Pavement Hogs!

Living in a tourist town it can get very busy once summer hits.  And I like living in a tourist town - it kind of makes you feel like you're always on holiday - but sometimes it can get very frustrating.  Like when driving through the town becomes a slow slog because there are that many vehicles on the road.  When someone nicks your parking spot because they want to park next to the beach.  When all the fresh coriander is gone because Woolworths haven't restocked their shelves yet.  I'm not sure if I can really put that one down to the tourists.  Being more of a walker these days than a driver, my main beef is with the people clogging up the pavements.  It's a constant battle.  It's not like we don't have wide pavements here.  They're pretty big if you ask me.  So how, with the width of the pavements, does one family manage to hog the whole space!  How!  And it's not the oncoming pedestrian traffic that suffers, it's the pedestrian traffic that's approaching from behind.  Or rather, the pedestrian traffic that's trying to get around.  But they're oblivious to you.  Happily ambling along at a pace that's not going to get anyone anywhere whilst spreading themselves at nice even intervals that ensures no one can get round them, through them, and managing to hog the whole pavement.  Infuriating.  You might be on holiday with not a care in the world but I live here.  I have things to do and people to see.  Actually, I might just really need to pee (ooh I rhymed again), but either way you need to pay a bit more attention to people around you and offer them the courtesy of passing by without having to walk out in the road because you're too oblivious to realise there are other people in the world outside of you and your dawdling family!  You may as well stand in a line, link arms and possibly skip, creating the impenetrable chain you know you are.  Goodness I'm ranting today.  I think it was spurred on by a walk home that was littered with dawdlers.  It was like running a gauntlet.  Or rather slowly drifting through a gauntlet.  You get people who just stop in the middle of the pavement to have a natter.  That's fine but can you please move to the side.  Are you not aware that there are numerous people squeezing past you and your friend and your prams and your children and your shopping bags.  You're causing a bit of a blockage!  The hordes of teenagers who walk in a pack and refuse to move for anyone.  I've thought about holding my ground but they're always much bigger than me.  I figure I'll just get flattened.  You get the zig zaggers who are inexplicably wandering from one side of the pavement to the other.  The people who suddenly stop right in front of you.  The sneak attack as people lumber out of shop doors and right into your path.  It's a minefield out there!  I really must go out armed with some kind of pointy stick.  A poking device that I can use to shift people out of my way.