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Original poster

Cyclists have made my home city too stressful to live in any more

238 replies

valianttortoise · 12/10/2025 11:51

Cycling on the pavement (on e-bikes, racing bikes, whatever) at speed, silently, no lights often, no pausing for pedestrians to cross at zebra crossings or even green men. An e-bike nearly hit me yesterday while a policeman was literally standing there watching (outside a government building in case you're wondering where on earth I saw a live one) and he did nothing, just looked at me like "wow that was close!"

I can't handle it any more it's miserable. I can't drive so it's not a car thing it's a pedestrian safety thing.

I also think seeing that it's fine to do this, in balaclavas often, is sending a message that crime and bad behaviour in general are ok. No one will stop you.

Some men (boys? hard to tell in balaclavas) on e-bikes provided by the council took an angle grinder into a busy central square last week and just calmly cut out bicycles from stands to steal them (obviously a crime I feel conflicted about in itself but how long until they realise they can just mug pedestrians at knifepoint? It was 3pm, bright sunshine).

I find it kind of hard to believe what we're just supposed to live with now. No safe spaces for walking - forget about it if you're visually impaired.

If you live somewhere with no antisocial cyclists where is it please as I'd like to join you.

OP posts:
Seawolves · 12/10/2025 12:15

MorningFresh · 12/10/2025 12:01

Do you live in Cambridge?

You take your life in your hands just crossing the main shopping street there.🚲

I wondered this too!

rainylake · 12/10/2025 12:14

I’m a cyclist, a driver, and a pedestrian.

In each group there are some arseholes who behave anti-socially and dangerously and I absolutely do judge them.

I’mnot going to go around saying “drivers are ruining my life” and trying to whip up anger against drivers because I’ve seen two young men decide to race each other at 50 down our residential side street and recently someone else mounted the pavement and nearly hit my 6 year old. Those were awful irresponsible drivers but that doesn’t mean that most drivers are like that. Nor will I say I’m in two minds about people stealing or vandalising cars because of the bad drivers in our town (whereas you clearly are quite glad that all cyclists are being punished by bike theft - as long as they don’t mug pedestrians).

Last year a random person on the street spat at me and called me a stupid cow because I was cycling my kids on a clearly marked cycle path. Should I start posting about how pedestrians are ruining our town?

StrawberryJangle · 12/10/2025 12:14

I'm 50 with a disability. I'm looking to try out my 75 year old Mum's electric bike (!) Will I be cycling on the pavement? For one route, hell yes as the driving is atrocious, an accident blackspot... Will I feel bad doing it? Yes of course, but I did my cycling profiency test over 40 years ago. I rode on the road as a child without thought of a helmet.
There were fewer cars!

I couldn't cope on a couple of the busy roads here, yet I want to be able to leave the house more - I can't drive due to peripheral neuropathy (I can't feel my feet!).

I know you can't excuse me and I'm lumped in with all others. Voi scooters round here are rampant. I see your point but they just tend to whizz by with me calling them a wanker - they need a beep or something!

I don't know what the youths hoped to achieve cutting through the bike chains as surely they need logging on and paying for. You certainly can't use ours without.

SatsumaDog · 12/10/2025 12:07

YANBU. Electric bikes and scooters are an absolute menace. They are silent and can reach very high speeds. They can cause serious injury if they hit a pedestrian. I’m completely against cycling on pavements and paths unless (toddlers/young kids ok of course).

There needs to be some control over these bikes because they pose a serious threat to pedestrians. They’re also a complete menace on the roads, but that’s a whole other thread.

space99 · 12/10/2025 12:06

Bizarrely I was also thinking Cambridge. DH and I couldn’t believe how bad it was, when we visited in the summer.

DownThePubWithStevieNicks · 12/10/2025 12:04

Your city sounds like mine. The issue isn’t cyclists, or cycle lanes. It’s rampant anti-social, and often criminal, behaviour from youths.

It’s a massive societal problem, and it’s lowering quality of life in my city. Imposing any restrictions on all cyclists isn’t going to help, because the issue is poverty, toxic masculinity, poor parenting, lack of youth services, inability of police to issue consequences…

TheFoodLife · 12/10/2025 12:03

Redpeach · 12/10/2025 11:57

How many minutes of an average day (16 hours awake) are actually affected by cyclists?

Show quote history

This seems like a good way to measure stress. Measure it in minutes. Not in Adrenalin or cortisol or theft of peace or erosion of safety. Excellent.
Are you yourself a motorised being?

Catsknowbest · 12/10/2025 12:02

MorningFresh · 12/10/2025 12:01

Do you live in Cambridge?

You take your life in your hands just crossing the main shopping street there.🚲

Was just thinking this- Cambridge? I used to live in Suffolk as does my brother still who has to commute to Cambridge and his hatred of cyclists is family legend 🙈

MorningFresh · 12/10/2025 12:01

Do you live in Cambridge?

You take your life in your hands just crossing the main shopping street there.🚲

Redpeach · 12/10/2025 11:58

If you live somewhere with no antisocial drivers, please let me know

Redpeach · 12/10/2025 11:57

valianttortoise · 12/10/2025 11:51

Cycling on the pavement (on e-bikes, racing bikes, whatever) at speed, silently, no lights often, no pausing for pedestrians to cross at zebra crossings or even green men. An e-bike nearly hit me yesterday while a policeman was literally standing there watching (outside a government building in case you're wondering where on earth I saw a live one) and he did nothing, just looked at me like "wow that was close!"

I can't handle it any more it's miserable. I can't drive so it's not a car thing it's a pedestrian safety thing.

I also think seeing that it's fine to do this, in balaclavas often, is sending a message that crime and bad behaviour in general are ok. No one will stop you.

Some men (boys? hard to tell in balaclavas) on e-bikes provided by the council took an angle grinder into a busy central square last week and just calmly cut out bicycles from stands to steal them (obviously a crime I feel conflicted about in itself but how long until they realise they can just mug pedestrians at knifepoint? It was 3pm, bright sunshine).

I find it kind of hard to believe what we're just supposed to live with now. No safe spaces for walking - forget about it if you're visually impaired.

If you live somewhere with no antisocial cyclists where is it please as I'd like to join you.

How many minutes of an average day (16 hours awake) are actually affected by cyclists?

TheFoodLife · 12/10/2025 11:55

I absolutely loathe all the cycling on the pavement and in my local park now, by these motorised hire bikes. It’s hard to believe it’s legal, it’s so dangerous, so stressful. There’s no peace from traffic, when they zoom through the park , between 5. 30 and 6.30 it’s rush hour and it’s hellish, they are so rude. I hate it so much.

ChestInflection · 12/10/2025 11:55

Your issue with people breaking the law.

Possibly also with poor active travel infrastructure and poor planning.

Not cyclists as a whole

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