Courtesy in shared spaces

You are reading a single comment by @Chaley and its replies. Click here to read the full conversation.

•

Fox in reply to @Chaley

Most shared space is awful.

I don't think blaming the quality of the shared space is the answer here, it's about human behaviour.

Pedestrians know they are not in any real danger, the shock is not for fear of harm it is because you are in their space and they don’t like it.

Disagree. Being buzzed by a cyclist doing any speed as a pedestrian doesn't feel great, not because "we're in their space" but because relatively we tend to be going much faster. It's disconcerting at best.

If they had any sense that they could really get hurt they wouldn’t behave the way they do. People don’t walk on share paths as they do on the side of the road or in a car park because they know that cars maim/kill you, but bikes bruise you in the vast majority of the time.

Perhaps they don't behave like they're on the side of the road or in a car park because they're not? They're in what should be a safe space away from motor vehicles, where they can relax.

You only have to see the way people look at you, actually see you and yet still decide to step out in front of you to see they know that the consequences are bearable.

I'm pretty sure this is about misjudging speed and distance - I don't think pedestrians do this deliberately or knowingly.

•

Chaley in reply to @Fox

The quality of infrastructure is reliant imo, most shouldn’t be shared and a path with a picture of a bike/ped isn’t infrastructure. It’s a problem/incident waiting to happen. If there are no other options, it’s narrow etc and there are peds around riders should walk imo.
‘Buzzing’
I’ll disagree on this one, people are spooked yes, but they also know that they are unlikely to come to any real harm. My choice of words may have been poor with ‘we’re in their space’ as they are not expecting a cyclist on the path, no matter signage etc and think you are in the wrong so react to that shock and the law breaking they perceive.
‘Not a road’
Whilst this is true in good shared use areas peds should expect to encounter cyclists. On a footpath next to a road most peds don’t react to a car passing at 45kph with maybe 1m of space, because of the way it is designed.
‘Stepping out’
I’ll concede that it’s not a deliberate act. In fact I think in some ways it’s good, because it shows at a deeper level people know that people on bikes aren’t going to hit them, unless there is no possibility of avoiding them. We are after all people on bikes, people on foot can see that.

As @amey said it’s really about cunts.

99.9% of people, riders, walker, dog owners and even rollerbladers are chill and this is not an issue.

Love, Peas X

About

Avatar for Chaley @Chaley started