I'm right behind BikeNZ's 1.5 campaign which would mandate motorists giving cyclists 1.5 meters of passing space when overtaking. But the 1.5 should work both ways.
I often find myself walking along Wellington's waterfront and see cyclists passing walkers breathlessly close. This works fine until a walker decides to turn suddenly and walk in a random new direction...which is exactly what walkers do on footpaths. Cyclists wobble. Walkers turn. It's part of the way we move.
So I'm hoping as cyclists raise the consciousness of motorists to give them space on the roads, cyclists will, in turn, give walkers the space they deserve to enjoy their experience of walking without fear for their safety.
After cyclists, walkers are our next best allies.
Robert
If you haven't already signed the 1.5 petition, there's still time: http://www.ridestrong.org.nz/RS/blogs/about_ridestrong/pages/1-5m-for-1-5m.aspx
1.5m works for walkers as well as cyclists
Forums:
Bring back the bicycle bell !
There don't seem to be many bell-ringers, tooters or whistlers out there on the streets in New Zealand and consequently people here don't seem to know how to react in the rare situations that they do hear one.
In the cities of Japan, pedestrians are well-accustomed to sharing space with bell-ringing cyclists and automatically pull-over to let them pass when they hear a tinkle from behind.
http://urbanbicycles.googlepages.com/bellsandhorns
Alan Preston in Mangawhai, Northland.