AIBU to think people who are anti cyclists are hypocrites

[microfight]

I am always hearing people moan about cyclists and the normal argument is that they don't pay road tax and they jump red lights and generally a menace on the roads.
I was wondering how many of these people who moan about them jumping red lights do exactly the same thing as a pedestrian. I would say on my average cycle journey I have to shout, brake or ring my bell three or more times because a pedestrian has stepped out without looking or crossed the road when the red man is lit.

So, AIBU to think that many of the anti cycle brigade must be hypocrites because they don't abide by the highway code themselves.

yer that would be silly still you should allow cars to pass you :)

Yes in the manner of rule 163.

Perhaps a little patience and consideration for more vulnerable road users wouldn't go amiss.

haha if you think your vulnerable dont go on the road :P people need to get to work ya know :P

I still think a "cyclists take to your car day" would highlight some of the positive effects we have on the roads. Traffic would be a lot more congested and it would highlight how many of us pay road tax (or whatever it's called nowadays)
Or a cyclists drive your kids to school week

i love my car !!!!

I'm guessing you are practically perfect in every way then OP? No jaywalking or inconsiderate behaviour from you? oh no no no.

i would love to see you take three kids all under the age of 4 to school/nursery every day on a bike that is a 15 mile go :)

Sometimes I am a cyclist, sometimes I drive a car and sometimes I am a pedestrian. I only jump red lights when I am a pedestrian. For me, cyclists put themselves in danger when they are not being predictable, which means doing the same as all the other traffic, stopping at red lights, using the appropriate lane etc. Cyclists are dangerous/in danger when they do things that pedestrians and/or drivers aren't expecting, like jump red lights or go the wrong way down a one-way street.

And then there is my other hate when it comes to cyclists. It is illegal to cycle on pavements yet many cyclists continue to do this, especially to take shortcuts (cars do not do this). And on many an occasion the cycling I have witnessed on pavements has been at a faster than OK pace IMO. I usually excuse cyclists going slowly or when they are young, but not when they are weaving between people and going at a more than walking pace.

Yes I have crossed a red light when walking. Firstly I am going at walking pace so hardly likely to knock anyone over and probably putting myself in more harm of being hit by much faster vehicles. Also, I do look both ways, which is much easier to do when standing still or walking than speeding on a bicycle (I do cycle recreationally so know the difference). There is a massive difference with the amount of damage that can be imposed on other people by cyclists than by pedestrians IMO.

The majority of cyclists I see behave terribly, cars cannot get away with nearly as much.

I dont cyclists on the path and i do not like them in the middle of a road where noone can pass them if they just stayed where they are ment to we would get on fine :) but the dont so im sticking with my feelings i just dont like them GO AWAY!! :)

My bugbear is with drivers who open the drivers' door without noticing me. I had a nasty accident on my bike a few years ago because of this, so I am always very conscious of parked cars with drivers sitting in them, but it is amazing how many people simply open the door with no awareness of me at all.

The other group I cannot bear is pedestrians who are intolerant of children cycling on the pavement. Aarghh. One old man even used his stick to whack my 9 year old daughter's bicycle whilst she was on it. Yeuch.

Drivers who complain about cyclists as being 'a hazard' is no more than a reflection of them being poor drivers who don't pay attention to what is going on around them.

cyclists are very vulnerable, and it's a bit tiresome to hear drivers' arguments.

yer i must be a trebblie driver to moan about the old man on a bike weaving all about in the middle of the road ..
God dam my horrid driving skills!!

But Rohanda it is hazardous when people cycle unpredictably, especially when not signalling so driver's understand if they are turning for instance. Even my cyclist partner frowns on that as it even annoys him as a cyclist.

Rohanda

I fixed it for you

Cyclists who complain about drivers as being 'a hazard' is no more than a reflection of them being poor cyclists who don't pay attention to what is going on around them.

it works both ways

yeah sure there are some bad examples of poor cycling - it does annoy me a bit when I see cyclists breaking red lights, but lets face it THAT has no impact on the progress of cars.

but boney, drivers are spectaculalry more of a hazard to cyclists than th eother way round. But thank youi for your effort.

Cyclists are basically more aware of what's happening around them than people driving their little sealed boxes.

Have been hit once by a cyclist going through a red light, and almost hit twice, I'd say that's quite a big amount

I can't be arsed to read the whole thread
but I will say
Pedestrians always have right of way. In fact they have the only actualy legal right of way on the roads. Everything else is just courtesy. Guess who has been mugging up recently

(I say this as a pedestrian, cyclist and a kinf of driver)

My husband differentiates between "cyclists" and "people on bikes" the ater are those who have no idea about road rules and think wearing all black and one reflector is fine for night cycling.

YABU you get knobs everywhere.

IMEQuiteAFewPeopleAreOnTheEndOfWizardsStaffsTiggaxx

cymruoddicatref it's illegal to cycle on the pavement - even for children

Maybe the old man was nervous of getting knocked over. No excuse for using his stick obv but I'm afraid you were in the wrong too

Bronze, I thought horses had absolute right of way.

Teaforone...I pay road tax how come the rest of you got out of it - well seeing as it was abolished and probably before you were born I don't know the answer to your question?

I pay VED at the post office or online and they send me a disc to put in the windscreen of my vehicle to show I have paid for either a year or 6 month tax on emissions, I only have to pay this tax on one vehicle as all my other vehicles are in Band A and don't require a tax disc as there emissions are to low.

Well, not read all the replies cos I'm too lazy but...

... Road tax doesn't exist, it is road fund licence and decreases depending on the engine size of the vehicle - hence, no engine = no rfl.

Dh cycles to work evey day and has been knocked off his bike twice :(. Drivers who are cacooned in the safety of their metal boxes drive far too close, do not pay any attention and do not give anywhere near enough room to cyclists.

Yes, there are irresponsible cyclists as there are irresponsible anyones but ffs, if you hot a cyclist with a car it doesn't take a brain surgeon to work out who will come off worst (but it might take one to fix them)

I just wish people would behave with a little more respect and care for one another, but then maybe I should just get back to knitting my own breastmilk yoghurt.