The child, the bike and the two dog walkers

Our reservoir footpaths have signs forbidding cyclists but these are ignored. Lockdown has increased the volume of groups of men (yes its usually men) cycling at speed along these paths. Ive never heard a bell or a shout, just suddenly, there they are, forcing us into hedges

No, I can’t ride a bike and having been knocked down by a cyclist, and still having the scars today, I am frightened of cyclists.

Thats right Miss Adventure, they do. Most of the paths have notices saying give way to pedestrians, dog walkers to keep dogs under control on on a lead. If a cyclists is on a shared path usually there is a line down the middle, for walkers one side and cyclists the other easy. But with paths with no lines people tend to walk in a group right across the path with no thought for anyone else. So if I had to stop and dismount and walk everytime I met a group I wouldn't be doing much cycling would I. So when I ring my bell of course I expect them to part a small bit so I can slowly cycle past. If they are deaf, as I am in one ear, then that is a different matter. Its all about give and take.

I've always assumed pedestrians have an automatic right of way, probably because of the damage done by being run into by bikes, disability scooters and other things.

Utter rubbish Sue. Are you a cyclist?

Father should have told child to stop.

If you had respect for pedestrians, Barmeyoldbat you’d wait until the path was wide enough to pass by without forcing them to make way.

Well all I would say is that we are just going to have to get on, cyclists and pedestrians because we are seeing a huge raise in cyclists and after the virus is all over I reckon it will continue and expand.

For myself, as I said earlier, I am fed up with cyclists hollering at me to get out of their way like they have special dispensation to hog the whole pavement and force pedestrians into the road. We are also supposed to be socially distancing at present and that is impossible when walkers and cyclist are on a narrow pavement. I notice that there are quite a few cyclists who seem to think that they are virtuous because they ride bikes , it seems to make them believe that they can behave in any way they like.
Her father should have been ensuring that his daughter was safe and if that means stopping her then that is what he should have done. Would he also allow her out in the dark without lights? Or without anything reflective ? Because that is what I see constantly . They have clearly not been given guidance on sensible, safe behaviour. I think that most people who are commenting unfavorably just see this as being the recipe for the future from this young girl; growing up with sense of entitlement .

What has respect to do with it? Its to do with the fact that we are out enjoying ourselves, what ever method of exercise you are doing and surely it is a easy thing to help each do just that by being aware how your actions affect others. For example if I come to a gate and a runner is coming the other way I let them through first, it doesn't then interrupt their pace. If I meet a family with a buggy they usually stand aside and let me pass as I can flow through quickly.. Its not about thinking I have right of way by any means,
In the video the child rings her bell and also shouts excuse me and there was no acknowledgment what so ever from either of the couple in front, maybe both were deaf but it didn't seem like it. What harm would it have done to just step aside, back into the verge/bushes and let her pass. The father could also have shouted at the child stop. But it seems none of these people had any respect for any other user.

If the child had ridden into us and fallen off, I would have picked up the child and OH would have picked up the bike. Asked if the child was ok and apologised for not hearing the bell. I dont believe for one minute the couple didnt hear the bell or the 'excuse me' by the father. Who doesnt pick up a child that's fallen nearby CV or no cv. Yes dad should have shouted stop before she got there but what a cold hearted couple they were. Deserve the villifying by the media.

I blame the father. The Lane looks too narrow for a very young wobbly cyclist and I don’t think she could actually stop on her own. Father should have yelled to alert the walkers when he could see what was going to happen, that way they could have moved aside and not overreacted. There was no need to kick the bike. A horrible experience for a young child and appalling behaviour by both men.

The father was obviously out to make a point. If you listen to the video, the child seems to slow down as she gets closer to the walkers and the father tells her to go on. How anyone can say she was kicked off her bike is beyond me. She clearly rides into the couple and falls off. Her father was obviously so concerned about her that she can be heard crying while he argues with the couple and makes no attempt to comfort her.

I think it was wrong of the man to kick the bike but, other than that, I am on his side.

The child should have been told to get off the bike and the father is in the wrong.

I can fully appreciate 50/50 situations, I think if pedestrians are aware of someone coming up behind or a potential close encounter in front and the path/pavement is wide enough, well single file of course, that doesn't always happen I know. Consideration for others has to start somewhere, surely that should be with the parents. I don't think the father behaved well, the child was clearly not competent enough to negotiate such a narrow opening and pass the dog walkers without damaging herself, or them. In any case, barging past people is just rude! and that's a lesson for life that should be learnt at her young age. There are a minority of people who don't think their children should be thwarted in any way, whether it be careering around supermarkets on scooters, and I have seen that on a couple of occasions, or taking them to restaurants/cinema when they aren't old enough to understand they can't run around and be noisy without spoiling the experience for others. Quite honestly he came across as an "entitled parent" well certainly in this instance. The kicking of the bike wasn't nice, but possibly a knee jerk reaction.

They were all wrong. The father was wrong for not telling the child to stop but the fella behaved disgracefully by kicking the bike. It wasn’t the child’s fault that the adults were all ready for battle. I wonder what that child’s life is like.

What’s respect got to do with it, Barmeyoldbat? It seems to me from your posts that you just think you’re more important than a pedestrian.

And how do you deal with people who can’t actually hear you Barmey oh yes, make them stay at home as well,

Barmey ‘What a stupid statement’ made of course by a cyclist. It’s stupid to believe there isn’t a world of difference in stepping out of the way on a narrow path to allow a cyclist to WALK their bike past you and your having to scrabble out of the way of a moving cyclist. You clearly have no respect for pedestrians if you think you on your bike has right of way - maybe you think older/ less nimble/ less mobile people should just damn well stay at home - especially at the moment.

Yes thats right Sue, prepared is the right word and if the the people in front had any respect they would move aside just enough to allow the cyclist to go through. I have also had an accident with a dog walker on one of those blasted leads that allow the dog to move quite far away from the owner. The dog ran out in front of me and I would have missed it but instead I hit that blasted lead and wobbled from my bike. I wasn't going that fast as I can't do speed. I didn't shout or scream I realised it was an accident, they happened. We all apologises and that was that. Its respect for others.

Well I don’t think the walker should have kicked her bike, she’s obviously not a used to putting her brakes on, I expect she was worried when trying to go through them, I thought her father should have been closer to her and I thought her bike was possibly too big for her, I blame the father, you can’t just barge through people

I haven’t seen this film but having been mown down by a cyclist in a railway station I’m likely to be on the side of the pedestrians. According to Rule 62 of the Highway Code cyclists should be always be prepared to slow down or stop if necessary.

www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/rules-for-cyclists-59-to-82#rule62

Suzie, even if I did dismounted the walkers would still have to move to let me get pass them, walking while pushing my bike. What a stupid statement. It all about respect for others and I don't see much of it on GN for cyclists.

I actually had a disagreement with my nephew (grown man) over this. On his fb page he and his pals were all moaning about the evil dog walkers ‘pushing’ a little girl off her bike and some were saying if that had been their daughter blah blah. They didn’t like it when I said the father should have stopped her riding into the couple.

Maybe it’s a generational thing and one’s little darlings should be allowed to do as they like. I certainly think the father was in the wrong and as for saying their daughter was traumatised!! I pointed out that children in war zones are traumatised. It didn’t go down very well. Hey ho!

Why should it be that way round Barmey ? Apart from the fact it was a narrow path, why shouldn’t a cyclist dismount instead of pedestrians move ?