Bike collision on canal path

Is it requirement to have a bell to ride along the canal? Sometimes I've seen police checks near the London Fields part and I always assumed they were checking bicycles had bells.

Mind you bells don't work on joggers as they are usually listening to music.

Some waterways chaps were stopping cyclists at Paddington recently, and one of them gave me a bell. Doesn't fit on the bars, but nice thought.
Cycled on canal from Islington to Vicky Park yesterday, people on bikes were generally well behaved, but I'd rather stick to the road, where you can go faster.

what canal is that, graham?

those pics make me realise what the fuss is about. DAMN canals are beautiful

the aquduct reminds me of the stretch heading into llangollen (that is bound to be spelled very wrong). We canoed across ahead of the barge we were with. Shortly after I got cocky walking along the edge of the barge and fell in.

Bar the falling in that was a nice holliday.

WABE (what a bell end)

Unfortunately there are so many of the bastard things on the streets these days, you can't guarantee they'll even know what a forum is and therefore can't track them down and puke on their 'Spok.

the aquduct reminds me of the stretch heading into llangollen (that is bound to be spelled very wrong). We canoed across ahead of the barge we were with. Shortly after I got cocky walking along the edge of the barge and fell in.

Bar the falling in that was a nice holliday.

That's the one mate

http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUK330&ei=DuVQSvXtM-WZjAeL1Jy_BQ&resnum=0&q=llangollen,+aqueduct&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=GOVQSqKmCoq5jAf0oJHOBQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4

what canal is that, graham?

Shropshire Union & Llangollen

This was the best bit ;-)

That's the one mate

http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUK330&ei=DuVQSvXtM-WZjAeL1Jy_BQ&resnum=0&q=llangollen,+aqueduct&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=GOVQSqKmCoq5jAf0oJHOBQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4

There's also another one, a doubler a few miles along called Chirk aqueduct, slightly smaller though, in my first pic at the top

http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUK330&um=1&sa=1&q=chirk%2C+aqueduct&aq=f&oq=

I run along the towpath stretch from islington to regents park several times a week in the morning, almost all commuters know what they are doing and are very polite and considerate. Its the weekends when all the amateurs come out. I have seen quite a few bikes in the canals if that gives people some comfort

ive been thinking of doing the Leeds-liverpool canal ride. The photos have convinced me to, theyre amazing.

johan; glad youre okay. it could have ended alot wetter

I can highly recommend the Norfolk Broads for Canal Trips :
http://www.bregler.net/video/index.php?play=Norfolk_Broads

johan; glad youre okay. it could have ended alot wetter

Yeah lol, not sure I would want to take a swim in a London canal :)

I am sure duck sh*t is a remedy for something

Duck constipation.

I cant believe I see folk fishing in there.

Yeah lol, not sure I would want to take a swim in a London canal :)

especially an unexpected one, at least if you KNEW youd end up in there, you could prepare... goose fat and all that

hippy has been known to go into a canal with a bike.

I have an alibi.

my gf said "What if you dropped your bike in the canal?"

what was she expecting other than

"I'd get wet, and a few diseases, retrieving it."

Conflict levels on the canal towpaths have gone up as a consequence of the huge increase in cycling. A lot of people who start out immediately assume that they can't ride on the streets and take to the canals. The best advice to them is to get cycle training. Unless they do, some will keep using walkers and other cyclists on the canal as an obstacle course and effectively treat them just like those few of the motorists whose actions they fear on the streets treat cyclists.

BW manage levels of conflict as best they can through the 'Two Tings' campaign. This includes the much-criticised advice that cyclists ping their bells twice to alert pedestrians to their presence, but a lot of pedestrians appreciate being given an audible warning. Ideally, the canal would be left as a pure leisure resource and no-one on there would ever be in a hurry, but unfortunately that's an 'ideal world' scenario, especially in London.

a couple bobbies strolling in the canal path everyday should sort that out, after all they can easily fine cyclists for dangerous cycling, the more they catch idiot speeding through the canal as if it the Manchester Velodomes, the more likely that other cyclists will slow down a bit.

why is it that the simplest solution is never impended?

There are quite often a couple of bobbies going up and down the Regents Park stretch. Mostly seem to be rousting the rough sleepers, though.

what annoys me more is the groups of 4 - 5 walkengers who think they own the tow path
see you coming but decide not to get out of the way
selfish-engers

I had an incident yesterday with my GF. She hadn't ridden her new bike so i wanted to take her on a slow safe journey so we decided to cycle along the canals from broadway Market to Limehouse. All was going well, we were going at a slow speed, single-file and I was hitting my watch against my top tube to act as a ting ting noise. Then at Stratford we came across a group of middle aged walkers who refused to make way. I politely asked if we could pass but one of them replied that cyclists are not allowed on the canals. I then informed him that we were (and pointing to various Slow floor warnings that must obviously be for cyclists), he then blanked me and decided to stop in the middle of the path and refused to move until my girlfriend and I dismounted? It was this point I kinda lost my rag, I got off my bike and walked it into him, pushing him over, he started screaming that I had assaulted him and he was going to make citizens arrest? I told him to try and see what happens and carried on walking. When we passed my GF was a bit shaken and I was annoyed at both myself (for acting that way...A bit of a Cunt) and at the man for being so petty.

If you didn't kick him in the face while he was down, I am most disappointed with your behaviour. You should be ashamed.