Tips for mothers on shared cycleways
Mar. 14th, 2013 11:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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.
* 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.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-14 01:29 pm (UTC)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.)
no subject
Date: 2013-03-14 01:40 pm (UTC)And assume they understand the meaning of the word share.
I do grant you that there are numbnuts cyclists out there, however, having been horribly broken three times while obeying the law riding on the roads, I understand people who won't. I still ride on the roads (and cycle paths, including the shared ones), but I sympathise with people who ride on the pavement – in Sydney in particular it takes a great deal of belligerence to stay on the road. That said, if you must ride on the pavement, you should only ever ride at the slowest pace possible and always give way to everyone, because it is the pedestrians' space.
Sadly, in some parts of many cities, there are no safe routes on the road. I've been clipped by buses going through red lights, hit by a taxi going through a red turning arrow around the car already stopped at that light, and only avoided being rammed up the back at another red light because I heard it not braking and jumped up onto the median strip.
I am the sort of cyclist who quotes the road rules chapter and verse and obeys them, and my rule of thumb is to ride as though I were a bus and never try to enter a space a bus couldn't: I still have motorists trying to kill me most days and vague texting pedestrians wandering out in front of me at random moments. At least the kids had some degree of self-preservation this afternoon and worked with me on the not killing them plan.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-14 02:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-14 02:18 pm (UTC)The taxi driver who ran the light to try to kill me yelled at me for being on the road, I like to call him Proof of Theory.
I do agree that in an ideal world cyclists would never be on the pavement. And there would be separated cycleways everywhere, which would be better for everyone!
And no one would be allowed to use their phones or iPods while moving unless they were on a train, bus or similar. I've literally saved four people from going in front of cars because they were busy texting or listening to whatever was going through their headphones, and that's just the set I've physically grabbed. Lost count of the number I've avoided running over by nimble cycling when they stepped out without looking.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-14 02:32 pm (UTC)And don't get me started on phone use in traffic, please! *groans* The things I've seen people do, even with toddlers in tow ... unbelievable!
no subject
Date: 2013-03-16 04:46 am (UTC)And yeah, I think most cities have some parts that are better for cycling than others. I have a curse in parts of East Sydney so I just refuse to ride down those streets anymore, as my near death: ride ratio is just too high!
It's the same for public transport here: some parts of Sydney are well served, others dire. London is MUCH better off!