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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Grr cycling woman! AIBU to be well chuffed off?

97 replies

Greyhound · 07/08/2014 09:54

Walking down pavement, alongside main road, with my dogs.

I hear a woman on a bicycle, coming down the pavement, honking to her two children (also on bikes) to 'BE CAREFUL!!!'.

First of all, the kids narrowly miss crashing into an elderly lady, then they DO come crashing into me and my dogs. Leads and dogs get tangled up under the bikes and one dog escapes into the busy road. I have hurt my knee and am livid.

I tell the woman that it is illegal to cycle on the pavement (to be fair, I believe it is legal for small children and small bikes to go on pavements - but not adults) and that there was nearly a serious accident. Apart from putting me and my dogs in danger, the children were put in danger too.

Got the dogs back, kids crying, mother does apologise to me but then just tells the kids to get back on their bikes and off they go.

Stupid female.

OP posts:

FatherDickByrne · 07/08/2014 10:00

Grr. Bloody irritating. YANBU.

AlpacaLypse · 07/08/2014 10:02

yanbu. If there are people on the pavement you get off and push.

Squidstirfry · 07/08/2014 10:24

How can a bicycle 'honk' ?!
All the same, the pavements are def not for cycling. If there are people with dogs walking, get off your bike!

Original poster

Greyhound · 07/08/2014 10:32

Squid - it was the woman who was honking with her voice, not the bike.

OP posts:

ChelsyHandy · 07/08/2014 10:38

Where would you suggest they cycle then?

hamptoncourt · 07/08/2014 10:44

YANBU and it is illegal to cycle on pavements. My DS was pushed into a very busy road when he was about 3 by a stupid woman on a bike.

Totally selfish behaviour.

Chelsy cyclists should be on the road or in cycle lanes but NOT on the pavement. It is illegal. If the roads are not safe to cycle on then don't cycle.

wowfudge · 07/08/2014 10:46

Chelsy - somewhere where they were not beside a busy road with pedestrians they are not capable of avoiding? The mother could have cycled in the road, alongside her children on the pavement, but beside the point: if you can't control your bike properly, you shouldn't cycle where you are endangering others whether you are a child or an adult.

The OP was injured and one of her dogs ran into the road!

Sirzy · 07/08/2014 10:56

Yanbu. It the children were uncontrolled enough they needed to be on the pavements then the parent should have been walking with them next to her - she should have had control of the situation.

But really if not confident enough to ride on roads then stick to park and just walk to places. Or get off the bike and push in busy areas

ChelsyHandy · 07/08/2014 10:59

So a mother with two small children should increase the lack of supervision of her children and be referred to as stupid so someone's dogs aren't inconvenienced?

OP were your dogs on extendable leads, how did they get tangled up with the bikes if you called them to heal and did your dogs actually run into the bikes? Because you know that the presumption in law under the Animals Act is that you, as owner, are responsible for any accident caused by your dogs. It is up to you to control them so that they do not cause accidents to people, not for people to avid them. And if it was one of the children they collided with and not the mother, then you are at fault, whether the mother was cycling on the pavement or not.

hamptoncourt · 07/08/2014 11:08

Cycling on the footway (pavement) is an offence under Section 72 of the Highways Act 1835 as amended by Section 85 (1) of the Local Government Act 1888. This law applies equally to children, although they wouldn't be individually prosecuted if under the age of criminal responsibililty - ten.

Chelsy I cannot believe your cheek telling OP it is her fault her dogs, who were on leads, were at fault getting caught up when the cyclists were the ones breaking the law!!!

It is an urban myth that children can legally cycle on pavements. OP is totally NOT at faut. Got it?

wowfudge · 07/08/2014 11:10

Chelsy - are you deliberately being argumentative? The OP clearly states the children crashed into her and the dogs' leads got tangled up with the bikes.

I know you are pro cyclist, but you are being an idiot over this. Let's face it, if the mother had not thought her kids were at fault she wouldn't have apologised.

Let's turn this around, shall we: sure, any pedestrian minding their own business who has the temerity to walk on the pavement and then gets crashed into by someone on a bike, also on the pavement, must be at fault for getting in the way of the superior bike rider. Sound stupid? Yes, because it is.

Johnogroats · 07/08/2014 11:20

My kids 7&9 usually cycle on the pavement with me on the road. They are both very good cyclists and in control. If there are a lot of pedestrians or dogs etc I either tell them to go on road if safe or get off and walk.

YANBU.

bottlecat · 07/08/2014 11:25

'Where would you suggest they cycle then?'

Your own garden.
The road.
The park.
A cycle lane.
But not on a busy pavement.

KERALA1 · 07/08/2014 11:28

Same john o groats wide pavements no pedestrians kids cycle on pavement me on road, pedestrians we all push.

Though don't get me started on the flipping dog owners on the designated cycle path. No it is not cute when your unleashed dog runs at my 5 year olds bike. We all have to stop and wait while these owners slowly realise that yes this is a bike path and no little mutt running free straight into kids on bikes probably not a good idea. I have told people off for this - luckily I can cycle away faster than they can walk so don't hear the "he was only playing" whining

squoosh · 07/08/2014 11:29

Adult cyclists who cycle on the pavement are a scourge. I absolutely bloody detest them.

If you're too scared to cycle on the road with all the big boys and girls then ditch the bike and walk.

squoosh · 07/08/2014 11:31

Ignore ChelsyHandyOP, she's trying to derail this into an anti-dog rant.

gordyslovesheep · 07/08/2014 11:36

YANBU bikes do not belong on pavements

HazelBite · 07/08/2014 11:37

I ended up being badly injured - (5 weeks off work) after a child cycled into me on a pavement, they were coming down a hill at speed and went completely out of control. I am memorising the "Act" so I can shout at the inconsiderate arses that cycle on the pavements in Central London and don't think any of the traffic laws apply to them!

LadyFairfaxSake · 07/08/2014 11:38

ChelsyHandy, go outside & give your head a wobble. Cyclists are not permitted on the pavement. Simples.

Original poster

Greyhound · 07/08/2014 11:38

Chelsy - plenty of parks here to cycle in, plenty of bicycle lanes.

I don't use extendable leads but, even if I did, neither my dogs nor myself were to blame.

OP posts:

Fanjango · 07/08/2014 11:39

They can be a real menace. My ds was ploughed into by a 5yo boy leaving him with cuts up his legs in the print of the chain. Mother said "he's only learning". I said " so are mine but they don't do it at full speed downhill on the school run" stupid woman!!

Saucepanman · 07/08/2014 11:41

YANBU and I say this as an owner of dogs, kids and bikes. She shouldn't have them cycle on busy pavements unless she is sure of their ability to not crash into people. Ignore the knob.

Original poster

Greyhound · 07/08/2014 11:41

And my dogs didn't collide with anyone, the bikes collided with the dogs.

Mother's fault, not mine and not my dogs either.

OP posts:

thecook · 07/08/2014 11:43

ChelsyHandy - Er like cycle on the roads? The pavement is for pedestrians in case you haven't realised.

I am just glad the OP's dog is okay. The mother sounds so entitled. Talk about bad parenting.

BomChickaMeowMeow · 07/08/2014 11:45

YANBU, though I don't mind parents cycling on the pavement with their kids if they are careful. Obviously in this case they were not.

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