This article in the Independent (The Day I hit a child at 20mph) reminded me of an incident a while back. I was cycling along some back street in Cowley. A little kid aged about 4 years ran straight out of the (unprotected) drive behind a parked car and into my front wheel. He fell over on hitting my wheel, a bit bruised but, I’ve I’d been driving a car at 30mph who knows what would happened?
The comments on the Independent article make you despair. Things like
‘…but if cars were prevented from driving at a useful speed, young children in this country would die of starvation, just as they do in many parts of the world. We are not a hallowed sanctuary…’
Related
A street in south London, a lady steps into the road right in front of me, in front of my bike. I’m only travelling around 10mph so I slam on both brakes, screeching to a halt with her inches in front of my wheel. She looks angry, annoyed at me for being a cyclist, at herself perhaps for not having looked. We part company. Maybe later that day she thinks what would have happened if I’d been a car…