The hatred towards cyclists/horse riders etc

The lycra clad bunches of men are vile aren't they? So obnoxious and entitled, and think they can do no wrong. I despise them

Probably because drivers like you are driving like entitled idiots around them.

How do you think you train horses to deal with traffic without riding them on the roads?

All it needs is for drivers to show courtesy, pass at no more than 10mph with at least a 2m gap. As in the guidelines in the Highway code.

The issue is shit drivers, not horses, on the road.

The ignorance of some posters is nuts!
Despite the reputation of horse riders being rich toffs the reality is most of us are just ordinary working class folk, which means we don't have masses of land (with the necessary woods some of you think we should be riding in) to ride on.
We don't generally ride on our fields because there are other horses using them.
The nearest woods to me are 5 miles away across an A road that has accidents involving lorries nearly every week. And horse riding is not allowed anyway.
So I do have to ride on roads to access off road riding.
I've lived in my village 7 years and in that time 4 nearby fields have had housing estates put up, and 2 more have had planning permission granted.
I do alwats wave/smile/nod at courteous drivers, and hope that they're actually looking when I do, but to be honest, we shouldn't have to thank drivers for obeying the Highway Code!
If you want to be educated about what we're up against, go check out the Pass Wide and Slow page on Facebook, plenty of hat cam footage showing some terrifying driving.
And also Endurance with D'Arcy, who highlights incidents with off lead out of control dogs, which we don't tend to encounter on roads.
And give over with the "you don't get horses in built up areas ", 2 riding schools in Central London using Hyde Park, crossing very busy roads, mainly used by tourists who bring a lot of revenue to the city, the army horses, the police horses, no fields for them to ride in.

'Tbh people like you are the problem here, thinking you own the road because you are in a car'

We live semi rurally. I see those riding horses who are clearly jumpy and shouldnt be on public roads when I'm out and about walking.

I’ve always tried to pull in and let cars pass me when I am riding my horses on the road. I would like to think most horse riders do the same. I also thank EVERY vehicle who passes me sensibly. I shouldn’t have to, but if my politeness means that the driver will pass the next rider they see in the same manner, that’s the most important thing.

I purposefully only ride at quiet times- Sunday mornings, late Saturday or Sunday evenings (in summer) and ride quiet, residential routes.
I would imagine most riders are the same now. 20/30 years ago, I could ride on the roads far more because the traffic was nowhere near as bad/frantic as it is today. Some of the roads I regularly rode on then, I wouldn’t dream of riding today.

Unfortunately to access bridlepaths, horse riders have no choice but to go on roads.

Absolutely.

I live near some very twisty hilly country roads.

Mum dad and kids no problem.

Lycra clad groups are awful. Never ever let anyone pass, and it’s too dangerous to overtake on these roads. Too many corners.

Thetes also a wide flat countryside path near me. About 5 miles long. Clearly says cycling on it is prohibited.

Its becoming impossible to walk on due to number of cyclists who think they can just ignore the signs.

What are you talking about? A car is the biggest hazard on the road! Do you think that most road related deaths are caused by cyclists and horse riders? Obviously not. Tbh people like you are the problem here, thinking you own the road because you are in a car. Everyone from pedestrians to tractors to bicycles to horse riders have as much right to be on the road as you do and your driving should reflect that other types of road users may be present.

Gosh not 12 hrs a year, however will you cope.

If its 2 miles everytime that's just how long the journey takes. The same as traffic. Sometimes there are other road users on the road that make our journeys slower, that's the nature of public services. The road is no more a "lifeline" to you than any other road is.

I mean it's in the highway code so it is "taught when you pass your test"

I get some drivers don't anticipate cyclists will swerve to avoid a drain, but that is most definitely taught when you pass your test

I don't hate you, why would I, I don't know you.

I get annoyed with cyclists sometimes. E.G. last week I am not exaggerating 30 cyclists in a group blocked up the whole road. It was impossible to pass them. There must have been something on because I had passed groups of 2/3 and solo cyclists before I got to the main group. It is a very twisty road and even on the straighter parts I did not feel comfortable overtaking that large of a group even though the two at the back waved at me a few times. It was a lot longer than 2 minutes.

I meet one cyclist many mornings who is clearly commuting. That is fine, I stay well back until it is completely safe to over take. I also meet quite a few people around here that do it as a form of leisure.

The ones in the cities often scared me as a pedestrian though

Yes to this. ^ Ordinary bike riders - going to work/out with kids/off for a ride in the country with their partner, are one thing.

The MAMILs/lycra clad brigade (always MEN!) are quite something else.

But ultimately its still the cars making it unsafe. It's only dangerous because a car would not be paying attention, a car will be travelling at speed, a car has overtaken when it's not safe, and a car is going to do the killing.

My point is if you take the view that we need to remove hazards from roads, then the first thing to go would be cars. Everyone on the road needs to accept that the roads are for everyone, and while it can be frustrating being stuck behind a cyclist when you want to go faster, as long as everyone is following the rules of the road then they have eve right to be there

I live rurally. The single track road outside my house is a very popular route for cyclists.

I need the road to commute to work, shop, take DC to school etc. The road is a lifeline for us, it is not a hobby.

At least once a day I have to crawl for 2 miles behind a Lycra clad cyclist freewheeling. They NEVER give way to oncoming cars, and NEVER pull into any of the passing places. At weekends it is considerably worse.

The 2 minute delay you dismiss really adds up for locals - more than 12 hours extra driving a year! …to accommodate your hobby.

In contrast, the horse riders round here are local and always wave cars past when they get to a passing place. Never had an issue with them.

15 minutes getting held up is minor.

And what you could have done is part up for a few minutes, let the cyclists get ahead of you and then drive up if it's so difficult for you to have a bit of control over your speed.

Ultimately, like it or not, those cyclists had as much right to be on the road as you. Just because you are in a car which can go faster than them makes no odds at all.

Well, you clearly don’t understand the law or the Highway Code. You sound like a very selfish driver and thus, an unsafe driver.

I certainly don’t hate any road users, but I do notice that there seems to be a big difference in behaviour around us between cyclists who are out for a family cycle ride / cycling to work / the pub etc as compared to cyclists who are aiming to beat their personal best time / racing against others. The former as generally courteous and safe in their behaviour, the latter seem to be single minded in refusing to stop / slow down or give way in any circumstance as they don’t want to mess up their pace. I am always patient and courteous with all road users but the “road racers” do act selfishly in my opinion.

I don't hate horse riders. (Nice people on beautiful animals...)

Cyclists.......? No comment ...

HTH.

the problem is they do not teach you how to practice overtaking a cyclist of your driving test. So you just have to guess.
Drivers who don’t ride, also don’t understand that you have to swerve out to avoid a drain or pothole. So when driving to overtake a cyclist they might randomly swerve. as a driver and a cyclist, I do think it can be quite difficult attempting to overtake a cyclist.

Nobody that is reasonable is going to hate you OP if you are not behaving like an idiot.
IME though horse riders and cyclists are two very different things. Horse riders don't tend to be entitled arseholes, they don't ride along narrow, windy, 50mph roads either.

And it’s not always a minor inconvenience. This morning I got stuck behind a group of cyclists for almost 15 minutes. I live in a very hilly part of the country with narrow lanes. We were going up hill. The hill in question is 5 miles from bottom to top and one of the steepest roads in the country. It’s a second gear hill at most in parts in the car anyway. The cyclist were going so slowly you could have walked faster. It was really really difficult keeping the car going so slow and absolute agony on my crumbling hip and knee. No way to get past as the lane is narrow and they cyclist were swerving across the road to try to keep moving.

This is a daily occurrence round here particularly in summer as we are unfortunate enough to live on the lands end to John o groats route

You need to take your own advise. "Sometimes in life we don't get to do as we like".

Roads are for all road users bikes, horses, cars and even pedestrians. By far the most dangerous thing on roads, and by far the biggest hazard is cars. You may not like cyclists or horses on roads, but they have just as much right to exist there as you, and that's something you need to learn to accept. If you can't you are in fact the one who needs to get off the road. Sometimes we don't get to do as we like

The reason you can't ride go karts on the street is because cars make it unsafe. Not the go karts.

Regardless of people’s opinions on cyclists and horse riders, they have every right to use the road. They are also vulnerable road users and people should be aware of that.
You pass your test, you agree to the Highway Code. If you are too arrogant to stick to the Highway Code because you believe only car drivers should be entitled to use roads, then you really shouldn’t be in charge of a vehicle.

Don’t want to deal with cyclists and riders on roads? Ditch the car and take public transport.
Or grow up and accept that other road users have every right to be there and that the world doesn’t revolve around you and your car.

I write as an ex -cyclist. Literally run off the road by impatient, aggressive and arrogant driving.
Firstly, there are good and bad riders and drivers on the roads. No one sector has the monopoly on thoughtless road use.

It seems very sad to me that there is an atttitude among some drivers that roads should be for the exclusive use of cars, vans and lorries.
They are not, like it or not.

Sitting comfortably, protected from the weather in air-conditioned comfort, able to travel at up to 70mph, yet lacking any patience or consideration.
How unutterably selfish some motor vehicle drivers are.
Shame on you!

Exactly. How utterly bizarre (and narcissistic).

Yes same here. Not in Cornwall but somewhere else with winding 60mph roads. When you get stuck behind a cyclist, it's quite tricky to pass. It's also dangerous if you come round a bend and there's either a slow cyclist, or a car on the other side overtaking a slow cyclist. Of course everyone should wait for a straight stretch to overtake, and go slow on bends, but realistically you can go miles and it's all just bends.

I appreciate the cyclists have every right to be there, but overall it's not a particularly safe situation.