So
how many of you have been for a walk in a park or along a canal path
or on a shared walkway with cyclists? I would hazard a guess that a
lot of you have.
What
is it with cyclists? Why do they think that they can creep up behind
you, crash into you and then zoom off without so much as a sorry?
And yes I am talking from personal experience. 3 months ago, I
really, really wish I had taken a photo of the bruise on my arm made
by a cyclists handlebars crashing into me because she hadn't bothered
to ring a bell to warn me of the fact that she was about to overtake
me on a bike in very close proximity to me.
There
I was, walking on a path in the park with my dog. My dog was running
around on the grass but I was walking on a path (that was probably
wide enough for 3 walkers) when a cyclist just whizzed past me,
clipping my arm and leaving a HUGE bruise. ….......And was miles
away before I even had time to react?!
Seriously??!!
What is wrong with these people?
And
since lock down this problem has become much, much worse. It seems
like the minute that lock down was announced, the whole world decided
to take up cycling and go riding about in places that cyclists in
normal times wouldn't even have considered cycling on. Ie, golf
courses. Are cyclists even allowed to cycle on golf courses.
This
is only my opinion, but as far as I am concerned the majority of
cyclists that I come into contact with are very inconsiderate and
show absolutely no regard for the other people who may be using the
same path. Joggers are a similar. I might rant about them
at a later date! If someone is out walking, one has
absolutely no idea who is behind you. Bikes on the whole are silent
modes of transport so one doesn't know that a bike is behind one
unless the cyclist has the decency to ring a bell to warn a
pedestrian of their imminent approach.
Apparently
during these times of Coronavirus, social distancing should be 5m
apart for joggers and 10m for cyclists because of the amount of sweat
they generate and the fact that they have a cloud of virus around
them and in their slipstream?! Hmmmmmm................. I don't think
any jogger or cyclist that has passed me is aware of this
information.
I
just wish that they would show a bit of consideration and put a bell
on their bike. Bells are not expensive. You can buy one on Amazon
for less than £1. The bikes these people are riding probably cost
thousands of pounds. And if not thousands, definitely hundreds. And
yet they don't think it's worth spending £1 on a bell for their
bike?
To
be honest, I have spoken to 'cyclist friends' about this problem.
Their view about 'bells on bikes' is completely different from mine.
My 'cyclist friends' say that it is rude to ring a bell on a bike.
They say that ringing a bell on a bike is like saying, 'I'm more
important than you so get out of my way.' My reply to that would
be............................. 'You're going to zoom past me anyway
so it would be nice if I could have a bit of warning that you're
actually behind me. After all, bikes are pretty silent. They don't
make a noise. And also I don't always walk in a straight line (and
my dog certainly doesn't). So far all I've had is a bruised arm. If
a bike is 'overtaking' me on a narrow path, ie the canal path, it's
only a matter of time before either I fall in the canal, the cyclist
falls in the canal, or my dog falls in the canal.
I'm
all for 'shared amenities' and I think that the cycle routes/walkways
are amazing. There's so many fabulous places for me to walk with my
dog. But there's got to be 'give and take'??? The cyclists don't
own the parks and walkways. They' really do need to understand that
a 'shared pathway' means just that??!! SHARED!!
A
'shared pathway' is for everybody. A shared pathway does not mean
that cyclists can zoom along it without any regard for anyone else.
On a shared pathway there will probably be dog walkers, kids,
wheelchair users, mums with buggy's, teenagers not paying attention
to anything because they're too busy checking their phones, old
people out for an afternoon stroll. And quite a few other members of
the community that I can't even think of.
But
to get back to 'cyclists'.................. which was what this
original post was about. For less than £1 a cyclist could just buy
a bell for their bike, and give one little ring when they want to
overtake a walker. And then we'd all be a lot happier.
#Whyisthatsohard
See you
all tomorrow.
Toodles.
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