The Bike-Path to Retribution
On the way home from work today I was almost knocked off my feet by an overzealous cyclist who was cycling on the foot
path. Now I’m not opposed to cyclists on the footpath when it’s clearly a shared zone — I mean when they have those little painted signs on the footpath with the cyclist and the person walking — but cycling on a pedestrian footpath really gets on my nerves.
The whole idea behind the footpath is so that pedestrians can walk thereon without being run over by cars, trucks, bikes and all the other manners of traffic that use our roads these days. I think pedestrians have a right to walk down a footpath without having to worry about a cyclist tearing up behind them and almost knocking them off into oncoming traffic. If the cyclist deems the road too dangerous to cycle on, then they should get off and walk the darn thing, or invest in a car, or a better helmet, or just take blimmin’ public transport!
I can understand cyclists who pop onto the footpath briefly to avoid certain traffic light phases and so-forth, it’s fair enough that they get some perks over the cars, as long as they get back off the footpath I’m fine with it. But it is the people who insist on cycling on the footpath that get on my nerves. I can’t say that I really have a solution for it, short of hiring someone with a shotgun and a good eye, but I thought I’d have a rant about it nonetheless.
December 1st, 2006 at 11:12 am
There’s a general that cyclists tend to follow, that I’m sure you may or may not be aware of, that is that pedestrians are unpredictable when situations change.
This means that if I’m cycling down a path a shared with pedestrians, unless they’re in the way I don’t warn them usually because if I don’t warn them I can be pretty sure they’re going to continue along the path they’re travelling. On the otherhand, if I do warn them who knows how they might react. They might just keep following their line, they might jump into my path.
It seems like a good thing to me you weren’t warned, especially if you’re likely to jump into traffic. If the cyclist had warned you you might have jumped into their path.
And with regards to cycling on the footpath, it saves space and environment. If every cyclist had to walk their bike as you propose then they would take up twice as much space down a path making it more difficult for pedestrians. You should just be grateful that this cyclist was not driving a car and injecting more fumes into the atmosphere, instead of complaining just because you got a little scared.
And I would much rather wear the wrath of an angry pedestrian than an angry driver in a one ton metal killing machine with who knows what artillery stashed away.
Or perhaps the cyclist should have just slowed down.
December 1st, 2006 at 11:36 am
It wasn’t a female cyclist was it? A mate of mine is just learning to ride on the road and occasionally panics in traffic and winds up on the footpath to avoid said “one ton metal machines”. She’s been known to collect pedestrians in moments of confusion.
If it’s a no to cyclists, what do you think about rollerblades on the footpath? I was hit by a rollerblader many years ago and the sound of whizzing wheels approaching from behind still makes me nervous…
December 1st, 2006 at 4:09 pm
Its Illegal for anyone over the age of 12 to ride on the footpath… Unless it is a shared zone, then it isn’t a footpath, its a shared path… these are painted with the little bikes.
December 1st, 2006 at 7:23 pm
i say retribution for all the f**knuckles who walk 3 wide on famous BIKE paths that have become popular for fat arse housewives to waddle up and down whilst whiping out some stupid conversation on whether their toorak tractor is the right colour for their personality. i have been personally knocked over by some fat biiiiach who had the gaul to tell me to say sorry because she couldn’t control her unnatural flailing arms… not happy janice.
) a quick msg to these people… your either a good rider, so go ride on the road, or your a courier, so go ride on the road.
and Michael is right, as too macguyver… pedestrians are unpredictable, as too are cars. which is more likely to stop? well i say cars… most pedestrians these days are far too interested in their ipods or crappy equivalent to care about anyone else… whether that be someone on a bike, someone walking behind them, cars, trams…
but please, don’t get me started on the lance armstrong wannabes moving 30km/hr+ on a footpath, or those BMX superstars weaving in and out of people down the footpath (or sidewalk for our northern readers
December 4th, 2006 at 2:36 pm
Yay sidewalk!
December 4th, 2006 at 8:42 pm
December 4th, 2006 at 9:37 pm
Wow Michael, that’s some rant! Maybe you should get your own site, maybe an anti-car website!
I see where you’re coming from cars are dangerous, but I still reckon that cyclists belong on the road, I do think that cars are more predictable than pedestrians in that case. Plus as macguyver said, it’s illegal. Next cyclist that comes past me on the footpath, I’m considering sticking my arm out…