We live in a town with a lot of other people, and that means we share some of that space.
Sharing means not having it all to ourselves and letting other people have room so we each can do 'our own thing'
I have been asked to write about aggressive or selfish cyclists.
Many pedestrians are startled by the sudden appearance of a bicycle, particularly when it appears from behind, or when there are three or four suddenly whooshing past.
If one is walking along, chatting to a friend, or walking the dog, one is not thinking about traffic on a footpath, even if it is a designated shared route, so a sudden appearance can be alarming. Even a cycle bell if it is rung immediately behind one is startling, as a shout of 'Bike coming through' which can be felt to be aggressive in the same way that a motor horn just behind you when you are cycling can scare a rider.
In addition to robust pedestrians we must also consider the elderly, and the hard of hearing who may have more difficulty being aware of their surroundings.
These comments apply to us all, even those who are not being 'aggressive or selfish' as I mentioned above.
I'm sure that all cyclists have seen examples of aggression. In Covent Garden in central London at the beginning of May I saw a person on a bike (I hesitate to call him a cyclist) sounding an electric horn as he mounted the pavement and forced his way through the crowded footpath. I was horrified but fortunately not directly involved. Even without such blatant aggression, some cyclists seem to feel that simply because they are the vulnerable ones in mixed traffic they are entitled to be treated specially.
So, who are these aggressive and selfish cyclists?
When I taught a neighbour's child how to ride without stabilisers, his first reaction was to ask if I'd teach him to do 'Wheelies'. Many teenagers and young men feel the need to explore what they can do and what they can get away with so they indulge in dangerous and foolish things like falling out of trees.
Fortunately, they usually grow up and find their limits.
At the other end of the scale is the so called 'mid life crisis' Later in life people find their youth slipping away and feel the need to demonstrate their continued virility. They buy an expensive car, or go in for risky sports like bungee jumping. Some will buy posh bikes and lots of specialised clothing, get together in a club and try racing along our lanes. The so-called MAMILS, middle aged men in Lycra. That's fine as long as it doesn't impact anyone else, but sometimes it does.
Most reputable clubs have standards of behaviour to prevent this being a problem.
The last thing I want to say is that we don't know about other peoples history. If someone has been knocked over by a cyclist or had a near miss from a file of fast cyclists, let alone lost a pet to a cycling accident they will be hyper-sensitive. We just don't know, and should bear in mind this possibility.
My message is that we should all take care of each other and respect the space that we all share.