M
Mike Foster
Guest
Hi all
I travel direct routes through Brixton down to the Croydon area and every week seem to get hassle
from rather psychotic pedestrians - far more so than from cars etc.
Usually this takes the form of pedestrians aged 12-20 suddenly barking at me VERY loudly with the
aim of unsettling me (they seem to love doing it, usually when with their friends). On other
occasions it's more severe, for example near Streatham Common about three weeks ago a lanky chap was
walking towards me in the cycle lane and really threw himself at me!
I don't do anything unusual, or look unusual, when biking so imagine that others may be suffering
the same kind of unwanted attention as
me. Are you? Any theories you've got would be greatly appreciated, not least because I'm into all
my sociology/psychology stuff! More importantly, I'd like to know if screaming back at them is
a good bet
- I do it sometimes, but usually only to those smaller than me ;-)
I bike because I don't like a world crammed full of cars. Ideally I'd like a world where most
people were pedestrians, because I reckon the world would be a happier place (more localistation,
less accidents, less pollution, more human contact, less big business etc). Accordingly, it
frustrates me a bit to see those pedestrians - who I've elevated to the top of my 'kudos pile' -
acting like such idiots.
Any advice/views?
Mike
I travel direct routes through Brixton down to the Croydon area and every week seem to get hassle
from rather psychotic pedestrians - far more so than from cars etc.
Usually this takes the form of pedestrians aged 12-20 suddenly barking at me VERY loudly with the
aim of unsettling me (they seem to love doing it, usually when with their friends). On other
occasions it's more severe, for example near Streatham Common about three weeks ago a lanky chap was
walking towards me in the cycle lane and really threw himself at me!
I don't do anything unusual, or look unusual, when biking so imagine that others may be suffering
the same kind of unwanted attention as
me. Are you? Any theories you've got would be greatly appreciated, not least because I'm into all
my sociology/psychology stuff! More importantly, I'd like to know if screaming back at them is
a good bet
- I do it sometimes, but usually only to those smaller than me ;-)
I bike because I don't like a world crammed full of cars. Ideally I'd like a world where most
people were pedestrians, because I reckon the world would be a happier place (more localistation,
less accidents, less pollution, more human contact, less big business etc). Accordingly, it
frustrates me a bit to see those pedestrians - who I've elevated to the top of my 'kudos pile' -
acting like such idiots.
Any advice/views?
Mike