I still can't bring myself to use the word "ped". I find it a bit insulting, to be honest.
I use it as an abreviation, not an insult. Dozy was the insult, I suppose in the thread title.
DrSquirrel - I take your point about people looking, but not well enough - maybe she did look and I didn't see her do it. But several people crossed in front of her, and I got the strong impression that she simply followed them out. As I said, she had her face turned away from me the whole time I was watching her - which was pretty much from the moment she stepped off the kerb. Lots of people chance it at that crossing, and it was the lack of any awareness on her part that marked her out as worthy of mention, above all the ones that do look, if only belatedly. If I'd had to be a witness to her being knocked down by a car, I would have been prepared to swear to my impression.
Missing the relatively narrow profile of an oncoming cyclist is one thing - I can understand it if someone only glances. But I did have a car behind me too - that's a big thing to miss. In fact as I slowed, I had half a concern about whether the driver behind would also see the situation and slow too, or just run into me - fortunately, they were paying attention.
Cycling in central York, stray pedestrians are a fact of life - but I don't think that means we shouldn't be allowed to have a moan about them sometimes.
I can't have shouted too loudly at her, since she didn't react in the slightest. Unless she really was profoundly deaf, which is possible. I better brush up the the BSL for "Look next time!" and then learn to ride no handed...
