Canal tow path cyclists

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    • 18/07/2013 at 3:01 pm #55659

      TF_JohnH

        I dont fish canals but my office backs onto one. I have taken to lunchtime walks along the tow path and to have a chat with the local lads out there fishing.
        I come across the occasional cyclist no problem.
        However yesterday I stood behind a guy fishing long pole, which is a rare sight on this canal, a 16m TPro to be exact. I was just starting to turn to head back to the office and was almost flattened by a guy on a bike who must have been tramming at 30 MPH at least.
        Neither I nor the angler heard him coming and he passed our backs within inches. Had the said angler struck at a fish and started shipping back all hell would have broken loose. We both shouted to the cyclist about warning us he was approaching but he had quickly passed us and was out of sight totally ignorant of the fact he and us were a split second from pottential disaster.
        I know Keith goes on about this on Fishermans blues but I was really shaken up even though he missed me. If he had hit me head on we both could have been easily killed.
        Thank goodness for commercials!!!
        Should we campaign for a speed limit??

      • 18/07/2013 at 8:06 pm #167796

        TF_Anthonywaters
        Participant

          You should retitle this ” annoying bas£%rds “

        • 18/07/2013 at 9:47 pm #167797

          TF_mart4666

            Surely there must be a max speed limit for cyclist using tow paths. Sure it would be perhaps 5 or 10mph.?

          • 19/07/2013 at 6:21 am #167799

            TF_Cutnut

              Speed bumps and rumble strips on canal towpaths??…never gonna happen. 😮

              Cyclists are a royal pain, especially those bunched up gangs of old peddlephiles…

            • 19/07/2013 at 7:19 am #167800

              TF_Fred Davis

                canal towpaths have in some areas now become official cycle routes, in such cases the angler is at fault if he ships his pole back and strikes the cyclist even though he is a paying customer to fish and the cyclist is not, the cyclist should have a cycling permit to ride up and down the towpath which are granted on application and of coarse free and according to the original bylaws should dismount when approaching an angler, however the days of courtesy have long gone only one way to sort it – FIGHT 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

              • 19/07/2013 at 7:46 am #167802

                TF_JohnH

                  I confidently predict it is only a question of time before a serious incident occurs. Does anyone know if cyclists have to insure themselves? If this guy had hit me I would have wiped him out financially.

                • 19/07/2013 at 8:04 am #167804

                  TF_Anthonywaters
                  Participant

                    Its one of those unfortunate things you have to put up with on natural venues and another nail in their coffin unfortunatley.

                  • 19/07/2013 at 11:37 am #167807

                    Anonymous

                      Its an old problem that is never going to go away on canals and park lakes. The only answer is to protect yourself on either side by putting your luggage and tackle trolly on either side of you as a barrier. Take plenty of the path so they have to slow down or crash but give them enough room to get past with care. Get use to looking both ways before you ship your pole back. If you see anybody coming. Better to not ship back even if your playing a hooked fish. If your already shipped back when you see someone coming. Stand up and lift the pole as high as you can so they can go under your pole. In most cases. They do slow down as a carbon pole in the gob at 30mph does tend to hurt a lot, lol. Its always been a pain but you get use to it. Better to be safe than sorry with pole sections costing several hundred pounds each. I,ve always used this policy with walkers as well. Many walkers will try to climb over a pole rather than wait 10 seconds while you bait up and move it. Had more arguments with walkers than those on bikes as they do think they own the canal.

                    • 20/07/2013 at 8:59 pm #167843

                      TF_ally
                      Participant

                        I have bought extra long legs so I can sit out in the canal and get a better angle for shipping along the bank rather than straight behind. I tend to fish at 10 o clock to make it easier still.

                      • 21/07/2013 at 8:15 am #167847

                        TF_Cutnut

                          @ally wrote:

                          I have bought extra long legs so I can sit out in the canal and get a better angle for shipping along the bank rather than straight behind. I tend to fish at 10 o clock to make it easier still.

                          I hope your canal traffic is careful when passing you, and that it’s wide enough that you don’t get clipped and knocked off. I would have thought 10 o’clock was one of the busiest times on a canal 🙂

                        • 22/07/2013 at 6:20 pm #167869

                          TF_LolB

                            I normally fish around the Leighton buzzard and Milton Keynes area. There has been a massive increase in bikes and walkers. Being almost deaf does not help and they seem to be a law unto themselves. Controlling clubs don’t have the man power to monitor them.Week be for last at Milton Keynes had one crash into me lucky for me no damage to tackle. One thing did make me laugh though boyfriend of cyclist started giving it large, when i got off my box to have a nice chat with him, He rode off so quick he would have given Bradley Wiggens a run for his money.

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