On our recent trip we had three cyclist occurrences - all on narrow but hard
surfaced towpaths. In each case the cyclists were not head down lycra louts -
we only saw one of them all month north of Stoke/Market Drayton.
However what happened illustrates the them and us attitude...
1. The wife was carrying the elsan to the sanitary when a Sunday group of male
cycle tourists arrived behind her. As she had a few yards to go she kept going
while they idled behind - never putting a foot on the floor and pulling faces
as in 'what's up - she should get out of our way - snigger snigger.
2. The wife was walking from one end of the boat to the other along the
towpath with very wet grass on either side of the path, when a middle aged
cyclist came round the bend and headed towards her head-on at a steady pace -
playing chicken almost - and then,realising she wasn't going top dive in the
grass he swished through it just when she was bracing for impact.
3. I was just ashore with the rope pulling the boat in when a cyclist arrived
behind and rang his bell for me to get out of his way. When, because of rope
and boat movement I did not immediately respond he passed very close behind -
had I stepped back.
The overriding impression from all this is that, in their ignorance, cyclists
consider we are obstructing their cycleway by being on it rather than they are
sharing the towpath with other users. (As in 'All animals are equal but some
are more equal than others')
(As far as we know none of the towpaths we used are Sustrans routes so one
assumes BW and local councils paid for the work. The normal get out for such
money spent in our area is 'for wheelchair access' with no mention of other
wheeled appliances)
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