Shared Cycle Paths

[cd365]

Whilst walking my dog yesterday, I went through a road underpass which has a shared pedestrian and cycle route to find someone lying on the ground moaning, getting closer I could see it was a young teenage boy with a smashed phone next to him, firstly I assumed that he had been mugged.

I stopped and asked if he was OK, he told me that a bike had come racing into the tunnel down the hill entrance, come around the bend really faced and ploughed into him. The cyclist went over his handlebars but managed to get up and ride off, leaving this kid in agony. There is no way of really knowing anymore which is the cycle path and which is the pedestrian side, the markings wore away years ago.

I helped the lad up and took him home to explain to his mum what had happened and that he was having difficulty breathing so with the nature of the crash he could have sustained some fractured ribs so she should take him to A&E. Whilst walking back he told me that just before I turned up that two other cyclists had cycled past him and just left him lying there on the floor, he thanked me for my help saying that if I hadn’t come past he might still be lying there.

What is this world coming to?

 

[MontyVeda]

we can make it a better place one person at a time

 

[Banjo]

What a sad story. I dont know who is worse,the original cyclist or the ones who just rode past him .

I am disgusted by the speed people on bikes (I wouldnt call them cyclists) fly along shared paths.

Go as fast as you like on the road.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

we can make it a better place one person at a time

This entirely and unequivocally.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Cycling on pavements, at speed gets me ! Yesterday i was bringing my ladder out of the house to put on my car roof rack when one idiot flew past at what must have been 15mph. He was lucky that i always check for anyone passing before i step out with the ladder, otherwise he'd have had a nasty accident.

I even see chav types doing "wheelies" on pavements whilst passing pedestrians. Oh please fall off you ;@~#! are my usual thoughts.

 

[Drago]

What a sad story. I dont know who is worse,the original cyclist or the ones who just rode past him .

I am disgusted by the speed people on bikes (I wouldnt call them cyclists) fly along shared paths.

Go as fast as you like on the road.

I'm disgusted by the speed many motorists fly along shared roads.

 

[Sandra6]

Poor lad.
It's really good that you stopped, I would've done the same but it's really sad that so many people wouldn't -and clearly didn't.
I can get a bit irritated when people walk on the wrong side of the shared paths, but that's because when you ask them to move they don't want to! But tbh I've done it myself, and I cycle on the wrong side sometimes too -but not at speed and always with consideration for other people.

 

[Kiwiavenger]

Cycling on pavements, at speed gets me ! Yesterday i was bringing my ladder out of the house to put on my car roof rack when one idiot flew past at what must have been 15mph. He was lucky that i always check for anyone passing before i step out with the ladder, otherwise he'd have had a nasty accident.

I even see chav types doing "wheelies" on pavements whilst passing pedestrians. Oh please fall off you ;@~#! are my usual thoughts.

a stick through the wheels sometimes helps with that!! stick one through the front wheel to see how long they can hold the wheelie for!

 

[cd365]

Poor lad.
It's really good that you stopped, I would've done the same but it's really sad that so many people wouldn't -and clearly didn't.
.

Always treat others how you want to be treated is the way I look at life.

 

[Over The Hill]

Well done for doing what you did.
It is a sad state of things also as you
say "you took him home". That in itself is now seen by some as dodgey.
I would admit to being a little more likely to help someone if I were on foot or on my bike simply as some old bloke leaping out of a car - even for the best of reasons- is seen as suspicious.

 

[cd365]

I agree, the way society has changed now helping someone in distress can be perceived as being "dodgy", I have lost count of the number of times I have seen a young child in a shop distressed having lost sight of their parent(s) and think twice about asking if they are OK! I also take my dog to a green in front of my house where I throw a ball/frisbee to him to tire him out, he is a 12 month old labrador. All the local kids know him and come running to help throw the ball to him. Some kids were scared of him at first (scared of all dogs) but since he is fairly well trained he sits and behaves for them they have learnt to be very comfortable around him. At first I was a bit uncomfortable with this but have got used to the local kids flocking around my dog. I have been out there with my daughter and my son's girlfriends 2 year old as well though so it doesn't look as odd!!