Pedestrians beware

I was watching the NYC Half Marathon this morning and rollerblading past Chelsea Piers when I saw a woman walking two huge dogs (by "huge dog" I mean "small horse") in the race. I mean the runners were on the West Side Highway. So was she. Next to the runners. With her two small horses. Anyone who has ever run or ridden by a dog knows that these animals tend to lunge toward fast-moving objects near their heads, so walking dogs in a race is right up there together with not saying no to drugs.

I thought Horse Walker might just be oblivious to the race, so I called out, "You're in the race!" To which she responded, "I'm crossing the street." (Whatever she was doing, there was no crossing apparent.) And then she retorted, "Mind your own business, please." Now, I'm not a nosy person, but when you're doing something that spectacularly idiotic, it becomes everyone's business.

Most pedestrians are pretty careful around cars, but when it comes to bike paths, they inexplicably treat them like sidewalks. Bike paths ARE NOT sidewalks. Think about it this way: if there was no bike path, cyclists and skaters and joggers would be riding / running in the road, alongside cars. So unless you're prepared to walk your dogs -- or push your stroller -- in traffic, stay off the bike path.