To wonder why some people are twats towards cyclists

[Apacheshadows]

I’ve lost count of the number of times a car has driven past me and people (usually grown men) have screamed/shrieked at me out of their window, shouted obscenities etc.
Beeped at and then they drive on laughing
Today I had a teenage boy deliberately try and jump in front of my path on a road, this isn’t the first time someone has done that.
I had another teenager try to intimidate me by pulling out in front of me on his own bike, forcing me to quickly swerve

It’s putting me off cycling really, there are some absolute pricks out there.

Also, the number of people who have to comment on how small the bike is. It’s not one of the mini fold up bikes or a children’s one, it’s a bit smaller than average but suits me fine, but people have to comment on it constantly which is weird.

Anyone else had this when cycling? I’m responsible, use lights and wear a high vis and go slowly

[quote Workinghardeveryday]@Lockheart that made me laugh even when having a shit day - I often see a line of pedestrians walking into town on a busy road 😂[/quote]
I don't know which post you're referring to, but before I learnt to drive I would often walk into town from my village - there were no buses.

@DdraigGoch

A ringing bell means only one thing - get out of my way.

Actually when I use mine it more often than not means "be aware that I'm about to pass, please carry on as you are, but don't make any sudden changes of direction."

Me too, and I've never had anything but thanks from pedestrians for using the bell. Happily, the path I use is wide and not that crowded so unless someone is being a massive twonk there's no need for unpleasantness

@SusieBob - now come on 😂. I cycle, but I don’t hold up all the traffic like I own the road because ‘I have a bike’ - because I am considerate, not entitled and not rude

[quote Workinghardeveryday]@SusieBob - now come on 😂. I cycle, but I don’t hold up all the traffic like I own the road because ‘I have a bike’ - because I am considerate, not entitled and not rude[/quote]
But as long as you're actually making progress and not dicking about with your shoelaces or somesuch, you're not blocking the road, you're using it. It's nice of you to let faster traffic past to be sure, but you're not blocking the road by using it for it's intended purpose!

I'm not a twat towards cyclists. In fact I envy them, I love cycling my bike but am too scared to cycle on the road and haven't been out on it in ages and have gained so much weight I'm embarrassed to be seen on it. I wish I could go out and about on my bike as I pleased. When I see a cyclist, the main thing that enters my head is making sure I give them plenty of space. Once in a while I will get impatient in my head if I'm in a hurry and have to wait to give them space but that's my problem not theirs.

Of course yanbu. The hostility is getting insane. Last week my partner was dragged from his bike by a driver who chased after him (after already trying to run him over) because my partner had said “I’ve every right to cycle on this road” when the driver angrily beeped him. His clothes were ripped and he was slammed into a wall. Luckily, he yelled help loudly enough for people to notice and the driver ran off.

A few months ago, a driver pulled out of a side road, nearly hitting me and my kids. I yelled WATCH OUT at him. He then drove on the wrong side of the road next to us for some time, beeping, yelling, swerving at us etc, all while his young son was in his car and my kids were terrified on our bike.

I reported it, with a number plate and photo; never heard anything.

@wtftodo

Of course yanbu. The hostility is getting insane. Last week my partner was dragged from his bike by a driver who chased after him (after already trying to run him over) because my partner had said “I’ve every right to cycle on this road” when the driver angrily beeped him. His clothes were ripped and he was slammed into a wall. Luckily, he yelled help loudly enough for people to notice and the driver ran off.

A few months ago, a driver pulled out of a side road, nearly hitting me and my kids. I yelled WATCH OUT at him. He then drove on the wrong side of the road next to us for some time, beeping, yelling, swerving at us etc, all while his young son was in his car and my kids were terrified on our bike.

I reported it, with a number plate and photo; never heard anything.

Oh dear

Yep, cyclists don't get protection from the law, leastways where I live.

There was a bloke who rode a recumbent around here for years. Killed in a collision. No charges brought to my knowledge.

A women in DW's cycling club: killed in the early morning in a collision with a courier can. No witnesses other than him, and he wasn't talking (and wasn't charged)

Motorist who took a blind corner, while texting on her phone and ran into a peloton. Two dead. She got community service.

On the other side of town, motorist tried to overtake a peloton in the face of oncoming traffic and cut in. At least two dead. He got prison, but was out in 6 months and charged again with another traffic infringement.

Another person DW knows came to lying in a country road. She might have hit an animal, but I really do wonder.

My partner was on his way to work one morning in traffic and a cyclist came up on the inside cycle lane. The guy hit the top of the car with his fist and then fell off his bike.
He stopped the car and got out to help and the cyclist said he had straddled the lane and it was his fault he fell off the bike.
He looked at his car and the wheels were on the line but not on the cycle side.
They exchanged numbers and he went to work.
After work he phoned the guy who said there was £50 of damage to the bike.
He went to his house and gave him the £50.
Then the guy said his neck was hurting.............

When he came home he told me he thought he had just been had but he paid the £50 because he is a decent person.

Sometimes I pass cyclists in groups on the road or in twos. They block the road up causing traffic jams.

Then they wonder why people get angry

@Anordinarymum

My partner was on his way to work one morning in traffic and a cyclist came up on the inside cycle lane. The guy hit the top of the car with his fist and then fell off his bike. He stopped the car and got out to help and the cyclist said he had straddled the lane and it was his fault he fell off the bike. He looked at his car and the wheels were on the line but not on the cycle side. They exchanged numbers and he went to work. After work he phoned the guy who said there was £50 of damage to the bike. He went to his house and gave him the £50. Then the guy said his neck was hurting.............

When he came home he told me he thought he had just been had but he paid the £50 because he is a decent person.

Sometimes I pass cyclists in groups on the road or in twos. They block the road up causing traffic jams.

Then they wonder why people get angry

It sounds like what you had was a fraudster, and they are best dealt with under the category 'fraudster' rather than 'cyclist'.

On the other hand, if your DP's wheels are on the line his car would have been impinging on the bike lane considerably, and he could actually have knocked the bloke off.

I got knocked off when a car turned across the bike lane. I slammed on the brakes, F the only thing that got damaged was my wheel (bent beyond use). The motorist initially tried to say it was my fault. I think she was in shock, because she talked herself round without my saying a word. She was very decent and gave me the cost of a new wheel.

The next day, when I was off to the shop to get the replacement, I was walking down the road holding my bent wheel, when a car passed me and someone shouted "HA HA HAHA!!!".

Nice. At least it wasn't my leg that got mangled.

It's about time "car tax" was rebranded to stop this idea that if you pay it, you have more right to be on the road than anyone else. The money goes into a central fund which pays for lots of things including the upkeep of roads. Similarly, income tax also goes towards upkeep of the roads.

Does this mean when I have previously paid higher income tax I have more right to horse ride on the road than when paid £150 a year vehicle tax? No, of course it doesn't. We all have equal right and really ought to stop behaving like intolerant cunts to each other tbh.

@Vates

I don't drive and absolutely hate cyclists with a passion. I always wait at pedestrian crossings....100% of cyclists do not. From fucking basket on their front bars like a kiddie bike middle aged women to in full cycling gear fit blokes!

This 100%

@Workinghardeveryday

It’s emissions tax, you only pay for any vehicle on the highway if you pollute, therefore electric cars and bikes don’t get charged, the more you pollute the more the tax is paid - so it’s a choice as to whether you pay

Just don’t hold back a stream of traffic behind you whilst cycling side by side!! If nothing else is just rude!!!!

I’m all for drivers commuting to work, but don’t leave 4 empty seats in your car & complain about cyclists riding 2 abreast. The only thing stopping you overtake is drivers with empty seat travelling in the opposite lane

These drivers are holding themselves up,

Bus driver here. No issues with cyclists. Most will move and wave me past when they see I’ve kept a good distance between my huge vehicle and them and not attempted to pass. Even got a commendation from one a few years ago, he rang in and gave my vehicle number to praise me which was lovely! I find a huge number of car drivers to absolute bellends who think they’re fabulous at driving and generally cause everyone who isn’t a prick around them to have to be extra vigilant due to their shit driving. I’m all for keeping fit too (gym every day for me) and it’s nice to see someone out exercising instead of looking like they’re wearing their car as a jumper, chucking McDonald’s rubbish out of the window. A colleague of mine was utterly traumatised after a car driver threw her door open hitting a cyclist hard enough to send him veering across the road and under his bus. Poor cyclist was killed instantly. Colleague had to be coaxed by paramedics to stop clutching the man to his chest, sobbing and pleading with him to wake up. Car driver? Pissed off straight away. Plenty of witnesses but nobody got the registration (focused on the bus/cyclist). I’m extra careful around cyclists. That’s a human being on there.

@Vates

I don't drive and absolutely hate cyclists with a passion. I always wait at pedestrian crossings....100% of cyclists do not. From fucking basket on their front bars like a kiddie bike middle aged women to in full cycling gear fit blokes!

I cycled to work in the pouring rain the other day. A woman was waiting to cross at a zebra crossing. I stopped for her. The two cars behind me did not, both continued on their way nice and dry in their cars whilst the pedestrian and I got wetter

It always confuses me how car drivers can't see that cars cause traffic jams far more than cyclists.

Oh, and I have a fucking basket on my bike like a kiddie bike. It’s very useful for shopping

Blue shoes and vate, so much hatred and bigotry, it's a dangerous state to be in behind the wheel. You'll hurt someone

It always confuses me how car drivers can't see that cars cause traffic jams far more than cyclists

they don't want to, other drivers holding them up and they are all traffic - would mean admitting that they themselves are also holding everyone up. Drivers don't see themselves as traffic its other drivers and highway users that are traffic

Take for example a driver not being able to overtake a solo cyclist on an A road - the actual cause of the hold up is their inability to overtake due to other cars travelling on the other side of the road, preventing an overtake. They never without fail blame the other drivers it is always the cyclist preventing the overtake. In their mind the cyclist is different whereas the other drivers are the same as them - so they don't want to blame similar they blame different

As a driver i am happy for cyclists to go ahead of me by jumping red lights at junctions and crossings if it is safe to do so because then I don't have to worry about them as I pull off.

When driving wish I had a signal to tell cyclists I am not angry or impatient and to take as long as they need going up the hill!

This thread made me laugh tbh.

If anyone wanted to prove the entitlement of both drivers and cyclists, they wouldn’t have done it any other way.

@ivykaty44, if I was you I’d avoid saying that if people can’t overtake on A road a single cyclist, it’s because they don’t know how to drive.
For the simple reason that drivers already overtake in stupid situation with no visibility, car coming etc… and I don’t think you want to encourage more of that.
As a cyclist, I think you are shooting yourself in the foot by encouraging that sort if behaviour.

PerfectlyUnsuitable where did I say I don't know how to drive?

So what is vehicle tax paying for then?

I suppose that you could say that it pays for dealing with the public health consequences of all of that pollution you chuck out. Strictly speaking though it just gets rolled into general taxation along with income tax and alcohol duty.