Stop SMIDSY

Sorry Mate, I Didn't See You!

Things on the Rail I can do without

1. Smashed champagne bottles (if you can believe that?) 
2. Sarcastic Impington Village College Kids
3. Either of
• Branches (no, I do not mean twigs, I mean bloody huge branches)
• Big bits of wood (!)
4. Dog sh*t
5. Horse sh*t
6. More dog sh*t

So it seems that the rail has become a kind of safe route home for the drunk party-goer. They can wobble their way home without fear of staggering into the path of traffic. Trouble is they're leaving smashed glass bottles on the rail and on the cycle path (less the latter as it's gravel - the rail concrete)

I'm sure the branches usually get where they are by falling from trees (duh!) but the wood??? I have one question: why?

#2 is an odd one. Children walking to school to Impington Village College use the rail. As I approach them they have in the past simply moved out of the way. However, they then discovered that I got annoyed if they made me stop before moving. Initially I told them that I was riding very fast & it'd be safer if they simply stood aside. I even told one girl on a bike that I'd lean against the rail and she could easily move past me. Somehow that didn't go down well either. Too late, I've given them the ammunition and now they always leave it to the last second to move. I have to come to a complete halt and then they move. The recent development is that they've now taken to telling me off when I don't thank them; like I'm going to say "thank you" if they make me stop first. grrr

As for 4 & 5. Well #5 is mostly around the stables at the NW corner of Histon. I am personally surprised that a horse can comfortably walk on the rail, let alone defecate on it! :-) #4 happens everywhere and just goes to show how little community spirit exists. People only clear up their dog sh*t where there's a sign threatening them with a fine for not or enough witnesses for the social unacceptability of it to pre-shame them into taking it home with them. Where there's no-one around and they think there's no victim, they just don't give a, well, sh*t!

Of course the thing that's missing from my list is the huge lumps of concrete that are temporarily there to stop traffic from joining the rail. I do wish they all left room for bikes to comfortably go round them, rather than having to come to a dead stop, de-clip your pedals and creep through a gap of about 10cm. :-(