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Original poster

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

276 replies

FinnyStory · 08/08/2020 11:28

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?

OP posts:
ChangeThePassword · 09/08/2020 08:32

That's interesting @beepbeeprichie, most of the cyclists I know use cafes as a fuel stop on a long ride and will order lunch or a cake. In fact some plan their rides around the cafe stops, so they can go to specific places for specific things.

I can imagine it must be really annoying for the cafe owners.

tabulahrasa · 09/08/2020 08:34

“On a busy road, if a cyclist pulls over to let cars past, how long do you think it will be before they can join the traffic again safely?”

I actually rarely have issues with cyclists on roads that would be busy if they weren’t there.

Suppose it depends where you are, I’m either in a city, where I find cyclist are no more frustrating or not frustrating than anyone else using the road to get about...

Or fairly rural at weekends where they’re often really frustrating

TheoneandObi · 09/08/2020 08:35

@ChangeThePassword same here. Personally I just cycle fir exercise not cake. But I'm in a minority. I know gaggles of ladies and gents who use local cafes as pitstops. I think the cafes make a virtue of this by clearing space for the bikes.
Our lane is littered with McDonald's wrappers chucked from car windows by youths on the way back to the village. Grrrr

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Cycling Driving & parking
Lilybet1980 · 09/08/2020 08:36

@Kintsugi16

Cyclists are allowed to cycle outside of the cycle lane.
@Kintsugi16 you are right, they are. Doesn’t mean they should.
beepbeeprichie · 09/08/2020 08:36

That is interesting @ChangeThePassword because it is exactly the opposite experience for the owners of our local coffee shop. Maybe we need a different cycling club!!! Smile

trappedsincesundaymorn · 09/08/2020 08:38

Because many cyclists lack common sense. The amount of near misses in the lanes around where I live, just lately has been huge. Cycling 2,3 and sometimes 4 abreast on a country lane with blind bends is just asking for trouble. If they want to pretend they're racing the Tour De France the very least they can do is play elsewhere more suitable.

Lilybet1980 · 09/08/2020 08:39

@ChangeThePassword

blocking cars

What, by cycling, perfectly legally, on a road?

If it isn't safe to pass cyclists riding side by side, it is unlikely to be safe to pass a solo cyclist. Drivers should not be squeezing past cyclists.

Why do people think this? One cyclist in a cycle lane = enough room to pass. Two cyclists with one in the cycle lane and one next to them outside the cycle lane = not enough room to pass.
ChangeThePassword · 09/08/2020 08:42

@Lilybet1980 Where I live there isn't cycle lanes in the way you are describing.

Either cyclists are on the road (further out of the city), on a cycle path (so not on the road), or in the city centre in the bus lane which is also the cycle lane.

So there no narrow cycle lane to be 'out of'.

ChangeThePassword · 09/08/2020 08:43

My response was about people cycling side by side on a road, not one on a cycle lane and one on a road.

drspouse · 09/08/2020 08:46

That's still where they are supposed to cycle for the safety of all.
If you don't know how to pass cyclists, look it up.

Lilybet1980 · 09/08/2020 08:46

“On a busy road, if a cyclist pulls over to let cars past, how long do you think it will be before they can join the traffic again safely?”

I do get your point, but equally why is it therefore ok for drivers to spend so long stuck behind a huge group of cyclists?

ChangeThePassword · 09/08/2020 08:51

@Lilybet1980 if that's really an issue, then the bigger problem is with whoever is designing the road and cycle network. Maybe start a campaign to get better access for all.

motorcyclenumptiness · 09/08/2020 08:51

Sense of entitlement, poor driving skills, oversized cars
use the cycle path next to the road
Difficult when it's full of parked cars (maybe there wasn't room to park on the pavement)

eurochick · 09/08/2020 08:51

@ChangeThePassword there are plenty of threads on here about twattish drivers.

I think one reason why there are so many complaints about cyclists is that most drivers are aware that cyclists are considered the more vulnerable road user. And even if they are behaving like absolute twats there is a fair chance that the driver would be considered responsible in the event of an accident.

YetAnotherSpartacus · 09/08/2020 08:52

Round here there are lots of mamils. We’ve also got a lot of coffee shops reopening and trying to carve out some kind of profit again. Every single day the outside tables are taken up by cyclists who meet up with fellow mamils and sit for at least an hour over a couple of coffees (some just order water!) and take up tables. Locally we all want to try to support the cafes and people are regularly turned away from buying lunch or whatever due to lack of space. Meanwhile the cyclists take up seats to drink water. Selfish

We used to go to a medium-sized village and stay in a lovely pub there that brewed its own beer and made its own pizza. In the morning we'd go to the local coffee shop that was also a roastery. This happened regularly as the club, or whoever they were, waited for people to arrive for the day's ride. We could never get a table.

It was also the way they clacked around in those little tap shoes or whatever they are with skin-tight lycra and bulgy bits both sides. Enough to put us off our breakfasts!

ChangeThePassword · 09/08/2020 08:57

there are plenty of threads on here about twattish drivers

Not in the same way.

Not lumping all drivers together as one homogenous selfish twatty group.

ChangeThePassword · 09/08/2020 09:01

It was also the way they clacked around in those little tap shoes or whatever they are with skin-tight lycra and bulgy bits both sides. Enough to put us off our breakfasts!

Hang them! How dare they wear items designed to be used for the activity they are doing that day!

If you knew they were heading off for their days ride, then just go a little later...

JimminyCricketwhites · 09/08/2020 09:02

I would never be abusive towards them but I loathe and detest them with every fibre of my being. I live in a rural area, lots of lanes and hills. Cyclists love it round here. You can drive behind them for miles without being able to safely pass - REALLY annoying when you are on the way to an appointment or work. I live in fear of one of them falling off in front of me and me hitting them. I just wish they weren’t on the roads. So bloody dangerous for me and them.

NailsNeedDoing · 09/08/2020 09:07

@ChangeThePassword

there are plenty of threads on here about twattish drivers

Not in the same way.

Not lumping all drivers together as one homogenous selfish twatty group.

So what does that tell you, considering that we will all have come across twatty drivers?
ChangeThePassword · 09/08/2020 09:08

@JimminyCricketwhites
You hate cyclists, or you hate coming across cyclists when you are driving?

It sounds like the latter, which I have every sympathy with. I hate it too, as I know how vulnerable they are.

Is there a lack of cycling provision in the area, or are they choosing to use the roads despite an alternative? If the former, the fault is not with the cyclists.

MrsCollinssettled · 09/08/2020 09:08

Grew up around club cyclists many years ago and so am fully supportive of cycling 2 abreast. IME it is that generation of cyclists who automatically drop to single file to allow cars to pass when on rural roads.

It is the MAMILS particularly who regularly ride 3/4 abreast on our twisty local roads with obviously no thought to the fact that oncoming drivers have no visibility of them. I've lost track of the number of times I've gone round a blind bend to find cyclists coming towards me on my side of the road. It always seems to come as a surprise with those groups that the road hasn't been closed for their exclusive use.

Like others on a twisty lane I'm not going to overtake unless I can see for myself that it's safe even though a cyclist may be signalling for me to go past him. It seems to be more that the cyclist is indicating for you to get past him rather than a signal that he can see that it is safe to overtake.

All my muttering is in my head although there have been times when I have wanted to stop them and point out how recklessly they are cycling.

For the worst offenders cycling is the new golf. If another sport became very fashionable the same people would abandon cycling if the new trend met the criteria of being something that requires specialist expensive kit, is competitive, allows for tribal behaviour (joining clubs), and can be done away from the family.

ChangeThePassword · 09/08/2020 09:10

So what does that tell you, considering that we will all have come across twatty drivers?

It tells me that people are much more likely to criticise a group as a whole when they don't identify with that group. See also : Black people, Asians, Muslims, gypsies etc etc...

YetAnotherSpartacus · 09/08/2020 09:10

Hang them! How dare they wear items designed to be used for the activity they are doing that day

I thought they were designed to show their genitals off?

If you knew they were heading off for their days ride, then just go a little later

Yeah - earlier, later whatever just to organise around a bunch of dicks on bikes who are quite prepared to hog tables and prevent the cafe doing business...

ChangeThePassword · 09/08/2020 09:12

If the cafe wasn't getting business from it, surely they would put a stop to it? They have every right to.

40andginger · 09/08/2020 09:19

Their poor driving puts them at risk and they get pissed off and blame the cyclist

Drivers don't like to stop for anything they think they can get around even if it puts them or others at risk
It's only when they realise they (could) have caused an accident they will (depending on the driver of course) get angry