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 like to walk and cycle but both can be a pain when it's mixed space, they need to be more designated.

I don't think cyclists should be allowed on narrow canal paths or pedestrianised places in general.

@WhyOWhyOh

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

Yes, fancy them doing the correct thing to make over taking safer and easier for you...

Towpaths are meant to be enjoyed slowly? What nonsense. Yabu.

Lockdownmadness, I'm not sure why your course is more 'precious' than anyone else's. Aren't you being a bit stubborn yourself. As a pedestrian I am happy to step out of someone's way, if they are running, it seems a bit petty not to

@coachmylife

I HATE HATE HATE shared use paths. When I bike i totally detest them - so slow, uncertain, stressful - toddlers, dogs, everything. I go slow slow slow, and everyone still hates me. When I walk I hate them too - silent bikes, which even when going slowly surprise me and mean I can’t wander about. Shared use paths benefit just one group - drivers - as they lump all the non motorised together and keep them off the roads. Bikes need proper space, not to be mixed w pedestrians. Shared space really stinks.

Yep. But it's a country built for the motorcar.

Try living IN an Olympic cycling route. Hell at the weekends and now some of the family dodgers cyclists are out in the week because they are supposedly WFH

The ignorance, arrogance and reckless behaviour of some is jaw dropping. I really believe that time trialing should be illegal on our roads. Racing is so dangerous, the cyclists have tunnel vision and would rather beat the clock than behave responsibly. And you can be on the same country road for miles before you can pass as they just will not move out of the way

I stand by my points about needing to hold them to the same standards as car drivers though w.r.t consideration for other road users

Do you not understand the irony of this comment?

Generally courtesy works both ways. If you are refusing to part hands with your partner to give cyclists a bit of room then you are not going to be shown much courtesy in return.

I suggest accepting that not giving an inch will mean you get passed very closely or find somewhere also to walk. To you it might be a romantic stroll but to others it is only a way of getting from point A to point B.

YANBU. It really annoys me too.
My friend (who is a keen cyclist) told me this story about a friend of his which will cheer you up. A friend of his (along with another cyclist friend) were whizzing down out local canal towpath and came behind someone. The cyclist rang his bell but didn’t slow down. Unfortunately the pedestrian was wearing headphones and didn’t hear his bell. Because the cyclist was going so fast he ended up falling into the canal but worse still, his feet were locked onto the pedals so he literally sank except that his other friend jumped in and saved him. I’ve no pity for him as these people annoy the shit out of me and are a danger to others. Usually men too.

I used to run I don’t really know what I was supposed to do in terms of making people aware I wanted to get past. Shouting “on your left!” Or “excuse me” when you were getting close felt rude but accidentally sneaking up behind someone who wasn’t paying attention was also rude.

This thread has got ridiculous as these threads always do.

I'm a cyclist. I cycle on the road and I cycle on cycle paths and shared use paths. If I'm cycling on shared use paths I slow right down to pass any walkers, particularly those I'm approaching from behind, and give them the widest berth possible. It's just an obvious courtesy to do this. I've had the experience of being passed at speed by cyclists on narrow canal paths and it is a really unpleasant and scary experience - and I'm an able bodied, relatively young person.

The poster doesn't say she wants the path to herself. She just doesn't appreciate cyclists travelling inappropriately fast and expecting you to step onto grass or mud
If the path is so tight that only a cyclist can fit, of course the walker as to step on the grass, the same they would do on a narrow road with cars driving past. Cyclists will appear to be at speed when you only notice them at the last second, but I do agree, some do go too fast.

The point is that there are selfish cyclists, but idiot walkers too and my experience is that despite walking more than cycling, I do experience more of the latter, and I never cycle fast at all.

@flowerlass

Not to mention, even if I'm to one side, some cyclists are riding on the other side and still seem to think I should step aside so they don't have to change their precious course

Perhaps try walking on the left then. You will find people stop heading towards you.

Where did I say which side I walk on? Or, put another way, why do you say I'm not walking on the left?

@JessieJo15

I stand by my points about needing to hold them to the same standards as car drivers though w.r.t consideration for other road users

Do you not understand the irony of this comment?

Generally courtesy works both ways. If you are refusing to part hands with your partner to give cyclists a bit of room then you are not going to be shown much courtesy in return.

I suggest accepting that not giving an inch will mean you get passed very closely or find somewhere also to walk. To you it might be a romantic stroll but to others it is only a way of getting from point A to point B.

Also just a thought - what’s so wrong with making cyclists take at least a course on safe riding before allowing them to ride? Surely a license could just mean that you’ve done the course? They could do it with the purchase of a new bike but secondhand bikes would bypass that.

Please don't lump all cyclists together like that

Funny how many posters are up in arms about cyclists, Isn’t the exact same language used to describe other groups - men are like this, Muslims are like that, immigrants are like this, trans are like that, etc etc.

Everyone knows OP doesn’t mean all cyclists, so those getting offended at OP’s post need to relax just a bit!

Oops sorry @JessieJo15 I didn’t mean to reply to your post.
If you read all of my posts you will see that the reply to yours is already there.

@MsHedgehog

Please don't lump all cyclists together like that

Funny how many posters are up in arms about cyclists, Isn’t the exact same language used to describe other groups - men are like this, Muslims are like that, immigrants are like this, trans are like that, etc etc.

Everyone knows OP doesn’t mean all cyclists, so those getting offended at OP’s post need to relax just a bit!

TBF I did type ‘cyclists are twats’ but I’ve since posted a correction. Thanks for defending me though it’s amazing how lots of people jump on word choice etc while ignoring the real issue. That while cars, lorries etc are held to some sort of standard cyclists are not.

I voted YABU because your specific question was whether ‘cyclists are twats and should be licensed’, which I don’t agree with, but YANBU to be annoyed by this at all. I’d expect any cyclist sharing a route with pedestrians to ride very considerately and to politely make their presence known, not whizz past and demand that you jump out of their way.

I actually had a similar experience not long ago except it was joggers, not cyclists. We walked along a disused railway line on a Sunday morning and it was absolutely rammed with joggers. Not kidding, literally every 30 seconds another one would come charging past and it was a very narrow path so I kept having to jump into mud or up onto banks to avoid them. I’m a jogger myself but if I’m passing pedestrians I always give them a wide berth or slow down and walk behind them until I can safely pass.

The problem is rude inconsiderate people, not cyclists in general.

@Curioushorse

We live in a scenic(ish) area, with good roads. It's a nightmare at the weekend. They ride in packs and actually look out for pedestrians crossing the road less than cars do- and that's significant because it's bendy roads, where people do cross (it's a village) and the bikes don't make a loud noise.

Also they block the roads, riding together, the width of a car- but obviously not as fast as a car. If you get caught behind a group on our twisty roads, they often don't separate out so you can get past, so you're stuck, going at whatever speed they're peddling at, for miles.

They are very unpopular here.

If the road is only the width of one car, there is not sufficient to pass a single file cyclist safely (Or a horse) You should give them 1.5m of space. If the road is single track, you will need to wait until there is space to pass with 1.5m between you.

Riding two abreast is advised for large groups of cyclists - it is safer because when you do get to a double track road, you spend much less time on the wrong side of the road passing them. It is much safer to pass a compact group of ten cyclists riding two abreast - and taking up about as much room as a single car - than it is to pass ten single file cyclists strung out in a line.

Also the same for groups of horse riders - plus you might put the more vulnerable rider on the inside for protection.

Please review the highway code before driving again.

Alot of the language does imply 'all' cyclists. A pp upthread said they 'never' stop at pedestrian crossings, the 'majority' are twats. Some one else said they hate 'all' lycra clad cyclists. It's the language of bigotry.

Haha op, 'lorries are held to some kind of standard'?! What those left turning ones that plough over cyclists

@Macncheeseballs

Thats annoying but not all cyclists are bad, some are considerate, bad drivers are worse because bad driving can kill

Bad cycling can also kill. On my local Facebook page someone posted about their 5 year old with life changing injuries because they'd been mowed down by a bike.

It boggles my mind cyclists are allowed on roads with cars when most of them don't even know the Highway Code let alone follow it. They should be licensed and taxed.

@TractorAndHeadphones do kids still do cycling proficiency at school? If so then most people in U.K. have already done a course in cycling safely. To impose another one would need to be proportional. There are 400 pedestrians killed in U.K. every year and on average 2 of them involve a bike. Reducing the number of cars on the road by making cycling MORE accessible not less is the best way to reduce that number further. And that’s before you take into account number of cyclists killed by drivers.

@FirewomanSam

I voted YABU because your specific question was whether ‘cyclists are twats and should be licensed’, which I don’t agree with, but YANBU to be annoyed by this at all. I’d expect any cyclist sharing a route with pedestrians to ride very considerately and to politely make their presence known, not whizz past and demand that you jump out of their way.

I actually had a similar experience not long ago except it was joggers, not cyclists. We walked along a disused railway line on a Sunday morning and it was absolutely rammed with joggers. Not kidding, literally every 30 seconds another one would come charging past and it was a very narrow path so I kept having to jump into mud or up onto banks to avoid them. I’m a jogger myself but if I’m passing pedestrians I always give them a wide berth or slow down and walk behind them until I can safely pass.

The problem is rude inconsiderate people, not cyclists in general.

Haha that’s fair enough. I’m a jogger too and if I want to jog uninterrupted I deliberately choose a quiet place or use a treadmill. If the path is very narrow nobody has right of way, I don’t dither on narrow paths but I wouldn’t expect people at a normal walking pace to hurry up or squish into the trees so I can jog. The world is big and there’s plenty of space elsewhere…

The problem is rude inconsiderate people, not cyclists in general

This with bells on.

This thread is a case of inconsiderate walkers refusing to part hands meet inconsiderate cyclists refusing to slow down.

I commute on a shared use path called a cycle path but used by pedestrians. Cycle slowly and carefully and even so get fucking tutted at by elderly walkers for what - daring to exist?! Drivers are equally bad. You literally can’t win as a cyclist.

Would recommend it as a sport tho I’ve lost 2 stone.