AITA? Dog walking edition

Imo if you and your dogs are using half the path you’re in the right.

But if you and your dogs are taking the entire path width, that’s rude. Share the path imo.

I don’t disagree. But if there’s no one else around, there’s no harm in taking up the whole path.

Seems unnecessary (and pretty much impossible unless I keep them on three foot leashes) to limit them to exploring on only one side of the path. I absolutely pull them in close when someone else comes by.

The issue is when the biker is coming up behind me and doesn’t call out loudly/quickly enough for us to move over.

Who is rude in that scenario?

I was out on foot on a shared use trail this morning. I was appreciative of the bicyclists calling out from behind, and one was both loud and announced that there were two more cyclists following her.

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My view is if you’re taking up an entire shared use path you’re being rude, since you’re not leaving space for anyone else to use the path.

That being said, I have a strong dislike for dogs that don’t just walk dutifully behind their owner when out, so I’m quite biased.

You say you move if asked, so you’re putting the onus on others to be loud enough, and then slow down enough, for you to share the path. You come across as feeling entitled to the whole path.

I walk and bike on paths like this often. A lot of bikes cut it way too close to people when passing. I ding, and will slow right down for safety when riding, but I do find those who want the whole width of the path frustrating.

I’ve noticed among the worst are, families of 4+ walking side by side across the whole path. People with very wandery toddlers (I get it, but I don’t trust the toddlers), and people with wandery dogs on leashes.

There are playgrounds to toddle, and leash free dog parks, so it’s not like the path is the only option.

I usually take roads to avoid shared paths, but some people I’m out with won’t ride on roads, so there’s no winning.

I hear what you’re saying. I can see why you feel that way. I do feel entitled to use the whole path when no one else is around. I can sometimes walk a mile or more without seeing a biker. Other walkers are a non issue and it’s probably 10 or more to 1 ratio of bikes to walkers.

So yeah I’m not going to limit my dogs to a 3 foot radius of me on the off chance one or 2 bikes come up behind me on a 3 mile walk. :woman_shrugging:

I suppose there’s no way to keep the dogs to one side of you?

Sure but that seems dumb to me when there’s not a lot of traffic. :woman_shrugging:

It only takes 2-3 seconds to pull them in. If you let me know you’re behind me, I’ll gladly make sure you have room.

Your lack of gratitude for the rabbit and squirrel population control offered is disappointing. :wink:

That’s actually a fairly long amount of time given how fast a bicycle approaches a walker, and how loud it’s easy to yell.

A lot can happen in that time. I do a lot of trail rides and it usually takes at least that long for hikers with dogs to reel them in so I can let them pass by. If there is plenty of room to pass then a bike should slow down and pass by at a reasonable speed. If that space is not available it causes some unnecessary conflict.

Given how fast some of them approach, it’s a wonder more folks aren’t mowed down on some of the blind curves.

I guess I’ll stick to the sidewalk routes.

Do you move over when you hear them ding their bells, or only when they’re close enough you can hear them ask you to move?

Standard trail speed limit here is 15 mph, that’s my frame of reference.

People tend to walk in straight lines, and can be passed very quickly, so a few feet of room is generally safe.

Toddlers and animals might end up going anywhere so need more space and a slower pass.

I’ve seen people with dogs where the person is on one side of the trail, and the dog the other side, so if they don’t hear / listen for the bell (which has a good 50 yard warning), I basically have to stop for them. I’m suspecting OP is one of those people.

Yes. I move as soon as I know they are behind me.

Bells are not a thing here. I’ve not ever heard anyone use one. Only about 20% of people call out. The majority of those are not soon/loud enough for me to move.

I’m not holding my dogs to three feet of leash for a mile for these rude MFers.

I was wondering if you could train them to stay to one side.

But from the perspective of a cyclist, if it’s just a walker or a jogger, they can slow down a little and pass safely. But if they have to wait 3 seconds for you to gather in the dogs, they probably need to stop, or come close to that, and wait for the path to clear. That’s very disruptive to their ride.

If they make noise when they are 2-3 seconds behind me - I can pull my dogs in before they get to me and give them plenty of room. Training them to stay on one side of me isn’t practical.

They don’t slow down and make noise.

I maintain that if you are going so fast that you can’t give a walker a 2-3 second warning, YTA.

Now that I think about it, it’s probably only 1-2 seconds. Even if the leash is fully extended (and it’s usually not on the path because they will get stuck in the trees) I can easily pull them to one side. :woman_shrugging:

What kind of dogs?