Strollers, y'all

I have never understood the sheer arrogance of people with rolling Anything. It can be rolling backpacks or rolling suitcases or food carts. It's like they think that just because the rolling Whatevers are tougher to maneuver than their non-rolling equivalents, the people pushing/pulling have the right to act like jackasses.

One group of rolling Thingies pushing people are especially easily offended if you point out that they're a hazard.

Mothers with strollers.

I have lost count of the times I have had to hit the breaks hard on my bike or veer away from a mother walking straight out into the bike lane without checking if there's anyone coming. Just this morning I was nearly thrown off the saddle because two women stepped into the lane, none of them checking if the lane was free to cross.

Don't get me wrong. I understand that as a bike riding person, I also have responsibility when it comes to avoiding accidents. I take this very seriously, because if I don't, I can get seriously hurt. No matter how much or little a bicycle weighs, it can reach speeds that, when/if you collide with things, can cause serious injuries. I am always checking my surroundings when I ride my bike, in order to avoid collisions.

This is one of the reasons why strollers and their disrespectful Pushers piss me off so badly. It's like they think that just because they have a potential safety hazard containing a child, they're free to act however they want and others have to surrender to their arrogance. Just because they have a child in their stroller, it's fine to put said child in danger of colliding with bicycles or wheelchairs. It's like these people pushing their strollers firmly believe that anyone can stop before leveling their stroller and its precious cargo to the ground.

News flash! If you step out right in front of a bike you give the rider no time to stop and one of two scenarios will occur. Either the bike will try to go around you and may or may not be able to do so without crashing, or the bike will crash into your stroller. Either scenario is a pain. On one hand, the rider might get seriously injured. On the other, the rider and your child will get seriously injured, the rider will get fined, and the guilt felt by the rider will be crippling.

Tripping over a rolling backpack or suitcase is annoying. Crashing into a shopping or food cart is annoying and painful. Crashing into a stroller is devastating. You won't cross a road without checking for cars. Learn to check for bikes before crossing a bicycle lane.