The sidewalks in Halifax mostly have room for two people to pass. I can’t believe how many idiots there are that have to stay in a group while passing you and either push you off the sidewalk or whack into you. Between them and the bike riders who ride your heels in between shooting out into traffic, it is probably safer to walk in the middle of the street. My walking experience proves South Street is the worst..guess more idiots there.
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.
I agree! There’s no bike path up my ass, so back off, cyclists- and skateboarders, too.
Not sure why you’re the only one, Matt, but I’ve seen plenty of people over 8 on the sidewalks with their bikes.The alternative definitely exists, and it’s called “obeying the law”. The law doesn’t require me, the pedestrian, to yield to motor vehicles on the sidewalk. The law does require cyclists, who are operating motor vehicles, to stay on the road. Those people who wish to get off their bicycles and walk them may freely join the rest of us pedestrians, of course.
Yes, they’re all above 8 years old, all over 20, to be exact. I don’t have a tendency to look for the 8 year olds…as for stepping aside – it’s hard when the guy or gal (let’s call them “Matty”) is going so fast one doesn’t hear s/he coming, one only feels the gust of wind.
Drivers don’t want us on the road, and pedestrians don’t want us on the sidewalk. Now the pedestrians are in the right, no doubt. But, jesus, it’s a hard row to hoe when EVERYBODY hates you.
I concur, Coyote. Cyclists, despite the evidence I’ve seen on occasion, mostly get treated poorly and don’t deserve it. Ideally, there should be a path for bicycle traffic only. Since that’s not likely to happen in most places in this city, everyone on the road and next to it really need to start respecting one another a lot more. I get agitated when *anyone* breaks the rules, irrespective of the means of transportation. Let’s see a little more consideration out there, folks; travel could be far less dangerous if we’d all do things the way we’re supposed to.
Good advice, Weevil, however unlikely it is to be followed. It may be worth pointing out that the majority of car/bicycle collisions occur when a cyclist enters an intersection FROM THE SIDEWALK. Motorists (quite reasonably) don’t expect traffic coming down the sidewalk at 30km/h. And in the blink of an eye, there’s a cyclist in the middle of an intersection that was clear a moment ago, and somebody gets T-boned.
oh such an easy fix, obviously either you were never military or had a self defence class. now this is purely defensive mind…if it looks like they are not going to play well with others, and you can usually tell…lock your hand into your pocket and cock your elbow out at a 45 about three or four inches. stiffen your arm and shoulder and wait for the howl. doesnt matter how big you are or sex, profess surprise to complete the effect. lesson learned, believe me.
The thing that pisses me off the most is no one sticks to the right hand side of the sidewalk…im sure some of em drive so it should not be a foriegn concept to stick to the right…and i stick to the right and we are all …RIGHT…people always pull to the left….dont get it …enlighten me pls if there is logic to this….Tony