There is a bike path near where I live, entirely distinct from the main road. It's surface isn't great, but not much (if any) worse than the main road. It's equally flat and, in most parts, smoother. I have noticed that there's a large volume of people who fail to use it but I can't put my finger on why. As long as they're taking all precautions to stay safe (hi-vis, helmet, lights, proper maintenance of their bike etc.) then I have no qualms. In fact, there is a bike path which perimeters much of south Wales.
As the videos above show, there are some jacked-up anuses around who have no better time than to argue with others despite being in the wrong. I've been threatened twice in the last couple of months after telling people to get off their phone. One hounded me in a rental car, probably topping 70mph in a single carriageway, amongst a housing establishment so he could hurl abuse and throw coins at me. Another squared up to me after I said he shouldn't use a phone in a petrol station. People have their set views and nothing else is right.
I can only see it going back to my initial summary. All road users should take due care and attention to stay safe. It's not (usually) a lack of trying that puts people at risk but a lack of understanding. The road is there for all vehicles, motorised, equine or otherwise, to use.
Some people, especially around country lanes, have to walk along the roadside. It can often include blind bends, narrow roads etc. with people haring down them. If I come across someone walking on the wrong side of the road (with the flow of traffic rather than against), I'll happily notify them that it's better for them to walk on the other side. It's almost always well received.
On another aside, the lack of understanding can be prevalent on motorways as well. There's a focus on people tailgating and middle-lane-hogging which police are attempting to crack down on. Another motorway-themed example is when people break down and have to pull over to the hard shoulder. I've often seen people standing directly next to their vehicles, or in front of their vehicles, rather than behind and away from them. My family broke down once on the way back from London and my ma's initial thought was to stay in the car, as being in a metal box is 'safer'. I told her that, if we're in a car, there's a far bigger object to hit, so the likelihood of being clipped by a lorry driver who isn't fully concentrating is higher. She then said, move away from the car up the road, to which I said, if our car does get clipped, there's another object which would be hurtling towards us as well as whatever clipped it. I explained that behind the car, away from it, is safest as you can have an unimpeded view of the traffic and, should evasive action be required, you're a much smaller object and able to move.
Tl, dr; Keep yourself safe, there's no harm brushing up on the do's and don't's!
