Aibu to expect abled people to move? (Pushchair related)

[Maryshoppins]

If I see a pushchair, wheel chair, person with 101 bags and so on, walking towards me, I would, without hesitation, move out of their way.

Why does it seem that whenever I am out and about with my pushchair, 9/10 times someone will continue to walk towards me with no intention of moving out the way, therefore I end up swerving at the last to move out of their pathway!

I'm particularly cross about this today, as I was walking towards a woman (and I don't mean intentionally to knock her down,) she continued to walk directly towards my pushchair, glaring at me as if to say 'are you going to move?'. For the first time, I didn't and we both came to a standstill. Sounds ridiculous I know, but I was finally fed up with the amount of rude people I encounter and wanted to be sure I wasn't completely over reacting! This lady called me all sorts, and walked past me in a huff!

Other mothers I have spoken to in the past say they encounter this a lot. But they just swerve out of the way to avoid confrontation.

I'm not normally one for causing a scene. But I am amazed that an abled person wouldn't consciously move out of the way of somebody that has a pushchair or struggling with shopping /children etc.

So, aibu?

I'm not sure i understand

Do pushchairs have right of way?

Well I never.

FFS. I've just the noticed the pushchair/wheelchair bit too.

See, I feel the opposite op. I sort of feel my pushchair does inconvenience people and I usually wait. More often then not, I get waved through or the dance of politeness ensues where each of us is tryi g to get the other to go first. I don't see why a pushchair should always go first.

Has anyone said 'entitled' yet [bugrin]

YABU .
've never come across this as an issue. It's like driving - you don't get up to an obstacle, then think 'how am I going to deal with this?', you look ahead of you as you are moving, and anticipate things, then a very slight angle moves you around each other. Usually done with the slightest change of direction. I really think you are making an issue where there needn't be one.

Can I just clarify, until today I ALWAYS have been the person that moves out the way, because I am polite! But I am human and am quite frankly pissed off with the amount of rude people I encounter that EXPECT me to move.

I guess because I am considerate in general, I'm fed up that when I have my pushchair (sometimes a double as I work with you g children), more times than not people will walk straight towards me with that expected look on their face!!!

I'm trying very hard not to use the "E" word.

YABU when its one person walking towards you. YANBU when its two or three blocking the whole pavement and none of them move at all.

Here's my technique if there's a group like that walking towards me with the pram: just stop while they are still a few metres away. They always move then. I've noticed if you keep walking they seem to see it as a challenge not to move but it you stop, you become an obstacle to walk around.

If it was one person walking towards me, I'd just move if they weren't. Pushing a pram doesn't give us any more rights of way.

Hahaha!

X-post with MissyMoo.

EXPECT?? So you feel they should move and not you? You sound, yes I will say it, entitled!!

How do you know the person who has not moved has a hidden disability.

Great minds think alike Salmo

And hurrah for HeySoul for being the first to use it [bugrin]

Ooh that's torn it.

I predict interestingness on this thread.

I always used to move and still do for some people.

My buggy is fecking massive <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.annonsera.se/images/00020/0/herqules-barnvagn-raptor-3-spin.jpg&imgrefurl=vaster-haninge.annonsera.se/herqules-barnvagn-raptor-3-spin-22103.html&h=479&w=479&sz=22&tbnid=TQoISekRMeSctM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=93&zoom=1&usg=___pBmE17ACISlbyU11AFYwPRZLR4=&docid=_glhz6zZCD46IM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=g9NZUanGB83VPMGpgMAO&ved=0CD8Q9QEwAg&dur=3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this one I don't move anymore though and just stop and wait for them to move around.

Haha! Typical, a lot of you have miss interpreted my thread. Clearly, the majority walk straight towards a person that is pushing a pushchair, after all. It can steer can't it!!!!

As someone who doesn't always go out and about with a pushchair, I would without hesitation move out the way if someone way heading in my direction with a pushchair. Not because I think they have right of way! But because it is ever so slightly easier. For me to walk around them!

And those who haven't encountered this problem are bloody lucky. I live in London. You don't go a day without seeing a herd of pushchairs!

Mcnewpants - likewise for the person pushing a pushchair!

Having a child in a pushchair does not give you priority. There have been a number of occasions in shopping centres or on the high street when I have had to dodge prams being pushed at speed with a single-mindedness that would put Jenson Button to shame. If you're not nippy enough with the damn thing to treat other people courteously when you're out and about, get a sling.

And those people who hang shopping off the side and then squeeze past you and whack your legs- do you have no spatial awareness?

I live in London, too, and have never had this problem

I've noticed a lot of people who seem to have a fixed course and don't want to move even an inch off it, regardless of who has buggies, bags, wheel-chairs or anything else.

I'm sure in the past most people used to move a little bit out of each others way, more if the other person wasn't as obviously able to move. You know, both take a half step to the right as you approached each other and it meant you both passed by without bumping.

But now it seems like if I don't move entirely out of everybody's way, they bump me. I do my half step but they don't do theirs. And they usually follow up with a mouth full of abuse.

OP - get a grip. You're the one with the obstacle trundling up the pavement, not the other way round.

I always move out of the way whoever is walking towards me, I am fit and able and I know nothing of the other person so its just basic manners for me to do it IMO. Its really no big deal at all.

YABU and entitled. As it's your buggy that is taking up space on the pavement of course you should move out of the way.

I don't believe I should have priority. It just makes sense for the hands free person to move?! But then I have always been the considerate one and moved anyway. More fool me!

For the record (with the exception of today) I never charge towards someone with my pushchair expecting them to move, it's just general navigating your way around a busy London pavement. But hey that must just make me sound entitled