Walking eight-abreast in Dulwich Park

[magnificentstan]

Dear Very Inconsiderate Family

This afternoon you were walking eight-abreast in Dulwich Park. I was coming towards you running on the left-hand side, and as you made it impossible to pass I almost ran into one of your party. I would've gladly passed your chain gang on the right-hand side, however as you were eight-abreast - taking the entire path - I had no other choices other than to awkwardly sidle pass or stop my run completely.

I appreciate you didn't want to get your baby buggy or your shoes muddy by stepping off the path, but you could've momentarily fallen into six-abreast formation to allow me to pass. That would've been the considerate thing to do.

[uncleglen]

unfortunately some people think they own the place

[Growlybear]

Wouldn't it have been more effective to have spoken to the people when you were in the park rather than post on a forum which they may not even know exists?

[magnificentstan]

Growlybear Wrote:

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> Wouldn't it have been more effective to have

> spoken to the people when you were in the park

> rather than post on a forum which they may not

> even know exists?

Thank you Growlybear for pointing out the obvious.

Of course. I made my displeasure obvious to them at the time. My message was more a mini-rant as opposed to a heartfelt direct message to said family.

[cella]

This seems to happen a lot in my experience, particularly on the streets around ED & Peckham. The already too narrow streets can be blocked by groups of people, sometimes with buggies, chatting or on the path on Goose Green either with dogs/buggies. It's only a problem when nobody moves when others are trying to negotiate the streets/paths and sometimes this can come across as giving off an air of entitlement.

[red devil]

magnificentstan Wrote:

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> Of course. I made my displeasure obvious to them

> at the time. My message was more a mini-rant as

> opposed to a heartfelt direct message to said

> family.

There's an irrational rage thread for this sort of thing. Apparently it's quite therapeutic. Many a cat's backside has been saved...

[Louisa]

It?s a constant struggle in public places around Dulwich to avoid whole families walking 4/5 abreastalong the street. And casually not thanking someone for standing to one side for them. Makes my blood boil.

Louisa.

[alice]

It?s a constant struggle in public places around Dulwich to avoid speeding people on pavements and in parks. And casually not thanking someone for standing to one side for them. Makes my blood boil.

[KidKruger]

I know it's a hassle to have to, but what about just muttering, "excuse me can you let me pass through, please" as you approach. And point to where you're intending to pass through so everyone's clear. They're not working as a unit.

Big groups of people like that are probably not coordinated enough to have a common strategy for oncoming passers-by.

[Asset]

wow

[DulwichFox]

Some people seam to amass on the pavement at the narrowest point.

Restricted my Trees... Railings... Bins.. Cycle parking areas..

They have no Spatial Awareness and even a polite excuse me does not seem to work.

Excuse me please... Excuse me please... EXCUSE ME PLEASE.. is usually met with TUTT's of annoyance and disapproval.

You should not have to asked to be excused.. People should just get out of the Frigging way.

Fox.

[Louisa]

KK I will of course shout ?thankyou? rather loudly if I stand back for people to walk through and don?t receive a response. More often than not this is met with an automatic apology, sometimes people are just not aware and if anything it helps them be more thoughtful in the future. A small group of people do not respond at all. They?re the ones who get to me most.

Groups of people in large groups tend to be families, maybe the kids are showing mummy and daddy around ED because they're up visiting for the weekend from Hampshire or Sussex. The visitors are in a world of their own looking around at things and so it should be the responsibility of one or two people to shuffle people over so that they?re not hogging the whole pavement. This isn?t rocket science, it?s common sense. If you see a person approaching you, surely you kind of just shuffle over a little to allow them through? I don?t get why we have this issue even.

Louisa.

[TheArtfulDogger]

Learn to play rugby and practice your running through on large crowds of blocking people, of course this has no relation to the origional post and is just a good suggestion for improving your ability to break through blockers on a rugby pitch 😉

[nxjen]

OP is living in a world of his /her own if he expects a group of people to spontaneously part like the Red Sea so that he / she is not inconvenienced by having to awkwardly sidle pass or briefly slow down. Parks have different types of users and none take precedent, all have to give a little bit.

[Loz]

I'm just aghast - aghast I tell you - that a jogger may be forced to stop their run completely for 10 seconds or so.

Oh, the inhumanity.

[Earl Aelfheah]

There are a lot of people who seem oblivious to those around them. I was in a busy public building the other day and a small group of adults decided to stop and have a chat on the stairs. They seemed completely unconcerned about the fact that they were barring the passage of a large number of people. Everyone was having to squeeze past them and still they just stood there chatting.

[Robert Poste's Child]

Bring back manners!

[magnificentstan]

@Loz, @nxjen, @alice -

I think I'm actually a very considerate person.

When I'm on a narrow pavement, and notice that a small group coming toward me is about to pass where only one person might fit, I stand to one side. They usually say a quick thanks. If I'm with my dog, and a group notices that I'm just about to negotiate the same tight spot - they usually stand to one side and let me pass. I say thanks. This is how it should work in public spaces, and around the streets of East Dulwich this is indeed how it usually goes down.

I'm very happy to share the park with runners, cyclists, dogs and families. And I definitely don't expect people to 'part like the Red Sea' because I'm barrelling down towards them at my lightning fast 15-minute mile pace. :)

However in this particular case, the family should've made room for me to pass - given there was only one of me and eight of them, and they were taking the entire breadth of the pavement. I slowed down to nearly a crawl as I approached - and the guy that I ended up squeezing past just looked at me as if I was somehow inconveniencing his perfect family's perfect stroll through the park. Entitled piece of ...

[Nigello]

It can only get worse - unless you try to make it stop. If you see the chance to pull someone up over walking 8 abreast/playing their phone conversation on loudspeaker/dropping litter, etc., then do it. You're (you = anyone who is reading this) old, wise and (psychologically) strong enough to take any nasty comeback if you have judged the situation correctly.