Why so much anger towards cyclists?

[Thatsthatthen87]

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/sep/01/i-will-never-ride-a-bike-again-why-people-are-giving-up-on-cycling

Just read this and I can totally relate to what a couple of people are saying about drivers' attitudes to cyclists. If people are not following the rules or using their bikes responsibly or whatever, I get it, but some drivers just seem to hate the fact that they have to share the road. Why? I've even had 'get a car' yelled at me from a window. 😄

Where I live has a lot of cycle routes. My family and I all enjoy getting out on our bikes, but even I will say all of the lycia clad middle aged wankers give cyclists a bad name. Tearing down cycle paths where there are pedestrians and kids on bikes at speed. Being verbally abusive towards my kids for having the nerve to be on the cycle path at the same time as then. Colliding with dog walkers on the pavement.

And my particular favourite was when they all took up the entire pavement outside our local spar with their bikes so no one could get into the shop. Then spent 20 minutes loudly saying about how much of a shit hole the local area was. If it's that much of a shit hole, fuck off somewhere else you twats.

'The lycra ones' 😁

Because cyclists think they own the god damn road cycling in the middle of it and being complete ignoramists.

I'm starting to feel as though the lycra ones are giving us all a bad name.

Because they get in lycra clad mobs and seem to take pleasure in holding up traffic!!

I live in a city where we have dedicated cycle ways designed to get around the city easily by bike without needing to use the main roads yet there is always those bell ends who will ride on the road when the cycle way is LITERALLY parallel and in view of the road!! I mean, why!!! Ride on the fecking cycleway, that was designed to keep YOU safe!!

My DH cycles to the train station each day and uses the cycle ways.

The fact is, roads are designed for vehicles not bicycles. As such bikes should get out of the way of traffic, not expect traffic to navigate around them. If they're holding traffic up they should pull over to let the vehicles pass.

Read the Highway Code - it advises they ride there.

I'm generally patient with cyclists and always give plenty of room. I'm not a particularly fast driver who'll overtake to get home 30 seconds earlier either.

It's when they ride in a fucking peloton and block the whole road while merrily chatting away. They generally aren't even local either so the green thing is often bullshit they drive here cycle then drive away.

Also, when cycling on the cycle path with young children as previously stated the lycra clad Chris Boardman wannabees who zoom past with little consideration get on my tits.

I've several times, while completing stationary had cyclists ride into my car. It's not invisible as far as I can tell. So they must be pretty oblivious to their surroundings

I’m fit to explode the next time l see a bunch of Lycra clad knobs on winding tiny country roads.

Cars form in a huge huge queue of traffic at 10 miles an hour whilst they cycle slowly up steep hills that have narrow and windy roads. It’s impossible to overtake one, never mind a group of them.

It would be interesting if drivers behaved like this? Why can’t these Lycra idiots take their ‘sport’ off a road? Imagine if footballers decided to play there.

Oh and one yelled at me to fuck off when I tried to tell them their bag was open and all their stuff was falling out...

In rural areas, the lycra-warriors make the winding roads really dangerous.

I’ve just cycled the nine miles home from work. I was wearing Lycra. In that time I jumped no lights and signalled before every manoeuvre. Due to the volume of traffic and the speed they were doing I was cycling with the traffic, not holding it up. Meanwhile, I had three close passes in that journey, including one that was so close from a fucking twat in a Ford Ranger pick up, that I thought I was going to die. I caught her up at the lights, banged on her window and in admittedly a raging temper after my life had flashes in front of my eyes, told her that if she passed me that close again I’d throw my bike through her windscreen. She said she’d given me plenty of room yet the dirt from her car had rubbed all along my jersey.

I walk. I get public transport. I drive. I cycle. There’s a significant minority of drivers who are selfish and think the roads are just for them. Funny how roads were actually invented for horses and carts and later bicycles, when cars weren’t even invented.

This !

No they don’t. The drivers make the winding roads really dangerous.

How do the drivers make it dangerous? They can’t drive any faster than 10 mph due to the cyclists

Car drivers (and I am one) have forgotten that driving a car is a privilege, not a right, and pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders have priority over cars because they are vulnerable.

I agree that the groups of MAMILs are tedious - no shortage of them round here - but cyclists have as much right to use the roads as car drivers and it is car drivers' duty to make sure they can do so safely and to drive in such a way that they can respond safely even to twatty cyclists pulling stupid stunts.

I would love to be able to cycle to work but it involves around a mile of a busy uphill A road where it's not legal to overtake, and I would also have to turn right across traffic to get to the office. There is no alternative route. Most of you would say I shouldn't be able to cycle along there because it would inconvenience you. I am genuinely scared of being knocked off my bike by an impatient driver (the speed limit is 40mph but most go much faster). A PP is right that the cycling infrastructure is shit in this country, and so we are placed in this cyclists Vs cars fight.

I kind of hope that fuel prices rise to the point that people have to reconsider their options and try cycling or walking. Then they'd have an idea of how dangerous it can be.

Most cyclists are no more idiots than most road users. I don't mind them provided they avoid pavements and are sensible.

But cyclists are doing their ‘sport’ or hobby on the road. That’s the issue.

What if someone decided to play a game of cricket in the middle of the road, or skateboarded down a winding country road?

How come cyclists can do their ‘hobby’ on the road and it’s fine to hold up cars whilst doing it?

These threads are always so wonderful.

Tell me you're a dangerous driver without telling me you're a dangerous driver.

Many cyclists commute to work.

Many drivers are using their cars to go to hobbies. Why should they get to add more traffic to the road to hold up more important road users?

I live in a city where we have dedicated cycle ways designed to get around the city easily by bike without needing to use the main roads yet there is always those bell ends who will ride on the road when the cycle way is LITERALLY parallel and in view of the road!! I mean, why!!! Ride on the fecking cycleway, that was designed to keep YOU safe!!

Yeah, I definitely don't get this, I'll avoid using the road wherever possible.

Nope, just going to Lidl.

Only shit drivers are dangerous, really.

There are some cycle ways that I avoid because I know they'll spit me out onto the road at a weird angle or sometimes they randomly turn into a foothpath.
Usually if the cycle lane isn't being used its because of poor design.

For a lot of us it’s not sport. I’m not competing or racing. For me it’s active transport. Why should I spend £10 a day on Manchester parking or wait for a train that doesn’t turn up when I can get to work for free?