The elderly are among those are in danger on Adelaide's coastal path
by Garethe on 24/10/2022
Elderly pedestrians are among those in danger from speeding bikes and e-scooters along Adelaide's coastal path. Warnings about this have been made from the time it was first proposed to allow vehicles on footpaths and pedestrian thoroughfares.
There was particular concern about allowing them on the coastal path which runs along Adelaide's wonderful beaches. This path often gets crowded with families, including toddlers and babies in prams.
In this late afternoon video a bicycle ridden by a large young male flashes past a lone walker and a pair of young females. The bike is travelling at around 20 kilometres an hour and he doesn't use a bell. Very few do. The path at this point is 2.4 metres wide so there's little room for clearance.
This behaviour is seriously hazardous. All it will take for a tragedy to occur is a sudden move by a pedestrian, perhaps because they stumble or they see a snake on the side of the path. That sometimes happens in spring. It's happened to me and I certainly jumped. The result will be an ugly collision, with the pedestrian likely coming off worst. At that speed, the impact in someone's back of a bicycle with a burly bloke onboard would probably put them in a wheelchair for life. That someone could be a child or a pregnant woman. At worst, the outcome could be a fatality.
This isn't the first time I have videoed this type of incident. It's a regular occurrence and includes the riding of modified e-scooters and skateboards which can achieve similar speeds. The riders seem oblivious to the danger they pose to pedestrians.
I urge all concerned citizens to contact their local member of state parliament to protest the permitting of fast-moving vehicles on the coastal path or indeed on any footpath at all. At a bare minimum, this behaviour needs strongly policing to at least keep it within the law.