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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to think that the cycling is good for all of us

45 replies

bottlenecker · 11/02/2014 17:01

www.itv.com/news/anglia/2014-02-10/is-cycling-the-answer-to-saving-nhs-millions/

And people should ditch their cyclist hating ways

OP posts:
nosleeptillbedtime · 11/02/2014 18:43

And you, Sirzy!

Onesleeptillwembley · 11/02/2014 18:43

No, not in places that aren't suitable. Quite the opposite.

Sirzy · 11/02/2014 18:47

Where did I say there were no bad drivers? I think you will find I didn't. Some cyclists are idiots you can't deny that. This thread is about cycling so therefore people comment upon cycling and not every other activity which also has some idiots - I didn't realise I was compelled to name every possible think which may have SOME idiots!

bottlenecker · 11/02/2014 18:51

Fakebook
"That's a stupid bit of research. What if people started running? Or roller blading? Or scooting? That would save money too."

Well not really because cycling is a lot less stressful for the joints than running or scooting, it is also an exercise that is more likely to get cars off the road than scooting or rollerblading.

OP posts:
lljkk · 11/02/2014 19:14

What is it about cyclists?

I've seen stupid behaviour from drivers, motorcycle riders, pedestrians, horse riders, horse riders, steam roller drivers, tractor drivers, big lorry drivers, White Van man, Flat Cap man, boy racer types.... but there's no mega-bashing cultural habit for calling any of them idiots. I really don't get why not? Confused

Annunziata · 11/02/2014 19:25

It's only good for you if you do it properly and don't try any dangerous stunts!

I don't understand why cyclists don't have to have a test, everyone else on the road does.

harticus · 11/02/2014 19:32

I saw a documentary the other day about Denmark where they have more bikes than people - and a very civilised bike lane system to go with it.
The Danish feller said "We don't have cyclists we just have lots of people that ride bicycles."
I'd love to ride my bike everywhere if I didn't have to deal with certain death from buses and lorries.

bearleftmonkeyright · 11/02/2014 20:11

www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/9708524/Biggest-investment-in-cycling-announced-by-Government.html Hope this link works.

Basically, whether anyone likes it or not cycling is taking off in a big way and the government is spending money to get more of us on bikes. The Tour de France is coming to this country in July. We have Mark Cavendish focussing his whole season on winning the first stage in Yorkshire. We have two British Winners. If anyone wants to click on the link it goes into the British Cycling website which is packed with information on things you can get involved with as well as your children. So those of you who chunter and moan and come out with the usual diatribes against cyclists. How about this. Find out a bit more about cycling and what it can do for you and your family. The information is out there for anyone to find out about.

Can I just say hello to Rafflesway. Don't give up and keep going with the cycling. You might find when the whether gets better and the nights are longer you can get out more. Try and aim to do a mile and then a bit further. I guarantee you will improve. Fifty is young to start cycling! My Dad started at that age and is now 75 and still cycles around 50 to 100 miles a week.

MildDrPepperAddiction · 11/02/2014 21:50

Sorry op, I can see your pov however I still believe most people are reasonable and just have a dislike for idiocy, either by cyclists, drivers or pedestrians not taking due care.

LessMissAbs · 11/02/2014 22:00

YANBU. Would prefer the cycle paths to be like in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany though - just like roads which go EVERYWHERE next to the road. And measures like priority at junctions and cycle priority lanes round urban roundabouts (also makes it safer for pedestrians).

MrsGoslingWannabe · 11/02/2014 22:08

I really admire cyclists and get so worried when turning left with one behind me. I always stop to let them past but they give way anyway then I annoy everyone else by driving too slow.

I drive DD to school since moving house but would love us both to cycle.

KouignAmann · 11/02/2014 22:20

Raffles it isn't too late honestly! I took up cycling at 51 and two years on I am getting better at last although I am still very slow up hills. I can go for 100 miles now! and I have lost weight too.
There is a fantastic free programme of guided rides for women called Breeze In our area they have bikes with trailers and helmets for babies and they take mums and toddlers out free too. So MrsGosling you and your DD could come too!
I went out today between showers for a couple of hours and I feel so alive and well riding my bike through the lanes. I have seen so much wildlife and natural beauty and all the cars I met today were very considerate. It isn't all gloom out there!
Can you tell I am a converted couch potato ? Grin

bearleftmonkeyright · 11/02/2014 22:49

Loving your enthusiasm KouigAmann! I have only recently started to get any sort of mileage in. I did a sportive last year and I am looking to do another soon. Sportives are a great way to meet new people and to take part in an organised cycle event. I did the Jodrell Bank one in Cheshire in July at a distance of 30 miles which was just enough for me at the time but looking to go further this year. But when I started, five miles was a massive distance for me. Its amazing how many miles you can cover on a bike. Its such a sense of freedom. And even when I am out on my own, all cyclists say hello to you. Its a real feeling of camaraderie.

deakymom · 11/02/2014 23:28

i hat cycling its not comfortable on my bits i cant balance on two wheels (my parents thought i was thick but i actually have a twisted ear canal which makes me bad on wheels cars/buses/bikes and fair rides) im sure its very healthy but i prefer shanks pony

OhMerGerd · 12/02/2014 03:58

I do like a bike ride and took it up 'seriously' for 4 weeks in May as a fitness thing.

My coccyx is broken. I can't sit for more than ten mins on any chair let alone a saddle.

I didn't know you could .. Break your coccyx... That is. But I do now! Boy do I know it now.

So yes yab(a tinee bit) u to say cycling is good for all of us because as a result of cycling my arse area is a permanent hell!

revealall · 12/02/2014 06:06

I saw a documentary the other day about Denmark where they have more bikes than people - and a very civilised bike lane system to go with it.
The Danish feller said "We don't have cyclists we just have lots of people that ride bicycles."
I'd love to ride my bike everywhere if I didn't have to deal with certain death from buses and lorries.

I saw that too. Not one person wore a helmet there was no lycra and the roads in Copenhagen appear to be massive (and quiet).

Unlike here. Personally I think cycling round town is fine. Doing time trial on a country lane makes me fume.

They are roads. They are the not the gym, as some cyclists and joggers like to think.

bearleftmonkeyright · 12/02/2014 07:29

How do you think Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome won their Olympic time trialling medals revealall? Or won the time trialling stages contributing to their victory in the tour de France. I am afraid you're going to be fuming for as long as you're driving, although like most cyclists I fail to see the problem.

cory · 12/02/2014 07:42

To be fair, I am not sure everybody who would go through traffic lights or mount the pavement in front of a wheelchair when bike riding automatically does carry on with their idiotic ways when they are driving a car. I think there is a tendency for people to think that traffic rules don't apply in the same way if you are bike riding. When you take your driving licence the rules are drummed into you so very strongly, and I do think most people do actually feel a basic respect for them.

This is the only way I can find to account for the fact that I see cyclists going through red traffic lights at least twice a week, motorists perhaps twice a year- yet there are far more motorists than cyclists around where I live.

My db's who live in Sweden (similar to Denmark) report that they have the same problem.

I think part of the problem is the way cycling is sold to potential cyclists: it is promoted as a quicker way of getting through traffic, a way of being more mobile and weaving your way through the queues. This does not promote an attitude of waiting patiently at traffic lights like everybody else.

I should point out that I haven't got an axe to grind: I don't drive a car and never have, though I used to ride a bike.

nosleeptillbedtime · 12/02/2014 07:57

I never said you said there were no bad drivers Sirzy. Nor. Did I say you need to list every idiot.

I just think language shapes how we view others. I think labelling people as cyclists and especially linking that with idiocy encourages people to label and dismiss. I think we should see other road users as people and not categorise them as their mode of transport.

nosleeptillbedtime · 12/02/2014 08:02

Cory, it may just be that you are not at the front of the traffic queue. When I am on my bike I usually am and I can tell you that I just expect people to keep on going through when the lights are red. It is not a cyclist thing at all. It is a person thing. I also wonder if people just don't really see people in motor vehicles doing this as it is so normal now so they don't register seeing it.

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