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?

Motorists seem to think that they have an entitlement to be on the road above and beyond other road users. It’s becoming more apparent with the increase in cycling. We all pay for the upkeep of roads through our taxes/ council tax. There is no road tax any more. Everyone that uses roads legally is equally entitled to do so.

So we’re not allowed to visit coffee shops either now!?

@redskittleorangeskittle you spoiled it!

I was half-waiting for someone to mention road tax.

Road Tax was abolished in 1937

I don’t shout abuse at cyclists but I do understand why people get frustrated. We live in a beauty spot and there are regular organised cycle rides where effectively it becomes impossible to get anywhere without coming across packs of cyclists riding at speed 3 or 4 abreast. They make no effort to move to single file to let any other road users past and carry on chatting away oblivious to traffic building up behind them. Not long ago a commuter on a bike, riding on the path in our local park hurt one of my dogs, I heard him yelp and saw the cyclist had ridden into my dog who was caught under the pedal, the cyclist kicked my dog away and rode off! Maybe that guy was an asshole in general and had nothing to do with him being a cyclist but he shouldn’t have been on the footpath in the park when there’s a cycle path that circumnavigated the park.

As a motorist and a cyclist I would say I’m held up more by cars whilst on my bike, than by cyclists whilst driving.

Lol sorry about that!

@Newwayofthinking

It's annoying when there is a purpose build cycle track, or joint pedestrian/cycle pavement, and cyclists insist on peddling down the road holding up traffic.

I mentioned this a couple of years ago on Facebook and some guy went berserk. He never actually gave a reason but I'd guess he's one of the cyclists who's guilty of doing this. Some say there's debris in the cycle lane and I think some think they're too serious and professional to have to lower themselves to riding in a designated lane.

Cycle lanes are usually too narrow, usually have cars parked in them, and you can't safely move over the road to turn right.

There is often debris in the cycle lane which can cause punctures.

Yes cars parked in the cycle lanes every time.

A lot of cycle paths are dual use with pedestrians and are suitable mainly for children.
A properly laid out cycle lane, with a smooth tarmac finish, will be used by a majority.
Unfortunately a lot of car drivers see cycle lanes as a parking space. It’s safer to maintain a straight line on the road than to weave off and on a blocked cycle lane

@GiddapGreyWaynesKeat

A lot of cycle paths are dual use with pedestrians and are suitable mainly for children. A properly laid out cycle lane, with a smooth tarmac finish, will be used by a majority. Unfortunately a lot of car drivers see cycle lanes as a parking space. It’s safer to maintain a straight line on the road than to weave off and on a blocked cycle lane

The longest one I drive next to most often is dual use... except because of where most of it is it’s hardly ever used by pedestrians, it’s much wider than a pavement, in better condition than the road and is separated from the road by a pretty wide strip of grass and a kerb, plus isn’t close to anywhere people would even park to get to anyway, so never parked on.

Most cyclist still use the road...

I don’t throw abuse but chunter to myself. There are some good cyclists on the road but in my experience most of them aren’t.
They are not as visible as they could be (wearing dark clothing), no lights at dusk or in the dark, no indicating when turning, groups of cyclists staying in a pack holding up traffic. We were recently in the Peak District and cyclists and walkers were causing so many problems on the roads.

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.

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

They used to clear the tables and wipe them down, and sometimes ask if they wanted anything else and hover - but the cyclists were never asked to leave. I suspect they were concerned about a group of entitled MAMILs banding together and leaving poor reviews.

@derxa But what had you done? It would have been something, cutting him up or close passing is the most usual.

Many drivers don't realise they should allow at least a car's width to overtake.

www.cyclinguk.org/article/what-should-highway-code-say-about-overtaking-distances

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?

Cyclists seem very unpredictable to me. You can usually judge what another car will do but not cyclists

I mostly drive now, have cycled plenty in the past. Cyclists are entirely predictable - the issue is that you don’t know enough about cycling on the road. Try a Bikeability course, even if you have no intention of ever riding a bike anywhere. It will all become clear.

Incidentally I’d same the same about cyclists and lorries - having sat in an HGV cab as part of a bike safety thing at work, I suddenly realised a lot of things I’d been inadvertently doing which were risky (basically, being anywhere near an HGV on a bike because they can see fuck all).

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.

I've seen some cyclists do incredibly dangerous things creeping up alongside busses or lorries. I don't think they always appreciate blind spots.

being anywhere near an HGV on a bike because they can see fuck all
I too have sat in a lorry, and was shocked how poor the sight-lines were, I'm amazed that they are allowed on the road, so poor is the design.

I hadn't seen him up to this point

I mean that... is pretty appalling. You almost hit somebody on a roundabout because you didn’t see them, if you had hit him there’s a pretty high chance you could have killed him, and you’re upset that he was upset?

If a car plowed through a red light when you were crossing, and you had to leap out of the way, and they were like “oh yeah, didn’t notice those lights at all, just in my own little world there, lol!”, and then they said you were a right bitch for being upset about it, it’s just one of those things, you can’t expect drivers to see red lights can you, would you think they were right, or would you think they maybe needed to re-take their driving test?

I mean that... is pretty appalling. You almost hit somebody on a roundabout because you didn’t see them, if you had hit him there’s a pretty high chance you could have killed him, and you’re upset that he was upset? It was a tiny roundabout. Upset He was more than upset. He was shouting and swearing and banging on my car.
Anyway you weren't there and he might have been at fault as much as me. This was his demeanour
www.thesun.co.uk/news/12161881/lycra-lout-confronts-pregnant-driver-road/

If 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.