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Shared use crash today
Mostly I avoid shared use paths, but there are a few bits I use, mainly to
avoid badly done traffic calming on the roads. Today's crash was on a shared use path that leads from the north into the centre of Newmarket, and is claimed by Sustrans to be part of NCN51. The crash was not with a ped, nor a ped's dog, which I've always thought were the major hazards, no it was with another cyclist. The route in question has a number of housing developments to the side and gaps in the fencing to allow access to the path from the developments. The fencing between development & path is dense enough that it's not possible to see through it and high enough you can't see over it. So, the teenage boy delivering the evening paper comes shooting out of a gap in the fence just as I'm cycling by at 5pm. We both go down, and find he's got a bent front wheel but no personal injury, I've got a skinned elbow and a slightly bent handlebar. Rather than kill him and burn the body (TM), I get his front wheel a lot straighter than it was, and slacken off his front brake, so it's just about ridable. When I tell him he'll probably need a new rim, the kid says "what's that?". So I point to rim and tell him that upmarket ones can be a few hundred quid. This is not an upmarket one, so I estimate he's in for 5 to 10 pounds, plus the labour for rebuilding the wheel. "My dad will kill me" says the kid, "Now there's an idea" think I. Feck, at his age I had a write-off crash every year, but it was always a solo crash and I always got home without help. Even when I wasn't allowed back to school (due to lots of visible stitches and purple painted face) I could manage the 6 mile walk to bike shop & back to get the bits needed to start the rebuild. So, that's it. No more urban shared use paths for me. Mike |
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#2
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Mike Causer whizzed past me
shouting "My dad will kill me" says the kid, "Now there's an idea" think I. Feck, So, that's it. No more urban shared use paths for me. Don't be put off if you don't succeed at your first attempt. Keep trying and soon our letter boxes will be empty of unwanted freesheets and our recycling'll be half the weight. NB you can use the papers for burning the body. -- Sue ];( What goes down must come up again - Confucius' Law of Mountain Biking |
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