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@Sharkstar
I ran into my first ped of the year today. Theobalds Road, somewhere between the two places where peds are supposed to cross. 9am, so the road is busy, busy, and I had just cleared the junction with Grays Inn Rd, heading East, at speed, past a bendy bus about to stop, past some nodders, I'm flying. Here's a car slowing down, must have its reasons, filter left, here we go - whoa - a ped - what's she doing here - crossing the road? - walk! - don't stop - she's stopped - aaaargh!
I'm on the road, on my back, still clipped in. The ped is saying sorry, sorry, are you all right? I'm all right, course I'm all right, unclip, get up. Ms ped is Spanish, still apologising. She's shocked. "Sorry, sorry." Bollocks to this, I'm up, I'm off.
Then! The car that stopped to allow the ped to cross is still there. There's a big fat lady in there, shouting at me as she drives off: "You cyclists. You're always doing that! Always!" I look around, there's my ped, still saying sorry, and a line of cyclists who have stopped behind me, looking on. "So it's my fault now, is it?" I shout - at the driver, then at everyone else. "Was it my fault?" From the ped, another "Sorry!"; from the cyclists, nothing, incredulous looks.
I hit the ped, but it's the motorists that hate us.