JNugent wrote:
On 19/05/2012 16:18, Mrcheerful wrote:
JNugent wrote:
On 19/05/2012 15:55, Zapp Brannigan wrote:

wrote in message
...
Rat-running cyclists are endangering stall traders by using a
pedestrianised area as a short-cut, it has been claimed.

Mitcham residents and traders have become increasingly frustrated
with people on bikes using Mitcham town centre in order to avoid
the busy one-way traffic on Holborn Way.

Christine Higgs, 50, of Streatham Road, said: "They [cyclists]
just come screeching down the pavement on their bikes and try to
swerve round you. "They once hit my son, who is six, and I was
really angry because
they hurt him but they didn't apologise. It is a big problem."

Stall trader Alan Hunt, 69, said: "In the morning when you are
trying to set up it is a nightmare because they [cyclists] just
cut straight through at high speed on their way to work.

"I have had my stall damaged by cyclists speeding in the past and
it is dangerous for my customers."

Poke an umbrella or walking stick into the spokes of any reckless
cyclist, stop them before they cause serious harm.

Would a piece of c. 1cm dowel not serve just as well and have the
twin advantages of cheapness and immediate easy replacement?

I think it would need to be thicker for reliability. But it would
have to be much more hefty to stop something with alloy wheels. I
understand that a good shove on the handlebars woks well.
A friend in Cambridge carries a heavy metal tool box to jobs and
finds that is very effective.

Would you say that this sub-thread is a reasonable analogue of the
ones where some posters urge others to swing D-locks at vehicles,
bang on them with clenched fists or even to throw bicycles onto their
bonnets?

No, because this is pedestrians defending themselves from cyclists, no cars
involved.