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?

[Maryshoppins]

Chippy-you're being ridiculous now!

[piprabbit]

People never step out of my way, or do anything which might make life one teeny bit easier. For example, a couple of weeks ago I was walking on a footpath beside a busy road. A pair of women were walking towards me chatting. They could have walked single file for a couple of steps while we passed, but they chose not to. I had the choice to either step into the road or into the hedge. I stepped into the hedge and waited for them to pass. Instead of saying thanks, smiling or giving me a small nod of recognition, they gave me nasty looks and made some nasty comments.
Cows.

[ihearsounds]

I am pissed off with the amount of people pushing buggies that expect me to move. Damn right rude. Why should I have to move out of your way? I do not appreciate being glared at either. Modern buggies are usually light weight and easy to manoeuvre.

And what really, really, really fucks me off is the entitled knobbers with their buggies that glare at me, swear at me, and try and ram us when I am pushing a wheelchair. You know because I should move easily the wheelchair out of their way..And the ones out in a group are the worse type. When we go out, I know make sure I am wearing hard boots, because those cows will steer into ankles as the walk past, when I have to stop in the middle of the pavement to let them past.

[Maryshoppins]

Milk wagon- So you don't move for pushchairs? So that makes you entitled??

[Maryshoppins]

Ihearsounds- if you are pushing a wheelchair, I understand. But that's a whole different argument

[maddening]

I just stop dead and let them walk around me.

[marjproops]

one of my fave videos ever is the Verve-bittersweet symphony, where hes walking up a street and no one gets out of the way and he barges through them!

tried it myself one day with DC in her buggy....nope, we're invisible arent we?

[ChippyMinton]

Am I?
FWIW, I had 3 DC under 2.5yrs. in a double buggy with a buggy board, and I did not expect people to get out of my way, as I have good manners. Something which seems to be increasingly lacking these days [grumpy old woman]

[maddening]

and I make eye contact and smile nicely - no need for a stand off and generally people smile back and say hello as they pass or I make a comment such as "they never think of pushchairs when they build pavements do they" and everything remains pleasant :-)

[derpityderp]

Walk fast and look arsey and/or pretend you're not paying attention.
Probably BU but I get what you mean. Sometimes it's easier for people to move especially when they're one of those path hogs who waddles in the very middle. They could just move to one side a bit and give equal amount of path so you can pass each other but nooo.
I always get it in waves when everyone fucking does it and I'm the one going left, right, left, right. Gets right on my tits.

[FierceBadIggi]

Missymoo has it - it's all about manners really.
Just me and pram = I move out of the way of person with pram and pre-schooler. Me, pram and dc1 = we move out of the way of elderly person with a stick.
When someone stands back to let me past, I show my appreciation.
Prams/buggies are not going to be easier to move out of the way than it is for a pramless person without mobility issues to move course slightly.
There aren't enough well-mannered people around these days wanders off the read DM

[mumofweeboys]

If its just a buggy then 50/50, sometimes I moved, sometimes people get out of my way.

However if Im pushing my phil and ted with my 18 month old and 4 year old in it and myself being hugely 36 weeks pregnant, Im not moving for anyone. As the p&t doesnt swerve with that much weight in it. I walk very slowly -not much choice at the mo so loads time for people to move but still end up with the odd mexican stand off lll

[ihearsounds]

I don't always push a wheelchair. Even when I am not pushing one, why should I move out of your way? When I am pushing a wheelchair, I try and steer round people, depending on who I am pushing.. I actually find the worse offenders, buggies pushers.. Able bodied people will walk around us.

Tbh I think people are getting fed up with the attitude from some buggy pushers. Ramming people is not an uncommon event. barging past people in and out of shops is becoming the norm. Arguments on buses about wheelchair spaces is the norm with the buggy brigade. Aggression from buggy pushers is becoming the norm. The 'entitled' believe is taking over. The parking spaces. The children running around restaurants.. I could go on. It's all, well I pushed a kid out of my chuff and I expect all this special treatment.

[imaginethat]

I think you are right OP. I happily step aside for prams, stray children etc and I can't think why anyone would seek out a collision course. I was the same when I had children in prams, I'd veer to one side or wait if it was a bit of a squeeze so I didn't bump them I didn't actually have very many bad experiences but my friends in posh areas complained often of aggression from those walking towards them. It seems to me a lot of people are angry and looking for a fight.

[mumofweeboys]

Now parking spaces for parent and child are a blessing for those of us lugging young children about. Nothing irritates me more than seeing someone with their 9/10 year old parking in these spaces as Im trying to manhandle my under 5s with my gigantic preggers belly out of the car in normal space.

[Maryshoppins]

Chipy- as my op states, I am very well mannered and always move. Doesn't mean I don't get mighty pissed off that 9/10 people 'expect' that I move, as if to say my pushchair has inconvenienced them. You are clearly a better person than I am, if you genuinely don't get a little miffed that it is always you that 'has' to move.

Today I finally snapped. And it proved my point all along.

[Maryshoppins]

Mumofweeboys- I too am a phil and ted owner! They an be a nightmare at times but would be lost without it:-)

[hazeyjane]

ihearsounds, I really hate phrases like he 'buggy brigade', it implies that everyone who pushes buggies are entitled idiots, who believe that they should take priority over everyone else, and I just really don't think this is the case.

Also (and I know I might be in the minority of buggy users here), there are children in buggies who are disabled, I hate to think we are being lumped in with this entitled, selfish, 'buggy brigade' you talk of.

FWIW, I always move, but it does hack me off when this means moving out into the road, or having to tip the buggy into a hedge when walking down a narrow path, meaning the whole buggy nearly tips over!

[ClutchingPearls]

Round these parts people kind of vear slightly to one side as somones approaching and other person see this and vears slightly to the opposite side, so neither are expecting to walk straight or move too much. Kind of a human version of plane crash avoidance.

We have very narrow and cobbled paths and people then to both stop, spend the next minute waving for the other one to go and then saying "after you" until busier out of the two finally gives up and goes. Only to be met 5 steps down the path with another routine of stop, wave, "after you", oh fuck this, I'm going.

In stand off situations I would go with the, you move, you have the obstacle. But then I would move regardless of pushchair or not.

[ChippyMinton]

I suspect a lot of buggy pushers have the same mindset as urban 4x4 drivers...

[BoundandRebound]

Yes you are completely unreasonable regarding pushchairs - you should move your pushchair out of people's way. It comes with wheels to enable you to do so

You are not disabled by your child. You a simply acting like an entitled brat.

It is common courtesy to ensure you don't impede other people which is why people step around each other politely in our society

[SoWhatIfImWorkingClass]

I don't get why some have such a problem with people who are pushing pushchairs/ strollers/ prams/ pramettes/ travel systems the lot.

Get the fuck over it.

[crashdoll]

I posted the other day that I have recently been at the mercy of entitled pushchair drivers who think people walking down a busy street should part like the red sea for their precious cargo to move through.

[Maryshoppins]

Fierce- that's just it really. Manners. I am astounded by the lack of them when I'm out and about. Even with a pushchair, I move out the way for another person with a pushchair. But more often than not, that person looks like they were about to move also.

[SchroSawMargeryDaw]

ihearsounds Do you not even consider that some of those "buggy brigade" might be disabled themselves and it could be painful to move out of the way for every single person that walks by?