The last two days have seen a definite increase in smile occurrence. I even got a little wave yesterday, marvellous!
Everyone from van drivers to pedestrians seems willing to give me a grin as I whoosh past. I often smile at drivers and pedestrians in order to say thank you or, on occasion, to reinforce my moral superiority if they've acted nob-like. In the past though, I have rarely got a smile back.
Perhaps it's the fact that spring is at last looking sprung and the flowers are out or perhaps it's just that all the miserable people have sought help... and Prozac. Whatever it is, it makes a nice change from the usual grumpy faces I see every day.
My current theory is that my vibrant pink tops are finally out after a winter shrouded in a yellow jacket. The weenie butterfly is emerging from her winter cocoon. Yes, the improved mood is definitely all down to me. Weenie's plan for world peace, one postcode at a time.
Showing posts with label pedestrians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pedestrians. Show all posts
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Friday, 12 March 2010
One incident, two perspectives....
Petronella Wyatt-style:
This morning a woman was nearly hit by cyclist in Shpeherd's Bush.
She was innocently crossing the road when a lycra-clad lout going at reckless speed appeared from nowhere and nearly mowed her down. She barely stopped before shouting abuse and pedalling away with absolutely no regard for the trauma of the victim.
Now, I tried cycling in London and was rubbish at it so know that it's dangerous. We must ban these mentalists!
What actually happened:
The wind finally died down this morning and I had a great commute. The lights were in my favour, there were few bad motorists around and the cloud cover meant there were no nasty surprise sunbeams blinding me.
In fact, I was at top speed today and, once past Acton, barely dipped below 20mph as the bus lane was clear nearly all the way. Coming up to Shepherd's Bush the traffic in the main lane was stationary as there are nasty roadworks, with no buses about and precious few cyclists, I was able to make excellent time. But, about a mile short of Shepherd's Bush, disaster nearly struck.
A woman stepped out from behind a stationary lorry, nowhere near a crossing, right in front of me.
I pulled the brakes and, with some mega-fishtailing, managed to stop in time. I pulled over to catch my breath and the woman ran over. 'I'm so sorry!' was all I heard. Still in shock I told her how fast I'd been going and to please be more careful in future. Secretly I was hugely impressed that she hadn't dropped the catering tray she was carrying.
She was shocked at how fast I'd been going, apologised again and skipped merrily off, obviously in a rush. I got back up to speed and headed to work. In the lift I was praised by a fellow employee who'd seen me stop at a red light at a crossing by the office. We both grumbled about cyclists who jump the light before I got off on my floor.
This morning a woman was nearly hit by cyclist in Shpeherd's Bush.
She was innocently crossing the road when a lycra-clad lout going at reckless speed appeared from nowhere and nearly mowed her down. She barely stopped before shouting abuse and pedalling away with absolutely no regard for the trauma of the victim.
Now, I tried cycling in London and was rubbish at it so know that it's dangerous. We must ban these mentalists!
What actually happened:
The wind finally died down this morning and I had a great commute. The lights were in my favour, there were few bad motorists around and the cloud cover meant there were no nasty surprise sunbeams blinding me.
In fact, I was at top speed today and, once past Acton, barely dipped below 20mph as the bus lane was clear nearly all the way. Coming up to Shepherd's Bush the traffic in the main lane was stationary as there are nasty roadworks, with no buses about and precious few cyclists, I was able to make excellent time. But, about a mile short of Shepherd's Bush, disaster nearly struck.
A woman stepped out from behind a stationary lorry, nowhere near a crossing, right in front of me.
I pulled the brakes and, with some mega-fishtailing, managed to stop in time. I pulled over to catch my breath and the woman ran over. 'I'm so sorry!' was all I heard. Still in shock I told her how fast I'd been going and to please be more careful in future. Secretly I was hugely impressed that she hadn't dropped the catering tray she was carrying.
She was shocked at how fast I'd been going, apologised again and skipped merrily off, obviously in a rush. I got back up to speed and headed to work. In the lift I was praised by a fellow employee who'd seen me stop at a red light at a crossing by the office. We both grumbled about cyclists who jump the light before I got off on my floor.
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Stop throwing children at me
This morning I had three close encounters of the baby/toddler kind. All took place at crossing where I had a clear green light and they had a red man. All of them involved adults pushing prams into my path or looking on and encouraging as small children stepped out in front of me or, in one case, scooted across.
None of these were zebra crossings. When a pedestrian puts their foot on one of those babies, you stop and let them across. Fairy Nuff.
These were all on crossings at junctions or those regulated by traffic lights. TRAFFIC LIGHTS.
You know, those things that tell people when the cars are coming.
All of those children were with seemingly 'sensible' adults, 'responsible' ones who care for them. How long would it take to teach them how to cross the road? Think about it.
None of these were zebra crossings. When a pedestrian puts their foot on one of those babies, you stop and let them across. Fairy Nuff.
These were all on crossings at junctions or those regulated by traffic lights. TRAFFIC LIGHTS.
You know, those things that tell people when the cars are coming.
All of those children were with seemingly 'sensible' adults, 'responsible' ones who care for them. How long would it take to teach them how to cross the road? Think about it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
