Stupid Cyclist

[Nexus]

Yes, that's what I was trying to point out.

For example, take a look at some of the roads from the route I commute on:

Notice the cars parked alongside either side of the Road?
This is standard pretty much anywhere in London that isn't a Red Route.
You can even see the cyclist in the distance is about to come across the path of a parked car. While he has room to get by, the motorist behind will probably try and overtake if he isn't in the middle of the road.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=hor...=N4CJcd1LoleiBdbw4xAZxQ&cbp=12,22.65,,0,19.72


This is the fastest stretch of road on my commute, although it's covered in speed bumps, but these slow down motorists really. I get along here faster than cars do, I'm not saying that to sound clever, it's just the way it is. But also notice how the van takes up the whole road.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=isl...F0ejtaiWHq4D9EyrLvXVNA&cbp=12,191.06,,0,21.64


Heart of Central London... again, cars parked on both sides of the road, roadworks, one way street, traffic lights every few yards.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=wel...-I6I0jv8lmzVA7IuwGI8-Q&cbp=12,141.78,,0,20.52


This is a main road in Soho... see how narrow it is? And the cobblestones.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=bro...=SiwyK1SqVGBYrw6RH3oiLw&cbp=12,241.7,,0,12.87


London was never designed for cars.

 

[Showboat]

As a cyclist and driver i think they are both in the wrong, he was putting himself in danger and could have easily backed off.
I myself break a fair few road rules, but do that because i think it's in my safety interest.
I will were possible try to get to the front of the traffic light queue, cars who turn left have all too often nearly cleaned me out.
I go through 2 red lights on the way to work from a total of 13. The two red lights get lots of buses building up behind you in a narrow street, had too many close calls to go legit and the breathing room breaking the light gives me is enough to get out of the street safely.
Feel free to critise away, i do this in for my own safety not to get home any quicker.
I have also noticed how many times in recent weeks i am shouting at cars / buses for nearly crashing into me, had some doopey bint sit 1-2 foot from my wheel doing 20 miles an hour, while she was looking over her shoulder to overtake me.. I'd have been under a wheel if a pedestrian stepped out in front of me

 

[joeyjojo]

I go through 2 red lights on the way to work from a total of 13. The two red lights get lots of buses building up behind you in a narrow street, had too many close calls to go legit and the breathing room breaking the light gives me is enough to get out of the street safely.
Feel free to critise away, i do this in for my own safety not to get home any quicker.

This is the key thing. I know my route so well with all the timings of the lights etc. (must have done it 600 times...) that crossing a junction while the light is red is MUCH safer for me than waiting with the cars and buses then trying to accelerate with them. I stay out of the way and they don't get stuck behind me.

 

[Amp34]

Because he is a cyclist, not a motorist...


A speedbump? Come on, I mean potholes or gutters, I can understand, but if a car can take a speedbump a cyclist can too, far easier...

The motorcyclist simply wanted to go faster, and the cyclist was being a jealous moral arse about it.


He was holding up the motorcyclist, which may not be illegal, but imo anti-social and selfish.


That is exactly the difference, most cyclists around here are chilled and do not do 20 mph, mopeds do and they indeed behave like cyclists in the UK, sometimes claiming a ''car'' space, but cyclists are considered SLOW moving objects, not traffic that travels with the cars. Luckily, fast cyclists have no trouble because of the cyclist infra here... But cyclists should first behave as cyclists ( rather than motorists), get accepted, then try to push the boundaries, afaik, in the UK, a lot of cyclists are acting as if they're fast transport, on average, they're not, and motorcyclists especially, are above them.

Sorry what? Were you very unfit as a child? One of the main reasons for a lot of people cycling is that it is quicker to get places than walking and, in a lot of places, driving. You seem to be wanting bikes to go at walking pace. Stupid idea is stupid. Why should a young, fit individual not be able to cycle at the speed limit? As has already been mentioned in this thread a cycle is essentially a motorbike without an engine so should motorcyclees be forced to the edge of the road as well? Their speed limited to 10 mph say?

What a stupid argument, sorry but...

EDIT: Oh and as to why he wanted to avoid the bump, he probably had a road bike which are essentially useless on anything but perfectly smooth roads. He'd probably damage something goig over a speed bump. MTBs would just go straight over, but then that's the difference.

Hmm, seems to me that circumventing a road 'safety' feature (such as a speed bump) purely for the purpose of not having to slow yourself down is quite dangerous. Why do you imagine the speed bump is there in the first place? Especially if there is traffic behind you, I mean come on...

You may now step off your soap box.

Why is a speed bump there? To slow motorists down, what has that got to do with the cyclist then?
He was going at the same speed as the car in front that had just gone over the bump and the main problem with the motorcyclist was that he also wanted to go through that gap...

 

[willhub]

Amp34 that's not exactly true, road bikes ain't that fragile.

 

[Amp34]

Only with congestion, which is why they are allowed here to pass jams between cars with a diff of 15 mph max...


It is unusual, but not disallowed, I mean, luckily here we have the infrastructure for cyclists to travel like cyclists want in the UK, in the UK however, I am of the opinion there must first be enough cycle paths and cycle roads, before they act like they do... There are enough cyclists like in the VID here, but they are a minority, but they can do so fine because mostly ( say about 60-70% of the way) the cycle traffic here has their own cycle paths with no cars and they aren't annoying anyone, when they do share the road with cars, they do not act like they do in the vid of that guy, they behave like, erm, cyclists, not motorists.



I understand that, but the drivers DO mainly own the road here, while cyclists own their own cycle paths, cyclists claiming the road as if they are drivers is a receipt for disaster imho... I don't know but from that vid, if cyclists would be here remotely like that, it'd be chaos like over there in the UK, they behave and see themselves differently, as ''cyclists'' not ''motorists''. There's a whole different attitude when cycling. Motorists are seen differently as kind of ''faster traffic''. While not necessarily true here ( since cyclists have their own tunnels, overpasses, etc) they simply do not claim as much when they're sharing the road with cars or other motorists.



I guess it's more a fault of the infrastructure, but partly, I think the attitude of cyclists in the UK is VERY wrong, I am a professional driver for work, but I can't remember any situation where I'd get as annoyed by a cyclist like in that vid. I'm used to them either letting me past or being on their own roads so to speak... The only issue with cyclists here I really have is kids going to school ignoring many traffic laws, adult cyclists usually are very polite and they're actually surprised if I wait for them and wave to me ''thank you'' if I brake for them, yes there are situations here where the cyclist has the right of way, mostly though, drivers have the right of way and often let cyclists pass if they're not in a hurry or are being polite.

I'm not used to cyclists traveling with traffic, they're slower 99% of the time...

I understand the mentality is not even comparable between motorists and cyclists in the UK, but how cyclists and motorists are acting over there is wrong, they're not trying to make life easier for each other, they're fighting over the sparse space instead...

I see every cyclist as a car less on the road, which I like, more cyclists simply means better roads for me as a car driver. These days I just cycle when it's really nice weather and when I'm drunk, other wise, moped>pushbike and car>*... Before 18, I always used to cycle everywhere for years, school, work, drinking ( from 16 here remember, all 16-18 year olds always cycle when they go out), always cycle...

Sorry but again, what rubbish! I come from a town with a dedicated cycling infrastructure (as already mentioned), with roads (including signage and paint on the roads) seperate from proper roads yet anyone thinking about cycling along them at 20mph instead of on road is mental. Unfortunately they are taken over by pedestrians which means you have to go rather slowly to make sure you don't hit that row of people wondering round on them...

Why not just go on the road instead if you want to actually cycle fast, next thing you know Horses will be banned from the roads... It's not like they were created for them or anything...

TBH you just sound a little selfish and arrogant. You want more road space so your drive can be nicer, so want all people on "lesser" forms of transport to not impede you, even if it affects their journey. Typical of motorists in this sort of thread, of which there are usually two groups:

1: Those that have never cycled or have only cycled when they were younger because they couldn't drive.
2: Those that have never driven, or drive and cycle at the same time and those that don't do either.

1 are constantly moaning that the cyclists are dangerous and holding them up, 2 try and point out that there are two sides to every coin and that they have just as much right (and they do) to be on the roads as group 1.

 

[Amp34]

I'm a little late to the party so forgive my skimming of this thread but. This post caught my attention:



Cycling profficiancy -I passed first time when I was 10 so that makes me qualified to knock off your wing mirror.

Part of the law is that cyclists have right of way, so except for due dillagence. You are correct. Cyclists should have insurance...but try catching us through the traffic to check and make a claim.

I used to cycle through the middle of Aberdeen. I never hit wing mirrors. I would out accelarate cars. I had one guy toot his horn and gesture for me to get out of his way because I was in front of him IN STATIONARY TRAFFIC! I gave him the finger and moved on leaving him waiting. Idiot!

On one occasion I had a car come so close to me and almost knock me off my bike I punched his car. Fair to say he won as I punched his petrol tank. DOH.

Cyclists are not perfect but if drivers endanger my life I will tell them what for.

Good point and something to be rememberd by all the motorists moaning in this thread (and snowdog). Motorists are at the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to right of way on roads. Pedestrians have the ultimate right of way, followed by bikes and horses, lowly motorised transport is right at the bottom.

Maybe we should claim back the roads from the arrogant motorists by organising mass walks along major roads? Teach the motorists that pedestrians still own the roads and we let motorists use them.

And yep I also passed my cycling proficiency and my driving test first time so that means I have every right to both cycle and drive on the roads legally. On a bike however I am much more aware of my surroundings and can out accelerate, out manouver and out break most of the other things on the roads (and of course I take up less space).

 

[Amp34]

Amp34 that's not exactly true, road bikes ain't that fragile.

Ok yeah a little extreme, the "something" was meant to be a wheel.

Either way no/little suspension and thin tyres aren't good on bumpy surfaces. On the other hand a decent MTB will be designed to do the same speed on properly bumpy surfaces. Just a shame it takes a lot more effort to get to the same speed.

 

[willhub]

I used to have a Cannondale CAAD9, and bumpy surfaces and little pot holes rarely bothered me, I wondered what all the fuss was when other people was complaining, just the frames, my bike I am using not so good when it comes to bumps.

 

[v0n]

Good point and something to be rememberd by all the motorists moaning in this thread (and snowdog). Motorists are at the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to right of way on roads. Pedestrians have the ultimate right of way, followed by bikes and horses, lowly motorised transport is right at the bottom.

Unfortunately, for any rules to work properly, all parties must obey the same set of rules. You cannot pick and mix the rules you choose to obey and at the moment, as we all know, cyclists seem to be creating their own code:

Rule one, if lights dictate right of way to your disadvantage, perform group hostile take over and dictate your own right of way:

Rule two, if lights dictate right of way to your disadvantage and crossing is manned, perform hostile take over anyway, it's not like the blob in yellow uniform will chase you:

Rule three, if traffic conditions prevent from dictating your own right of way on the road, dictate right of way to pavement users:

Rule four, if conditions don't allow hostile take over of road or pavement, try lane for opposite traffic (in this case, between traffic moving at around 30mph):

Rule five, if opposite lane of traffic is the only lane available, take it over anyway:

Even if road signage dictates otherwise:

And remember, the other road users must obey the rules, and treat you just like any other vehicle on the road. For it is your right.

(all pics extracted from footage taken by cycling vlogger)

 

[Amp34]

Yet that has absolutely nothing to do with what you quoted...

You just stuck a load of photos up of people breaking the law (well most anyway). I could do that for car drivers as well, probably pedestrians too...

Oh and just to make sure, that comment you quoted was in jest.

EDIT: Although I question rule 4, is that road really a 40? That is also fairly common for all forms of transport.

 

[v0n]

Yet that has absolutely nothing to do with what you quoted...
Oh and just to make sure, that comment you quoted was in jest.

Damn. I was sitting on those pictures for so long...

EDIT: Although I question rule 4, is that road really a 40? That is also fairly common for all forms of transport.

For dramatic effect I propose we say the bus full of school children is doing 50, cyclist is doing 70 and the lady (let's make it, with baby on the back seat) in Mercedes has let her steering wheel go in shock. Oh, and the cyclist is illegal foreign worker. Call Daily Mail!

 

[Amp34]

In which case there should be hell to pay!

 

[willhub]

Note that the people in rule 1 are most not a group, just a load of idiots trying to overtake each other.