Riding on the pavement has become a normal sight, too. People whiz past my elderly parents' house on bikes and I must admit I drop my shoulder when walking out onto the pavement there - but should I have to warn my children about stepping out onto a pavement? I don't think so.
That's the only word where American English makes more sense, for those that don't know, they call pavements sidewalks. Gone are the days when you have the sort of situation that my ex-wife had when she was doing a paper round as a teenager (she won't thank me for mentioning this, but she's now 42). She just moved her bike forward by putting her foot on the "wrong" pedal as you see quite a few people doing and was told to get off and walk by a policeman.
With Julian Assange's Internet access having been cut off, it may be time to update Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs...
