To ask cyclists to follow the rules!!!

[summeriscomingsoon]

Nearly hit by a cyclist going through a red light again as I was crossing the road. We have numerous offenders doing this.

Also going on the pavement to avoid traffic jams.

Cycling has increased so much since lockdown and great health benefits but some of them make me mad!!!

Aibu to expect them to behave as if they were a car on the road and stick to the rules.

YABVVVVVVU

A cyclist jumping a red light is highly visible. A motorist checking their phone/failing to indicate/fiddling with the radio/not checking their blind spot etc is less so.

Motorists are driving in a ton of metal, the responsibility is rightly much much higher.

Funny how these threads always want to bash cyclists rather than say 'I saw a cyclist jump the lights, if only we funded cycling lessons/designed bike-friendly infrastructure/had segregated bike routes that are more than a bit of paint' etc.

The roads are not designed to keep people on bikes safe and they know it, thus the things you describe. Waiting in a traffic jam is particularly dangerous as cars try to squeeze past you, race to get through etc.

I'm a car driver and a cyclist. I've never gone through red lights as either.

Yes there is appalling behaviour from some cyclists. However, it is truly frightening how some drivers behave on the road especially towards cyclists. I have been put at risk several times by dangerous drivers, I've also had more verbal abuse than I can count.

Just saying AGAIN.

I'm talking about me as a pedestrian and the impact of cyclists on me as a pedestrian.

As a pedestrian I've noticed a sharp increase in light jumping by cyclists to the point it's dangerous.

A pedestrian is more vulnerable than a cyclist and should be able to cross safely when red lights are meant to stop ALL traffic.

There has been a sharp jump in the number of cyclists during lockdown. You're probably noticing more cyclists and more newbies who are still wary of going on the road.

Agreed, pedestrians are vulnerable road users and should be protected. But these threads always end up dehumanising cyclists and getting the problem out of proportion.

I was driving along in traffic one day when a cyclist was cut up by the vehicle in front of me.
It then ended up behind me and caught up with me at a red traffic light where the cyclist proceeded to punch my rear lights smashing them.
I'm not sure if they thought it was me that had cut them up (it wasn't) or if they just had road rage.

They then cycled off at great speed when the lights changed.
I went after them and caught up with them near another set of lights where I got out the car and they got off the bike and they then proceeded to be abusive and told me I couldn't do anything about it.

Luckily a witness had followed the whole situation and stopped shortly after and gave me his details so I could pursue the incident. The cyclist who was male was very threatening and aggressive and then became meek and mild when the male witness appeared.

It really shook me up and I had a couple of hundred pound bill to put the car back together. The cyclist paid but I had to pay out initially and they then sent me a cheque in the post. When they could afford it.

This turned out to be a school teacher who in hindsight I wish I had reported at the time.

Nasty piece of work. I was just the nearest car when he lost his temper and the cutting up he had experienced was not a dangerous incident just a matter of turn taking and queue jumping.

The car driver started it, the cyclist escalated it, and I was the innocent victim.

A pedestrian is more vulnerable than a cyclist and should be able to cross safely when red lights are meant to stop ALL traffic.

I don't condone red light jumping by cyclists. Whether it's really dangerous or just perceived to be dangerous, breaking rules promotes bad feeling on the roads and that's bad for everyone.

I do think there's value in changing the rules so that cyclists aren't having to follow rules which are necessary to manage the dangers and problems of motor vehicles but unnecessary and even dangerous when applied to people on bikes.

Stopping at a pedestrian crossing would not be one of those rules. Stopping at a traffic control red when the bike is turning left or going along the straight side of a right hand t junction and has space to do so safely without crossing the traffic joining from the right could most likely be made legal with no increase in risk.

It is worth noting that in the most recent stats I could find (London 2014), there were 16 serious injuries to pedestrians from motor vehicles jumping red lights and none from bicycles jumping red lights. That's not to say it never happens, just that, like on the pavements, while you may feel more in danger from cyclists the bigger danger by far is still from motor vehicles.

Also, not to be goady but (leaving aside the elderly and disabled), are pedestrians more vulnerable than cyclists? A person on a bike can obviously cause more damage than a pedestrian and for that reason absolutely needs to take greater care around pedestrians than pedestrians need to with each other, but in the event of a collision between a cyclist and pedestrian is the pedestrian always going to come off worst like they would be in a collision with a car?

I did a leisure cycle ride this weekend - I cycle for pleasure and general fitness and not as a sport. On a shared path I had to pull aside because there was a cyclist coming towards me, with a small child in a towed trailer, doing something with his phone in his hand and not looking at what was in front of him. Muppet.

Nothing on this thread has changed my mind from my previous post - the issue is selfish and inconsiderate people, with no awareness of the other users of the space around them, regardless of their mode of transport. Perhaps its a regional thing, but I find if I make eye contact with others (pedestrians and cyclists) to make sure I know they have seen me and we can avoid each other, most people will acknowledge me in some way - smile, nod, "nice day for it" etc. If I overtake pedestrians I always ting my bell to let them know I'm there so they don't suddenly step out in front of me, and if they move I always thank them as I go past. I slow right down and even stop if I see small children or dogs off the lead coming towards me.

Maybe also because I'm fat and middle-aged, cycle slowly and am not bedecked in day-glo lycra, so not perceived as a "threat"?

@vimtosogood

YANB unreasonable to ask cyclists to abide by the law. YABV unrealistic to expect them too. They won't.

Perhaps we could ask motorists to follow the rules too? Thankfully in the absence of police monitoring there are some Good Samaritans assisting like this guy:

are pedestrians more vulnerable than cyclists?

Not much but in the event the crash is the cyclist fault their vulnerability isn't much of a consideration.

Like I said earlier I've hit a few people who treat the cycle lane as an extension of the pavement and never come off well myself.

In the event the crash is the cyclist fault their vulnerability isn't much of a consideration.

Oh yeah, as I said I absolutely accept that bicycles create more of a risk and have a greater duty of care (and the sooner we switch to presumed liability the better for all IMO) it's just the idea that cyclists are actually significantly less vulnerable I was querying.

Yeah I think pedestrians are more vulnerable than cyclists. More likely to be unhealthy and unable to recover from injuries quickly, most cyclists are relatively fit. My relative was in her 70s when this accident happened and it took over a year for her elbow to recover after two operations. Like I say this accident wasn’t even recorded as a statistic, only the hospital knew what had happened. I wonder how many other accidents go unrecorded.

@Chanjer

are pedestrians more vulnerable than cyclists?

Not much but in the event the crash is the cyclist fault their vulnerability isn't much of a consideration.

Like I said earlier I've hit a few people who treat the cycle lane as an extension of the pavement and never come off well myself.

Do you mean people treating the cycle lane on a road as an extension of the pavement?

@0gfhty I imagine Chanjer was referring to those pavements where there is a thick line between the pedestrian lane and the cycle lane.

There is a seaside promenade I frequent that is very, very wide, and yet pedestrians still can't stay out of the meter wide strip that is a different colour, has white lines and markings all over it and is dedicated to cyclists.

Do you mean people treating the cycle lane on a road as an extension of the pavement?

Yep, people stepping off the curb into the cycle lane and then stopping to look for cars. I stopped cycle commuting in part because of the frequency of this. Thought I'd quit while I was ahead

[quote funnelfanjo]@0gfhty I imagine Chanjer was referring to those pavements where there is a thick line between the pedestrian lane and the cycle lane.

There is a seaside promenade I frequent that is very, very wide, and yet pedestrians still can't stay out of the meter wide strip that is a different colour, has white lines and markings all over it and is dedicated to cyclists.[/quote]
I don’t think these work very well at all in my experience either. If it’s on the same level without a curb, small children/dogs etc just don’t get it even if it’s a different colour

I would only ever ride in a cycle lane in a pedestrian space if I didn't have to get anywhere fast. They're a headache. Not hitting people is more important to me than getting anywhere fast. My best chance of not hitting people is in the road where people generally shouldn't be, crossings etc being the obvious exception

I hope that you as a pedestrian make sure you’re on the correct side on shared paths that have a line down the middle OP. Or don’t use the rare cycle-only paths in pedestrianised areas.

The number of pedestrians I see meandering over the line or walking exclusively on the cycle section is ridiculous. And don’t get me started on the council employees who cross the cycle section without checking first so they can go straight across the road to their new offices rather than using the pedestrian crossing 200 yards away.

Minnie mountain you illustrate well why shared pedestrian/cyclist paths with only visual guides don't work for pedestrians or cyclists.

@0gfhty agreed. Some of the paths I’m talking about are separated by kerbs. People still walk on them.

Dhinjured on his commute on a cycle path due to dozy pedestrians letting their dogs run amok on the cycle path that links two cities at commute time 🙄🙄🙄. He swerved to avoid a bloody dog and came off. So not all pedestrians whiter than white either

@0gfhty

Yeah I think pedestrians are more vulnerable than cyclists. More likely to be unhealthy and unable to recover from injuries quickly, most cyclists are relatively fit. My relative was in her 70s when this accident happened and it took over a year for her elbow to recover after two operations. Like I say this accident wasn’t even recorded as a statistic, only the hospital knew what had happened. I wonder how many other accidents go unrecorded.

It may be recorded as a statistic if she presented to hospital. Emergency Department triage presentations are recorded and counted for this sort of thing, as is surgery.