Wrong way

I have been going for walks recently around the neighborhood where my parents live and it's a nice way to burn calories and enjoy the weather, which by the way, seems to be always perfect here in Brasília.

As we don't have a specific pedestrian path, there is only a bike path built and obviously no other alternative to walk except on a bike path...

I found out that some ciclists can get very annoyed when we meet along the way. It's almost like you are in their way and they can't seem to make any effort to go around us when we walk there. Some pass so near you that you can feel the wind almost slapping you...

I walk on the way contrary to them, as I learned in Holland, that was the correct way. Since you see the bike coming in your direction and can make eye contact with the biker and notice if he or she sees you or not and in case they won't see you (hope never happens!!) you can step aside and move quickly to avoid any accidents. (At least, that's what we expect people to think and know).

Well, this week, we were walking there, and suddenly comes this guy on a bike coming down hill, very fast, looking very annoyed and very angry and stopped almost in front of my feet with his bike and shouted very loudly: "that way!!" and pointed to the other side.

My mother and I were so shocked and I could just reply: "Wow, you were not going to stop? Aren't we in a society?". And he just continued angry and very fast going down hill with his powerful bike and his good manners.

From that moment on I thought, wow... what kind of society we live in?! How can a man do that to people who are just walking on a path, which by the way, was always a walking path before it became a bike path and regulations are that when there are only bike paths we obviously have no choice but to walk on it. So, what kind of a person does that? Just scarying us and shouting at us because we were on a different direction than what he thinks is right? Wouldn't he need to move aside when we were walking on the other side anyway? What difference does it make for him? Except that we would even try to move aside when we see him, walking nearer the other line not to bother him and he would have to move completly if he was coming from our back as we don't have eyes on our back?


After this event, we were impressed with the level of politeness and courtesy of people on bike paths around. And this is an area where people are supposedly more educated, wow! Can you imagine?! I always thought bikers were people with more feeling for nature, and respect for others, since they know a bit about disrespect and being in disadvantage when they are competing with cars! I mean, if a car would come as near as he did to us, would he have enjoyed it?

I am just disappointed with such level of ignorance and lack of respect for others. Unbelievable! Well, I really hope that next time he would say something less aggressive I would for sure like to spend my few minutes explaining to him why it's safer to walk on that direction and what he suggested is not appropriate in case of pedestrians x bikes. It does make sense with bikes and cars, since the consequences of an accident would be much worse otherwise. But this is not the case.

Now I wonder, what else is there in society? Someone does that to people walking on a path, it's just a path; if we would be on the other side he would have to move aside anyway... I wonder, is this attitude acceptable? Is this the correct way to behave? I have a very clear opinion on what is really the wrong way...