AIBU to bloody hate cyclists

[FortyAndFlagging]

I have just trailed three cyclists during the course of the day. Honest to God, why don't they just pull over and let people pass?

@WiltedDaffs I just received a message from MNHQ saying that @Stroopwaffel99 is a troll who's now banned. Makes me feel a little safer!

I went for a ride earlier. Left home about 6am and used a couple of quiet local roads to get to a nice route of b and c roads/back lanes/access only roads past farm fields. It was a clear sunny morning, and I was wearing a very lurid colourful top, with neon socks and gloves, white shoes with neon piping. 2 lights each, front and back. I was visible.

Due to the early hour and deliberate route, I only encountered about 20 cars in total and kept a mental tally:

3 of them passed me safe and wide.
1 passed me at speed and then immediately turned left across my path.
1 pulled out of a side road right in front of me. I was probably going about 20-25mph at this point and had to brake hard.
1 sped past me at 47 in a 30 zone, according to the digital speed thingy ahead.
1 accelerated furiously past me to cut me up before he hit the traffic island I was about to pass.
1 overtook me on a bend at the start of a hill, crossing double white lines.

The rest all passed me with varying degrees of closeness/risk, but none of them bothered fully using the completely empty other carriageway where available.

So that's roughly 85% of drivers on deserted roads who either chose to needlessly endanger me or are so ignorant of road safety they did it unknowingly.

Morning,

Just letting you know that we're deleting all of Stroopwaffel99's posts on this thread - this was a previously banned troll, clearly just here to goad.

We've shown him the door now.

But this thread is sufficiently bad that most of stroop's posts (aside from the video, which was the giveaway) didn't actually stand out as that unusual. Plenty of people have made similar nasty and aggressive comments.

Why are cyclists considered to be fair game for stuff like this?

HillRunner I strongly agree. I am hugely disappointed in MNHQ.

I don’t cycle. I sometimes get frustrated when I am stuck behind cyclists because it’s human nature to get frustrated when your journey is slowed down. But I don’t let that frustration turn me into an idiot - I would much rather wait a few minutes more until I know I can pass safely than risk causing or being involved in an accident. If that pisses off a driver behind me then that’s their problem.

Just the same as I won’t overtake a tractor or other slow vehicle unless I’m 100% sure it’s safe, or I won’t go down the side of a HGV on a roundabout. Pretty simple steps that can be taken to avoid being in an accident and I don’t care if it annoys others

You can’t control the actions of other road users so you need to take responsibility for keeping yourself and others safe as much as you can.

So that's roughly 85% of drivers on deserted roads who either chose to needlessly endanger me or are so ignorant of road safety they did it unknowingly.

I think plenty are just ignorant. My sister has never cycled on the roads, and the amount of room she thinks it's appropriate to give cyclists makes me wince. She doesn't hate them, she just has absolutely no clue what it's like to have a car pass within a metre of you when you're on a bike. If you asked her she'd say she passes safely. (Although I do comment when she doesn't.)

Also might I add that I am not a crazy driver nor an unsafe one to myself, other motorists or cyclists. I will always be wary and cautious especially around cyclists/horseriders etc who are smaller than my car but doesn't stop me effing and jeffing to myself whilst passing only when it's safe to do so for all parties

I think plenty are just ignorant. My sister has never cycled on the roads, and the amount of room she thinks it's appropriate to give cyclists makes me wince. She doesn't hate them, she just has absolutely no clue what it's like to have a car pass within a metre of you when you're on a bike. If you asked her she'd say she passes safely. (Although I do comment when she doesn't.)

I don’t think that really is any excuse though, is it? Not knowing you’re a danger doesn’t make you any less of a danger, and anyone you injure will be just as injured whether it was deliberate or not. Anyone who can’t drive safely shouldn’t drive and I would argue that thoughtless and ignorant is just as bad as deliberate aggression.

No it does not. But I do think the Highway Code should be clearer. I also wonder if unseparated cycle lanes makes people people think bikes need less room?

I also wonder if unseparated cycle lanes makes people people think bikes need less room?

Curiously, where there is a painted cycle lane/line, research has been found that vehicles drive closer to bikes than if there is no lane/line at all.

I think plenty are just ignorant.

There have been great campaigns like the one by West Mids Police, specifically on close passes. But even so, awareness is still horribly low.

Hopefully that is slowly changing though.

west-midlands.police.uk/news/serious-cycle-smashes-down-fifth-close-pass-first-year

Yes I have read that. Because the cycle lane marks out where the bikes should be and where the cars should be, and it does not give much room. But car drivers are being officially told the bike lane provides enough room for the bike.
When I overtake bikes I do not fully pull into the opposite carriageway to do so. I leave about 5-6 metres when overtaking.

I agree it's not an excuse, but I think it shows that it's not always malicious/deliberate (although in some cases it definitely is).

I also agree about cycle lanes. They give the impression that (a) the correct place for a bike is always on the far left, in the gutter and (b) that the lane is all the room the bike needs. Cars definitely do give you less room when there is a cycle lane.

hillrunner I also agree and have communicated that to them directly.

jennymanara
Personally too narrow cycle lanes add to the problem of motorists not overtaking safely. I'd get rid of all cycle lanes marked on the road that aren't a proper width, other than where (for example) the cycle lane does a right hander at a junction but cars can't.

I don't really understand what is so difficult for some drivers to understand regarding performing a safe overtake. They wouldn t stand over the yellow line as a high speed train passed through a station, but think nothing of giving less space to a cyclist.
Other than narrow windy roads (which are awkward for all), it's not that difficult to think 'could I safely overtake a car here' and make a decision or 'hmmm to overtake here i would here to stay as close to my side of the road as possible, maybe this isn't a safe move'.

On the infrequent occasions i road bike in the UK I never ride in the gutter because at least 1m out if a car squeezes past then I have some space to move into if I need to. If you're already riding in the gutter and the same jackasses squeeze past there's no escape and is be accepting getting hit or ran over.

YANBU. I hate cyclists. They wobble about in front of a queue of traffic mostly two/three abreast so blocking the road and they are so inconsiderate. Huge queues of traffic build up as I live in a rural village and the roads are winding and at times narrow so no chance of overtaking safely. They add up to 30 minutes on my journey every day and as it is I have to spend hours in a car for work. Lycra clad and slow why can't they pull over when they get a string of traffic and let us past!

Ilive in a rural village and the roads are winding and at times narrow so no chance of overtaking safely. They add up to 30 minutes on my journey every day and as it is I have to spend hours in a car for work
But that's part and parcel of living really I'm afraid. It could just as easily be a coach (If touristy), a tractor, a horse box, horses... or slow out of area drivers who drive at 20mph the whole way.
I've also lived rurally and saw it as my responsibility to factor in time for the journey. It's just like people driving through towns and cities have to leave time for congestion.

*living rurally

I have just come back from Scotland and noticed that cycling Scotland have a big ad campaign going about safe passing distances.

If your driving roads you know overtaking is hard on whatever the vehicle you leave extra time. Knocking a cyclist of their bike or hitting a car will add much more time to the trip!

They add up to 30 minutes on my journey every day

I was going to call out nonsense on this BUT I notice it says 'up to', so 30 seconds is up to 30 minutes I guess......

Teateaandmoretea
To be fair Tea, where I used to live I could easily add on 10-15 mins each way during the spring-summer months due to tractors, horses, busses, cyclists. It does change the commute time. I just think that it's the responsibility of the commuter to adjust their timings and expectations accordingly.
Some days I'd get really irritated stuck behind a horse box, but the reality is that's my fault for cutting it fine and if I'd left enough time there wouldn't be an issue.

Leaving early between appointments is not an option. I don't control my employer I just work there.

One dog walker I knew slightly was yelled and sworn at by one such top speed cyclist on that path, who fell off after swerving to avoid his dog
So this is a path cyclists are entitled to ride on. One person didn't control their dog, cyclist avoided it so that the dog didn't get hurt, fell, hurt himself and the conclusion is that the cyclist deserved to be hit?

Are you for real? It's people like you that make us cyclist hate dog walkers. I fell off badly my bike 2 years ago avoiding a dog. I was on a dual path, one side for bikes, one for walkers. I was on my side, cycling slowly as coming to the end of my long ride and was totally knackered.

Sadly, some dog lovers don't think they have to keep their dog on a lead despite the danger. I saw the dog, slowed down even more, watch where the dog seem to be heading, but sure enough, the moment I passed by on my cycle lane, the dog swerved and went straight in from of me and I couldn't avoid it. I hit the dog, flew over the handle bar and fell heavily on my knees. Still I was concerned for the dog because I happen to be a dog lover, but did the owner showed a concern? No she called me all the names in the book, told me that cyclists were parasites and had no right to be there (despite the clear signs) and told me that she'd sued me for vet bills. Other walkers had to refrain her.

It's not the first time I had to avoid dogs on that path either let loose or on one of those leads that expand, yet somehow, it's the owners that tell the cyclists off.