Jan. 31, 2015, 2:49 a.m. -  Hp_Sauce

#!markdown I have to say, I ride with a varied group of people (via an internet group) and after the arrest of the saboteur it felt like everyone was riding a little more politely. When approaching hikers they would slow down a little more, or pull over a bit further, or greet a little friendlier. As if they knew the spot light was on them. It appears the spot light is getting even brighter than we anticipated? For me it seems to be a problem with perception / assumption of lack of control. A hiker will spot an approaching biker, they will perceive that the biker is on a collision course (CBDR for the BSG fans out there) they assume the biker is out of control & the hiker will step aside (while trying to gather up their dogs/children) for safety. This is a natural reaction to avoid being hit. The trouble is, 9 times out of 10, the mountain biker notices the hiker right away & is in full control. But they know that if they stop immediately & pull off to the side of the trail, they will have to stand there for a minute while the hiker walks up and passes them before they can proceed. So instead the mountain biker (knowing he is in control) decides to continue riding the trail a bit further until he gets closer to the hiker before pulling off to the side. This way hiker/biker passing will take place sooner & everyone will carry on their way. But the hiker sees the rider continuing towards them and instinctively steps off the trail. At that point, the biker gets close… but the hiker has already stepped off the trail, so the biker figures "well they've already stopped, I might as well continue through so that everyone can move on". The result -and I've seen it over and over again myself on hiker primary trails- is that bikers intend to yield, but by the time they get there, the hikers have already yielded. So the bikers figure it's just quicker to continue through. I am not a hiker, but I can imagine this constant feeling of being pushed aside on all the trails would be mighty frustrating. In this regard, I think mountain bikers need to start practicing yielding. Not just the intention of yielding ("the road to hell is paved with good intentions" as my grandmother used to say). The NSMBA spent years demonstrating trail maintenance responsibility. Now maybe it is time for us to spend years demonstrating exaggerated politeness. I say exaggerate everything. Slowdown sooner when you approach a hiker. Stop and put a foot down. Pull further off to the side than you want to. If the hiker has already stopped and stepped aside, stop and let them pass anyway. Show them that we are actually able to control where we stop our bikes! -hps