Why does the UK hate cyclists?
- Thread starter rIcK
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Like most of my gear in fact! Apart from my lid. That's just white.
Indeed. I have loads of clothes with reflective bits, or I add on reflective wristbands and the like.
Apparently reflective bits on the legs is most effective, more so than above the waist, as your legs move while your upper body doesn’t.
Caporegime
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I think the main problem is drivers have to follow rules whereas cyclists are not legally bound too. If a cyclist needed a licence to go on public highways then it would be a different scenario.
Deleted member 66701
Deleted member 66701
What? Cyclist are legally bound to follow rules (just not the exact same set of rules - for example speed limits only apply to motorised vehicles etc).
What are you on about?
Deleted member 66701
Deleted member 66701
My most effective reflective accessories are my spokes - absolutely brilliant. No good if you're a fashion cyclist, but for serious commuters they are awesome.
Caporegime
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There is no severe punishment and it is not policed. Daily I see bikes without lights, Ignoring red lights etc.
Like driving then.
Would make sense, also explains why my clip-less shoes are also covered in reflective patches. There's definitely been occasions where seeing the reflective strips are all that's stopped me from a potential accident with some dummy who doesn't have lights or is riding where they shouldn't be. Potentially the other way around too where I was out riding and lost both of my rear lights without realising it.
Saying that a major peeve of mine are folks who decide that they need to have the brightest front light(s) possible and don't care about the angling. Dazzles the hell out of oncoming traffic.
Got a photo or link? Or are we talking standard spoke reflectors? I could use some for the dark nights.
Cyclists slow my journey down so they should get off the roads.
I wouldn't agree with that, overall cycling/cyclists are quite liked, it's generally bad cyclists and examples of bad cycling that get hate directed at them online and rightfully so.
Firstly, to be blunt because adult cyclists who travel at speed on public carriageways SHOULD be required to have insurance of some kind to compensate any people they injure or owners of property they damage. It should be a requirement and should have been for years (I will note that many decent/responsible cyclists do have this already as it's very cheap compared to motoring insurance).
Secondly, cyclists should not be illegally cycling on the pavement, not sure why you would even take exception to people saying that :S
Thirdly, I would imagine that just like motorcycles the complaints about filtering are mostly about filtering when unsafe or when it's actually overtaking not filtering (plus unsafe).
Finally, the road tax one is a bit stupid I agree.
I’ve got some of those but haven’t got round to fitting them this winter. When I see other riders with them I’m reminded of how effective they are.
Deleted member 66701
Deleted member 66701
That is not the same as not having to adhere to the rules though
Cyclists can be (and frequently are) punished for riding with no lights and through red lights.
Lack of enforcement != lack of rules.
As a London driver and keen cyclist I see it from both sides. Few things make me more annoyed than seeing cyclists running red lights because they think that they don't apply to them, and they should have the book thrown at them like any other road user. Equally, whilst I'm cycling being almost brushed by passing traffic doing 30+ mph, or even intentionally forced into the kerb or parked cars (I'm looking at you black cab drivers 
) is just plain dangerous driving and they should also be prosecuted for it.
When I'm on the bike I always follow the law + highway code and try to be as considerate as I can be to drivers. However, I'm not going to cycle through the gutter full of leaves, grates and glass to let you get home 30 seconds sooner. Neither am I going to use a bike lane (such as this ridiculous effort along Bromley Common https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.3...4!1szsNPgLXtDnc76WnzYWDklA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 ) which runs on the pavement - stops at every side-road, swerves around bus stops and lampposts etc.
Thankfully I don't have to cycle to commute, as I work from home (or the U.S. - which is a bit difficult to get to on a bike
), so my time on the bike is mainly recreational, and I only need to cycle on busy roads for long enough to get out to some nice Kent countryside. 
) is just plain dangerous driving and they should also be prosecuted for it.When I'm on the bike I always follow the law + highway code and try to be as considerate as I can be to drivers. However, I'm not going to cycle through the gutter full of leaves, grates and glass to let you get home 30 seconds sooner. Neither am I going to use a bike lane (such as this ridiculous effort along Bromley Common https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.3...4!1szsNPgLXtDnc76WnzYWDklA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 ) which runs on the pavement - stops at every side-road, swerves around bus stops and lampposts etc.
Thankfully I don't have to cycle to commute, as I work from home (or the U.S. - which is a bit difficult to get to on a bike
), so my time on the bike is mainly recreational, and I only need to cycle on busy roads for long enough to get out to some nice Kent countryside. Appeals to popularity are a logical fallacy. It could just as easily be proof that huge numbers of people are such poor drivers that they are incapable of passing cyclists, or realising that part of using the roads is sharing them with slower moving traffic. So they vent their frustrations with exxagerrated claims about the inconvenience they cause (see claims earlier in the threadabout being held up for 30 minutes behind one), and claim that cyclists actively go out of their way to hold up others. Your assertion that the very act of taking a vehicle on the road that might cause someone else a minor and temporary inconvenience amounts to being antisocial is absurd. Presumably you think pedestrians on country lanes, horses, caravans, tractors, etc are also antisocial then? They are all arguably more obstructive to motorists than cyclists, but to think that anyone who uses these vehicles on the road is being antisocial is self centred in the extreme.
I don't understand - are you saying it's ok to assume every blind bend is clear?
No but if you were to drive as if you were expecting a cyclist around every corner where you can't fully see the exit then you would have to drive at roughly the speed of a cyclist (or worse a pedestrian). How often do you do or see that? Like lots of things with driving you forget the reality that you are driving a ton of metal at speed that could kill you or others on any bit of road where you don't have a 100% clear view and just get on with it, otherwise no-one would get anywhere.
A lot of it just comes down to luck that no-one happened to be in that place at that time or if they are that no-one is coming in the opposite direction.
You should see the ones in North Wales, you'd be well jealous, our council spent millions creating dedicated tarmac cycling paths between the towns (through the fields and along the rivers), they're actually quicker than following the roads (as the cycle paths are more direct).
Deleted member 66701
Deleted member 66701
What an abomination! Who thinks up these designs? Someone who has never been near a bike I bet.
Deleted member 66701
Deleted member 66701
I love cyclists.
They result in far less cars on the road. I fully support taxing cars more to fund more cycle friendly innovation in the UK to reduce traffic and fund other forms of public transport.
People who hate cyclists need to get a grip, yes there are terrible cyclists, just as there are terrible drivers, but I would take crashing into 10 cyclists in my car who have messed up than 1 car. I can get out and cripple/detain a cyclist if needs be, I can't do that to an uninsured/stolen car who does a runner quite so easily.
They result in far less cars on the road. I fully support taxing cars more to fund more cycle friendly innovation in the UK to reduce traffic and fund other forms of public transport.
People who hate cyclists need to get a grip, yes there are terrible cyclists, just as there are terrible drivers, but I would take crashing into 10 cyclists in my car who have messed up than 1 car. I can get out and cripple/detain a cyclist if needs be, I can't do that to an uninsured/stolen car who does a runner quite so easily.
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