Cyclists and the Highway Code

[Jemima232]

Huh. Just Huh.

And Wow, too.

So now we have to be careful not to knock cyclists over, when driving past them.

Of course, they don't have to be careful not to knock anyone over when they go through red traffic lights, do they?

As if they need more legislation in their favour. It absolutely enrages me.

[safariboot]

[rachelfrost]

I know! Why should car drivers share the road? ROAD IS FOR CARS Stupid cyclists with their healthy, environmentally friendly, economical and fun way of getting around. Let’s not support that.

[rachelfrost]

Helpful reminder:

[RedTrek]

OK, that is strange then. I always take a cycle path where available and where the cycle path is actually usable.

Sadly where I live they are hardly ever available and often treated as parking lanes where they are due to being so badly designed. People shouldn't be allowed to park a car in a cycle lane any more than they should be allowed to park in the middle of the road.

[SinisterBumFacedCat]

It means they cycle next to each other and have a nice chat.

[ShatnersWig]

@RedTrek When I'm cycling, I'm pleased at the quality and clarity of the majority (but not all) cycle paths round town. The state of the roads, on the other hand, is quite disgraceful - shakes me up in the car they are so rutted (and we're talking main roads) and I won't cycle on them. Which makes me wonder why so many do when there actually are some good options for probably 70% of journeys around town. We even have a lot of cycle racks in our town centre now.

[AngelinaNeurosurgeon]

I would not deliberately try to injure a cyclist, as it is dangerous and illegal to do so.
So if it wasn't illegal you'd be happy to do it?

[echt]

I would not deliberately try to injure a cyclist, as it is dangerous and illegal to do so
So if it wasn't illegal you'd be happy to do it?

^^
The othering of of cyclists.:o

[AngelinaNeurosurgeon]

Yep absolutely nothing worse than driving on a 60mph country lane and meeting a cyclist. you can’t over take for the entire stretch due to too many turns, so end up doing 20 mph for 5 miles with no attempt made by the cyclist to let you past.
If there are so many twists and turns on a presumably narrow country lane then you shouldn't be doing 60mph in the first place, even if that is the legal speed limit

[echt]

Yep absolutely nothing worse than driving on a 60mph country lane and meeting a cyclist. you can’t over take for the entire stretch due to too many turns

And if it was a car? How pissed off would you be?

[AngelinaNeurosurgeon]

. But that doesn't mean that cyclists are should be exempt from prosecution
Well good news, they're not exempt, so you can stop your bleating

[DaisiesAreOurSilver]

It's time cyclists had to have insurance and also a number plate so they can be identified. The majority of cyclists, just like the majority of car drivers obey the law and ride safely.

There are a few total cunts who don't. There has to be a way of identifying them and taking them to court.

[CuriousaboutSamphire]

Or a horse, herd of cows, flock of sheep?

I meet all of the above regularly... never thought about ploughing through them or being anything other than patient and lettingthem get on with their journey!

If you can't handle it then maybe you need to move back to the city and all those fast car journeys.... not, wait... erm....

[justarandomtricycle]

In what world are people killed by cyclists not protected to the same extent as those killed by motorists?

Cyclists don't have index numbers by which they can be identified when they break the law, so do so with relative impunity. Nor do we have third party insurance or pay into the treasury by dint of using the vehicle. Despite some misapprehensions people have about "road tax", the treasury is ultimately how we all pay for traffic calming, awareness campaigns, policing and the NHS that will take responsibility for us if a vehicle hits us.

I'm a cyclist myself. I think people need to be held responsible for the space they give cyclists, and that cyclists need to be aware of how their manoeuvres can damage property/people, it's not an either or thing in my opinion.

[HoustonBess]

Yabu

You need to spend less time reading tabloids and more time on a bike

It's about time car drivers were made to take responsibility

[echt]

It's time cyclists had to have insurance and also a number plate so they can be identified. The majority of cyclists, just like the majority of car drivers obey the law and ride safely.

This might help:

www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2019/mar/18/should-cyclists-be-licensed-and-insured-robert-winston

Or you might consider how resigtration of cars ensures safety.

[CuriousaboutSamphire]

Thanks echt I knew I had read that somewhere recently

[lampygirl]

I cycle around 100 miles a week, I drive 25000 miles a year, split between a big german car and a van, so I suppose that makes me ubiquitously hated...

Anyway, I think that there are two issues here, and one site will likely never understand the other unless they experience both. The cyclists and red lights thing seems to be a very city-commuter problem. As I said above, I am a cyclist but I ride with a club, mostly on a weekend. I genuinely despair at London commuters when I drive there for work (not daily) because I do think they are dangerous and I do think they give cyclists a bad name, however ultimately they are all just people trying to go about their daily lives.

I just wanted to say that the cyclists asking for more room are the ones out on a country road on a sunday morning, we don't run red lights (we barely come across any where I am anyway) and every group I have come across has been courteous.

Interestingly we have been experimenting a bit, and when our group rides single file, we get numerous attempted overtakes that end up wiht 2 cars driving towards each other on the side of the road we are not on (no room to squeeze between oncoming car and us) yet even though both motorists have to stop, wait for us to pass and then attempt the same manouver further along the road we don't get any abuse. When we ride 2 abreast, people wind down their windows and shout at us as they safely make it past us with no drama. I don't get it but if a frothing motorist would like to explain the logic that getting past makes you cross, but not getting past actually doesn't then i'm all ears.

I think it can be summed up as some cyclists are cunts, some drivers are cunts, some pedestrians are cunts. Some people are just cunts. Most people, regardless of transport method are not.

Also someone mentioned upthread about the road being for cars... Pedestrians/horses/cyclists have explicit right to use the road network with the exception of the motorways, drivers of motor vehicles can only use it under licence. If anything the car is a privilege and has the least rights of all, and i say that as a regular driver.

[SilverySurfer]

Cyclists where I live tend not to go through red lights but that's because they are mostly cycling on the pavements

[Youshallnotpass]

Yeah, requiring cars to be registered, taxed and insured certainly stopped all law breaking.

You never hear or see cars running red lights, speeding, driving dangerously, killing people, killing occupants, causing pile ups, causing MASSIVE delays on motorways, crashing into hedges, walls, bridges, houses or generally being driven in an anti social manner.

Wait...

[VidPid]

I'm a cyclist. I've cycled to work for almost two years now.
I've never not stopped at a red light, I have never ran anyone over and killed them (🙄), I have never hit anyone's car and I always pull over when there's a car stuck behind me.
I don't know what the fuck you're talking about when you say cyclists kill pedestrians, way more people are killed annually by cars? Shitty car drivers endanger my life everyday, in fact I'd probably say that there are just as many shitty car drivers as there are cyclists.

Of course you need to give cyclists space. Today so many cars almost hit me because them getting home / to the shops / wherever else was apparently more important than my life. If I hit your car, you've got a scrape, if you hit me I'm going to hospital.

Kindly, learn how to drive

[NameChangeNugget]

I think they’re a mirror image of drivers.

Mainly good, some average and some utter cunts who give a bad name for the majority.

Men, riding 3 abreast, dressed in their wanky clothing on a Sunday morning are very annoying

[echt]

Cyclists where I live tend not to go through red lights but that's because they are mostly cycling on the pavements

I agree that cycling on pavements is utterly shite, and no, I don't buy the argument that it's too dangerous to cycle on the road, so let's cycle on the pavement. If it's too dangerous, walk you soft get. Go by bus. Drive . Just don't make the pedestrian your victim. Twat.

[LakieLady]

In what world are people killed by cyclists not protected to the same extent as those killed by motorists?

No means of identifying them, no compulsory insurance to compensate victims for death or injury, no mandatory training so they learn not to be twats, no legal sanction in the form of revocation of licences to discourage reckless riding ...

It is far too easy for cyclists to get away scot-free if they kill or injure someone or damage another vehicle.