by Unusually for me, I decided to venture into the town centre pedestrian zone. I walked up from the square in Priory Meadow, unsurprised by the Bmx’s whizzing past. People have come to treat this as ‘how things are’. No-one raised an objection or even looked surprised.
I wasn’t surprised to see cyclists speeding across the pedestrian zone. A serial pavement cyclist that I have come to recognise, decided to cross the road, even though the light was green and cars were trying to use the road. This kind of arrogant act really winds me up.
Above: This is the same area that I saw the cyclist today. It appears that there is no more traffic wanting to cross the road, unlike today. And yes, she has been cycling through the pedestrian zone.
There were plenty of other cyclists passing through at speed. There were a number of familiar culprits.
Pavements are for pedestrians? Walking home along Queens Road, Hastings
As I was heading up past Cash Generator, unsurprised by the Bmx on the other side of the road by Mark and Sparks, a bike passed me from behind, very closely. It surprised me a little.
Then a guy on a mountain bike passed me, again from behind, causing people coming towards me to have to move across the pavement. This meant I had to move even further across to the outside to allow them to pass. I was looking at the guy cycling on and my attention was reduced by the activities of thinking and moving to deal with this situation, when another cyclist came speeding towards me. I was surprised.
Above: Not the cyclist from today (well, it might be!) but a very similar look.
Hood up and scarf around face, he came towards me with the all too familiar ‘get out my way’ attitude! I didn’t have time to react well (that blasted illness thing) and was assaulted with a tirade of swear words (#$@&%*! and $&%*!!”, if you were wondering) as he braked and wobbled wildly across the pavement. Given the dwindling light, he didn’t even have the decency to use lights but then, that’s a rare thing indeed from the pavement cyclist.
I think of winter as a time of relative quietness on the pavement cycling front but as cycling becomes an increasingly popular past-time, the footways are getting busier. I am pretty confident in my forecast that if it’s this busy now, then this spring and summer will be the worst year yet for illegal and nuisance cycling in Hastings.
