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?

@squirrelsbizaar
I know my view is irrational but it does niggle me when I am held up by a group of cyclists who are very clearly out for exercise only (probably tracked by Strava and going as fast as they can to beat their PB). Some people I know do this. I know IABU! Yes - not all my car drives are purely functional and I might even drive to a swimming pool which I guess is the same thing. But I never just take my car for a drive to just drive it (unless a rare battery charge reason). Ideally we should have more provision for cycle lanes etc and people should consider cycling as opposed to short journeys for the sake of our planet.

I just think we need more velodromes for those fitness-obsessed cyclists.

I’m never abusive to cyclists but I can understand why some people are. We live rurally and cyclists are everywhere. All week, all weekend, in rush hour. By the time the motorist who shouts at you gets to you, they’ve probably already been held up by endless other cyclists behind you. The second you manage to overtake one, boom, you come up behind another. As soon as it’s safe to overtake, there’s one coming the other way so you can’t. And all the whole you’re conscious that if you don’t go at the right moment, everyone behind you will be cursing you.

I’ve never come across a cyclist who pulls over to let traffic past either.

Round here there’s a group of over 60s at least who go for a ride out every Tuesday and they are slow. There’s at least 20 of them, all in those stupid cycling caps rather than helmets, riding 4 abreast for over a mile before they turn off one way and I get to turn off the other. I can’t change my journey times as I’m working but their jolly obviously trumps my need to get to my next appointment.

I have only once shouted at a cyclist, and that was quite recently. And what's more , I don't regret it, because what they did was dangerous.

T-junction coming from the road I was on, onto a busy high street. Traffic light controlled. It can be a confusing junction, if you're not familiar with it- turning right (as I was), 2 lanes, leads to 2 lanes on the high street. The left hand lane on the high street goes round a bend to the left, the right hand one goes straight ahead. I was in the left hand lane, to go round the bend to the left.

But the cyclist ( with his 3 friends) chose to pull up on my left, at the lights. Fine. I pulled away slowly, to give them room to start up. I turned onto the high street, the cyclist slightly ahead and to the left of me.

All of a sudden the cyclist swerved in front of my car, without indication, to join the right hand lane. Luckily for him, as I was going slowly, I was able to brake sharply and avoid him. But it shook me up and yes, I shouted out of the window at him, telling him to be more careful.

Needless to say I got a mouthful of abuse back, but I don't care. He was in the wrong, and could have been killed or at the least injured.

Oh an no one gives a shiny shit about their personal best either 😡

I struggle with cyclists.
Lots in my area.

Cyclists near me cycle blatantly on a ‘no cycle track’ by the sea shore which pedestrians and dog walkers tend to use And is about 4/5ft wide so not suitable for any biker at speed. ‘No cyclists’ is painted on the path by the council every 50m or so. There is no ambiguity about what is allowed and there is a cycle path designated next to the road. Last chap I pointed this out to after he nearly knocked over an elderly person using a waking stick called me ‘a fucking cunt’ in front of my child. He was not unique and many people have had the same abuse from (i have to say mainly middle-aged white male) cyclists. I do not however abuse cyclists straying from the cycle lanes into the Motorists lanes. This is why cyclists end up with a bad rep.

LadyCatStark
I agree. I live iin rural location too- lots of small winding roads, impossible to overtake even today I saw a cyclist on an uphill road causing 20 cars to move at 5 miles an hour and make some bad overtaking decisions. I am teaching my DD to drive atm and cyclists cause one of the biggests hassles.
In principle cycling is a great thing. In practice it is a nuicance.

My only issue with overtaking two cyclists riding next to each other is that I don’t have the space I want to overtake them. I always go completely onto the other side of the road to overtake a cyclist. Every time. This means I have left as much space as I possibly can between the cyclist and my car. When they are riding next to each other, that space is reduced.

Excuse me OhMsBeliever but don't tell me my opinion is ridiculous thank you.

I can't stand cyclists.

More times than not they cycle unsafely, get in the way and I can't get round them. They are a bloody nuisance.

If you really aren’t able to drive round cyclists you shouldn’t be driving.

It’s classic bullying. Pick on someone weaker than you (because they are being powered by themselves, not fossil fuels) and the only person who will be hurt will be the person being bullied even if they are also of the same character. Unfortunately I am very much a seeing red kind of person and tried to chase down a car on my bike after an incident. It was only a 30 zone, but I managed to get up to 40mph (by the way, this is not illegal for cyclists) and didn’t catch the car up, but all the while my heart rate monitor was beeping and telling me that my heart rate had exceeded its absolute maximum.

Having just read the few posts prior to mine, you should all take a fucking good long look at yourselves and consider what makes you so perfect and blameless. Jesus wept.

I’d like to see you lot try and do even 20mph. You would really struggle.

And I have never once in my life knocked anyone down. What planet are you all living on?

I only have a problem with Lycra clad speed-racers. All others are fine! Racers have taken over a park near us, they don’t seem to want to understand what “pedestrian priority” means and are a danger to everyone else, especially children and dogs, so it is impossible to enjoy the park as it used to be. If you really look at their faces you’ll notice they’re an odd bunch...unchilled and uptight. I suspect many have deep seated anger issues.

Oh and of course the speed limit that is set to keep everyone safe doesn’t apply to them!

I’m not abusive to cyclists - but am sometimes sore tempted. It’s generally middle aged men, who’ve discovered cycling as a mid life crisis and who exhibit extremely entitled behaviour that I want to run off the road.

Seven am on Friday morning, a group of about 24 shouting in our tiny village. Not one shout but a stop for whatever and half hour of noise. No consideration.

Riding in groups of a dozen, or more, on tiny roads without pulling over, or even acknowledging, the motorist driving in first gear for ten miles because they lack any consideration.

Hurling rubbish around beautiful Downland villages. So inconsiderate.

Complete failure to recognise that their playground is our home and several peoples work environment.

@splodgetastic well said 🤗

@tessiegirl Are you sure you're safe to be on the roads?

Let's bust a few myths here:

Cycling 2 abreast is allowed and often safer - when did you last read the Highway Code if you don't know that?

Waiting to overtake a cyclist is unlikely to make much difference to your overall journey time - if you're that impatient, then allow more time.

Cyclists are humans - someone's mother, daughter, dad, son... how little regard for humanity do you have if you hate another human being for their (carbon neutral) mode of transport or choice of exercise?

Cycle lanes are often poorly constructed and maintained - risking a puncture on a rubbish or grass - strewn cycle path often isn't worth it and the road is a safer/better choice.

(I am a motorist and cyclist by the way. Every driver would be far more courteous, fitter and probably a healthier weight by also riding a bike some of the time - give it a try!)

There are idiots in every walk of life. Most cyclists don't break the rules and definitely don't have a death wish.

Cyclists are a pain in the arse to drivers. It's a fact of life.

@BeingATwatItsABingThing

I get frustrated with some cyclists (as I do with some drivers) but I would never hurl abuse at them. Or anyone for that matter.

The thing that drives me up the wall is cyclists waving me around them on bends. I will never overtake a cyclist on a bend even if they’ve waved me ahead. They always seem to get annoyed that I ignore them but it is my responsibility to make sure the road is clear and I can’t do that if I can’t see. I’m happy to wait behind them for the road to be clear.

Oh my god I am SO with you on this and actually makes me not want to overtake them but no would never hurl abuse - they actually seem to be the stressed ones and I would love to have a sticker or something saying I am in charge of whether I can see round a corner not you

Waiting to overtake a cyclist is unlikely to make much difference to your overall journey time -

This is probably true if you are in an urban situation with a couple of cyclists.
It isn't true in rural areas with large groups of them.

I cycle, my kids cycle. I have also ridden a lot. I don't have a problem sharing the road.
I do have a problem with entitled middle aged men in large groups who feel only their wants matter.
Actually my kids ran into problems when they tried to improve their cycling on cycle paths because of other cyclists so obsessed with speed they wouldn't slow down and just shouted a lot.
Ironically we actually ended up practicing in large car parks because it was safer than mixing with adult cyclists!

The problem with overtaking more than one cyclist (or any number if we are being picky) vs a car is that unlike a car, they're unpredictable and less of a fixed hazard. Two cyclists are unlikely to travel in lockstep, so the motorist is having to watch and judge two hazards to safely overtake. I think cyclists aren't stupid, so must know this to be true, yet persist in insisting this makes bad drivers.

I think as well, given most cyclists are also car drivers, it is surprising that once on a bike they surprisingly behave less like they understand the dangers of the road. Most drivers are used to "thinking bike". Lots of cyclists don't "think car" when they're weaving between cars and scraping up the near side at lights.

In a very narrow country lane recently I witnessed two cyclists hold up maybe 20 cars (and counting as the dispute went on) whilst they blocked the road with their bikes to admonish a driver. Who knows who was to blame, but on that occasion rider and driver did get abuse I assure you.

People hold me up all the time in life, why is it only on the road people get so irate. I don’t shout at or knock over elderly people who are slow at paying in shops, mayb quietly internally seethe but that’s fine, we are all allowed to be annoyed. Drivers just seem so enthusiastic to voice this aggressively and dangerously at cyclists like they wouldn’t to anyone else. Interestingly, rush hour delays are caused by cars and today I was held up by a car pootling along a high street while I was on my bike, we weee all stuck behind them doing less than 20 in a 30. Most road congestion of any serious note is caused by motor vehicles, not horses, not cyclists and not farm vehicles.

It’s the time trialling cyclists where I live who have the shitty attitudes. They shout and shake their heads, throw their rubbish and tyres in our bushes, urinate in people’s gardens, ride three abreast, don’t slow down for horses, ignore the Highway Code. The list of obnoxious behaviours is endless. I’m a very patient, safe driver. I always wait behind until it’s safe to pass, but they get annoyed because I won’t pass when I can’t see the road ahead but they can, so they impatiently try and gesticulate to me to pass. I will pass when I can see the road ahead is clear, thanks v much. I see so much arrogance from MAMILs where I live that I can see why some motorists get pissed off with the irksome family dodgers

I’m a road cyclist myself a see both sides of the coin and it’s really the majority of cyclists who have the most entitled attitudes.

As a driver I hate driving up to cyclists.

The reason being, coming up for thirty years ago, I was in a minibus and we drove past the scene of an accident where a drunk driver ploughed through a group of cyclists that were doing a charity cycle from land end to John o groats. They had been separated from their support vehicle at a roundabout. Tragically one person was killed.

For me, it's not about hating that cyclists exist, but knowing just how vulnerable they are.

As a cyclist, I only use my bell as a sign that 'I'm here'. There's nothing passive aggressive about it as one person suggests. It's more out of consideration to make sure they don't suddenly move in to my path - I don't want to run into them. Unless they are taking up the whole path (which usual means three or four people walking side by side) in which case its to make them aware that I'm there so they can let me past. They would do it for a cyclist coming the other way, so I'm not sure why it's seen as aggressive to want them to show some consideration to cyclists coming from behind? I always thank people for letting me past. Many cyclists do.

I do try to avoid cycling on busy roads. Many drivers are aggressive arseholes. To be honest, I avoid driving on busy roads for the same reason, but I'm more vulnerable on a bike.

But I'm sure the people that hate cyclists would love all the extra traffic going to and from work if every cyclist was to all jump in a car and drive instead. If they are complaining about cyclists being slow and hard to pass, try doing that in a traffic jam!

I'm sure some cyclists are selfish twats. But the same can be said for drivers.