AIBU to think that we should have a 'get off your bike and into your car day' annually

[microfight]

Having read so many cycle bashing comments on here over the years I was wondering whether all cyclists should take to public transport or their cars (you know some of us have cars too you know and pay road tax) on a specific day every year. It would probably be grid lock and maybe just maybe some people who point blank hate ALL cyclists might realise that we are actually doing people a favour for not taking to our cars!

Suggestion for the best day of the year for most impact would be gratefully received.

Information on how many cycle journeys are made per day would also help to give some idea of what the roads and public transport might be like if there were no cyclists!!

[ivykaty44]

Do we have to - its so slow in the motor car and I like to actually get where I am going in a decnet time not take all blardy day getting there in the motorcar....

[Lifeissweet]

I like this idea.

It's a weird thing, but since I stopped driving to work and started cycling, I have noticed that people seem to find it acceptable to shout random things at you simply because you're on a bike. One pedestrian shouted 'Slow down!' at me the other day, which was just plain weird and a driver wound down his window at a traffic light and shouted 'get a car!' at me. I would like to add that I'm not a dangerous cyclist and am very competent, so had done nothing to annoy either person.

I too think they should probably be thanking us for freeing up the roads. Most of my journey involves cycle paths and cycle lanes, so I really do not bother motorists at all by riding my bike to work.

[MrsKravitz]

My drive would be better without cyclists. It wouldnt be gridlock at all. My road run is a popular cyclists team road.

[microfight]

Yes I've had the random shouting too Lifeissweet, once at a standstill, my arm indicating and waiting behind other cars turning right a driver passed to my left to go straight on and shouted "bloody cyclist whore".
Now unless he had a medical condition such as tourettes I would say he probably simply just hates cyclists. I was a bit shaken by the outburst but on reflection at least he didn't spit, it could have been worse!

[microfight]

Okay just checked and there are over half a million cycle journeys in London every day! Imagine another 500000 people on the tube or cars!!

[Andrewofgg]

Too many of you - and I write as a pedestrian, not a driver - think you are entitled to turn at red lights regardless of pedestrians, because of course you don't want to lose momentum by stopping.

You can do as much damage as any other vehicle and should be required to carry insurance.

[tyler80]

Today is actually the start of Team Green Britain Bike Week

[microfight]

thanks for that Tyler

Maybe we should have a week off our bikes then and see how awful it is on the roads with half a million more car journeys in London alone!

[HipHopOpotomus]

Cyclists wind me up on a daily basis - mainly by cycling on footpath and through green men while I cross carrying a baby and with a 3 year old. FUCKERS!!!!

Now I'm cross and I'm not even out of bed yet.

(I am also a lifelongcyclist)

[Omigawd]

I think there should be 1 day per year when cyclists are allowed on the road - bloody menaces :)

(More seriously, I do think that the not so small minority of cyclists with poor road/pavement manners do need to be taken in hand as it becomes more popular)

[mummytime]

YABU - if my husband used the car instead of his bike, I would be left carless, and it would take him longer to get to work.

BTW my husband differentiates between cyclists (who know the rules of the road) and men/women on bikes (who are a menace).

[extremepie]

-You can do as much damage as any other vehicle and should be required to carry insurance-

Hmmm, I beg to differ, if you got hit by a lorry I'm pretty sure that would do more damage than being hit by a bike. Depending on the circumstances the cyclist might even come off worse if they hit you (I know that sounds stupid but I speak from experience!).

I'm not even sure why bikes are classed as 'vehicles' anyway, they have no motor or power source (other than the person on them!), it is just because they have wheels? By that standard should we insist that pushchairs go on the road? Mobility scooters? Roller skates? Skateboards? Kids on wheeleys? This might sound like a stupid question but no one has ever actually explained this to me!

My problem is that people are not tolerant or considerate of each other, cars, cyclists, pedestrians, whatever we are all guilty of not looking out for other people. That is the real problem, a minority of inconsiderate people should not ruin it for everyone else. Also, if there were more measures taken to make life easier for cyclists, for example more cycle paths (that aren't ridiculous) so we wouldn't have to cycle on the road or the pavement, more cycling proficiency courses so more people were aware of the rules when cycling, etc.. then life would probably be easier for everyone!

[Pedallleur]

Strangely enough, many cyclists actually have a car but choose not to use it for the commute or let their partners use it instead.

How about instead of this anti-cycling thing popping up you spend time hunting down the many drivers who

Dont pay the road fund
Don't have insurance/mot
Who spend time talking on their phones whilst driving
Don't wear seatbelts

Some of you also have to realise their is a difference between a cyclist and some knob on a bike altho' I will say that it can blur at times. I can even post links to threads where cyclists complain about the knobbery viewed everday of people riding bikes in a dangerous manner

[mummytime]

I think that vehicles which have to go on the road is defined by a speed. I thought some mobilty scooters strictly speaking should use the road because of their tops speed.

[nocake]

I live in a town where motorists are, almost without exception, polite and courteous to cyclists. They hang back to allow me to turn right, generally don't pass too close and certainly don't hurl abuse out of the windows. Unfortunately the same can't be said of pedestrians who regularly step out in front of me and other cyclists who jump red lights, ride in the dark with no lights and generally behave as if the rules of the road don't apply to them.

[givemushypeasachance]

The bloody broken record of "cyclists all run red lights", "car drivers cut me up", "you should all pay road tax", "pedestrians step out in front of me" is so very, very tedious.

Can everyone maybe just agree for once and for all that there are twats on foot, twats on bikes and twats in cars? And that there are also considerate people on foot, on bikes and in cars? And that maybe the twats should be gently encouraged or given kicks up the arse until they in turn become considerate?

But this bike week lark is pretty good really - I cycle to work normally anyway, but because we're having an "encourage people to cycle to work day" tomorrow I should get a free muffin and a cup of coffee out of it. Free breakfast - score!

[cumbria81]

As a cyclist, I hate all these cyclist bashing threads. The people that contribute to them quite clearly have never ridden a bike and have officially No Idea and/or tarnish everyone on 2 wheels with the same brush.

I can't even bring myself to read them sometimes.

[givemushypeasachance]

cumbria81 - I definitely think that everyone should be encouraged/forced to ride a bike across a busy town or along a country lane to see what it's like before they start bad mouthing cyclist behaviour. So many people clearly haven't been on a bike since it came with spokey dokes or reflectors from a cornflake packet and they only rode it in a park or a pretty much car-less street!

Everytime someone says "and they were smack bang in the middle of the road..." they clearly have no idea about the dangers of being doored by someone getting out of a parked car or skidding on a drain cover or the slippy road markings, or picking up broken glass from the gutter. Plus the whole actual highway code guidance to ride a metre out! And whenever people get sniffy about cyclists coming up on the right or left to get to the front of a queue at traffic lights, have they tried pulling away 12 cars back when the vehicles behind are racing to catch the lights, and some are turning left and seem to be itching to cut you up? The same goes for everyone who makes a habit of stopping in the "bike box" advanced stopping zone at lights, and the eejits who park in bike lanes or on double yellows that you have to swerve into traffic to get around...

Oh dear, that accidentally became one of the rants I was decrying earlier!