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?

I don't generally have a problem with cyclists, DH is one. But just as there are some dickhead drivers there are dickhead cyclists.

I maintain that mountain bikers are lovely and road bikers (especially men that think they are in the Tour de France) are selfish.

Both as a driver and as a horse rider, mountain bikers (mostly male where we are) are friendly and courteous. They’ll let us know if they are coming up behind, they ride in single file. Some will even get off and walk past if they are worried about upsetting a young horse (I never ask them to do this - they either offer or do it anyway). They will pull over in passing places on a narrow country lane to let cars past. When out riding (my horse!) we will often exchange news about the route or have a pleasant brief chat.

Road bikes? Generally, the more expensive the gear, the more unpleasant the cyclist. I once encountered 20 of them riding 4/5 abreast in a massive sprawling peloton on a country lane, doing 20ish miles an hour. No warning. Nearly mowed my horse down. Horse panicked as they trapped him. Fortunately, I was able to contain him. My friend a few weeks ago was less lucky and broke her arm as her youngster was hit by a speeding cyclist who came round the corner of a narrow country lane at the bottom of a steep hill (the same corner where 2 months earlier, a road biker was airlifted as they did the same thing but into an oncoming vehicle). I have so many smaller stories of aggressive, selfish and/or dangerous behaviour from road bikers.

So no, I am not a fan of road cyclists - especially the very expensive, high-tech kinds of rigs, which to a man seem to be ridden by rude, selfish and aggressive (Mostly) men, but then mountain bikers are lovely and the new fad for electric bikes seem to be similar in attitude to them too. Enjoy sharing a road/trail with both, and as a rider and driver.

so it's cuntish to want to stay alive?

Nah. It's cuntish to toddle on, knowing there is some 50 cars behind you, ignoring places where you could pull over and let them past.

@LordOfTheOnionRings

Fuck cyclists

lol

Buses, Lorries & tractors are slow

Generally, I've noticed, even as a passenger, that they are so much more courteous.

This thread is so depressing! What awful attitudes. We need more people to cycle to work, school etc, we need to reduce congestion and pollution. We need to encourage our kids to cycle, when I was a kid every kid cycled, everyone had a bike. I hardly ever see kids out now on their bikes, and reading this thread I can see why!

My dc could cycle to school, the school encourage it from an environmental and health perspective and they’re both fit, active boys, have done their proficiency courses, have all the gear etc and I’m confident they’re more than capable on the road as Ive been out with them myself and know they’re sensible but I’m reluctant to let them purely because of this stuff.

Busy traffic times in the morning and I don’t trust some arsehole running late for work to try and slip by them or get aggressive and “give them a scare” or whatever and do harm to the most precious things in my world.

I wouldn't hurl abuse at anyone, no one should.
Some people do this because they don't have good control over their temper.

If any cyclist is getting regular abuse it suggests that they may be behaving in an anti social way, such as riding in a group causing a moving road block for many miles.

I'm not convinced that some cyclists ( usually mamils) are that concerned about helping the roads work for everyone.

tractors are slow

Tractors though are driving for work not a weekend jaunt.
They are also good at pulling into lay-bays and allowing faster vehicles to overtake every few miles.
I've never seen a group of cyclists do this and I lived in a heavily cycled area.

Our club frequently find tacks thrown at the bottom of a local mountain descent or wire pulled across the cycle track at neck height which is all reported to the police as what it is, an attempt to cause possibly serious harm to someone

That's shocking. Anyone involved in this kind of behaviour should be required to serve prison time, whether someone gets hurt or not.

"If it's unsafe to overtake two, it's probably just as unsafe to overtake one. That's why cyclists riding 2 abreast is safer for everyone on the road. It makes drivers behind be absolutely sure about how safe it is to move into the oncoming traffic lane before they overtake."

I'll be my own judge on what's safe and what isn't. I don't need someone who disobeys the Highway Code by riding two abreast on a major road (an A road, say) to tell me how to drive safely.

@FreezerBird

5 - many cyclists think they are better than the lowly car driver

This is a baffling notion. The vast, vast majority of cyclists are also car drivers surely? Do you think they have a complete personality change when they move from four wheels to two? These are the same people!

well if most cyclists are car drivers then they certainly must have a complete change of personality because I personally don't see many cars jumping red lights willy nilly. And I see a huge number of cyclists doing it. In fact, it would be more surprising if they actually stopped at a red light. I personally don't have problem with cyclists, my daughter cycles - since passing my test over thirty years ago I have always always looked over my shoulder before turning left to make sure no cyclists on my inside, but I have a problem with the ones who are reckless because if I hit them it is me at fault regardless of their actions.

[quote drspouse]@YetAnotherSpartacus so it's cuntish to want to stay alive?[/quote]
YES!! these bloody CUNTS wanting to be ALIVE. How DARE THEY!!!

I did call one cyclist a disgusting twat last week. I was walking on a pavement, he was cycling on the road. He spat onto the pavement and it missed me by about 3 inches.

Oh for fuck’s sake. Asking a cyclist to pull in to a place that is easy for them to do so and let 30-50 cars past surely isn’t too much to ask?

I live rurally on narrow lanes and when cyclists are two abreast there is no chance I can overtake at all. Even overtaking a single cyclist requires the cyclist to slow down or stop on some occasions. Something a cyclist never likes to do

They are also good at pulling into lay-bays and allowing faster vehicles to overtake every few miles.
I've never seen a group of cyclists do this and I lived in a heavily cycled area

Exactly.

@lakesidesummer

I wouldn't hurl abuse at anyone, no one should. Some people do this because they don't have good control over their temper.

If any cyclist is getting regular abuse it suggests that they may be behaving in an anti social way, such as riding in a group causing a moving road block for many miles.

I'm not convinced that some cyclists ( usually mamils) are that concerned about helping the roads work for everyone.

Absolutely this . I live in an area which is overrun with with cyclists ( usually mamils). Since the lockdown not only have they completely taken over the hundreds of country lanes but also the canal tracks and the smaller roads/passages that link the footpaths to the canals .

They are just bullies who think it's acceptable to act like that when they get in their car.
What a lot of these people don't seem to get is that where a cyclist is riding, it is the CYCLIST'S lane and they are entitled to use it.
If they are taking the lane, you will just have to wait. It might be a few seconds, it might be more, but tough shit. Just fucking wait.
All these idiots would benefit from getting on a bike themselves and seeing how it feels from the cyclists perspective.
I know of a scheme where HGV drivers have to undertake Bikeability type training - it helps with their driving no end.

There are lots of people who think that roads are solely for cars and that no one else should be using them. They think they pay road tax (abolished in the 1930s) and that makes the roads theirs. They demand that cyclists in Oder to use roads pay road tax (sic), MOTs, insurance, because they can't seem distinguish between a bike and a very heavy motorised vehicle. There are a lot of very, very stupid people in Britain.

@gonesolo

For me, a bit part of the annoyance is with cyclists who are holding up traffic just to exercise. I have more patience for a commuting cyclist etc. Most other things that hold up traffic are there because they have to be (eg tractor, milk float, learner driver etc) but the cyclists that are there just for exercise irrationally annoy me.

Can you imagine it if amateur train drivers could take to our railways for jolly runs out on their little engines, holding up the network? I know this is a crap analogy but you get my point. Roads are an infrastructure - to get from a to b. Why do something unnecessary to hold it up when you could just rig up Peleton (or whatever it is).

Are all your car journeys essential, for commuting purposes ?

@midsomermurderess

There are lots of people who think that roads are solely for cars and that no one else should be using them. They think they pay road tax (abolished in the 1930s) and that makes the roads theirs. They demand that cyclists in Oder to use roads pay road tax (sic), MOTs, insurance, because they can't seem distinguish between a bike and a very heavy motorised vehicle. There are a lot of very, very stupid people in Britain.

I couldn't care less if cyclists pay towards the upkeep of the roads through some sort of tax - seems a bit bizarre. But I do think that they should have insurance. A cyclist in central London missed my daughter by millimetres whilst jumping a light (she was crossing the road (he was cycling down the inside of a bus so couldn't see her on the crossing). If a cyclist causes damage to someone or something it seems that they can just merrily cycle off. That should not be allowed.

Most club cyclists will have insurance.

It’s a nightmare on the small country roads near me, not a chance of over taking one cyclist let alone two abreast with the number of blind bends.
I got stuck a few weeks ago on a 50mph road behind an unfit cyclist cycling 10mph, creating a massive tailback of cars. Had to wait ages for him to turn off.
People like that cause accidents.

I think there are a percentage of arseholes in the world and some of them drive a car and be an arsehole, some of them ride a bike and be an arsehole and some do both and be an arsehole.

When I'm driving some cyclists do make me nervous and more cyclists have driven through red lights at pedestrian crossings in front of me than cars but more cars drive up my arse and hog the middle lane!