Numpties!

[addictfreak]

Well the sun has made a brief appearance in the North East today, so I took advantage and set off out on a brief 40 miler. Had three 'incidents' with peds/animals and also kids involved!

1. Cycling along at about 20 mph when some dozy bloody woman steps out in front. To makes matters worse she is leading a horse! Its a stretch of road near me where horse riders often complain about other road users, may be they should look at themselves first.

2. Just north of the River Wear in Sunderland a guy (grandad I assume) crosses the road, he is pushing a buggy with a baby and has a little girl ( 4 ish) with him. She is on a scooter. Of course because he is pushing the baby he has no control over the 4 year old who promptly ignores his shouts and shoots straight across the road. I spotted this in plenty of time and slowed right down while he chased after her. Thankfully no cars coming!

3. South of the Wear still in Sunderland ( a lovely area called Hendon) Virtually the same thing again, this a you Mum with a dog and a little lad on a scooter. Obviously in a hurry to get home and watch Jeremy Kyle! This time it must have been my fault as she commented that I was a F**king W**ker! Well I did say it is a lovely area.

All within the first 7 miles.

Anyway in the grand scheme of things it was still a good ride, sunny, not too windy and fairly warm. Loads of cyclists out which is surprising for mid-week daytime.

 

[BSRU]

My daughter has a scooter and she has been told to walk it across any roads otherwise it will be in the bin.

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

So you rode through Monkwearmouth then off through Hendon, a brave man!
A bit like when I ride through Wallsend, Walker etc...just keep going as fast as you can.

 

[biggs682]

some people dont have the common sense they were born with

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

some people dont have the common sense they were born with

+1

 

[Dave 123]

Addictfreak, You may not like this at first, but....... move down south, it's much more civilised here!

 

[Cush]

Maybe civilised in some parts of the South but I rode up from Canterbury to Gravesend on NCR 1 last year and that area made Wallsend to Scotswood look clean and if you want a real rough area try Lancaster round the canal.

 

[addictfreak]

[QUOTE 1852998, member: 9609"]What's Pennywell like these days, I used to have to deliver stuff there back in the 80's, really bizarre place; indescribable squalor, burnt out cars and settee's everywhere, huge packs of dogs, 20 or 30 strong, roaming the streets, feral kids that used to try and rob out of the back of the lorry and on quite a few occasions would pull a knife out and threaten to stab me, and you couldn't drive anywhere without about half a dozen of them hanging on the side.[/quote]


I have spent many a nightshift dealing with cars, derelict houses, as well as being stoned and verbally abused etc in Pennywell over the years.
But it is changing, large areas have been demolished, and the housing company Gentoo seem to delivering some good quality housing. Time will tell if it all works.

 

[G-Zero]

This time it must have been my fault as she commented that I was a F**king W**ker! Well I did say it is a lovely area.

You obviously went through a posher bit if you managed to get home with the bike intact

Seriously though, you've done well to get some dry miles in today, I've sat staring out of rain soaked windows all day wondering whether to put my mudguards back on the crosser - Sounds like I should have headed to the coast ?

 

[addictfreak]

Addictfreak, You may not like this at first, but....... move down south, it's much more civilised here!

From my experience we don't have the monopoly on 'Numpties'

 

[Dave 123]

From my experience we don't have the monopoly on 'Numpties'

It was typed with tongue firmly in cheek, as I'm not really a southerner....

 

[Arsen Gere]

May be we need jay-walking laws too ? They won't be enforced, like litter laws, but it makes it clear who is responsible for what.

 

[Arjimlad]

Well, I thought it was exaggerated for comic effect - and can have some sympathy with Funk My Fixie if he has to ride on cycle paths. I avoid them wherever possible as the majority seem to be fundamentally unsafe & designed to put cyclists in conflict with pedestrians, dogs, toddlers etc.

 

[theclaud]

May be we need jay-walking laws too ? They won't be enforced, like litter laws, but it makes it clear who is responsible for what.

No thanks. The freedom for pedestrians to go where they please is a mark of civilization. It's already clear who is responsible - cyclists just have to slow down and take care around pedestrians, dogs etc. Simples.

 

[steveindenmark]

These are not numpties. They are just ordinary people doing the dumb thing normal people have always done.

It is dangerous for a mother to stand a metre from the kerb, but it is not dangerous to set the two front wheels of the pram into the road. How many times have you seen that?

Once you see these type of things ahead, you should be checking over your shoulder and planning to get away from them. You know what they are going to do.

Steve