Why are people so abusive to cyclists, what do they get from it?

[FinnyStory]

I'll start by saying it's not everyone by any means, the vast majority of motorists are patient and go on with their day. We make an effort to disrupt traffic a little as possible, use mostly very quite roads (because cycling those is far mor pleasant) and pull over often to let traffic pass, but it is occasionally necessary to use a busier road for small part of the route.

However, I rarely go on a bike ride without one person thinking they need to hurl abuse. The most frequent situation is when they've tried to overtake me on a bend and come face to face with another car, which is apparently my fault.

The most recent occasion was down a steep hill, we would have been doing at 25mph, speed limit 40, So yes we were slow and it was difficult to pass but not that slow. Traffic lights at the bottom and driver felt the need to stick his head out and yell something about how we should be on the pavement (Yes of course we should doing 25mph but that's another issue). My friend pointed to his bike mounted camera and the driver suddenly didn't feel the need to abuse us any more.

It must be exhausting to be so angry all the time, what do they think they gain from it?

f you are close enough to him that he was able to bang on your car without you having seen him by that point, he's not the one being a danger on the road. We were stationary at a roundabout. He came close to me to do the banging. It was horrible.

So what had you done to annoy him?

I'm sure it was very upsetting, but whatever you did clearly upset him too.

Won't be able to see any responses for a while. I'm off out on my bike.

I’m a pedestrian, a cyclist and a driver. With each hat on, I have the Highway Code in mind.
Unfortunately, I have noticed that quite a few fellow cyclists seem to ignore it, particularly at pedestrian crossings and traffic lights.

Leads to everyone being tarred with the same brush.

“If cyclists are using the road and not the cycle path there will be a valid reason.“

What counts as valid? Cyclists who look like they’re cycling fast enough to be traffic speed seem to use the cycle path I’m talking about fine.
Cyclists who look like they’re going to work in the next town over seem to use it too...

It’s a load of middle aged men cyclists at evenings at weekends that can’t cycle that fast seem to feel the need to be on the road...

“All those of you complaining about cyclists on country roads. Have you not considered that the village residents wouldn’t prefer you took a different route in your car?
Why not take the A road or bypass?
Or are you just choosing which route is best for you - like the cyclists?“

Well the bypass doesn’t get me home... so...

@Kintsugi16

If cyclists are using the road and not the cycle path there will be a valid reason.

All those of you complaining about cyclists on country roads. Have you not considered that the village residents wouldn’t prefer you took a different route in your car?
Why not take the A road or bypass?
Or are you just choosing which route is best for you - like the cyclists?

Because there are no A roads or bypasses anywhere near. The route to my house (in the village) is the narrow country lane, so yes it is the (only) route best for me, it's also the best route for the rather large tractors currently going up and down the country roads, oh and the horses that are ridden along those same roads one of which was spooked quite badly by a bunch of cyclists tearing around the corner. So no, it's not up to us to change how we drive around the lanes, rather how those cyclists, who don't know the roads, should be mindful of the danger they pose and act accordingly.

I see my point has completely gone over some of your motorist heads 😂

The point is that no-one tells you what route to take in your car, it’s your right to choose. Cyclists have that some right

Cyclists have that some right

Absolutely....doesn't give them the right to act like dicks though does it?

@derxa 'I didn't see him/her' is the most common bleat we hear from drivers when they've close-passed or hit someone off a bike. Even when we're lit up like frigging Christmas trees.

If you're a driver, you should be alert to all other road users, including cyclists. No wonder the guy banged your car, his adrenaline would have been in overdrive if you'd almost hit him, which sounds like what happened.

You sound like a terrible driver, time to take some lessons and better still, get a bike yourself and find out how vulnerable cyclists are when there are ignorant, entitled and idiot drivers around.

@camelfinger

I think attitudes towards cyclists give a really good insight of how people consider minorities in general, for example:

The minority group must follow all rules perfectly and be prepared to take abuse if they make a mistake.

The minority should make way for the more powerful majority (even if the minority group existed in large numbers many years before the majority).

The minority must wear clothes that fit in with the majority. The minority can expect ridicule and discrimination if they choose to wear certain items.

The vulnerable minority are choosing to put themselves at risk, if they want special treatment they should pay for it themselves, infrastructure should only suit the needs of the majority.

Well said!!!!

@ChangeThePassword

But cyclists do behave selfishly, and if a group of people are going to be so obviously selfish so frequently out in public, then it’s natural that some people won’t tolerate it easily

Some cyclists, just like some drivers, use roads in a selfish manner.

This thread has its share of selfish drivers that don't want to allow cyclists space on the road.

The behaviour of the cyclist mentioned above not stopping at a zebra crossing is awful, for example. But a friend of mine is permanently disabled because of a driver doing the same. She was in hospital for months afterwards.

But for some reason, its okay to tar all cyclists as the same, when nobody does it with drivers.

This!!

You sound like a terrible driver, time to take some lessons and better still, get a bike yourself and find out how vulnerable cyclists are when there are ignorant, entitled and idiot drivers around. I'll take your very wise advice on board. Thank you.

“The point is that no-one tells you what route to take in your car, it’s your right to choose. Cyclists have that some right“

Well yeah... but if my car only did up to 20, pretty sure people would get equally annoyed with me being on a 60 road if I never pulled over to let them by...

I mean I also have the right to walk on country roads, I still stop and move out of the way to let cars past if I do though, I don’t just carry on making them all drive at my walking speed because I’ve got the right to be there.

I don’t hate cyclists, I’m quite often a bit wistfully jealous of the commuting ones tbh, as I’m stuck in traffic and they’re not, but the stuff I need to take to work doesn’t fit on a bike, in fact it really only fits in my car because I don’t use the back seats as seats.

There are though, some cyclists who seem to almost go out of their way to cause issues for other people using the road.

It even has an name: SMIDSY (“Sorry mate, I didn’t see you”).

Like this poor man, killed by a driver who drive up behind him, hit him leaving a dent in her bonnet directly in front of the steering wheel, and drove off, leaving him to die.

Police didn’t prosecute, because they agreed it was completely unreasonable to expect drivers to see other road users directly in front of them, if that road user is a cyclist.

www.cyclinguk.org/blog/duncandollimore/mason-verdict

@derxa

Once a cyclist banged on my car window and hurled nasty abuse at me. It was utterly terrifying and I'm no shrinking violet. Cyclists seem very unpredictable to me. You can usually judge what another car will do but not cyclists.

That suggests you must have done something stupid or dangerous to them 🙄 most cyclists wouldn't do that unless provoked

@derxa

Many drivers don't realise they should allow at least a car's width to overtake. It was at a roundabout and I hadn't seen him up to this point. Whatever. He behaved in a really aggressive way and that was not conducive to road safety. I was shaking like a leaf. I might have made a mistake but there was no justification for his actions.

But your actions could have killed him. His action couldn't kill you

I don't think it's reasonable to expect cyclists and motorists to share the road, imo there is no mutually acceptable compromise for these two groups
I am a cyclist and I think cycling is a great way to get about, I wish we had better and safer cycle routes

There really are some obnoxious anti cyclist car drivers on here.

Makes me despair 😩 I'm a cyclist (and a car driver and a pedestrian), my partner is a cyclist, his brother, dad, uncles and aunt, my brother and a lot of my friends are all cyclists.

I have not once shouted abuse at a cyclist because they were holding me up in traffic as most of the time I wish I was there with them. I have however wanted to shout abuse at lots of car drivers who drive like teats, dangerously and with no care for the others around them in cars or on bikes.

I live on the coast road. In the last few years it has become extremely popular with MAMALs who come here on holiday and jolly along on their bikes and are then surprised to find that the picturesque coastal B road they saw on a map is actually a main commuter route between SE Cornwall and Plymouth.

They dawdle up the hills and then speed up on the downhills so you can’t pass them, ever, for the 12 miles between here and the ferry crossing to Plymouth.

It’s totally maddening. I absolutely hate them. And yes I do swear at them under my breath!

@claireb707

There really are some obnoxious anti cyclist car drivers on here.

Makes me despair 😩 I'm a cyclist (and a car driver and a pedestrian), my partner is a cyclist, his brother, dad, uncles and aunt, my brother and a lot of my friends are all cyclists.

I have not once shouted abuse at a cyclist because they were holding me up in traffic as most of the time I wish I was there with them. I have however wanted to shout abuse at lots of car drivers who drive like teats, dangerously and with no care for the others around them in cars or on bikes.

Twats not teats dyac

Cyclists are a nuisance on the road but that doesn't mean that cycling is a bad thing, it means that cyclists and motorists have incompatible needs
both modes of transport are important and useful ways to get about and cycling is very good for your physical fitness, it should be encouraged, we need safe cycle routes!

I was just at a yellow box junction turning right and my route was clear only as the lights were at amber. Some knobhead on a bike coming in the opposite direction jumped the lights to go straight on across tbe yellow box despite the fact I was clearly driving across his path. I nearly fucking clipped him. Luckily, I am a sensible driver and anticipated that he might have been a fucking twatty amber gambler riding uphill on a sodding pushbike as I considered whether it was safe for me to turn. He had lovely cycling gear on so he clearly cycled a lot.
Wanker.
The majority of cyclists are not like this but some fucking are.

“All those of you complaining about cyclists on country roads. Have you not considered that the village residents wouldn’t prefer you took a different route in your car?

I am a village resident and so are the vast majority of the other car drivers, horse riders and tractor drivers.
The mammils are different, they usually live in nearby towns and come out to the countryside to cycle around.
When I was growing up cyclists like my dad just pedaled around from a to b in normal clothes by themselves not causing disruption for other road users.
I don't think every cyclist is an issue, I think a certain type of very entitled person ( a middle aged bloke usually) has taken up hobby cycling and is causing problems for people who live and work in the areas they practice this hobby.
And yes some car drivers are total prats too.

The majority of cyclists are not like this but some fucking are.

Thank you! Genuinely. So many people will complain about cyclists in general when they mean that one idiot they came across.

Just as an aside, I rang my bell today on my way into town, as there were a couple walking using the entire pathway.

I also had to slow down for them, and apologised. The woman could not have been happier about the fact I used my bell, she said 'at last! Someone with a bell!'.

So clearly, we can't win. People don't want us to use our bells, and people don't want us to not use bells.

Ho hum.