AIBU Cyclist Twats

[TractorAndHeadphones]

Walking down lovely canals with DP. Supposed to be romantic - but every 5 minutes we were interrupted by a cyclists whizzing along! Some had the courtesy to ring the bell but even so they rode straight at us instead of around us.

This really boils my piss because cyclists always complain that cars overtake dangerously and that’s it’s their god given right to hold up traffic. But cyclists can ride straight through pedestrians?

There was enough space for a cyclist to ride alongside us if they’d been slower ; even so you don’t expect people to walk in single file on canal roads which are meant to be enjoyed slowly! There were families in front of us, mothers with prams etc. Thé cyclists were probably scared of swerving into the lake but if you can’t control your bike then dont bloody ride!
It really ruined my day.

This has also happened on pavements with people whizzing along in the middle. Even if the road is dangerous there’s no need to go that fast.
AIBU to think that cyclists are twats and should be licensed?
People often complain that cars are rude to cyclists but IMO people in general are twats. Cars can do more damage but they’re not behaving worse than cyclists.

@zampa
My husband used to cycle to work on the roads but after being knocked off twice by careless drivers, switched to the tow path where it's safer

And of course one can cycle so much faster on a tow path...
HOLD ON isn't that where I came in?

It needs to entirely flip with the majority cyclist (the norm) moaning about the annoying minority (car drivers)

Quite right Larry. Most of those single person in car short journey able bodied adults should be on a bike. Less pollution less congestion and smaller arses. Out of those cars ladies! Wean yourselves!

I walk rather than drive. I just prefer walking to driving but recently I have been driving more because of aggressive cyclists on the shared pavements and paths. I used to walk my dogs on the pedestrian path by my house, but now that's been taken over by cyclists who think they have the priority and who appear to be training in their dreams for Tour de France, so I drive my dogs to a park to be able to walk them without the rudeness of cyclists.

So that's me, a frustrated pedestrian who is forced to drive because of inconsiderate cyclists. I'd much rather walk everywhere again.

What do I do?

[quote TwoLeftSocksWithHoles]@zampa
My husband used to cycle to work on the roads but after being knocked off twice by careless drivers, switched to the tow path where it's safer

And of course one can cycle so much faster on a tow path...
HOLD ON isn't that where I came in? [/quote]
Sorry, I don't understand.

He has to cycle more slowly (and on a different bike) due to both the path surface and other users. The roads are much faster but more dangerous.

@Theluggage15 Don't worry, I'm not upset... I use both modes of transport too, and of course you get idiots using both cars and bikes. That's the point, it's about the behaviour of people whilst doing a particular thing. The 'othering' comment was a reference to the way these threads often go where some posters take this as a chance to lump all people riding a bike together as 'cyclists' who are racing around in their Lycra-clad packs mowing down old ladies and holding up traffic for miles and miles. Shouldn't be on the road, don't pay tax, have licence plates etc. etc...

People are happy to accept bad and dangerous behaviour of motorists as just that, an individual's actions and choices, because they drive a car themselves and see driving as a 'normal' activity lots of people do. But when it come's to people on bikes, it's all the usual drivel, because they don't ride a bike themselves or see it as a valid activity they would do.

Chardonnay, ah you're being forced into a car, and forced to turn the ignition on? Eh? Thats 100% your choice, How about trying out a bike?

Well, yes, I choose to stay safe and to have a enjoyable walk with the boys.

Isn't that what the cyclists are doing by using the pavements and the paths? So what can they choose to stay safe and I'm not allowed to?

How about trying out a bike?

Why? I don't like it, also if you can show me how I can stash two 6 stone beasts on a bike, I would be grateful, but it appears you have not even bothered to read my post before replying to it.

People saying that if you're one of the cyclists bothered by criticism or people's attitudes then you're one of the cyclists that's the problem...

I ride daily, a mix of for transport and for pleasure. I maintain my bike in good condition, I stop for red lights, I indicate, I ride extreme left in traffic, I defer to pedestrians.

People still shout abuse at me, I've had someone come up whilst I was sitting on my bike at the side of the road and start shouting at me for supposedly being "the problem". the other day a taxi moved his car into the cycle lane (from a side road, he didn't even pull out he just moved his bonnet over the cycle lane) after we made eye contact and he knew it would block me, a couple of weeks ago a driver steered over to block my path because I was moving through traffic at the lights

Most drivers are great, and I've noticed over the last few years that people allowing space for drivers, hanging back a good distance prior to overtaking and generally giving cyclists the space suggested in the high way code is a hugely improving situation.

My driving commute goes through a very popular countryside area for riding. Basically every journey I have to deal with lone cyclists, small peletons, cycle commuters and sports cyclists, the majority of whom behave themselves just fine. Sometimes I can't get past straight away, but it's only ever a short way in the grand scheme and I can get caught behind a tractor just as frequently. This section of road is also frequently being resurfaced and having pot holes filled because cars and trucks tear the road up. Knowing this I leave a bit of extra time to allow a reasonable buffer if I need to be somewhere at a particular time. Can I suggest if you're a driver who regularly finds themselves delayed by cyclists (that are often there) then you're not very good at journey planning. I don't like to be late so I plan accordingly and then I don't have to drive like every second matters.

Roads are there for all, it is very clearly set out in the highway code that this is the case, people use the road at different speeds, another type of road user I get caught behind is the one that goes 30-40 through a NSL area, this is fine, I would genuinely prefer that someone went at a speed they feel comfortable with rather than try and accommodate the speed at which I wish to travel

Also, by posting flippant replies to a legitimate concern you aren't helping your own cause. There are many like me. If you are genuinely concerned with car usage, them why mock pedestrians and why push them in their cars?

And of course one can cycle so much faster on a tow path...

No you can't, generally

@DoesHePlayTheFiddle

Nobody wants to kill cyclists. That's why they shouldn't be on the roads. No-one wants to injure them. Everyone can see how horrifically vulnerable they are. They choose to be there, choose to cause a hazard for all other road users. It's reckless, arrogant, and should be illegal. If I took a dance team onto the highway in rush hour traffic, you'd think I was mad and the authorities would turn up to move us along. Cyclists should be able to reason for themselves that roads are not safe places to be. But they don't. They insist on their right to be there. Reckless, foolhardy and an unnecessary distraction and hazard.

Cyclists are not automatically a hazard any more than moped/motorbikes, lorries etc are. They DO have a right to be there, and the onus is on the more dangerous vehicles (larger motorised vehicles) to be mindful of them and pedestrians. And it isn’t unnecessary to cycle on the road because that’s how you get to places, and some people don’t have another choice of transport.

Chardonnay, it's your choice to own 2 big dogs, it's your choice to drive, don't blame your choices on others, although I supppse I could blame the fact that I cycle on all you drivers clogging up the roads, so thank you for that

Hmm not sure that’s true. An elderly Jaguar driver did actually intentionally drive my Dh off the road - got prosecuted for it too.

Cyclists have just as much right as other vehicles to be on the road. Seriously we need to wean ourselves away from cars anyway. Most city centres moving towards banning them

Doesheplaythefiddle, by that argument cars shouldn't be allowed on the road, do you know how many people die each year in cars?

It is my choice to have dogs as much as it’s a cyclist’s choice to have a bicycle. Also, they are fine on the path, it’s me who is harassed by cyclists. The dogs are a red herring though.

Is it my choice to go shopping? Should my shopping choices be dictated by cyclists too?

Why is my wish to stay safe not as important as theirs?

The point is cyclists can't stop, easily or comfortably ( I don't know which is the problem).

I haven't ridden regularly for some years, but I think bikes are designed for going smoothly in a straight line - not for coming off the saddle, putting feet down and balancing. Presumably, if you ride slowly enough on the canal path, to make it comfortable for pedestrians, your wheel catches and you don't get very far .

That's why bikes should have their own dedicated cycle paths and not share with pedestrians.

Are you telling me that a five-year old should be expected to know which way to jump when a bike comes up fast behind, and mum is busy steering the pram? I don't think so. What about a big dog? He,/she has got to know to stand still and not twist about on the lead across a small breadth of path.

Pedestrians and cyclists should not be arguing amongst themselves and vying for space on the scraps the authorities deign to let us use 🙄. Cars need to be treated with disdain THEY are the problem.

Actually when I go out cycling with my small group of fellow women cyclists we get loads of lovely encouragement from drivers - all women our age of the “good for you nearly there” as we struggle up hills variety! That’s really nice

We'll, a lot has to change before bikes take over from cars. There have to be rules and bikes have to follow them. Here we are having a discussion about cyclist ringing the bell and powering ahead, when surely, on a pathway which pedestrians use, bikes should give precedence to those who are more vulnerable, by being on foot..

A zebra crossing is no longer where a pedestrian can see the green light and cross without having to look around in fear. Where I live, cyclists transect it when pedestrians are walking across. The rules are unofficially changing, and nobody is telling us.

The change is happening and quite fast. Our small city and the larger city next to it already banned certain vehicles from the centre. You can see what will happen next - car ban. Scooters everywhere and people using them regularly. Cases being won in court on behalf of children killed by car fumes so councils will be properly liable. Impact of individual car use unsustainable. It’s really happening. I already feel guilty when I use the car for short journeys.

People are happy to accept bad and dangerous behaviour of motorists as just that, an individual's actions and choices, because they drive a car themselves and see driving as a 'normal' activity lots of people do. But when it come's to people on bikes, it's all the usual drivel, because they don't ride a bike themselves or see it as a valid activity they would do

Excellent point. It's also why bad drivers get comparatively light sentences for killing and injuring people.

I don't own a car and love bus travel and walking.

Bikes are not a realistic replacement for cars in all situations. I live on a mountain. 11km of bends up/down to my village. The only cyclists we encounter on the road are groups of MAMILs. They deliberately ride 2 or 3 abreast and it’s impossible to safely overtake them for kilometres of bends.

In spring a group of 4 who were blocking the road, were overtaken by a motorcycle, who got too close, fell off and took two of the cyclists with him over the edge. All were fine in the end, but the biker had to be airlifted to Lausanne. I know this as my DH was on call with the fire service and attended the scene.

There are many more near-misses caused by these absolute bellends, so much so that there are signs on the route instructing cyclists to keep right, in single file. But they continue regardless, in their pathetic delusions that they’re Bradley Wiggens. All the while putting other road users at risk. They deserve everything they get.

Agree. It’s like instinctively car is the “default” and “normal” and accepted bad actions excused. One car driver behaving badly doesn’t extend to judgement on all of them. Why is that? If an alien came down they would be baffled as car driving is obviously problematic for loads of different reasons. I drive myself so no moral high ground.

Agree with lockdownmadness not the tedious cycle bashing of the other post.

It’s not as simple as people accepting bad driving.

Cars have always have their spaces and the rules and pedestrians are clear about those.

Cyclists take over pedestrian spaces and the rules are either foggy or not being followed.This is why you have resentment and unhappiness at cyclists from pedestrians.

It’s not as simple as cycling good, driving bad and walkers defer to all.