Now I've seen everything...

[Fiona N]

I thought I'd got the hang of avoiding loutish behaviour - living in Kendal might be a bit far for most people but it has mostly worked. But yesterday I was completely taken aback by the behaviour of a small kid and its Dad (I assume the kid was of the boy variety but didn't stop to check)...

I was returning home after a ride down a steepish, fast but narrow lane - part of a bike route, it goes from the entrance to Sizergh Hall under the Kendal bypass and down to the river just before Natland village. There's not much vehicle traffic on it after the turning to Lower Sizergh Barn (good coffee shop) so you expect walkers all over the road.

I called out to a family of woman with pushchair, man and small child (maybe 4 years old) straggling up the road - the woman moved to the side of the road followed by the man who called the child to him but as I got closer the child wandered back to the other side of the road and I was preparing to ride (slower) between him and the rest of the family. Then to my astonishment, the child stepped deliberately into my path and stood there hands on hips, challenging me to hit him basically (you see why I think it was a boy ).

The Dad just looked on for far too long then hauled him out of the way pretty much at the last minute. I'd braked to walking speed which isn't a trivial matter as the surface is bumpy and I'd been travelling at about 25 mph moments before - perfectly safe if they'd all stayed at their side of the road.

I was so gobsmacked I didn't even get off any choice remarks I don't know who was worst, the kid or the Dad

 

[jig-sore]

i agree with you 100%, but i bet it wont be long before someone comes along and says... "if you were still doing 25mph when you got close you were going too fast. You should have slowed down as soon as you saw them and expected the worst !!"

loads of little scrotes out there these days and the parents just don't teach them whats right and whats wrong, in fact most of them find this kind of thing "amusing" in a "isn't he sweet" kinda way

 

[asterix]

Last ride but one I encountered the same situation. As soon as they saw me they all got into single file on the right side of the lane. As I passed they wished me good day. I was not surprised as I was in rural France.

 

[Dayvo]

Hopefully they won't get past the playing-chicken-with-a-lorry stage!

 

[Archie_tect]

People should be required to earn the privilege of being parents...

But.... I would do what you did and slow down expecting the worst... normally happens with certain brain dead dog owners who then get flustered and gather their equally thick four-legged friend back in saying, "he's normally better behaved" .... is he really?

 

[ColinJ]

But.... I would do what you did and slow down expecting the worst... normally happens with certain brain dead dog owners who then get flustered and gather their equally thick four-legged friend back in saying, "he's normally better behaved" .... is he really?

The owner of the Dalmation that ran straight out into the road and barking at me as I was riding in heavy traffic: "It's all right - he doesn't bite!" Apparently having a large dog get under your front wheel or causing you swerve into the path of an oncoming vehicle is perfectly okay then ...

As for the child challenging Fiona ... I was once tanking down the A6033 from Summit towards Todmorden doing 30 mph when I saw a family walking along the pavement in front of me. The father looked at me, saw me, and then attempted to drag his children into my path!

The kids were screaming "No daddy - bicycle!" so there was no way that he could claim to be unaware of my imminent arrival. He had obviously decided that he could step out onto any busy A-road that he wanted to, whenever he wanted to, and no bloody cyclist was going to stop him!

The kids jumped back onto the pavement but he was determined to continue on his collision course. I couldn't stop in time and I didn't know whether he would jump forwards or backwards but I was fairly sure that he would go one way or the other so I rode straight at him.

He leapt out of my path at the last possible moment!

'Too dumb to live - too stupid to die!'

 

[Angelfishsolo]

I have had similar happen to me but with a group of youths. They stood in a semicircle blocking my path. Head down I rode towards them. A gap cleared but at the last moment one youth stepped into the path of my bar ends. It caught his squarely in the stomach and he dropped like a stone. I stopped and offered to call an ambulance and the police but they hauled off the injured(?) boy and made haste from the path.

 

[funnymummy]

The Dad just looked on for far too long then hauled him out of the way pretty much at the last minute. I'd braked to walking speed which isn't a trivial matter as the surface is bumpy and I'd been travelling at about 25 mph moments before - perfectly safe if they'd all stayed at their side of the road.

I was so gobsmacked I didn't even get off any choice remarks I don't know who was worst, the kid or the Dad

I don't condone smacking children often, but there are times it is called for - That been one of mine you'd have heard the hand on arse noise & an apology from chastised child

 

[Davidc]

I've had that happen when I was in my car. I think some people either don't care about their children's welfare, or have congenitally missing brains.

In the case of the family in the OP the condition is evidently hereditary.

 

[byegad]

I'll say it 25mph on a shared use path is a lot too fast. However standing there and daring you to ride into him is a Darwin Award tactic, don't worry he'll not live to breed.

 

[Archie_tect]

Floodgates opened....

 

[al78]

I'll say it 25mph on a shared use path is a lot too fast. However standing there and daring you to ride into him is a Darwin Award tactic, don't worry he'll not live to breed.

I don't think she was on a shared use path, it read to me that she was on a road/lane.

 

[al78]

I have had similar happen to me but with a group of youths. They stood in a semicircle blocking my path. Head down I rode towards them. A gap cleared but at the last moment one youth stepped into the path of my bar ends. It caught his squarely in the stomach and he dropped like a stone. I stopped and offered to call an ambulance and the police but they hauled off the injured(?) boy and made haste from the path.

This is one issue I can forsee with a presumed liability law, scrotes deliberately blocking cyclists or jumping in front of them "for a laugh" and if the cyclist hits them, they are then liable, they've got their mates as witnesses, you're screwed.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

I think a headcam might be the way forward.

 

[asterix]

I think a headcam might be the way forward.

With the benefit of hindsight?