WTF cyclists in the snow

[lifeandtheuniverse]

Cycling in the snow and ice, with no lights on and no reflective gear.

AIBU to think they should be arrested as a danger on the road.

Just had one fall off as lost back wheel on the snow,, car behind him managed to swerve round lost his back end and corrected. Me second car behind, I slam on brakes as he slides towards my front wheels - feet under my bumper. Car behind me ends up touching my bumper!

Then the moron has the balls to swear, berate me and demand my details.

Good on you for keeping an ancient Diamondback in use. (I drive an ancient Toyota when I’m not on a bike.) It sounds like you should stay off-road when possible, because you’re not very good at sharing it; perhaps all those cyclists you say are swearing at you are trying to get that point across.

bikes are as lethal as cars

My neighbour is an cyclist, he has numerous types of bikes and he is cycling to work just now as it's safer than taking his car. The bike he is using has tyres that would make my car weep. He has come across his fair share of idiotic drivers in the few days. The type of cyclist that gives me the rage are what I call ninja cyclists, pitch black mornings and they are cycling dressed in dark clothing, not even the hint of a light or anything reflective. Totally irresponsible.

It maybe so that cyclists have the same right to be out in this weather getting from A to B like the car drivers do but they're putting themselves in a very vulnerable position by doing so.

Surely common sense would tell any cyclist that they're putting themselves at risk of being hit by a car if they use their bike right now. Just because they have the same right as a car owner doesn't mean they're going to be safe.

infront of me, with a car inbetween, crashing and NEARLY hitting me is my fault beggars belief

Because you said you only left 10m between you and the car in front. Drive to to the conditions. That is a ridiculously small gap, you should have left yourself enough space to be able.to stop safely and you chose not too.

She left plenty of following distance, she did stop safely. The cyclist slid down the hill under her car, she didn't hit him.

YABU to demand arrest. It sounds like they were cycling legally -- 1730ish would be just before sunset.

In snow, reflectives may be less needed as it's brighter than average, but it sounds like the cyclist would be better served with lights and something reflective, even if it's not a legal requirement.

It sounds like you understood the conditions, knew the cyclist was there, were well prepared and still only barely managed to stop with no space to spare. So I'd agree you were too close. You’d probably agree that the car behind you was too close, too.

It doesn’t sound like you swerved to avoid the cyclist. The cyclist had a scary experience. I would excuse a little language in the heat of the moment, given the circumstances. Cars touched. It sounds like enough of an accident for exchanging details to be required, so taking your details sounds reasonable, too.

No bugger on here pays Road Tax as it was abolished before World War II. Roads are maintained by general and local taxation- so everyone who earns and/or spends money in the UK contributes to their upkeep.

What you are thinking of is Vehicles Excise Duty, which is calculated based on how much carbon dioxide that class of car produces. It's intended to deter fresh purchases of the cars that have the greatest emissions. If you pay a lot of "road tax", i.e. Vehicles Excise Duty, that's a penalty for polluting. It does not entitle you to use the road more!

As bicycles don't have engines of any size or use petrol/diesel they don't incur emissions tax every year. Nor do electric cars, by the way.

Other point: road insurance is not compulsory for cyclists, but some of us still have it, and the price of cycling insurance clearly demonstrates that insurers think cyclists are more likely to be very badly hurt than to hurt someone else. I myself have personal injury and public liability/third party cover.
In picture 1, you should be able to see how much public liability cover you can get for £15 or less a year.

And now look in picture 2, which shows where the personal injury cover maxes out for exactly equal annual payments.

P.S. if you don't have cycle insurance, cycleplan has a 10% off winter sale discount for new policies at the moment; that's why there's all the red sale! print appended on the first picture.

Those of you who think cyclists should be arrested for going out in the snow (and I agree they're completely mad) do you also think all those people on the A31/A303/M80 etc should be arrested for driving when a red weather warning was in place and putting the emergency services at risk?

Cyclists will probably only hurt themselves. Car and lorry drivers can kill others, too.

Nothing wrong with going out for a run. Too cold for me, but can't see the issue if people are well wrapped up and have trail shoes that have grips (which I do). Hoping to go to to parkrun tomorrow if it's not cancelled, the issue isn't the run, it's driving to the location and if that will be safe.

It's the cars in the Snow that cause deaths not the cyclists. Everyone just needs to try and get on with other road users

Of course it's the cars that cause deaths. That's because they're a huge chunk of metal! Cyclists still need to take some responsibility for their own safety and not put them and drivers at risk by being out on the roads when it's treacherous. Drivers sometimes lose control over their vehicles through no fault of their own and if a cyclist is in their path they will be the ones killed or badly injured.

It's just common sense to to put yourself in that situation!

I LOVE riding in the snow! it's so refreshing.

What I cant abide is dick head car drivers taking their cars onto sheet ice roads and covered in snow and slush, getting stuck and like helpless babies expecting someone else to rescue them.
But that's drivers for you. Selfish entitled wankers who see no fault or limit to what they are allowed to do.

Drivers sometimes lose control over their vehicles through no fault of their own

Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

I take it you've never driven on a road that's iced over that hasn't been gritted then MrPan. Lucky you that's all can say.

No I haven't. Been driving since 1984 and know the limits of cars and roads.
The harm and cost of drivers doing ridiculous things because we have cars and are entitiled to drive them isastounding. It's like ALL sense and brain power deserts them.

Wow you drive? I thought with such a hatred of drivers you'd just stick to peddling your bike.

Unfortunately it's not always possible to avoid icy roads, especially if you live rurally.

bikes are as lethal as cars, jsut less of them on the road.

what utter tosh

A gap of 10m between you and the car in front is nowhere near enough when you're driving in the snow and ice. As a general rule you should be multiplying the usual dry road stopping distance by 10 in those conditions.

www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/learning-to-drive/stopping-distances/

Even at 6mph you would presumably be leaving more than a metre between you and the vehicle in front if the roads had been dry and clear?

I personally wouldn't venture out on two wheels in the current weather conditions but I don't think you're entirely faultless here either.

I have no 'hatred' of drivers - just an extremely low opinion of those wreaking havoc, and consider what is a privilige to be a right, to be exercised at all times.
Worse is that such behaviour is seen as 'understandable'. The news head line never starts "In an exercise of mass lunancy, 200 car drivers took their cars onto an ice-bound and snow covered motorways and A roads, and then complained and expressed shock when they got stuck." Do many drivers not see weather forecasts at all?

I won't argue with you on that front. Have you seen the M62 footage? Although it looks like it has been speeded up, still ridiculous driving though.

I was referring to more of a being caught out on a stretch that you think would be ok not tear arsing down the motorway too. Dh has to help a neighbour the other night because our road was icy, it's usually well gritted but hadn't been.

car 1 avoided hitting the cyclist
Car 2 stopped and did not hit the cyclist
Car 3 stopped and his bumper was a few mms from mine - so he stopped safely.

I have no issue with cyclists on the road - 1730 with a sunset time of 1742 in my area - is lights on time and probably had been for an hour before. There is a reason scandi car lights come on automatically when you switch the engine on!! WE have alot of snow!

How any of the drivers are responsible for the cyclist coming off his bike of his own volition and not causing him any injury because they stopped swerved in time is beyond my comprehension. We did not cause his accident!

We all got out and asked him if he was OK - an expletive laden response accusing us of all manners of road crime was unnecesary. Adrenaline was flowing in all drivers and cyclists.

To the bike snob - I have a Marin mountain bike, I have a cannondale supersix road bike and I love my Diamondback topanga to death - much history, customised and works the best for me - am I serious enough for you now!!

Too many rabid cyclists trying to blame cars 20 - 50 metres ( car 3) behind a cyclist for him falling off of his own volition- just demonstrates the failure of rational thought!

Agreeing with Avocados on page 1. Sounds suspiciously like another "I hate cyclists" thread. My son had to get home on cycle (what other way?). Needless to say a van nearly ran him over with aggressive tailgating him (lots of car drivers here literally hate cyclists).

Personally, of course I wouldn't cycle in the snow. But then I wouldn't drive either. And if I saw a cycle I'd give them plenty of room so that no danger of hurting them if they did wobble or fall in snow. I wouldn't nearly run them over and then blame them!!!!

"Drivers sometimes lose control over their vehicles through no fault of their own"

No they bloody don't. If the conditions are that bad, you drive to the conditions or you stop.

To the bike snob - I have a Marin mountain bike, I have a cannondale supersix road bike and I love my Diamondback topanga to death - much history, customised and works the best for me - am I serious enough for you now!!

No, sorry!

Of Course you weren't Unreasonable, but you knew that anyway.

Hmm.. I always remain suspicious when posters come on to whip up an anti-bike thread and then some time later say "but I'm a bikist too!" as if that excuses anything previously said.

Plainly this bloke was bonkers, and has no right to berate anyone. However.......such an OP can be relied upon to have any and all sorts of petrol-headed knucle-dragger to spread ant--bike sentiment and view.

Don't talk ridiculous Kid. Conditions of the road can dramatically change in a second.