Look the guy was a lout and needs catching but there are lessons to be learned here. First off she is not the most vulnerable in terms of road use (I know it is not a road but heirachy of vulnerability here). The pedestrians and the dog especially are. People with dogs are protective as are people with kids. So whilst she did not do anything wrong she did not do the best thing to avoid aggro.
- First off that is a narrow path and I do wonder whether it is a legal cycle route or not. So first thing is whether she would have been better off taking another route.
- Second, she could have stopped earlier and let them approach her and pass her. Stopping earlier than neccessary is a good idea as IME it reduces negativity and even potentially increases positivity between you as the cyclist and the pedestrians / dog.
- Thirdly she could have put herself to the hedge side especially as a non-swimmer. A push into the hedge might have hurt but it is not a push into water which you as a non-swimmer need help to get out of.
- Finally getting off your bike is a faff but it does diffuse situations of conflict with pedestrians and puts you in a more balanced state to deal with a push. Putting your bike between you and the dog/ person too helps perhaps.
This is not about victim blaming but about realising there are such problematic people out there like the guy who pushed her. Sooner or later in towns and cities you will encounter them. How to cope and plan ahead is more important than getting somewhere or cycling your bike. After the fact it is better to learn from the situation than just complaining and dicussing the guy's actions which nobody thinks was anywhere close to being acceptable. We cannot change others but we can learn from others and what situations they get into. That is what my point is. Perhaps the above points might prevent someone reading them and taking them onboard from a similar confrontation. IDK if that will happen but discussing the situation from what that woman should or could have done is positive as it is trying to learn and find ways to cope with the abuse and assault that could happen to one of us.
I do know that if I had encountered a towpath like that I would have looked for another way. That is me. IF there was no other way my points above would be my course of action.
BTW in covid lockdown times my son got knocked over by a male runner on our local towpath. Fortunately he fell onto the edge of the bank and not into the canal but it was close. He was 7 I think at the time and a fraction of the guy's weight. At that time there were signs put up telling cyclists to take care of pedestrians and use the towpath considerately. The truth was that cyclist did but the ultra fit male types who were running a lot more as the gyms and sports clubs were closed were the issue. The ultra fit just ran past people like they were not there or had to get out of their way. It would not surprise me if this also described the attitude of this thug too. Covid lockdown times produced a lot of positivity but also brought out the total daffodils like those runners we encountered.
BTW if I he had been running towards my direction (a little ahead of my son and partner) then that guy would have been in the canal and having to get past me to get out!! Unfortunately he was running away faster than I could manage. I think that is along the lines of the Drago approach.
