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?

[ShellyBoobs]

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

[Salmotrutta]

I'm not sure i understand

Do pushchairs have right of way?

Well I never.

[Molehillmountain]

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.

[MissyMooandherBeaverofSteel]

Has anyone said 'entitled' yet [bugrin]

[BackforGood]

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.

[Maryshoppins]

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!!!

[Salmotrutta]

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

[SneezingwakestheJesus]

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.

[Salmotrutta]

Hahaha!

X-post with MissyMoo.

[HeySoulSister]

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

[McNewPants2013]

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

[MissyMooandherBeaverofSteel]

Great minds think alike Salmo

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

[Salmotrutta]

Ooh that's torn it.

[Salmotrutta]

I predict interestingness on this thread.

[SchroSawMargeryDaw]

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 noindex" target="_blank">this one I don't move anymore though and just stop and wait for them to move around.

[Maryshoppins]

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!

[Maryshoppins]

Mcnewpants - likewise for the person pushing a pushchair!

[TheCraicDealer]

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?

[VinegarDrinker]

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

[FakeHotCrossLobsters]

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.

[milkwagon]

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

[MissyMooandherBeaverofSteel]

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.

[ChippyMinton]

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.

[Maryshoppins]

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