Did I do wrong?

[summerdays]

I was cycling home from school today with my 7 year old son ... I was on the road, and he was on the pavement, and there was a car parked almost totally blocking the pavement. I told him to drop down onto the road ... but he didn't hear and went past. And of course he knocked the car lightly (ish) with his handlebars whilst the probable owners of the car were standing in the door watching.

I just yelled sorry and decided not to look and see what damage he may have done... on the grounds it was illegally parked (as were the cars on the other pavement) on a very narrow road.

It ends up being like a slalum course ... I quite enjoy going through it watching all the cars reversing etc each day but its not suitable for kids to cycle.

This morning about 10 meters from this incident is a blind bend and I watched a regular cyclist that I often see go around the bend on the wrong side of the road (its at the bottom of a hill so sort of racing line)... straight towards a car coming towards him, missed it by about 1 m ... swerved straight towards a parked car... missed it too and ended up parked on the pavement in the hedge... he controlled it very well. The skid mark is 2 - 3 m long.

Should I have stopped and looked...? I feel slightly guilty ... but not very much.

 

[Noodley]

Should I have stopped and looked...?

I would have. And pointed and laughed...

 

[And]

"Did I do wrong? "

Nope.

 

[Night Train]

I often think if you are on a mountain bike and there is a car parked where it shouldn't then it is fair game for riding over.

I don't think you did wrong.

 

[Arch]

I've always thought it would be fun to have a roll of sticky tape with a tyre track printed on it, to stick over cars parked in cycle lanes...

 

[Joe24]

Get one of them strings from gaffa tape and run it down the offending car. Will look like a huge scratch and make them very angry untill they notice.

 

[summerdays]

My son thinks he heard them say they had better shift it... or whether thats what he would like me to think ... I don't know.

I notice you all seem to be of the opinion that I should be adding to the damage even if only by pretend methods...

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Cars parked on the pavement for no reason are fair game. Personally, I make a point of squeezing down the side of them and knocking their mirrors when I'm on foot.

 

[Abitrary]

Cars parked on the pavement for no reason are fair game. Personally, I make a point of squeezing down the side of them and knocking their mirrors when I'm on foot.

What about when you're on your bike?

 

[Rhythm Thief]

a) I never seem to get time to ride a bike any more, and I wouldn't be on the pavement anyway.

 

[Keith Oates]

Good sidestep, RT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dayvo]

What about when you're on your bike?

If they're parked on the pavement, then there's plenty of room on the road!

 

[summerdays]

What about when you're on your bike?

I must admit I sometimes have had problems walking along wheeling the bike along this road...

If they're parked on the pavement, then there's plenty of room on the road!

Not this road... if there are no parked cars it would literally be just wide enough for 2 cars ... as there are parked cars any car always has to wait behind me once I'm in that section ... they are coming from the other direction they sometimes try to push past forcing me to stop in the gutter.

 

[barq]

I think cars being parked on a pavement is a much bigger problem that 7-year-old children cycling on pavements.

I live near a private school where most children seem to be collected/dropped off by car. The council put yellow lines on the roads, so now all the parents park up on the narrow pavements meaning that pedestrians have to walk in the road. I pity the few kids who do try and walk to and fro from school!