Little brats.

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thomas

the tank engine
Location
Woking/Norwich
lukesdad said:
No old ladies ride their bikes along this path .I had taken my speed off when i got to the group it was the suddeness of the action and wet leaves that had me off. Any way Im wasting my time here knew there was a reason I did not post in commuting very often.


Surely if they were playing chicken there wouldn't be any sudden reaction from their part?

I don't really get what happened...I'm sure you weren't being stupid but ultimately on shared paths you should give pedestrians...or twits who are just standing in the way, priority and slow down significantly for them.

When I was (much, much, much) younger (like 13 or something) some chavs wouldn't move their legs out the way so I ended up just cycling over their feet ;)
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
lukesdad said:
No old ladies ride their bikes along this path .I had taken my speed off when i got to the group it was the suddeness of the action and wet leaves that had me off. Any way Im wasting my time here knew there was a reason I did not post in commuting very often.

You were the one who brought up the old ladies! I was thinking more of old ladies walking anyway.

So, you had to brake sharply, and came off on leaves and it's all the fault of some kids whose actions you failed to anticipate properly.
 

dondare

Über Member
Location
London
It's not possible to ride a bike seriously on a shared path. Children, dogs and other cyclists who are invariably on the wrong side as they come at you mean that they're only for good-naturerd pottering when you have to be prepared to give way, stop or wait at any time.
 
OP
OP
lukesdad

lukesdad

Guest
Probably havn t explained it very well. I know what happened and it was malicous from a group of teenagers who knew exacttly what they were doing. If you take the anticipation line to its conclusion what you are saying is if I got hit by a car on the road its my fault I should have anticipated that and stayed either on the pavement or even better at home.
 
OP
OP
lukesdad

lukesdad

Guest
the path is only ashort length of a 40 mile journey to work the rest is on roads I dont ride the path flat out.
 

dondare

Über Member
Location
London
Do you ride 40 miles?

Anyway, you're the gro-nup, they're kids; it's a shared path which means peds-in-the-way even when they're not doing it on purpose; only thing for it is to take it easy.
 

Cab

New Member
Location
Cambridge
dondare said:
Do you ride 40 miles?

Anyway, you're the gro-nup, they're kids; it's a shared path which means peds-in-the-way even when they're not doing it on purpose; only thing for it is to take it easy.

While I agree with this, it doesn't mean that they're not a bunch of scrotes...
 

Norm

Guest
Someone tried to take me out on a shared path a few weeks ago. She was not exactly little but she was an old lady and she was also on a bike, cycling on my side (as the river was only about 15' from her side so she was scared of it!)

I saw her indecision so had already stopped and put my down when she ran into me. She hit me and she rolled off into an inconveniently placed patch of nettles. Her husband, an equally elderly gent, had me laughing when he started ranting about "You bloody kids riding too fast...". I only stopped his grandiloquence by pointing out that he was 20' in front so had no idea what happened, I was stationary when his missus ran into me, I'm 46 so the word "kids" is barely applicable and if he wanted to help his wife, he should STFU and help me lift her out of the nettles.

Sometimes the strangest things happen and you can't always plan for them. Remember than no-one from CC was there with you lukesdad, so we can only see the facts as you have posted them. Although you have since corrected the misunderstanding, your OP did suggest that you had 200m of clear visibility but still didn't slow before you got to them.

Don't take the criticism to heart, it's very easy for armchair cyclists to over-analyse something which happened in a few seconds at the end of a 40 mile commute. Respect to anyone who commutes that distance in crap weather.

Oh, and watch out for the little old ladies. :thumbsup:
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
2 years ago I was barged by a teenager walking toward me in the road on the edge of a group of 4 school kids walking side by side on the pavement and in the cycle lane which was on the road in which I was cycling. As I approached I slowed and rang my bell. They didn't move. Strange that with me dressed in hi-viz as well. So I looked behind to check it was ok to move out of the cycle lane into the road to go around them as the traffic was quite busy in the narrow street, and as I did so, the next thing I knew I was sprawled on the tarmac and these kids laughing at me. I felt this was a really nasty thing to do given I had tried to avoid them. I jumped up and grabbed the kid I thought that had done this to me to try restrain him, but he got away. An olde lady walking by hepled me pick my stuff up and was keen to make sure I was ok. I hit the road very hard. My side was killing me. The kid who barged me and the rest of his group were about 16-17 years old. Anyway about a minute later a plod car came around the corner so I stopped them. One of the 2 coppers ran off in search of the kids and miraculously caught them and dragged them back to the scene which is when my probs started as they made out that I had assaulted them and the stupid thick plods were going to arrest me. At this point I have to say I told them a few home truths and that the two CCTV cameras at either end of the street would no doubt back my version of events up which would make them look even more stupid than they already looked which didn't go down well. Well the plods are so bloody stupid most of the time. Anyway they refused to nick the guy who barged me off or any of his mates who thought it all very funny. I had a huge bruise on my right thigh, my elbow and wrist were killing me and my thumb knuckle was bleeding. One of the bloody coppers gave my arm a hefty squeeze to see if it was broken. Aghhhhh!!!!! The b4stard. When I tried to take the matter of being knocked off further I was met with a wall of indifference and that there would be counter allegations against me, so in the round, the police were not taking any further action. They wouldn't even give me the name of the kid who had barged me off so I could sue him and his parents for my injuries. I have always ridden carefully around kids but now I try and avoid them at all costs as many are feral vindictive little sh1ts.

But back to the OP. I certainly don't TT on cycle paths that is just plain idiotic. From being extremely vulerable on the roads cyclists can turn into being the major aggressors on shared use cycle paths if they ride too fast and inconsiderately.
 
lukesdad said:
You had to be there really. Their actions were deliberate,and they weren t little kids slowed at first then they seperated for space then 2 of the smart alecs thought they d play chicken with me.
A few years ago there was one lad kept stepping out into the road causing me to go around him. The third day he tried this i stood up accelerated straight at him, as he tried to jump back onto the pavement he clipped the kerb and ended up on his backside in the mud with all his mates laughing and pointing at him. He never stepped out again after that.
 
OP
OP
lukesdad

lukesdad

Guest
redflightuk said:
A few years ago there was one lad kept stepping out into the road causing me to go around him. The third day he tried this i stood up accelerated straight at him, as he tried to jump back onto the pavement he clipped the kerb and ended up on his backside in the mud with all his mates laughing and pointing at him. He never stepped out again after that.

I ve thought about this since the incident, but my mind goes back to that incident in the papers where that guy killed that girl by riding at her. I wouldnt do that sort of thing even if sometimes I. feel they might deserve it. Can I just repeat high speed was not an issue here.
 

thomas

the tank engine
Location
Woking/Norwich
lukesdad said:
I ve thought about this since the incident, but my mind goes back to that incident in the papers where that guy killed that girl by riding at her. I wouldnt do that sort of thing even if sometimes I. feel they might deserve it. Can I just repeat high speed was not an issue here.


When you cycle there are times when you feel that someone might deserve being killed by your riding at them? I'm bloody glad you wouldn't do that sort of thing.

If the worst thing you have to deal with is some school children who won't move out of your way consider yourself blooming lucky!
 
I know it's difficult to be patient and 90%* of the time im patient with peds after being told off on here.;)

* Yes I have my bad days.
 
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