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

[inamac.livejournal.com]

For me it's the dog walkers in the local forest who are glued to their phones and completely oblivious of what their dog (usually a 'pit-bull-type') is doing. Never mind not phoning while in charge of a car - you really shouldn't have a phone glued to your ear while in charge of anything in including children.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I'm giggling at that because I had a dog stop its human from walking out in front of me on my ride home. I hit the road behind my place at a fair turn of speed after a long downhill, and sometimes people wander out across it blindly. I saw a chap nattering away on his phone turn off the pavement and look as though he was just about to step out into the road and drew in a breath to shout at him to stop, when he jerked to a halt. I looked down and saw his boxer peering at me and sitting back, effectively leashing his human out of harm's way.

My friends who own the cafe up the road give ill-behaved children handfuls of red frogs if their parents ignore the kids and chat on their phones instead. I know it's a bit evil, but I can't blame them!