Rant: London Driving - Cyclists

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This weekend I went down to London to help my sister move houses from Ealing to Chiswick (I think, **** knows. London sucks.) and this involved 4 trips back and forth in a LWB Van.

I've driven in London loads over my life, no issues. I've never really cared for it simply due to the traffic and queues but no biggy usually, and luckily there was hardly any traffic over this weekend.

What there was, however, were quite possibly the most arrogant and stupidest cyclists, and daredevil moped riders I've ever encountered.

Previously I didn't care one way or the other with cyclists, but after the weekend I've seen the light and now can join in with the hate.


The majority of cyclists there didn't seem to care for any road laws, they don't seem to understand blindspots of vehicles (this was my biggest gripe!), they definitely don't understand right of way, and I'm pretty sure the majority have absolutely no idea what a red light means.

I'm happy to wait behind a cyclist, no problem as I treat them the same as a motorbike or whatever. They, on the other hand, don't give a **** and will simply squeeze into any gap they can without consideration for vehicles turning or merging or whether they're going to get squashed between a van and a parked car.


Now for the Moped riders there... wow, these guys should be in the RAF! Not a care in the world. To be fair, they weren't too bad with spacial awareness of the van etc. and I think I'd actually like to give it a go bombing round on a ped in London at times, it did look fun.


This weekend really made me appreciate living in the Midlands. I'm in Englands second city and it is a million times better than its first, for a whole host of reasons.



I've no idea the point of this thread. Carry on.
 
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don't worry motorists are taking their revenge on neo cyclists,
cyclist education needs improving, I agree

  • While motor vehicle use fell 21%, there was a 46% increase in cycling miles
  • This sparked a 41% jump in cyclist deaths last year - the only major road user group to post a year-on-year increase in casualties
  • E-scooter riders also hit and injured 100 road users and pedestrians last year
  • Scottish government also confirmed 23% spike in drink driving in last 12 months
 
jpaul said:
don't worry motorists are taking their revenge on neo cyclists,
cyclist education needs improving, I agree




    • While motor vehicle use fell 21%, there was a 46% increase in cycling miles
    • This sparked a 41% jump in cyclist deaths last year - the only major road user group to post a year-on-year increase in casualties
    • E-scooter riders also hit and injured 100 road users and pedestrians last year
    • Scottish government also confirmed 23% spike in drink driving in last 12 months
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I suspect that large increase in cycling fatalities despite the drop in motor traffic is because drivers drove a lot faster because of the clearer roads. I could see it all over where I live, people were bombing around like lunatics
 
This is nothing to do with London more just cyclists in general, the vast majority seem obsessed with a self entitlement to death or serious injury….

I find Cambridge the worst place for suicidal cyclists on my travels…
 
grudas said:
pretty much. Sooner you learn to ignore all types of idiots on the road the better :)
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Usually I do, I'm pretty much the chillest driver going, but when it's a case of losing view of a cyclist who was on your inside when going around bendy, tight roads it's more to do with not wanting to kill someone as opposed to ignoring their idiocy.

Scania said:
This is nothing to do with London more just cyclists in general, the vast majority seem obsessed with a self entitlement to death or serious injury….
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Perhaps, I just never noticed their suicidal behaviour when in a car. Although I drive vans around Birmingham and never had the same issues but it could be more due to volume of cyclists vs road sizes.
 
I see loads while driving in town. Through red lights at busy junctions and pedestrian crossings (almost all of them do this), suddenly flying off pavements in to the road.

Its not suprising loads get hit. Its not the ones on B roads doing it as a hobby, its the idiots in town.
 
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As a very keen cyclist i agree with the above. Most cyclists drive me up the wall with how they act, worst one for me is when they cycle 2 or 3 abreast with cars behind. No need for it at all..

This is why i cant join cycling clubs lol
 
Sure but they cant complain about close overtakes if they are side by side.

I problem I've seen with the side by side thing is leaning over the center line on tight bends. Getting smashed in the face by a wing mirror probably hurts.
 
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Nasher said:
Sure but they cant complain about close overtakes if they are side by side.
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Of course they can and thats the point. If they rode along in single file, you would get some driver trying to squeeze in between the cyclist and the traffic on the other side of the road. When they ride side by side, cars have to overtake using the other lane, which is how you should overtake anyway and most do not
 
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labbby said:
sorry i meant on country roads where it actually prevents cars from overtaking at all.
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Maybe thats the point, because the road isnt wide enough to overtake, so it prevents drivers pulling off stupid overtakes. If it has another lane, then use that to overtake. The problems with these kinds of moans against cyclists is that the driver is usually completely ignorant of road craft which the cyclist employs to keep themselves safer. No doubt in some instances, the cyclist is being a bell end but most of the time, they are trying to take the lane to protect themselves
 
Nasher said:
Getting smashed in the face by a wing mirror probably hurts.
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any cyclist who has hit a wing mirror coming in the other direction, would know the liability it represents, and avoid it.

.. yes two a breast, would at least force drivers to only over-take where they can move onto other side of road,
but (always on my own) I will position myself further out so drivers cannot squeeze past where it wouldn't be safe,
if I'm riding further out, its usually that, or knowledge of road debris/potholes, which wouldn't trouble car tyres.
I clipped my first mirror in 20 years a month back when oncoming driver decided to squeeze past a parked car.
 
Le Clandestin Brun said:
Perhaps, I just never noticed their suicidal behaviour when in a car. Although I drive vans around Birmingham and never had the same issues but it could be more due to volume of cyclists vs road sizes.
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Same here, no issues with them in my car but when I’m in a 55ft artic they seem hell bent on putting themselves in extreme danger around it!
 
Bear said:
I suspect that large increase in cycling fatalities despite the drop in motor traffic is because drivers drove a lot faster because of the clearer roads. I could see it all over where I live, people were bombing around like lunatics
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course it was. fast drivers are always to blame for the cyclist deaths.
 
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