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.

I was with you that cyclists definitely need to be considerate of the conditions, until you asked if you were AIBU about them being licensed. We need to encourage more people out of cars and onto bikes, not deter them.

Please don't lump all cyclists together like that. It perpetuates the aggression cyclists receive on the road and that is dangerous. I am scared that one day I will be seriously injured or killed on the roads, by a driver who think that cyclists are all "lycra clad idiots" and don't deserve to be on the road. but I cycle because I love the freedom and I also replace some car journeys with cycling.

I cycle, I wear lycra, i would never behave like the cyclists you describe. I am a nice person, and I give space and am courteous to ALL other road/path users. I also drive. My husband cycles, he wears lycra, he is also a nice person and treats other road users appropriately, he wouldn't cycle on a path like that. He drives too.

In terms of licensing, I dont disagree in theory. but I think that we should be encouraging as many people as possible to cycle to reduce our usage of cars and licensing would likely decrease the numbers willing to cycle. I also wonder if then horse riders should be licensed to go on the road/paths? and if cyclists should be licensed to cycle on paths, then should pedestrians also be licensed?

@IveGotASongThatllGetOnYNerves

They were selfish and careless. There are twats everywhere. Some are on foot, some on bikes, some in cars, vans, buses...

Lots of people are just selfish and don't seem to give a shit about how to use shared space considerately

Yes this! Being a cyclist doesn’t make you right . And as there are more and more shared spaces the twats are coming out in full force protected by the argument ‘we’re better than cars so we can do what we like’

Cyclist safety is consistently hammered into drivers but where’s the same for pedestrians into cyclists?

@lastqueenofscotland

Someone I worked with years ago was left wheelchair bound by a cyclist running a red light. I agree about them on canal paths. I think paths that are designed to be shared with walkers and cyclists should have some sort of speed limit, most people on bikes on them are fine but people zipping down them on a £2k boardman ljke they are on a road is not ok.

I'm frequently overtaken by cyclists when I am driving at the (20mph) on the road - if they don't obey the limit on the roads, what is the point of imposing a limit on a towpath?

I like walking along the local canal, but like you OP I was having to stop every few metres because cyclists were coming through from behind me, not slowing down but dinging their bells loudly.
So I would have to make a choice whether to jump into the canal or the long grass with the dog poo in.

@TractorAndHeadphones you are my new favourite person in the world 😂

YANBU

Where are cyclists actually meant to cycle? There are very very few cycle paths that arent shared use around me. According to mumsnet they shouldn't be on the road, pavement (agree with this), now mixed use paths is out.

It never helps further the discussion by having such an immature attitude and calling everyone who uses a particular mode of transport "twats". As PP have said, there are selfish, poor road users using all modes of transport. At the moment, there is no way for pedestrians or cyclists who behave badly to be traced and fined because nobody has yet come up with a workable scheme to hold these two groups of users accountable. We can of course now add illegal e-scooter riders into that mix.

@NewPapaGuinea

I was with you that cyclists definitely need to be considerate of the conditions, until you asked if you were AIBU about them being licensed. We need to encourage more people out of cars and onto bikes, not deter them.

Given that a car license is harder people aren’t going to use cars as an alternative to cycling if both require a license. They would take public transport which is the ideal option.

OP ultimately everyone is allowed to use the canal. When I am running, I find cyclists and dog walkers annoying. When I am walking, I find cyclists and runners annoying. Nobody has more right to be there than anyone else, you just have to be considerate and make room.

Actually I don't like it when cyclists "bell" me, it sounds very imperious and "get our of the way". On Sunday morning I was running along my local canal towpath (on a reasonably wide stretch) and I heard a bell. I was already well over to the left but the cyclist slowed right down behind me. I did ask him how much space he thought he needed to go by. So you see - slow cyclists can be as annoying as fast ones!

As for behaviour you've obviously not seen me walking! When people were moaning about "virus shedding joggers" during the lockdowns and saying they shouldn't be out, I wondered what they would make of me as I walk faster than some "joggers". There is nothing wrong with rushing about - your "right" to walk slowly along the canal is no greater than someone else's "right" to walk or cycle quickly along it.

And cars are a thousand times worse than cyclists! Yes you get the very occasional incident where a cyclist kills a pedestrian but they are make the news precisely because they are so rare. Drivers on the other hand kill at least one person in the UK every day. I think it's about 2000 people a year die on the roads?

Also to add if they already have a car license a cycle one shouldn’t be an issue. Since the latter is harder.

“Also cars don’t slow anybody down on a commute” This is one of the most insane things I’ve ever read. Who do you suppose causes the miles of traffic jams around towns and on motorways?

*the former

@TractorAndHeadphones cars don't slow anyone down on a commute? what causes traffic jams then? cars are literally the biggest cause of slowing people down on commutes!

I used to cycle to my office when I lived in a city, I caused less disruption that the cars and buses on the roads. I also don't pollute the air like they do.

[quote OldSpeclkledHen]@TractorAndHeadphones you are my new favourite person in the world 😂

YANBU[/quote]
Hahaha thank you!

While I completely understand how annoying your walk must have been, saying that bad cyclists get a pass is a nonsensical statement. Just look at the thread, which is designed to say that cyclists in general pose a problem. Bad drivers get a pass to a great extent, to the extent that we design roads specifically to compensate for poor (ie not excellent) driving, to minimise accidents and to enable people to drive at a certain speed to get to places.

Cyclists don't slow down commutes, it's the masses of other cars that do. You don't have enough bicycles on the road to actually slow a car commute in any meaningful way. And the attitude displayed towarsd people cycling sensibly on the road brings me to my second point:

Ask yourself why people cycle along the path at all. Is it a "friendly stroll around" sort of path only or is it the quickest way from a to b, on a path that also gets you off the main road where car drivers are angry at you for "slowing their commute"? If cycling is permitted on the path, maybe the latter is why people are using it at "speed" (tends to be nothing more than about 15-20 kph in my experience but it feels bloody fast when they swish by you walking). Where I live (Sweden, admittedly) many recommended bicycle paths, ie the ones that are marked on maps as designated for actual travel from a to b, are shared with pedestrians and not wide enough for both to use in a normal manner (like you say, walking beside each other). This is a particular bug bear of mine, as a cyclist. I would argue that the anger should be focused on why pedestrians and cyclists are forced to share narrow unsuitable paths. Maybe your canal path needs to be pedestrian only? Maybe it needs to be widened to accomodate both in a more suitable fashion?

I find it more helpful than stewing about people being twats. If we've managed to build car roads for X years under the assumption that people are twats and we need to make sure our roads are as safe as possible so even twats can't fuck things up too badly, then surely we could apply this to bicycles.

Also cars don’t slow anybody down on a commute

Is it a joke?

@DrinkFeckArseBrick

Where are cyclists actually meant to cycle? There are very very few cycle paths that arent shared use around me. According to mumsnet they shouldn't be on the road, pavement (agree with this), now mixed use paths is out.

Well quite. Drivers have more rights because they pay "road tax" (or not, in my case as I have a hybrid car - I don't pay VED!) and dog walkers have more rights because they have a "fur baby". Heaven forbid that a cyclist rides anywhere.

@WhyOWhyOh

Don't get me started on them riding two or even more abreast on a road 😡😡😡

It's much easier to overtake them when they do this, than when there's a group riding single file.

I don't disagree with you that all cyclists should do some sort of cycling proficiency - my son did bikeability at school and it should be compulsory unless you have SN and can't actually cycle. It would make people better drivers because they'd understand cycling more.

[quote lochmaree]@TractorAndHeadphones cars don't slow anyone down on a commute? what causes traffic jams then? cars are literally the biggest cause of slowing people down on commutes!

I used to cycle to my office when I lived in a city, I caused less disruption that the cars and buses on the roads. I also don't pollute the air like they do.[/quote]
On a road with no cycle paths - vehicles slow people down on commutes. Because a cyclist would slow cars down more than a car .

If the road has cycle paths then the argument is moot and everyone is happy but then there’s nothing to discuss.

@WhyOWhyOh

Don't get me started on them riding two or even more abreast on a road 😡😡😡

They are supposed to ride two abreast on the road.

It's just like overtaking a car. If you can't manage that, you shouldn't be driving.

Even single file cyclists you should give a cars width to when overtaking.

For clarity, I neither cycle nor drive (at the moment).

There's no problem with bikes going two abreast. It makes you go into the opposite carriageway to overtake them - which is what you are meant to do anyway, not do a close pass and nearly hit an oncoming car to boot.

In fact if just one person takes that from this thread, the OP will have achieved something (not what she expected!)

Whether you like it or not, cycling have has much right as you to be there. I'm both a keen walker and cyclist and have experienced idiots cyclist and walkers. Cyclists who indeed go much too fast and consider walkers are goalposts to cycle around. However, I have much more often issues with walkers when I cycle at a reasonable speed. Walkers who think they own the road, and are either startled as you approach them because they are so engrossed in their conversation, they miss all signals that you are getting close and should move to make ways, or those who make a point of not moving until the last second because they are pissed of you are encroaching on their peaceful walk and want to let you know.

I rarely walk now in places I have to shared with cycling, unless on my own and therefore alert. I also try to avoid it as a cyclist, but one part to go home involves a shared path. I dread it every time. I won't even mention the dog walkers!

@Sparklingbrook

I like walking along the local canal, but like you OP I was having to stop every few metres because cyclists were coming through from behind me, not slowing down but dinging their bells loudly. So I would have to make a choice whether to jump into the canal or the long grass with the dog poo in.

Finally someone who understands! I have made all my points through judicious replies. However I’m sure in true MN style plenty of people will be piling on to repeat the same points without having read all of my posts, talking about points that I’ve already covered (that’s it’s to do with behaviour rather than impact etc).

FWIW I think the best solution is better public transport and better designed roads. However as letters to my MP etc haven’t had the desired effect here I am ranting 😎