[Richard Groves]

I was trad cleaning a shop last week with a 1.5 m pole and squeegee.
I suddenly hear a woman scream behind me followed by an "ouch".
This idiot had come whizzing around the corner on a bicycle on the pavement.
As I'd bladed down the window and stepped slightly back she'd ridden straight in to the end of the pole and I'd jabbed her in the ribs with it. She looked so angry as if it was somehow my fault. She got her just deserves as far as I was concerned. 
Stupid thing was there is a cycle lane just yards away.

Anybody else had situations such as this ?

[The Jester of Wibbly]

Yes I had the same last year working on a residential corner property on a quiet estate.  Some silly kid on a bike came racing around the blind corner on the pavement taking a racing line to get round it.  And slammed straight into my pole end sending him flying.

[M & C Window Cleaning]

It amazes me how many people walk up behind me and then act all surprised when they get caught. It’s not often happened to me in the street but quite a few times in customer’s gardens.  Same as when you are reversing a car in a car park and people walk right behind you whilst you are manoeuvring.

[Richard Groves]

It amazes me how many people walk up behind me and then act all surprised when they get caught. It’s not often happened to me in the street but quite a few times in customer’s gardens.  Same as when you are reversing a car in a car park and people walk right behind you whilst you are manoeuvring.

Agree. Its something we should all have been taught on our driving lessons - anticipation of others actions. In our case we've our backs to people and working with a repetitive motion - what could possibly go wrong ? 

[andyM]

The world's full of 'em!
Just like these Bl00dy Eejits…...

[The Jester of Wibbly]

It's the trad guys up ladders I feel sorry these days.

Timber

[nathankaye]

It's the trad guys up ladders I feel sorry these days.

Timber

I'm not suspicious,,,,,,,,,      no love, don't you mean superstitious!   
If I had a pound for every time someone said that to me in the past, I could happily retire young.
They don't get the fact, that something or someone could drop on them, at all!
Blooming fools

[John Mart]

Surely if you're working on the highway, it is up to you to make sure pedestrians are safe as you pole?

[Smudger]

Surely if you're working on the highway, it is up to you to make sure pedestrians are safe as you pole?

easier said than done - we've had solid barriers erected in the past when using cherry pickers and the old dears still fight to climb over them than walk the extra 6 ft around - one of them was hitting the cr@p out of them with her walking stick - i just dont get it

Darran

[Richard Groves]

Surely if you're working on the highway, it is up to you to make sure pedestrians are safe as you pole?

I regularly check around me for pedestrians, old folk, wheelchairs, pushchairs, toddlers etc. .... down tools and get out their way if need be. But there is no way I can assure the safety of a cyclist on the pavement travelling at least 5x average walking pace. Within 2 seconds of me checking over my shoulder they were on me.

[Johnny B]

I do some shops fronts in my town centre, and am always looking around me to ensure I'm not going to poke a passerby with the pole.

I wear a hi-viz as well, so I think/hope I have most bases covered. I still get people brushing past me or tutting if I'm in their way though!

John

[Walter Mitty]

I do put out cones but they just ignore them.  Someone tripped over a safety cone once, not much I can do about that.  There was an occasion when I turned around to see some woman's dog (on a lead) peeing on my cone.  I'm afraid I wasn't exactly polite about that and pointed out that I had to handle the cone.  Luckily, as I saw it happen, I gave it a thorough rinsing.  I should have done the same to her - but not to the dog.
I've even had people walk into me while tradding a shop front, because they had their noses in their phones.  No problem with phones, but for pity's sake stand still while texting or reading.

[Richard Groves]

Yes, I've always found the most effective trip hazard to be a trip hazrd cone ! 

[dazmond]

i dont bother with warning cones anymore.....ive left a few on jobs before now and they do nothing but add time to a job IMO and add clutter to my van.....

[AuRavelling79]

I stood back against one of my own trip hazard cones and fell into a pond.