Today I saw an idiot cycling furiously fast on the pavement and almost knock a little girl clean off he feet in Perry Vale. With the speed he darted past her it could have been the end of the line for the toddler. Sadly this was a pretty familiar occurrence.
Maybe the reason I remember witnessing so many of these is because, as a doctor, I have seen first hand the damage that can come from these accidents. And unfortunately the victims tend to fall on the more vulnerable edges of the age spectrum.
I'm sure you have all witnessed a similar situation. These incidents are too common and ubiquitous to ignore.
A couple of years ago one of these morons was speeding towards me on the pavement and counting on me to get out of the way. As he brushed past I pushed him and he smashed really hard against a wall. That may have not been very nice but he probably got the point. Next time he'll probably wonder if the guy he wants to cyclobully is a nutter like me.
There has to be a better way of curbing this behaviour without resorting to the occasional push. Although I honestly can't think of one. Any physical obstacles (gates, bumps, etc) would not be fair for the rest of us. I have seen policeman issuing fines on the spot to reckless cyclists in central London but what are the chances of that happening in Forest Hill?
Maybe a Wall of Shame outside the railway station with their close up picture featuring a big pair of ass' ears.
It is all too easy to recite the common spiel of "it's their parents and video games fault" and forget about it. The PC-obsessed brigade may even come out of the woodwork in defence of their freedom to run people over.
Most of us can defend ourselves (if we spot these losers on time) but I believe it is selfish not to worry about more vulnerable young  children, blind people, people with crutches, and so on...
This is a rant with little hope, though. I have witnessed the same problem in New York, Paris and plenty of other cities. To my knowledge no one has found a solution yet.