My sympathies. You probably did not read the rules for such paths before using them, and perhaps you still haven't. A cyclist is always required to give way to pedestrians on shared paths and the fact that you were going too fast to stop would indicate a degree of reckless driving on your part. On checking the bicycle rules, it would seem that you are actually not allowed to ride on these shared paths as an adult unless you are supervising children. I hadn't realised that one either, but then I never travelled at a speed that would put walkers in risk of their lives.