Sleepy driver and inconscient pedestrain

Le Perreux-sur-Marne, France

23 Jun, 2026 - 2 days ago - on Quai De Champagne
This morning, because of the current heat wave in France, I left for my ride at around 6:00 a.m. I rarely cycle that early, and I experienced two unusual incidents within a very short period of time.

The first involved a driver who passed extremely close to me. I've never had a head on vehicle come that near before. It honestly felt as if the driver might not have been fully alert, as many people were probably still asleep at that hour.

Almost immediately afterward, I encountered a second hazard. I was riding as you can plainly see on a protected bicycle path where pedestrians are not permitted. Despite there being two sidewalks available, including a protected one, a pedestrian was walking directly in the middle of the bike path.

Ironically, the pedestrian caused a greater risk than the close-passing vehicle. I nearly crashed while trying to avoid them. It made me wonder: people would never consider walking in the middle of a highway, yet some seem to treat cycling infrastructure as if it were simply an extension of the sidewalk.

Two dangerous situations in just a few seconds—something I had never experienced before.