To walk with my bike in a pedestrian area?

[BlackBucketOfCheese]

Yesterday I fell off my bike and hurt myself quite badly. I also caused some damage to my bike.

As I was fairly close to home I decided to walk the bike home. A portion of the walk home is taken up by a path which is separated for cyclists and pedestrians.

Because I was on foot I walked down the pedestrian part of the path (I also didn’t feel confident walking my bike in the cyclist section because people really whip through there on bikes) but as I turned a corner a woman walking in the other direction with her family shouted “oh bike! You’re on the wrong side!”, to which I replied “yes but I’m not riding the bike”.
I’ll spare you the details but she really laid into me and I think because I was in shock from coming off my bike, I burst into tears. Eventually a younger woman with her (I assume her daughter) had to point out the blood on my face and arm and they walked off with the original woman shouting back to me about being irresponsible.

Was I being unreasonable to push my bike in the pedestrian lane?

@RaidersoftheLostAardvark

Actually I have less sympathy for you here- you are taking up a lot of the pedestrian side of the path with your bike. I'd also wonder if the woman had been on the receiving end of bad behaviour and verbal abuse from cyclists. As a pedestrian I would see daily examples of stupid behaviour by cyclists (like running a red light on a pedestrian crossing whilst I'm walking across) and if you say anything to a cyclist you typically get sworn at. As a result I have minimal sympathy for cyclists & don't support funding for cycle ways- so often they want pedestrians to share space and it just doesn't work. Legally pedestrians always have right of way over a cyclist, but try telling a cyclist that!

I'm unlucky enough to encounter pedestrians/ and drivers with your attitude fairly regularly. I've had anise shouted at me, and things actually thrown at me, when I've had the temerity to ring my bell to alert a pedestrian that I am approaching so they can move out of the cycle lane to let me past. Plenty of space in the pedestrian but next to them of course, but no, as a cyclist, how dare I try and use the space designated for me? And when I ride on the road I have to put up with people close passing me, taking left turns so close that I have to break etc. Plus more pedestrians who just step out in front of me because of course bikes don't have a stopping distance, do they? I walk, cycle and drive. I will never understand the hatred in this country towards cyclists. Look up stats of accidents and deaths caused by cars and caused by cyclists. They are incomparable. I was knocked off my bike last year by someone who decided to do a three point turn on a main road without looking. I was riding along the cycle section on the road. She actually tried to blame me for her driving into the side of me. FFS.

@BlackBucketOfCheese the woman was a loon and you should have given it to her all guns blazing. I hope you're recovery is quick

@goochface

I saw a cyclist at the weekend riding on the pavement and as they approached two pedestrians they started furiously ringing their bell

Obviously they didn't realise bikes aren't meant to be ridden on the pavement. I've raised it with a few cyclists in the past when I've been out with dd in the pram. You just get this glazed over look. Deadhead springs to mind

Yesterday I was walking home with my DCs from the park, and we had to stop halfway across a zebra crossing as a car overtook the one that had stopped to let us cross and sped over the crossing. The day before we were out on our bikes using the cycle Lane, and a car ignored the give way sign right in front of my DS to get from the main road to the side road. DS had to break really suddenly. These incidents have nothing to with what happened to the OP today. So why is your post relevant?

I am a cyclist, you have my every sympathy. I hope you feel better soon.
UK is very anti - cyclists, shame on her and don't give her another thought.

She had the blood pointed out to her and still carried on? I’d say she has issues, of course YANBU!

@Mochudubh

You were right, she was the arsehole.

To be honest, most of my walk to work (in normal times) is along a wide, split pedestrian and cycle path but the pedestrian bit is closest to the main road so I often walk on the far edge of the cycle path, closest to the verge.

I've never been shouted at by a cyclist because I'm not an arsehole and I always stay right at the edge out of the way of cyclists but it annoys me that the Council set the pavement out that way as it's proven that emissions are higher nearest the road so why force pedestrians to walk there rather than cyclists who will be there for less time?

Really? Lucky you. I think these people specifically target young women on their own to shout at. I've been shouted at in public for no reason at all by both men and women. Its bizarre and upsetting when it happens, but the last time (when I was shouted at by a man walking a dog on a wide bit of suburban pavement at 6.30pm at night for running past him, pre-covid), I turned round and told him that I could now recognise him and if I ever caught him harassing me or any other women in public again, I would report him to the police. That shut him up!

You were walking , therefore a pedestrian, she was a massive twat

What a horrible experience for you. No only to be knocked off your bike, sustain a broken wrist and then shouted at.

The other lady was totally in the wrong you were a pedestrian. To be honest she should have taken in the whole picture and seen that you were injured. I think the latest lockdown is making people totally lose the plot or perhaps she is just an aggressive twat.

I hope you are feeling better soon OP.

Of course YWNBU, you were a pedestrian so belonged in the pedestrian section.

She was just one horrible batshit crazy person, don’t worry about what she thinks.

Hope you make a speedy recovery from your injuries.

“Actually I have less sympathy for you here- you are taking up a lot of the pedestrian side of the path with your bike. I'd also wonder if the woman had been on the receiving end of bad behaviour and verbal abuse from cyclists. As a pedestrian I would see daily examples of stupid behaviour by cyclists (like running a red light on a pedestrian crossing whilst I'm walking across) and if you say anything to a cyclist you typically get sworn at. As a result I have minimal sympathy for cyclists & don't support funding for cycle ways- so often they want pedestrians to share space and it just doesn't work. Legally pedestrians always have right of way over a cyclist, but try telling a cyclist that!”

What a load of bollocks. By that logic people with pushchairs shouldn’t be out walking as they “take up a load of the pedestrian side”

I saw this woman again today and she said “where is your bike, eh?”

🤣

Can't you set her off on some illegal parkers or drug dealers instead OP?

I told her to “fuck the fuck off”, so hopefully she will do just that.