Cyclists!!!
- Thread starter ZXSpectrum
- Start date
Cyclists in London are even worse.
we are the best evuur! zip your pasty
being serious, yes a lot of cyclists are compete idiots 
and yes a lot of motorists are complete idiots and believe me or not loads of pedestrians are idiots too.. the only difference is behind what wheel you are.. 
Ah, I see. I ride £1.5k worth of Pinarello to work on a 36 mile round trip, wear Gorebike/Altura/Endura/Nalini clothing and very occasionally team replica kit so I'm not sure if I fall into this 'pro' category or not.
The good news is that i get dressed up in my nice flat-soled trainers and go out driving just for the fun of driving sometimes. I didnt realise before that i was a pro driver
I'v just fired a couple of CVs off to McLaren and Lotus.
I guess the people who hate cyclists are mainly from cities where there are lots of red lights. In the countryside there are hardly any so I don't really get to see any bad cyclists. From my point of view, there are too many motor cars on the roads which ruins a perfectly good bike ride. There must have been about 50 on what should be a nice peaceful country lane. Unfortunately they use the country lane as a shortcut to avoid the traffic on main roads.
As for insurance, being a student its the last thing I would consider as it just seems to unnecessary. You would be better off making pedestrians get insurance they are the ones who blindly walk into the road without looking.
As for insurance, being a student its the last thing I would consider as it just seems to unnecessary. You would be better off making pedestrians get insurance they are the ones who blindly walk into the road without looking.
I ride more miles on my bike for pleasure (about 5k a year) than I do drive miles to and from work. I also race on the roads (which is legal) In that time I see terrible driving and quite often cycling standards. I also ride a motorbike and see both good and bad riders.
The fact is that its often a mixture of congestion and selfishness that brings out the worst in drivers, who are very territorial and get incredibly agitated if they are delayed by a few seconds. That leads to road rage or bad driving which then enrages the cyclist, who is probably normally mild mannered but see's red when his life is put in danger (and thats the big difference between driving and bikes - one might get a dent, the other might get killed). Sometimes it happens the other way around, and a cyclist going through a red enrages the driver to start with. I have no sympathy for cyclists that dont obey the basic traffic laws, but also none for car drivers such as Phil that think the roads are only for them. Like I said, mostly selfishness
The fact is that its often a mixture of congestion and selfishness that brings out the worst in drivers, who are very territorial and get incredibly agitated if they are delayed by a few seconds. That leads to road rage or bad driving which then enrages the cyclist, who is probably normally mild mannered but see's red when his life is put in danger (and thats the big difference between driving and bikes - one might get a dent, the other might get killed). Sometimes it happens the other way around, and a cyclist going through a red enrages the driver to start with. I have no sympathy for cyclists that dont obey the basic traffic laws, but also none for car drivers such as Phil that think the roads are only for them. Like I said, mostly selfishness
Wow. Just... wow!
For the record, if you come round a rural bend and are surprised enough by something you come across to cause an issue (especially something like a cyclist travelling your direction - i.e. slower closing speed), then your speed wasn't safe in the first place.
Sorry mate, cyclists have just the same right to use the roads as anyone else. Riding in the gutter not only means you get the worst of the potholes and crud in the gutter puncturing your tyres, but just invites people to think they can squeeze past, even with oncoming traffic.
It's recommended cycling practice on the road to ride a full meter or so out from the curb, in order to take up an increased amount of road space and ensure people in cars don't feel they can just squeeze past but actually have to wait for oncoming traffic to clear before overtaking properly
Associate
- Joined
- 22 Mar 2009
- Posts
- 359
- Location
- North Wales
the guidelines dont 'allow you to ride on the pavement'
the guidelines say what would be proportionate for the issue of FPN's. Its still an offence and there are other methods of disposal available. The likelyhood is the bobbies you see either don't care or don't want the hassle
There is no such thing as road tax and insurance would be unworkable...however Bikes should be taxed in some way, probably at source in order to fund and facilitate greater and better provision of cycle routes nationwide, particularly in busy commuter and heavy traffic area's.
Also the cycling proficiency test should be compulsory for all people over the age of 12 and a highway-code exam for anyone over the age of 16 and no-one under the age of 12 should be allowed to ride on a bike on the road. In my opinion of course.
The only time I do this is when it is prescribed - there are a lot of junctions near me where cyclists are instructed to use the pavement to cross rather than the road.
Soldato
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 4,898
Motorists who complain about cyclists holding them out are just venting because they're jealous of their ability to cut through congestion.
Any cyclist who runs a red light at a junction deserves to get knocked off. I can understand in some locations it is preferable to filter to the front of the queue and this may mean stopping beyond the line in front the cars - I don't include this as running a red light.
I have on a couple of occasions run a red light on an empty pedestrian crossing where those waiting to cross have used a gap in the traffic instead. I've had many funny looks and even a shout of "You don't have to stop!" when I've I've stopped at pedestrian crossings.
I don't cycle on the pavement - except where it's signed as shared use. Pedestrians need to wise up to shared use paths in a lot of places - I've had people deliberately block my way on a few occasions.
I drive a lot and I cycle a lot and in hundreds of thousands of miles of driving I've never come across a cyclist that has held me up for more than about 30 seconds. This includes people riding 2/3/4 abreast on country roads. I've been held up for many hours by moronic drivers who have collisions on motorways, inappropriately low speeds limits
and people dawdling along in cars.
If you don't have the ability to overtake something travelling slowly perhaps you need to brush up on your driving skills.
If I had a pound for every time a motorist overtook me, only for me to sail back past them in traffic I'd be able to buy myself a new road bike.
Any cyclist who runs a red light at a junction deserves to get knocked off. I can understand in some locations it is preferable to filter to the front of the queue and this may mean stopping beyond the line in front the cars - I don't include this as running a red light.
I have on a couple of occasions run a red light on an empty pedestrian crossing where those waiting to cross have used a gap in the traffic instead. I've had many funny looks and even a shout of "You don't have to stop!" when I've I've stopped at pedestrian crossings.
I don't cycle on the pavement - except where it's signed as shared use. Pedestrians need to wise up to shared use paths in a lot of places - I've had people deliberately block my way on a few occasions.
I drive a lot and I cycle a lot and in hundreds of thousands of miles of driving I've never come across a cyclist that has held me up for more than about 30 seconds. This includes people riding 2/3/4 abreast on country roads. I've been held up for many hours by moronic drivers who have collisions on motorways, inappropriately low speeds limits
and people dawdling along in cars.
If you don't have the ability to overtake something travelling slowly perhaps you need to brush up on your driving skills.
If I had a pound for every time a motorist overtook me, only for me to sail back past them in traffic I'd be able to buy myself a new road bike.
+1
i always try to get in front at the red light - the reason behind this is that a cyclist is harder to see, and i dont want to be at a side of a car when it tried to turn and push me of my bike..
and the line in bold is SOOO true.. i really don't get people why try to over take right before traffic or red light..
Well said.
I agree, by cycling in the gutter, you are inviting cars to have a go at squeezing through. The unofficial rule is '3ft to pass' and in my book, if I can reach out and touch your car when you overtake me then you are too close!
I particular enjoy car drivers who 'must get in front of that slow cyclist' in 30mph zones when i'm pushing along at 25mph, only to pull in front then realise they are turning left and slam on the anchors with a left hand signal on.
Or the other time when a driver overtook, slammed their car into the verge and stopped, to give a cycling colleague a piece of his mind saying that cyclists were banned from this road, pointing at the triangular, red bordered sign with a picture of a bicycle in it...
But I do agree - cyclists should not go through red lights.
Or the other time when a driver overtook, slammed their car into the verge and stopped, to give a cycling colleague a piece of his mind saying that cyclists were banned from this road, pointing at the triangular, red bordered sign with a picture of a bicycle in it...
But I do agree - cyclists should not go through red lights.
Oh, you mean they're actually supposed to stop for them like the rest of the traffic? Someone ought to tell them that. Important info I'd say
cant say a cyclist cutting a red light and not getting hit has ever effected me in any way
maybe once i thought ''damn hes going to beat me to town at this rate'' then i realised i was warm and dry and never thought about it again
love that a forum where half the people treat the road like its a race track is so safety concious when it comes to people on bikes that they dont even like
maybe once i thought ''damn hes going to beat me to town at this rate'' then i realised i was warm and dry and never thought about it again
love that a forum where half the people treat the road like its a race track is so safety concious when it comes to people on bikes that they dont even like
I'm talking about ones that are going ~10mph wobbling around because they are knackered. If I come around a blind corner at 30-40mph which is not unreasonable, there is plenty of time to brake but I really shouldn't have to, the cyclist should be tucked in enough that I only need to scoot around barely breaking the dashed line. If a car was swaying back and forth it would be considered unroadworthy.
Try that in a city centre and tell me how you get on. The universal rule of the road is not to impede other people's progress and cyclists do this a lot unintentionally, I'm mostly fine with that. Staying far out to deliberately hinder people overtaking is simply dangerous, mainly because you'll get your head kicked in.
This is very right^
also the other day i was called a C word by a courier cyclist in london because i crossed a one way street and he decided to play chicken instead of going around.
He then hit someones umbrella out of their hand as it was hanging into the street.
I mean WTF? That really p'd me off tbh.
As a driver of a 53ft long 6 axle artic, all I can say is 99% of cyclists are a menace to themselves, those around them and are utterly clueless about the risks in the above images!
How I've not killed one over the years I'll never know. (I must try harder....
)If you come round a blind corner and cant stop for a slow/stationary object, then your speed is unreasonable.