Gobbing cyclists

[stuffedpeppers]

I live in the country side we have narrow lanes - I also cycle and drive a car. We get a lot of weekend MAMILS up from London and we know their manners can be lacking but today has been spectacular.

So today I have had:
1.My car gobbed on by a cyclist

1. My side mirror bent back as cyclist pushed off at the traffic lights
2. on the roundabout and indicating I am exiting when cyclists comes from the entry point to my left, cars stopped, straight out across my exit way and kicked my front head light in as he swerved round me
3. Tailed 6 MAMILS for 4 miles down a country lane along with 12 other cars and we all got sworn at, water bottles squirted at us and the finger when we passed (safely) as the lane opened up wide enough for 2 cars to pass easily, cars coming the other way were sworn at as they were forced into the little passing places as they sailed past.
4. Oil Lorry on lane given so much abuse that he should not be on the lane when they did have to stop in the passing spot. ( Oil lorry delivering to houses not on the gas grid - common round here)

Even my DCS commented on the moronic behaviours that have eclipsed anything we have seen before

It's no comfort in days such as these, that most cyclists are fine (if a bit weirdly obsessive)

I blame the New Year Resolutionists!

Bloody disgusting. Some of that behaviour is criminal damage, ffs.

A runner gobbed on my dog once.

That is disgusting behaviour. As a roadie though, and like a lot of life, it works both ways. The number of times I've had abuse hurled at me, or been deliberately nearly knocked off my bike is attrocious, or just in general had bad ettiquette from car drivers is insane. Don't judge us all as 1!

1 & 2 no excuse. knobs

1. so you cut them up? dangerous driving - use your mirrors
2. knobs not to let you pass, but your perception of enough passing room from the safety of your car will be very different to theirs
3. knobs

A bit less "us and them" on the roads is needed all round in this country, it's not like this where I live, we all have more consideration for each other.

I drive, I cycle, and I walk. I honestly don't recognise any of the behaviour you're claiming to have witnessed?

Having experienced the roads from all sides I'm considerate to all other road users, but I find that when I'm on my bike I receive far less consideration from car drivers than when I'm in my car. When you say you cycle - do you mean you cycle on busy roads as a matter of routine, or do you mean you cycle around the park in fair weather?

The 3rd one sounds a lot like you cut them up. I wonder if there is a chance you've been (inadvertently) driving in a manner that makes them feel unsafe, and they've reacted as most would when they feel someone has just endangered their life?

If, of course, even half of these actually happened. You seem to have had more incidents in a day than I've had in a lifetime

Sounds like the MAMILS we get in Sussex. They come down from London and are livid to find that roads in the county are allowed to be used by car drivers! after all the countryside is just a giant play area for people from the cities. Real people don't live and work there, do they?

tinnitus - you need to read your highway code. I was on the roundabout going round - the cars had stopped as they were giving way as per the highway code to vehicles on their right.
Cyclist sailed between the two lanes of stopped cars and right infront of my car which was legally and correctly going round the roundabout.

And the passing room was plenty think other side of a two lane road everyone infront of me who also got abused was the other side of the white line to them.

I am generally not a them and us but I object to being gobbed on, having my car damaged - just a more aggressive breed of MAMIL around the lanes at the moment.

What's a MAMIL?

As in cycle - I cycle 5 miles to the train station in rush hour and 5 miles back in the evening - so thanks for the patronising comment Avocado.

Have not cycled in a park since the DCs were 5and 6!!

Like i said it was a spectacularly bad day - the sun was shining the sky was blue, the air crisp and perfect cycling weather and the fairweather MAMILS were out in force.

Middle Aged Man In Lycra

I live in London and I cycle AND I wholeheartedly agree with you.
These knobs are so bloody rude, they are abusive to 'normal ' cyclists, they ride 4 abreast and refuse to single out, they scratch cars wiggling between stationary cars and their spitting is horrendous.
I saw one cocky bleeder have the cheek to scratch the car in front, swear at the women driver within, when she tooted out at him, then spit on her bonnet, he picked on the wrong gal! She got out, at the lights and pushed him over...my car camera got it all, but it never went further.
We are sick of them here, there is no courtesy at all, I truly believe they should be licensed and easily identified.
Oh, and a friend a few years back got her shoulder broken, crossing as a pedestrian on a green man, a bike whizzed through and knocked her flying.....of course, he never stopped and was never punished!

@Rubyupbeat 😁😂 to the woman who pushed him over. Would like to say I'd do that but I'm a mug (as per my username 😂) so would probably swear a bit and carry on

Well it sounds to me like you are getting too close to the cyclists. If you give some space they won't be anywhere near your mirrors etc.

Well as a runner I’ve been swerved at on a pedestrian crossing, had rubbish chucked at me and been cat called by drivers. But I’m not daft enough to blame this on “drivers” - just certain inconsiderate road users.

Well it sounds to me like you are getting too close to the cyclists. If you give some space they won't be anywhere near your mirrors etc.

OP says they were starting off from traffic lights. If she was stationary and the cyclist came alongside what would you expect her to do? Your mental gymnastics to make the car driver the guilty party really shouldn’t stop you attempting to comprehend the actual wording.

Not so long ago, I was sworn at by a cyclist for criossing on the green man (apparently as I should have known he was going to run the red light). There were two other adults and three children at the crossing and it was broad daylight.

There are enough selfish tossers amongst cyclists that I no longer assume they will behave normally. And that's shit. Both for pedestrians who are indimidated, and for cyclists who behave within the law (let alone politely)

Hobby and competitive cyclists are the most arrogant group of people I've ever encountered in a very long life. I live in an area often invaded by MAMILs.

I've seen enough near misses, accidents and abuse to realise it's not just a few bad apples. It's most of the arrogant twats.

I with you! I find cyclists very rude. So entitled! We all have to share the road together. But from my experience it's the cyclists that are the problem mostly not the drivers.

Oh, and a friend a few years back got her shoulder broken, crossing as a pedestrian on a green man, a bike whizzed through and knocked her flying.....of course, he never stopped and was never punished!

I witnessed a similar thing happen on a pedestrian crossing in London. Both the pedestrian and the cyclist went flying. The pedestrian came off worse as he had clearly had broken bones. The cyclist was able to get up and walk around. Others were injured too - I got a nice black eye from being kicked in the face by the cyclist as he flew off his bike.

Unfortunately for the cyclist, the first car stopped at the lights was a police car.

In town I have never had much issue with cyclists. Where I live the hobby cyclists are a bloody nightmare. On narrow single track roads you need to use a bit of commonsense and courtesy. Generally, when I am driving the pedestrians, horse riders and local cyclists (the ones that are actually cycling somewhere) will have the sense to pull in at a passing bay and let the cars go past. Equally, I also do the same when I am walking, riding or cycling. The hobby cyclists will not let anyone pass, the road is too narrow to overtake so you end up stuck behind for miles, sometimes doing about 5mph up hills. I was shouted at once by a woman part of a group of about 50 cyclists for passing in the opposite direction, despite the fact that stretch of road is wide enough for cars to pass!

I've been a keen cyclist and I know exactly the type you are referring to. Probably have bikes worth several thousand. Type A aggressive sorts.

Some cyclists have a death wish I swear. The amount around here in the countryside wearing all black or dark colours, so they blend into the background. But you can't fix people's intelligence, they are just thick.

Arseholes present in all categories but the first hint of spring really does bring out the worst in some cyclists - like caged MAMILS finally let out after hibernation. They just forget that the rest of us have been carrying quietly using the roads whilst they slumbered.

Luckily it is dull and raining today - so the roads will be empty except for locals!

I

Thanks.
So glad I asked