mckeon@unm-cvax.UUCP (05/28/84)
x
caveat: I'm a pleasure & commuting bicyclist, and once worked as
'whipper-in' for a fox hunt. ( no Oscar Wilde flames, please )
If the right-of-way is a 'bikes-only' path you should complain
(constructively) to the appropriate city or county jurisdiction.
Chances are good that a little political clout ( a dozen bicycling
\voters/ ) can get some attention from some elected official.
From the description it sounds like Prairie path wasn't designed for
bikes only - did the county budget describe its intended purpose ?
(probably 'recreation' ? )
Strategy: don't expect the local PD to scatter caltrops -- more likely
(& better) you should try to find an equestrian group that would be
interested in working out the problem. They also like paths & trails
away from cars. Maybe the county could blacktop a narrow strip for
bikes and widen a softer section for the horses.
Fact of life: Care & feeding of horses ain't cheap - you may find that
your mounted new allies have more economic or political clout than you.
Right of way: Catch a horse by surprise and you may have a medical
problem on your hands - kicked bicyclist, fallen rider, etc.
Bicyclists get used to the sound and glitter of bicycling - flashing
spokes, clicking freewheels, squeaking brakes - but to an otherwise
well-mannered horse a moving bicycle can be a startling sight.
A little common sense about yielding right of way to whoever is
overtaking, caution, and keeping to the right goes a long way.
Since horse riders rarely wear mirrors, a shout of 'Way, please.' or
something similar \should/ effect a clear path fairly quickly. Bells
are also a nice non-verbal attention getter.
Just don't wait till you're 5 feet behind the horse, or try to quietly
slip past. Chances are excellent that you'll spook a horse - and by
Murphy's law the one you spook will be the most skittish in the bunch,
and carrying the most inexperienced rider.
More generally, please don't overlook the possibility that the several
groups that like to use 'non-roads' - horse riders, pavement & dirt
bicyclists, runners, dirt motorcyclists, XC-skiers, & ice skaters -
could do better with the city/county/state by pulling for more
alternative rights-of-way together. Seen any abandoned railroad tracks
lately? Don't kvetch - organize!
--
Denis McKeon, UNM Computing Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, 505-277-8148
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