Tips for mothers on shared cycleways

[blamebrampton]

* The little diagrams suggesting that you keep left are there, in fact, to suggest you keep left.

* When you choose to ignore them and walk in the middle of the path, do not look hugely surprised when people ring their bells to encourage you to look up from texting as you walk and make you aware of the oncoming bicycle.

* On becoming aware of the oncoming bicycle and noticing that your youngest child is on the right hand side of the path, at a point level with the cyclist, who is successfully negotiating  a passing manoeuvre at low speed, do not shriek to the child, encouraging the wee lass to turn around and into the bike.

* On witnessing the cyclist performing an heroic avoidance effort while travelling uphill on a loaded bike with a confused and unpredictable toddler in the vicinity, do not run in front of the bike.

* On finding your toddler wholly avoided despite your best efforts to have her killed, do not call your other daughter to you, especially when she is six and very likely to run in front of the still-moving cyclist, who has just had to veer to the opposite side of the path to avoid ploughing into you.

* When the tried-beyond-endurance cyclist suggests that was less than optimal all round, do not open your mouth unless it is to apologise. Should the first words out of your mouth be 'You should have …', do not be surprised when the cyclist interrupts with: 'Mowed you down, I know' and rides off.

Comments

[winnett.livejournal.com]

Or in road races, you're supposed to keep to the right if you're walking. I hate it when people lolly gag in the middle of the road, when it's packed with people trying to run around them.

[germankitty]

Oh god, Oblivious!Cyclists™ -- please spare me! This is what I'd put on a sign right in front of my house for 'em ...

Don't get mouthy with me when I remind you that -- as you're an adult and clearly older than 12 -- the LAW says you're no longer allowed to ride on the sidewalk when there's no designated bike path.

Telling me "But there's so much traffic on the street!" is NOT a valid argument; nobody's forcing you to ride down this particular street, and while you may not need a driver's license, you're still supposed to know the traffic laws and be able to use the street safely and responsibly. Especially when the sidewalk you're illegaly riding on is barely wide enough to let two adults pass each other, there's parked cars everywhere and children/senior citizens with walkers out and about.

(And while I'm at it, I really, really don't appreciate you driving your bike onto my front lawn while trying to swerve out of the way of pedestrians. Just because no house on this end of the street has fences round their property doesn't mean whatever landscaped area borders the sidewalk becomes part of it for your convenience.)

[hollyxu.livejournal.com]

As an angry urban commuter, shufflers or people who disrupt pedestrian foot traffic get the stinkeye - so much stinkeye. And people who get off escalators/stairs or out doors and then stop cold, also the worst.

I'm glad nothing happened to you or the kids, though.

[ashindk.livejournal.com]

Cycleways are for cyclists! I have no idea why this is a surprise to anybody?!?

[inamac.livejournal.com]

Some of our local shared cycleways actually have a white line down the middle and paintings of a cycle and a pedestrian to indicate which side each should be.

And no, of course no one seems to take any notice of which side they should be. Especially when distracted by phones or i-players.

I love your fast response.

[vaysh]

Sound advice. *nods*

[bk7brokemybrain.livejournal.com]

You are my hero today, my dear. "Mowed you down" indeed.

I got tired of constantly being the one to duck and dip away from the oblivious ones on the crowded sidewalks in Manhattan, so I tried to just walk in a straight line, but so many people were going to bump me that I had to revert to defensive walking.
In my mind, I am still perfecting the defensive move for the next time someone walks right into me that will flail my arms perfectly so as to fling a text-walkers phone up in the air to crash and break on the sidewalk or street while still remaining the offended party. *crosses fingers*

[janey-p.livejournal.com]

O_o
One has to wonder about the average intelligence level of mankind...

I have to say I'm impressed you kept this calm AND had such a great reply! :D

[karinmollberg.livejournal.com]

If it wasn´t for their kids whose fault it obviously isn´t that their mum is a moron, mowing people like that down is in fact an option.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

I really hope you said that and it was the end of that scene. I imagine her version of trying to save her innocent babes while a crazed cyclist targeted each of them in turn. I wish I could write amusingly about those ladies always riding the public bus with huge prams at 5 when most people go home from work, and always want to get in three at a time despite 2 being the limit, and I remember that time a fourth came in and nobody could exit anymore or even move, but then it's usually just for one station, and the prams are so handy for shopping.

[emmacmf.livejournal.com]

I once almost caved in a gentleman's ribcage with my rather large and sturdy handlebars, because he had earphones in, and was wandering back and forth across a shared cycle path, waiting for his bus. No amount of bell ringing alerted him, because he couldn't hear it, and as he was also texting, he didn't see me. I zigged, thinking he'd zag, but he zigged instead and I went straight into him.

My bug bear? People walking side by side on the cycle path, who feel that shrugging a shoulder gives you ample space to cycle past them.

[shiv5468.livejournal.com]

Oh is that what the keep left signs mean. Keep left. Oh that's a surprise.

[mabonwitch.livejournal.com]

Shared pathways can be a pain. There are some places here where the drivers are so dangerous that I'll get up on the sidewalks. I feel bad for the pedestrians then, but there's generally a lot of polite negotiation via eye contact and the occasional shout. (I've found that the technically correct "On your left/right" is confusing for most, so I tend to shout "Bike!" or "Excuse me!"). If I were to mow into a pedestrian, it would hurt them. They might even end up with a broken bone. If one of the angry drivers on the road mowed into me, however, that would be the end of me. So I feel justified in using sidewalks when necessary.

[sherryillk.livejournal.com]

I always worry about the bicyclists on the road... Around here, there's a strong cycling culture and there's loads of bike paths and infrastructure meant to make it safer and easier. But I can't help but think that just increases the potential targets to make victims of because there's more people riding bikes. Even if they get their own part of the road and their own traffic signals, there will always be reckless drivers. And every couple of months, you hear about yet another cyclist who had been struck down by a car (or a truck, or even a bus) on the news...

[enchanted-jae.livejournal.com]

But, but, but...THAT WAS HER PERSONAL PATH!

How dare you attempt to traverse it on your bicycle?!

[jolinar-rosha.livejournal.com]

I so so sympathize. Bicycle lanes are a very new thing in my town, and while all the cyclists have jumped at the opportunity, the pedestrians are reaaaally slow in catching up. I've had not a few arguments with people who insist on walking on the bicycle lane when there's huge sidewalk to walk on just to the side, for no reason.