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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

9hrs is all it took!

770 replies

Finallylostit · 29/01/2022 10:45

The new highway code to cause anger!

I went for my morning cycle - no issues did nothing different than I normally do.

Home, shower, jump in car to get food shopping. I live down a country road - wide enough for 2 cars to pass with care, wide enough for a car to over take a cyclist sticking to the left of the lane, with the required space at certain points. Locals all know the places to do it safely.

Today 1 cyclist riding down the middle of the lane - now unsafe for car to pull over to other lane and pass - brilliant

Was he considerate of other road users and pulled over- no.

As on the other side were 8 riders riding two abreast high fiving each other and doing the finger to the motorists. Shouting its the law twats!
Were they considerate of other road users no.

Some of the new laws i think are sensible -
but the ride in the middle of the road, even if there is a cycle lane because you don't feel like it - is asinine

2 abreast packs of mamils hunting on weekends as they venture out of London - when they are generally rude enough as it is - gives those cyclists who are arseholes a legal right to now be an arsehole.

Be considerate and pull over to let cars and vans pass -
that is as likely as Downing Street not having another party in a lockdown!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
10
OneTC · 30/01/2022 18:56

The cyclist is merely a guest on the road

/Facepalm

OneTC · 30/01/2022 18:58

I feel that the whole rollout of the new guidlelines has been abysmal - almost like pitting cyclists against car drivers from the off.

The press are directly responsible for ramping this up, telling people they're getting fined for opening a door with the wrong grand and other made up shit.

*It's been against the law to open a door on a cyclist for a very long time

SilkLabrador · 30/01/2022 19:00

Why the f*ck they haven't made hi-viz mandatory I do not know.

I'm a horse rider and I make myself as visible as possible. I try and be as thoughtful as possible as no one wants to sit behind a slow horse but I can't see that this change is going to help unless I ride with a helmet cam?

Also, hi-viz. On horseback helmets aren't even mandatory after the age of 14!

Tzimi · 30/01/2022 19:01

@RJnomore1

Also let’s get rid of the cycle lakes now as they’re obviously not needed.
Good point, there will be more road for everyone to use!
Benjispruce5 · 30/01/2022 19:01

Most cyclists are also motorists.

Pat123dev · 30/01/2022 19:11

Im not bothered on cyclists on the road, but I think cyclists should be made to pass a test before riding on the road. Some are so incompetent it's scary.

anon666 · 30/01/2022 19:13

My daughter got verbally abused by a driver for cycling in the central position while out cycling on a 20 mph road.

Unfortunately she was so traumatised she won't go out again and hasn't been cycling since.

I think it's time car drivers (of which I am one) learned they are no longer "King of the road" and respected both cyclists and pedestrians more.

It's a cultural change that's long overdue, in this overcrowded polluted country.

jgw1 · 30/01/2022 19:16

@Pat123dev

Im not bothered on cyclists on the road, but I think cyclists should be made to pass a test before riding on the road. Some are so incompetent it's scary.
Given the general level of competence of motorists I am not sure a test is a good solution.
angela99999 · 30/01/2022 19:19

@Finallylostit

I get it in certain places particularly when some cyclist have poor lights and dark clothing - they merge into the hedges but I fear this is going to be everywhere and at all times.

When I moved here - cyclists were rare on the roads - now the weekend is the London Mamil Packs everywhere - my morning drive to the train takes 10 minutes ( all up hill!) same drive at weekend takes 20+ if I get stuck

But cyclists legally shouldn't have poor lights and should surely be more sensible about wearing dark clothing at night.
Many of London's roads are already clogged by traffic because of the disruption caused by new cycle lanes. This is due to lack of forethought about their necessity, positioning, construction and (often) their later removal. We live in Greater London and are dreading the chaos that will ensue on mini roundabouts when pedestrians regard the entrance to every sideroad as a pedestrian crossing.
Benjispruce5 · 30/01/2022 19:20

@anon666 I agree but how will people find out? I didn’t know until I read this thread and googled.

OneTC · 30/01/2022 19:22

@Benjispruce5

Possibly because I ride alot but my news feeds have been full of it. It's been talked about on the radio, it's been on BBC news sites. It's been causing controversy with the way some papers have been reporting it which has been creating news stories of its own

OneTC · 30/01/2022 19:24

Oh and my local residents group on FB have all been going raggo over it

Also find it funny that people think that anger at cyclists might be a new thing Grin there's an anti cyclist rant on here at least 3 times a week since forever

FizzingGently · 30/01/2022 19:26

Out for a walk on the country lanes today, hordes of cyclists tanking about showing zero respect for pedestrians, motorists and hose riders.

Huge group of cyclists came up behind and passed 2 horse riders at the same time as a car coming round the corner in the opposite direction.
Barely any space between cyclists and horses.
Luckily the horses weren’t spooked.
Horses nearly ended up in the ditch and if it hadn’t been for the motorist going slowly and stopping, there would have been a horrible collision.
As it was, my friend and I had to jump into the verge.

In my experience, cyclists are the most inconsiderate road users of all.

Benjispruce5 · 30/01/2022 19:26

@OneTC I have the Guardian app and haven’t seen anything . It’s all Boris, Sue Gray and Ukraine.
Surely they can’t rely on a chance hearing on TV? There needs to be a mail drop or public service broadcast surely.

jenkel · 30/01/2022 19:28

@Pat123dev

Im not bothered on cyclists on the road, but I think cyclists should be made to pass a test before riding on the road. Some are so incompetent it's scary.
I agree, anyway can cycle on the road without even reading the highway code. At least motorists have to pass a test so at some stage that were taught or understood the Highway Code.
jenkel · 30/01/2022 19:30

@Benjispruce5

Most cyclists are also motorists.
Not the kids
Octomore · 30/01/2022 19:30

[quote TameDucksAtChatsworth]@heartonthetyne.

The cyclist is merely a guest on the road. He may have the legal right but morally, he is a guest. The road wouldn't be there if it wasn't for the car.[/quote]
Roads existed before cars though. And so did bikes.

Honestly, I can't understand how you aren't embarrassed to post shit like this. Can you hear yourself?

Benjispruce5 · 30/01/2022 19:31

@jenkel really? HmmConfused

OneTC · 30/01/2022 19:31

At least motorists have to pass a test so at some stage that were taught or understood the Highway Code.

And yet very few of them appear to know what's in it, otherwise the net wouldn't be full of stories about how driving with consideration is a new thing

jenkel · 30/01/2022 19:34

@SilkLabrador

Why the f*ck they haven't made hi-viz mandatory I do not know.

I'm a horse rider and I make myself as visible as possible. I try and be as thoughtful as possible as no one wants to sit behind a slow horse but I can't see that this change is going to help unless I ride with a helmet cam?

Also, hi-viz. On horseback helmets aren't even mandatory after the age of 14!

We live in quite a rural location, lots of big groups of cyclists out and lots of horses. I have never experienced an unsafe horse rider, I drive slowly and give plenty of room overtaking and they are always very appreciative and normally wave a thanks.

I have experienced many many unsafe dangerous cyclists with no regard to other road users and that includes pedestrians.

I am also a cyclist.

jenkel · 30/01/2022 19:41

Bad cyclist should be accountable just as bad motorists are accountable. At the moment it sounds like they are making motorists more accountable and cyclists less.

There is nothing legally to stop anybody from riding a bike if they are riding it in a dangerous way, there is if you drive a car in a dangerous way.

Octomore · 30/01/2022 19:46

Jenkel, if you really do this:

We ride 2 abreast but as soon as cars come up behind we split into single file

all you are doing is making sure that the driver has to spend twice as long on the opposite side of the carriageway in order to pass you. Which is less safe for blindingly obvious reasons.

A car will need to cross to the other side of the road in order t
o safely overtake regardless or where you are positioned - why would you make them do it for longer than needed?

As a cyclist, I recommend you do a bit more research into how to keep yourself safe, and enable safer overtaking by other road users.

Octomore · 30/01/2022 19:50

@jenkel

Bad cyclist should be accountable just as bad motorists are accountable. At the moment it sounds like they are making motorists more accountable and cyclists less.

There is nothing legally to stop anybody from riding a bike if they are riding it in a dangerous way, there is if you drive a car in a dangerous way.

That'll be why thousands of people are killed by cyclists every year, and hardly any are killed by motorists, I guess.

Except, no, that isn't the case, is it?

Londoncallingme · 30/01/2022 19:52

@Finallylostit

I get it in certain places particularly when some cyclist have poor lights and dark clothing - they merge into the hedges but I fear this is going to be everywhere and at all times.

When I moved here - cyclists were rare on the roads - now the weekend is the London Mamil Packs everywhere - my morning drive to the train takes 10 minutes ( all up hill!) same drive at weekend takes 20+ if I get stuck

Well then they shouldn’t have poor lights and dark clothing - twats.
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