Another moronic cyclist

Last Saturday, I walked to the English Library and decided to take the 'scenic route', along the small river. So I went through the large park nearby, crossed the wide road at the traffic lights, and walked so that I was on the right-hand side of a large group of shrubs and close to the wall around the football field. To the left of the large group of shrubs was the road, the cycle path and the main part of the pavement.

So there I am, walking through the narrow gap between the shrubs and the sports field wall. Two men are standing on either side of the gap. And what do I see coming towards me? A German man, in his 30s perhaps, probably middle class, and heading straight towards me. 

As he squeezed between me and one of the men, I say, in German, "Oh, yes. You have to squeeze past." And the man just gestured towards the sign he had seen. I walk a couple of steps so that I can turn round and see what he has seen. "Right," I say. "It says you have to go there" and point to the other side of the shrubs near the street and cycle path.

"Yeah," says the man near the sports field, "there." And he points, too. The young man backs his bike up, looks at the sign and sees that there is a massive, thick red line that shows that you should not proceed straight ahead but turn right sharply and go round the shrubs on the other side. I mean the line and arrowhead were at least 4 cm thick. In red. On a white background. Unmistakable.

And what did the young man on the bike do? Did he slap his forehead and say, "Oh, gosh. You're so right. My bad." Did he heck. He just grunted, slid off the bike and pushed his bike away.

Now this was a man who had probably done his Abitur (German A levels) and had very likely studied. Not stupid, apparently, but going by his inability to read a simple red and white sign with no words, just symbols and lines, a complete moron.

Just google the term 'moronic cyclists' and you'll find that I'm not alone in thinking this.