There I was, pedalling up Watford High Street, when a tw£t walked straight into the road from behind a parked bus, not a care in the world.
So I ran him down.

Clearly this was the only course of action given his blatant disregard for common sense and the rules of the road.
I trust you all agree.

Problem being that I did not hit him head-on, but more that I wrapped my R (?) bar around him and we both went down, thumping my head (helmet) into the tarmac on the way down – likewise my R knee.

I’m going to have a crick-neck in the morning me thinks!
Managed another 2hrs 30 ride but it’s getting very cold very quickly out there on an evening & my tootsies were in need of some TLC.

So, my promise to the STW Massiv: to make a better job of taking out all / any non-cyclists when next the mood takes me.

(Is there a generic derogatory term for someone who doesn’t cycle?)

I took one out a few years ago, they just stepped out off the curb looking the other way.

Luckily I was on my motorbike, and stayed upright, and had witnesses – they went to hospital with a broken leg and various other marks/bumps/scrapes.

I was taken out by a some guy who just decided to run out across the road without looking at all. Hit the tarmac hard, and although I didn't break anything, the bike took some fixing, and I missed out on two tournaments due to badly hurt elbow. He blamed it on me as well. I just called him a ****t, hopped back onto my bike and cycled off. Gingerly.

Some pedant will be along in a minute to tell you if you couldn't stop safely then you were going too fast…

I ran over an old woman the other day… Just wanted to say that a la Derek & Clive… 😆

It was a couple of years ago actually. She looked me straight in the eye and then stepped off the kerb. The impact was pretty full on (20+mph) and she went down like the proverbial sack of spuds.. as I flew over her I heard the thud as her head hit the tarmac. She was out cold for a few minutes and I thought I'd killed her. An awful feeling. All the car drivers around piled out and ran over to her. One lone driver shouted over that perhaps someone should see if the cyclist was OK (I was, just cuts and scrapes) but no one really bothered to check. The woman came to and started shouting that I was a "bloody cyclist" and should watch where I was going. An ambulance was called but she staggered off up the road (much to the annoyance of the person who had called it) still muttering about bloody cyclists and I was left to walk home given that my bike was in various pieces.

So a term for pedestrians who don't think bikes in the road are really there when they walk out in front of them would be welcome.

That will do

Good call, I was in Watford the other day and there needs a good cull of all the knuckle dragging inbreds that wander the streets around the Macdonalds. I witnessed some muppet walking his dog who proceeded to lay a nice steaming turd on the pavement. Did he clean it up? Of course not! Scum!

Think once, Think Twice, Think don't let your Staffy crap on the pavement….

I dont know the exact details of the road and how far away from the kerb you were Ti29er…
But, with that in mind, I'm not sure you can put all the blame on the ped.
Travelling along any road where there are pedestrians, whatever the transport, you've got to consider one of them doing something stupid and plan for it.
If you think I'm being harsh, dont worry, I've done more or less the same thing about ten years ago, when some French student (looking the other way) ran out from behind a parked van when I was beasting along at 30+. Luckily neither of us was badly hurt, but despite my anger at the time, I look back and think, hmmm, maybe I was going a bit fast, maybe I had more responsiblity to look out for him than he did for me, maybe the fact that there was an obstuction to my view should have made me take greater care.
.
And maybe as people frequently jump off buses like this, you perhaps should have considered the possibility of what you found?

Naming link on STW. Suggestions please.

Pedestrians should always be assumed to be idiots.

Had a close call today on a shared pavement/bike lane. Some woman with her 10-12yr old kid, walking towards and the kid jumps out in front of me, arms spread out deliberately blocking me. I skidded to a halt in a snow bank and said, "You wanna control your kid?" and she just stared at me blankly then walked on. She genuinely looked like she was off home to drown him in the tub and then slit her wrists.

West:
For what it's worth, it's a public road, he walks out with some purpose in front of me / a car / a bus / a lorry.
I take avoiding action as he's not yet 1/2 way across and not seen me 'til the last second.
He stops. Then takes a pace backwards (he later told me).
I was not going quickly and had time to avoid him, he moved against his own momentum, right into me.
All I know is he made the one move he shouldn't have done, and 99.9% of times people either continue on or stand still.

Going too fast, on a road – heard it all now…

As I said to the guy I ran over, lucky for you it was me – why says he?

'Cos the vehicle following me was a bus!

So did you try to go round the back of him?. Perhaps since you weren't going fast you should have slowed to a stop instead?
Remember, just because a ped is a bit daft doesnt mean that another road user with 'right of way'(no such term BTW) can righteously steam into them.('not saying thats what you meant to do, but your post comes over a bit homicidal-angry)
As I said though, This HAS happened to me, but I really try to use the experience to make me a better cyclist.(as if thats possible) 🙂

i had a ped step into the road in front of me, didn't look, no warning – didn't even have chance to hit the brakes! she went flying, i managed to stay on but buckled the wheel.

Helped her up and offered to get her a coffee or something whilst she recovered a bit, but i was quickly surrounded by a crowd of angry pedestrians. They thought i'd been cycling on the pavement!

i'd already slowed down as there were quite a few people around, but without slowing down to 5mph theres no way of avoiding stuff like this.

Theres no point in getting annoyed though, its just an accident.

Now i just ring the bell CONSTANTLY when theres lots of pedestrians around.

get a bell

bells are not loud enough for many – I've been ringing away like a campanologist on speed and had 'oi get a bell'

air zounds next!

I've never seen the value of bells/airhorns in this kind of situation. Its another distraction that takes a bit of your concentration and control away from the important thing of steering/braking, and as Ti29er found out, sometimes even when the ped is alerted to your presence, they jump the wrong way.

I think I found the source of the problem

Watford High Street

loud pipes save lives (as they say in motorcycling circles), this is why its fun to speculate on loud 'audible warnings of approach'

the long term answer is to presume that pedlemmings (even ones you can't see) will attempt to do the least sensible possible thing, as will all other road users, and be prepared to take avoiding action.

…The Campag freehub, the cyclists equivalent of an illegal race exhaust 🙂

The motorcyclists attitude according to my dad is to treat every obstacle like a bin that has blown into your path.. slow avoid.. and ride away to live and swear another day

As a london courier, this happens everyday single day without fail (hit two people only in 4 1/2 years, both slow as i knew it was bound to be the case on oxford st), idiots the lot of them and have seen the results of when it is a bus and not a bike, unpleasent viewing. Some people just don't consider how dangerous a position they are putting themselves in and some learn the hard way..serves them right as far as i'm conserned.
Keeps me on my toes though, today was mayhem going home down oxford st, good fun though…in a way.

was he an amateur holding a camera on your territory?

I think it's a given that as cyclist and also m'cycle riders (I am a spoilt brat & have both), we're far more aware and attuned to hazards*.

The skittle-clutz that I knocked down was in need of some lovely Bonty Mud tyre treads all the way up his legs and onto his chest. Like I say, I missed!

*At the w/end, I gave a lady with whom I was working, a lift in my car into Marble Arch from Watford. She twice got worked up 'cause I wouldn't make illigal U turns around the Edgeware Rd tube station region. I explained about riding both powered and self-powered bikes and why I won't put other road users more vunerable than me in harms way. So, we get to Marble Arch, I pull in and she flings the passenger door wide open. The cab driver overtaking us almost took her and my door out. Not once did she see that it was her fault, not once, in our discussion later so I gave up trying to explain to her.

Expect the unexpected.

I hit a chav kid once, and it wrote off a 40 quid rim.
Was not impressed, out of pocket and bruised. Stupid people. So yes expect the unexpected.

The Green Cross Code sucks in built-up areas. We should encourage people to step out in front of cars and reclaim streets of towns for walking on. If a few cyclists get some bent handlebars on the way then so be it. Towns would be nicer places if pedestrians held up traffic rather than vice versa.

"So, my promise to the STW Massiv: to make a better job of taking out all / any non-cyclists when next the mood takes me."

er, you are joking right?

Bez, fair comments. deregulated streets with no right of way holland-style are the way forward.

i'd already slowed down as there were quite a few people around, but without slowing down to 5mph theres no way of avoiding stuff like this.

It's true. I was riding up Camberly High St a few years ago on an old CG125 motorbike. It's a one-way road and there's cars parked either side, and one lane of traffic up the middle. It was a busy Saturday and the traffic was stationary, so what you gonna do? Filter. That's what bikes are for. There was plenty of room for me, and I was only pootling through the traffic. Now, I actually SAW the kid on the pavement as he ran out in front of me, I saw him go, and I went for the brake as he did, and I've got good reactions, but there was simply no way on Earth I could react fast enough to avoid him. I think I got my fingers on the brake though. I clipped his leg and sent him sprawling between the stationary cars. I saw it coming, and I was mortified. He got up and his dad came over. His dad was a reasonable man though and was full of apologies, as was I. He had a lovely tyre scrape up his leg and a few other bruises from the floor. It was all amicable and we both went on our way, but there was no way it could have been avoided by anyone in that situation.

Bez – it was somewhat tongue-in-cheek.
I try and avoid all peds and trees too, although that last section on the Red Route at Cannock seems to catch me out all too often!
😉

It's the silver haired brigade around here that seem to think they have some immunity to being run down – I love the term pedlemming, that sums them up.

They step out, often dragging a shopping trolley, an importantly their safety is provided by looking the wrong direction. It's the heart attack as I go past them shouting "watch the **** out!!!!!!" that will see them off, and being hit by the bus coming in the other direction.

Best incident like this for me was many years ago, heading down a hill, was a summer fair at a local primary school, and I clocked some unsupervised junior chavs on the pavement to my left, the leader of the pack looked twice at me before starting out, I had no option but to hit him, I swear I parked my front wheel between his legs!!

Me "where do you live, where's your parents?"

Chav "over there, they're not in though"

Me "where are they" (I thought they may be at the school fair)

Chave "in the pub"

Me "OK, **** it, your breathing, if they aren't arsed about you I'm off, you're not really hurt are you?"

On the bike and off for me.

Audible warnings just don't work for some idiot peds, i work at a fire station in one of least nice areas of south London and despite having very loud sirens and blue flashing lights we still regulary get people who step off of pavements without looking straight into our path, on one occasion we litteraly managed to come to an emergency stop 2 inches from someones head, who then proceded to look at us as though we had no right to be on the road.
Darwinian natural selection coming into play i think, eradication of those not suitable to there enviroment, harsh but true, happens in the animal kingdom.

may i present THE DARWIN AWARDS

the answer:

a few warning shots across their bows should do it.

Had a few near misses but never hit anyone. I tend to try and stare down people as best as i can so they KNOW that you know they are there.

Its the people that use pushchairs to create gaps in the traffic that get me.

Supposedly the most important thing in their world…unless they want to cross the road. Then the poor little bugger in the puchchair gets used as a stop sign! Insane

I'm kinda with Bez on this, despite the fact that it would disadvantage my own god-like progress through civilisation, I'm totally in favour of the 'naked' streets concept for many areas, where noone has priority, and its up to vehicles to take care.
Pedestrians constantly get the s*itty end of the stick where planners are concerned, No wonder this country has turned into America-lite where only the poorest walk.

PS, noone should be allowed to smugly mention Darwin, Darwin awards, and the rest, unless they've read his works (and understood them)

noone should be allowed to smugly mention Darwin, Darwin awards

Why not? A Darwin Award is a tongue-in-cheek honour named after evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin. Awards have been given for people who "do a service to Humanity by removing themselves from the gene pool" (wikipedia)

Humour not allowed in Pompousland?

took out a ped going down the road in hyde park
he was just wandered into the cycle lane, I almost got round him bit my bars clipped him and we both went down hard

he says hes really hurt so i call an ambo, all the while hes abusing me for being an idiot and im trying to explain hes just stepped into a cycle path, when the paramedics get out all of a sudden hes in loads of pain etc etc
anyway a week later get a letter from his solicitor saying hes suing me, i had no idea what to do, fortunately blagged on my folks house insurance for personal liablity and teh company told him to f- off, but it still irks me that he was so ken to try it on, so anyway jopin teh ctc or makesure you have liability cover on youre house insurance

also whilst walking in the pavement in cambridge had a middle aged woman crash into me on her shopper, i was fine just staggered a bit and got a bruise on my back, she went flying, cuts scrapes in shock really

what can you do!

Only if its funny, DezB
Most of the folk I see that find the Darwin awards funny not only dont have much of a sense of humour, but plainly dont understand evolution either.
(pomposity caps off) 😉

BTW kimbers, again just 'cos its a 'cyclelane', doesn't mean you have any special right on it. One very good reason to avoid them like the plague is their proximity to the pavement( and poorer mutual visibility for cyclists and pedestians)