The Irresistible Rise of the SuperPed

[dellzeqq]

Pedestrians! These days the city streets are full of them. Stepping off the footpath without a care in the world, acting as if they own the road.....

Well, for my money, the SuperPed is a thing of wonder. They've been around the City and along CS7 out to Tooting for five or six years, but I'm now seeing people, mostly of a certain age, walk across the A23 from Streatham Hill to Kennington and pretty much telling the traffic to stop. Grandmas on their way to church, young women catching a bus on the other side of the street, men mooching to the bookies, all of them not having the established order of things. They're doing it in Islington - I saw a man going across Upper Street in a wheelchair (so, not strictly speaking, a pedestrian) with complete confidence. And the traffic just came to a halt.

Have we cyclists reached the end of our brief ascendancy? Are pedestrians going to conquer the world? I'd like to think so.

 

[Flying Dodo]

I wouldn't see it as such a binary thing. Anything, be it increased numbers of cyclists, or increased numbers of pedestrians, has to be a good thing, to reclaim the streets and reduce people's dependency on cars.

 

[Feastie]

There's a lady in a motorised wheelchair near me who drives it on the road, against 2 lanes of traffic - up a one-way street. The WRONG WAY. But you can't mow down a lady in an electric wheelchair heading straight for you (or anybody for that matter), so people just sort-of swerve to avoid her. On one hand I admire her confidence, but on the other I also think she's got a death wish. Been living in this spot for 2 years now though, and she's still at it. Clearly it works!

 

[raleighnut]

There's a lady in a motorised wheelchair near me who drives it on the road, against 2 lanes of traffic - up a one-way street. The WRONG WAY. But you can't mow down a lady in an electric wheelchair heading straight for you (or anybody for that matter), so people just sort-of swerve to avoid her. On one hand I admire her confidence, but on the other I also think she's got a death wish. Been living in this spot for 2 years now though, and she's still at it. Clearly it works!

Good on her.

 

[Drago]

This is why I want a HUMVEE.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Why?

Small penis?

 

[ufkacbln]

This is why I want a HUMVEE.

So you can run her over with impunity?

 

[Drago]

No, so I can drive the wrong way up wrong way roads with impunity.

 

[Wobblers]

So Fab Foodie was right then?

(Sorry, low blow [1], couldn't help it - open goal and all that)

[1] Pun very much intended

 

[ufkacbln]

No, so I can drive the wrong way up wrong way roads with impunity.

I suspected that, but couldn't resist...

 

[confusedcyclist]

More peds on the roads would have a positive effect, slowing cars. Cheer em on I say. Can't say I'd be one of them risking my neck on those silly dangerous roads though.

Wait a minute...!

 

[Drago]

I just like Hummers. And tanks. Mrs Drago had to recently wrestle me away from the keyboard to prevent me putting a snipe bid in on an Alvis Stalwart.

 

[confusedcyclist]

I just like Hummers. And tanks. Mrs Drago had to recently wrestle me away from the keyboard to prevent me putting a snipe bid in on an Alvis Stalwart.

Handy for getting your bulk purchases of loo roll home from costco's during snow storm, don't ask me how I know. Sensible purchase if you ask me.

 

[sidevalve]

More peds on the roads would have a positive effect, slowing cars. Cheer em on I say. Can't say I'd be one of them risking my neck on those silly dangerous roads though.

Wait a minute...!

And cyclists of course - wasn't all that long ago we had a thread about the effectiveness of airzound horns on straying peds.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Does the motor traffic in London actually move at faster than walking pace in places where pedestrians can be found?