Lazy-Commuter
New Member
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This was prompted in part by the "muggings" thread, just to share my own yoof-road-block story ..
On the way to work today, I was heading along the bridleway on a slightly downhill and one of the better surfaced bits. As a bridleway, you get other bikes, a few peds and even a horse
from time to time on there. But it's wide with good visibility for a long way ahead, and so not really a problem: much better than dicing with the Alpha Males on the overly busy dual-carriageway that runs parallel to it.*
I could see in the distance someone messing with a bike lying across the bridleway: they seemed to be hunched down alongside it fiddling with something I couldn't see .. they had their back to me. Also, there was a ped coming the other way with two bikes behind them. It was pretty obvious I was going to arrive at the "blockage" at the same time as all the others so started to slow down .. besides, I wanted to check if I could help. The bike was blocking about two thirds of the (quite wide) bridleway so I could hardly nip past it anyway.
So I stopped by the (as I could now see) yoof who was actually rummaging around in his bag for something next to his bike and asked if he was OK.
He just turned and looked at me with that special look some young lads have: that not really blank but not really pleased or displeased to see you look, kind of "what are yer?". Then carried on rummaging without saying a word. At this point I noticed the wires and realised I was dealing with an iPod zombie, and a not very polite one at that.
By now, the ped had arrived so I waited for her to walk past 'cos yoof was doing a great job of blocking the path, exchanging a cheery good morning as she went, then the two bikes arrived and so I waited again. They both asked if all was OK, cue look from yoof at them - with a smirk this time, so I said, "yeah, he's fine - just trying to see how effectively he can block the way". Smirk turns to me and then transmogrifies into look of utter contempt.
So I gave him the Look as described by Briank in the "called a c***" thread and said, "you know, if you tried a bit harder you could probably block the whole of this f'ing track". And off I went. I did enjoy the crestfallen look on his little face as I set off.
Admittedly, there is no real point to this tale and I wouldn't have posted it had the "muggings" thread not made me wonder if anyone had any worries about stopping to help others. It's something I always do, and probably will continue to do, but what does everyone else do?
* Yes, John Seaton would be ever so pleased with me for using this facility paid for by "the taxpayers".
Cheers John.
On the way to work today, I was heading along the bridleway on a slightly downhill and one of the better surfaced bits. As a bridleway, you get other bikes, a few peds and even a horse
from time to time on there. But it's wide with good visibility for a long way ahead, and so not really a problem: much better than dicing with the Alpha Males on the overly busy dual-carriageway that runs parallel to it.*I could see in the distance someone messing with a bike lying across the bridleway: they seemed to be hunched down alongside it fiddling with something I couldn't see .. they had their back to me. Also, there was a ped coming the other way with two bikes behind them. It was pretty obvious I was going to arrive at the "blockage" at the same time as all the others so started to slow down .. besides, I wanted to check if I could help. The bike was blocking about two thirds of the (quite wide) bridleway so I could hardly nip past it anyway.
So I stopped by the (as I could now see) yoof who was actually rummaging around in his bag for something next to his bike and asked if he was OK.
He just turned and looked at me with that special look some young lads have: that not really blank but not really pleased or displeased to see you look, kind of "what are yer?". Then carried on rummaging without saying a word. At this point I noticed the wires and realised I was dealing with an iPod zombie, and a not very polite one at that.
By now, the ped had arrived so I waited for her to walk past 'cos yoof was doing a great job of blocking the path, exchanging a cheery good morning as she went, then the two bikes arrived and so I waited again. They both asked if all was OK, cue look from yoof at them - with a smirk this time, so I said, "yeah, he's fine - just trying to see how effectively he can block the way". Smirk turns to me and then transmogrifies into look of utter contempt.
So I gave him the Look as described by Briank in the "called a c***" thread and said, "you know, if you tried a bit harder you could probably block the whole of this f'ing track". And off I went. I did enjoy the crestfallen look on his little face as I set off.
Admittedly, there is no real point to this tale and I wouldn't have posted it had the "muggings" thread not made me wonder if anyone had any worries about stopping to help others. It's something I always do, and probably will continue to do, but what does everyone else do?
* Yes, John Seaton would be ever so pleased with me for using this facility paid for by "the taxpayers".
Cheers John.
, but there were people coming the other way. 
