Today I went for a longish walk to Peckham Rye park,
myself and other pedestrians on the pavement were respectful at keeping the recommended 2m safe distance, stepping off the pavement into the road (which were clear enough to do so) hanging back to create said distance and so forth.
HOWEVER- walking alongside peckham Rye park on the pavement opposite Harris school no less than 3 joggers (weirdly all female ) on separate occasions ran down the narrow pavement huffing and puffing in the face of myself and other pedestrians -the road was clear and to be honest a quick glance over the shoulder and they could have run safely into the road whilst keeping within the recommended distance.
walking back towards home along Woodvale alongside the Cemetery this happened again this time with the jogger puffing behind me âexcuse meâ when the road was clear of oncoming traffic and it would have been logical (to my mind) to step off the pavement for a few paces in order not to have to huff and puff within inches of me.
This may be controversial but PLEASE could people jogging on the pavement be a little mindful of retaining a safe distance from pedestrians (ie: the recommended 2m).
thank you.
Well said. I am sure we can all tell a comparable tale. I suppose this is the reason we all now find ourselves confined to barracks.
I suspect the 2 seconds a jogger is in your vicinity as they pass is far less of a reason than the groups walking along in inadvertent unison in parks or seafronts - and the crowds waiting together in supermarkets or trains.
However, itâs something for us all to remember. Iâll throw in another; if you are out on your daily exercise or walk to the supermarket, do smile at anyone you see. There are a lot of people living alone who may not have interacted with anyone and your smile might mean a lot.
Runners need to bear in mind that not everyone can move aside as quickly as they want them to and some pedestrians canât hear them coming. Some runners wonât slow their pace to accommodate walkers who happen to be on the pavement in front of them. It can also be intimidating in normal times to see a runner, often with ear pieces in, hurtling towards you down a pavement when you have nowhere to go to avoid them.
Perhaps this crisis will make us all more aware of the need to respect each otherâs personal space.
Funny you mention smiling at strangers.
Today on my walk I found myself making an effort to smile at other solo walkers, I always got a nod or a smile back.
And while Iâm on here another little moan-today I noticed a lot of people (adults I stress)cycling on the pavement.
for all the reasons other posters have stated above please dont do this! The roads are much quieter at the moment so if youâre not an experienced street cyclist now is the perfect time to get some confidence provided youâre wearing a helmet of course.
Please be mindful of others now more than ever.
Well said! 
Runners were out in force on our pavements early today. Quite a few were running two abreast and taking no prisoners. Because of traffic and the fact that the runners wonât slow down it was harder to dodge out of their way in time. If theyâre not prepared to adjust to accommodate walkers, why canât they walk to a park and then run?
Guys, this works both ways, I went for a run yesterday and from what I saw, some pedestrians are equally as discourteous by not providing space for others.
Agree. I went for a walk yesterday with my two boys and one guy was on his phone and made no effort to avoid us, even though we tried to tuck in away from him but was quite hard with a buggy and holding older childâs hand. Other people are great.
When I went running I managed to dash across the street or around people. Some people just donât seem to care, spoiling it for all.
I agree. Some people are just plain discourteous. Where possible we dodge into the road to avoid them. But some runners come at you so fast that thereâs nowhere to go in time to avoid them. Especially when, like the ones I mentioned, theyâre running two abreast and donât even make an effort to separate. Itâs intimidating and frightening, especially for people with mobility issues. So I donât understand why if people are intent on keeping up this level of speed they donât do it in parks, where itâs easier to avoid slower walkers.
Yesterday, when there was no traffic around, my husband saw a runner diverting onto the roadway when passing people walking on the pavement, putting parked cars between himself and them. Obviously thatâs not possible when there are cars or cyclists around, but we thought that was a kind and thoughtful gesture.
If youâre out jogging or running you should be the one making the effort to get out of the way. Not everyone walking is able to make quick changes of direction.
Everyone on the pavements probably has to learn to behave like cars do on narrow lanes⌠if you can see something coming towards you, whoever has somewhere to duck into (between parked cars or a driveway) does so and the other acknowledges their courtesy with a smile or wave. It shouldnât matter if youâre a runner or a walker except for acknowledging that some might be less able to be manoeuvrable; to keep the road analogy, treat those with buggies or wheelchairs like an HGV and stay out of their way.
I am a Jogger and can now no longer safely run where I normally do, (because of people not social distancing) through FH to Dulwich park.
So I donât go there anymore.
Simple as that, if you canât run where you wonât be social distancing - DONâT. Running your regular route is not more important than the spread of this virus.
Iâm also finding it unsafe to run my normal route via parks. People simply arenât practicing social distancing out there, in the parks it is worse. They seem to think they are immune whilst in a green open space.
So now I run early in the morning or late at night to avoid the âcrowdsâ. Along quiet roads where I know I can safely run on the road should I need to.
It is a shame. The park I run through, the path is wide enough to practice social distancing but people insist on walking down the middle and in groups. I do tend to run on the grass when I encounter situations like that but last night there was a family blocking the path and also on the grass. I had no option but to run through them. Other runners and walkers were waiting for them to move on, which I suppose I should have done.
Maybe we will end up like New York where people shout âexcuse meâ if you are in the space they intend to enter (us âpoliteâ Brits just say âsorryâ as they squeeze into your personal space without warning).
Haha! Maybe we will!
Believe me, I did some shouting last night! Itâs common sense, 2 metres apart from each other. Both parties do their utmost best to adhere to that. Which most people are doing. Iâm honestly not one of those runners that motor on through, even when weâre not social distancing. I happy to slow down or rest for a short while. 
. Last night, with this family, I was at end of my run, feeling a little upset by people not social distancing (theyâre going to close the parks soon!) and so annoyed that they didnât move to the side when I asked them to. It wasnât until I saw the others waiting, that I came to my senses.
One thing that might help is runners not wearing headphones. Shutting down one of the primary senses meams such runners can be less aware of their immediate environment.
To which Iâd add pedestrians texting while walking. The words of my driving instructor of olden times should apply to all, whether motorist, cylist, runner or mum pushing a pram ⌠Read the road ahead!
Yes and those who just stop dead in the middle of the pavement to look at their phone. Move to one side⌠please.
My current bugbear is the people walking in pairs who can see you coming towards them but make no attempt to limit the amount of space they are taking up. Please just go single file while you pass.
I went to get medication for one of the local residents on Thursday. I was coming back along a country lane and encountered a jogger going the same way as me. I realised after about 50 meters that she had her headphones on. I wasnât all that bothered As it was a lovely day and the rape flower has just come out. She must have sensed something as she eventually turned around and nearly fell over when she saw the car. People can sometimes retreat into their own bubble. No harm done, she stood to one side and I drove past. We nodded and I was of.