenways. 99% of the time, I am happy to share the space with others that are looking for the same sort of calming experience that I am whether they are headset joggers, kids, walkers, or anyone else.
Greg Scoggins