By Diane Carter, RN, MSN, FAAN
It is important to take special precautions as you approach an older walker from behind. This is because these walkers are often less aware of their surroundings as they walk than younger people. Currently, there are 54.1 million people in this country over 65. One in three of people over 65 have hearing difficulty. Approximately one in three people over 65 have some form of vision-reducing eye disease.
One in four Americans over 65 fall one or more times each year. The most common cause of a fall is a lack of proper balance which may be caused by medication side effects, or Meniere’s disease which causes inner ear issues and dizziness. Approximately 70% of people 65 and older have some challenges with vertigo which can cause the sensation of spinning or difficulty with spatial awareness. Inner ear infections may cause hearing loss which can also lead to balance issues.
Finally, as we age, the range of motion in our necks between the ages of 20 and 90 years of age may decrease by as much as 33%. In addition, our peripheral vision lessens. The combination of the decrease range of motion and peripheral vision means that in order to react to and see what is behind us, the person may find it necessary to come to nearly a full stop and turn their entire body to see someone as they approach from behind.
Here is what is crucial about this litany of decline. As we age these things often occur so slowly over time some older people are not even aware of these issues. Thank goodness, right? They also occur at different rates for different people. So don’t expect all older adult to react the same way.
These ideas apply to people of all ages but are particularly true when approaching an older person from behind on a bike. Here are a few ideas for avoiding an accident involving you and/or the older walker:
- You may not be as likely to see elders with ear phones but slow down and look for ear phones as you approach.
- As you approach an older person slow down and watch for a walking stick, cane, or walker. Some people are embarrassed to use this aides so watch for an unsteady gait as you approach.
- Do not assume that if you pass quickly the person will not react once aware of you. This may startle the person walking and perhaps cause a fall or something worse. So slow down and give a warning to the walker.
- It may seem childish but an old-fashioned bell on your bike may work better than yelling as you approach. Bells often have a higher frequency than the human voice and can be heard more easily than a deeper male voice, especially for older people.
- At about 20 feet, and again at 10 feet behind them, slow down call out loudly with a simple, direct command “I am passing on your left.”
- Do not say “On your left” when you are directly beside the walker. They are very likely to startle and stumble when someone says something they were not expecting right beside them.
- If at all possible, always pass on the left so if the person hears you, they are aware, at least in this culture, to move to the right. Passing on the right can be even more startling.
- After you have passed do not cut too close in front of them or speed up too quickly. Again, that darn startling. Believe me, it is annoying.
- If they are walking a dog, I would not count on the dog to move quickly to the right either, since their person is not aware of your approach.
It is crucial that as people age, they stay active and engaged in the world around them. They deserve so much credit for being out there and active. With a little help from their friends on bikes, they will be safe and comfortable enough to Keep-on-Truckin.
I live in the city and find a bell works great. I have a tiny ottolock bell that is pretty loud for being so small. If i’m on a path, I slow down and start ringing it early til I see the person ahead reacting. If they have ear buds or headphones, I slow way down and pass very slowly. I hear many people passing me with “on your left”, but this is usually said AS they are passing. This is kind of like a car putting on their turn signal AS they are making the turn. The most frustrating part of the bike path I use is that there is a walking path right next to it, but walkers ignore the signs and use it anyway!
Excellent article. I’m always riding up on elders using local bike paths and your description of the problems are right on. (Being 79 myself, I “feel their pain”).
Since using my Kong bell, I even get the occasional ‘thank you’.
I have been using an old-fashioned bell for several years now and it usually gets the job done. Thanks, though, for reminding me that when someone ( and not necessarily an elder) makes no response to my bell that they most likely didn’t hear it. I need to replace my occasional irritation with a kind thought or two!
I see many dog walkers wearing ear buds, so they don’t hear my bell or “on your left”. My strategy is to ring my bell and get the dog’s attention. When the dog stops to look back towards me, that sudden stop by the dog often gets the walker’s attention, and then they might look up and see me. It’s not much of a fix, but it’s about the best that can be done when people intentionally isolate themselves from other MUP users.
I haven’t had any issues with elderly people on bike or multi-use paths.
What’s a real problem is younger people who can’t hear because they’ve got earbuds stuffed in their ears with music blaring and are oblivious to the world around them because their noses are buried in their cell phones. They’re usually the ones who are weaving back and forth or walking down the middle of the path, as if there’s nobody in the world but them. No amount of calling out or bell ringing will make a difference.
Another common hazard is family groups who aren’t paying attention to what their kids and pets are doing. The kids run around and dart all over the place, and I even had one who’s little kid was flying a kite across the path! Of course there are the dog walkers with their animals on long leashes stretched completely across the path.
Then there’s the people who decide to stop for a break and park their bikes ON the path, effectively cutting it in half. Add in a few skateboarders and inline skaters weaving all over and you’re basically riding an obstacle course.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to mandate common sense or common courtesy on multi-use paths. Consequently, I just avoid using them during peak “traffic” hours, as it’s actually safer to ride the adjacent roads.
The radical solution is to leave the dog-walkers, the parents of small children (whether on or off bicycles or tricycles), the hard of hearing, the enhanced hard of hearing wearing headphones or earbuds, and the people who hear a bell and start discussing with their walking buddies, “What’s that noise?” — leave them on the MUPs and go ride on the road.
You have to assume that the person or persons you want to pass are likely to respond in an illogical manner. Often, when I announce passing on your right, a person looks over their right shoulder. When two people straddle the center line, one steps right and the other to the left. Some people walking dogs on very long leashes act as if they never dreamed anyone else would be on the trail. I could go on.
We as riders have to remain polite and vigilant, expecting the unexpected from other trail users. The list in the article is a good reminder. Time of day and weather may be considerations for how busy your tails are. As Pat said above, sometimes we just need to ride the road.
Agree 100% with Brian about inconsiderate self-absorbed trail users.
Lots of older folks using MUTs in my area and I rarely (if ever) have an issue with them sharing use of the pavement. Most are FAR more attentive to others on the trail than their younger counterparts.
My bigger concern is the cyclists that ride on a MUP at 20+ mph and never give any notice that they are passing nor slow down approaching anyone, whether it is one person or more, or another cyclist. I am a 70 year old cyclist who rides around 15 mph and tries to acknowledge and give consideration to everyone.
The elephant in the room is a moving cyclist using the same space as a slow-walking senior who is one fall away from the broken hip that will end their mobility. This is a completely unsafe scenario, and there is no way to make it safer short of installing a physical barrier between the cyclists and everybody else. Multi-use paths are inherently dangerous due to their narrowness, the typical encroachment by dense foliage on both sides, their bi-directionality, and on weekends the crowds that turn these shared paths into a scene out of “The Road Warrior.” We’ve all been there, unable to ride due to the chaotic combination of teenage males going flat out on their mountain bikes; joggers in Bluetooth oblivion; and little kids and big dogs running wild. The Army has a good descriptor for this situation, but I can’t use it here.
Bike paths are from a time when bicycles were unwelcome on city streets. Rather than change the streets to accommodate them, cyclists were diverted to these narrow paved pathways. At a time when people rode their bikes at walking pace, bike paths might once have been viable. But add pedestrians to the mix and collisions are inevitable. The consequences are worst for those aforementioned elderly, along with disabled people who frequently use pedestrian and mixed-use paths.
There is NO scenario where cyclists and pedestrians can safely intermingle on a shared bidirectional pathway. City planners are catching on to this and installing roomy bike lanes on city streets, interconnected to make possible commuting from one end of the city to the other. This is the right environment for bicycles, where their speed can be used safely, and it’s highly unlikely a dog or child will jump unseen from the bushes and into their path.
As a cyclist, I choose not to endanger pedestrians by riding among them — whether it be on a city sidewalk or a secluded multi-use path. These paths should be converted to pedestrian use only, while we cyclists can get to where we’re going far more quickly and safely by using the new generation of urban bike lanes. Or better yet, get the hell out of Dodge and onto an undulating two-lane with paved shoulders, running through beautiful country. THAT is where we come into our own.