Prams taking up the entire pavement

[giadak]

Hi all.

I was wondering if I could possibly get some opinions advice. I was walking down the street the other day. Two ladies were walking with their prams (towards me). As they were walking side by side - and engrossed in their conversations - they didn't seem to notice me walking too. I then said: 'Excuse me, could I get past, please?' They refused to move and gestured that I was in the road. Granted, it wasn't overly busy on the streets, but there were cars coming and going as it was around the time of day that the school finishes.

I know that it is 'easier' for me to walk in the road, but it's also potentially dangerous. One of them could have stopped for a whole second - so as to free up space on the pavement - I could have walked past quickly - thanked them - and that would have been perfectly fine for everyone.

I've also had experienced instances where parents just stand and chat in the street and again - there is no choice, but to walk in the road.

Worst of all - on that occasion, one of their older kids (who wasn't the one in the prom obviously) sped off on his scooter - and they didn't even notice.

Is it unreasonable to be annoyed? I'm the first to help women with prams up the stairs at train stations, I'm the first to offer my seat to anyone that may want/need it - young or old - able bodied or not. I do try, I really really do - but I feel like some people now are just taking advantage. Yes, it might be easier for me to move/walk into the road since I don't have a prom etc.... but why should I have to - and every time...?!

Please help/advise! I'm not trying to start a war - I'm genuinely curious and not sure what to do and/or how to feel.

Thanks.

Currently a regular pram pusher. There's no way I'd keep walking side by side so that someone else had to go in the road to get past us rather than just hanging back a second, that's really rude. This would have irritated me too!

I cannot abide this from pram-pushers. It’s the height of rudeness. If anything, I see myself as the inconvenience whenever I am walking with the pram, and do my very best to keep out of everyone else’s way, walk to the side of the pavement so others can pass, always hang back if the pathway narrows, etc..

And always, always, thank people if they move out of the way to let me past. Hate rude people who just push on by when it’s glaringly obvious you’ve stood to the side to let them through!

Some people are just obnoxious, it's not specific to having a pram.

I sometimes find pramless/childless (at that moment at least) people standing blocking the whole pavement while they chat and not moving aside so I can get by with my pram.

Equally I come across people who can use any public space considerately and I try to be one of those people.

I'd say it's best to just let it go, but if it bugs you that much then just stand your ground next time and they'll have no choice but to go around you (invest in some steel toecaps ;))

Current pram pusher and it would bother me. I always stop if there isn't enough room for two people to get by and let them walk by first.
DD will always tell me if someone needs to get past us, she pulls on my coat and tells me it's rude not to let people by when we're walking slowly (it's always my fault we're walking slowly)

Current pram pusher and there's no way I'd let someone walk into the road.. some people are just ignorant. The same happened to me a few weeks back ( I didn't have my pram? But two ladies were walking towards me chatting, didn't budge. I had to walk and the sloppy, muddy grass with my plimpsols on. Was not happy!! X

I'll try that again-

Current pram pusher and there's no way I'd let someone walk into the road.. some people are just ignorant. The same happened to me a few weeks back (I didn't have my pram) But two ladies were walking towards me chatting, didn't budge. I had to walk and the sloppy, muddy grass with my plimpsols on. Was not happy!! X

Dunno if anyone else noticed this but I find it irritating that a lot of the dads in my area aren’t pushing prams like mere mortal women. No, those feckers take up half the pavement with their body, puffed up by paternal pride and the other half with the bloody pram because they insist on pushing it with one hand extended out to their side. Seems another part of fecking manspreading! And they prance around, it seems half expecting a town crier to walk ahead to glorify their paternal achievement of pushing their sprog about. I carted kids, dogs and half the sodding house around and still managed to stick to a reasonable part of the pavement to allow others to path. And breathe…

*pass on a narrow pavement

Hi all. Thanks for the replies. I totally understand both sides of the coin, but didn't think I was being unreasonable either.

I can't seem to edit my post. Grrr. There are a few typos.

Anyway, what I meant to say was that the ladies gestured that I should walk onto the road - and not that I was on/in the road already.

;Wish there was an edit feature here!)

Some people are just rude, it isn't exclusive to pram pushers.

Annoys me when anyone expects me to walk in the road when there should be plenty of room on the pavement. I'll always step off into the road if I need to but not when prams or people are coming at me two or three abreast!

Drives me nuts too. That and the people who use their pushchairs like battering rams. It’s as though they think having one makes them more important than every other pedestrian in the street.

I always go by the "rule" walk on the left, it confuses me no end when I realise others don't actually know my rule :-)
Entitled pram pushers are only bested by those parents with little darlings on scooters who really do own the whole footpath and are liable to do anything.

I had this the other day while pushing my buggy. Two chatting buggy pushers coming towards me and expected me to take my buggy into road rather than go in single file.

I just stopped until the walked past me. I single file i might add. Not on the road!

I'd have just stood there, but I'm very grumpy with arrogant people.

Not just pram pushers, any muppets who takes up the whole pavement get on my wick. I gave up walking around people a couple of years ago, I just stop dead on the pavement now and make them go single file and walk around me.

I hate when people do this...next time stop and pretend you are doing something (looking in your bag /pocket for something ) and make them go around you one pram at a time.

Yep, and when you stop, make sure it's by the inside edge of the pavement, not the kerb side. No chance of stepping into the road then.

Those particular ladies were rude OP, but it's not all about pram pushers. There are some rude pram pushers and some perfectly nice polite ones.

Should have nutted the cunts and pushed their prams into the road. Cunts like that rile me. They were probably just waiting for their benefits

It's annoying when people hog the pavement. It's a minor annoyance though.

I wouldn't do this if I was the one with the pram but if it wasn't a busy road why wouldn't you just walk round?

When I'm on my own I'd walk in the road round a pram or someone with a child holding on to each hand. But then our streets are quite quiet it's not like I'm walking down the hard shoulder or the m62.

What does annoy me is drivers not stopping at crossings. different thread

Same as people in supermarkets who stop for a chat with their trolleys side by side. Bloody infuriating lol