....to tell you that negative comments about cyclists can cause issues...

[alittlequinnie]

I cycle to work - every day that I'm working in the office.

This morning I was cycling - wearing high viz, a helmet - two red lights on the back and two white lights on the front.

I'm going to try to upload a picture of where I was - the road is really really narrow - so no matter where I position the bike if you want to overtaken me you are going to have to go over the centre line.

This morning only me and a car coming up behind me on the entire road. I'm pretty much bang on centre in the lane. Nothing coming towards me or the car behind me.

Car behind overtakes - really really close and then pulls in too quickly in front of me - causing me to swerve.

Few meters up the road catch up with them at the lights. Knock politely on the window and ask her "why on earth did you do that - there was plenty of room?"

She responds that it's my "own fault" I was "riding in the middle of the road" I "do it on purpose" and she see's me "every morning" - then calls me a stupid cow.

I say "really? you did it as a punishment?" - she then repeats that I shouldn't be in the middle of the road.

No point arguing with stupid so I remind her that it's a good idea to read the Highway Code - she tells me I need to read it and then calls me a cunt.

I feel this all the time on the bike that all the comments that "all cyclists" do red light jumping and pavement cycling etc means that there is just such a HATE for cyclists - wherever and however they ride.

Imagine what this is like for me - this woman has told me she sees me all the time and she did it on purpose - so she's bound to do it again - it's really frightening.

I'm not sure what I'm trying to achieve by posting this - just think carefully before spreading the sort of venom for cyclists that I see on here and other sites?

Not being a driver or a current cyclist, I can't understand the argument being solely about what happens when everybody knows and follows the HC and follows logic. I am worried about those circumstances in which human error causes a disaster. Cyclists sometimes come across to me as if they are talking about a chess game in which rules make everything play out rationally. If a dog jumps out, or a driver miscalculates, or they have a medical emergency behind the wheel, then the cyclists on the road are the least well protected and the rules count for nought. For this reason, cycle paths must be built wherever possible.

I ride every day and accept there's some risk involved. But those things haven't caused any of the accidents or near misses I have been involved in, which broadly stack up to be preventable with just a bit more care and attention, which is most accidents really isn't, whether it's pedestrians cyclists or drivers.

No cyclist is increasing danger to themselves by simply don't what they are meant to do. The danger is increased to cyclists by drivers doing what they're not meant to do. The cyclist doesn't make people do a shit overtake in unsafe conditions. People that struggle driving well around cyclists are invariably terrible drivers that are a menace to every other road use anyway

*doing what they're meant to do

Tested, licensed and insured? Are you having a laugh? Kids ride their bikes to school, are you going to demand they take tests and hold insurance?

OP, both me and my OH cycle regularly, he cycles to work every day. He's had all sorts, the worst being a van who screamed past him, cut him off, then braked, reversed, and shot back towards him. If he hadn't of moved into oncoming traffic, the van would have hit him. It didn't make for nice watching on the bike can. Get yourself a camera, upload any and all cases where drivers have been too close etc, and hopefully some of them will get a visit or letter from the police.

Hope you're ok

I had three close passes on my 9 mile ride home last night - one from a HGV from Royal Mail on at 40mph road which made me cringe as I heard him bearing down on me. I had two front and two rear lights on, and a flashing red on my cycle helmet.

What a driver feels is a near miss and what a cyclist feels is a near miss can often be two very different things. A lorry driver once told me he’d been nowhere near me when I took him to task at a set of lights after an earlier close pass. He only believed it when I showed him the dirt on the palm of my hand from the side of his lorry. His suggestion was that I should ride on the pavement.

To a cyclist anything less than two thirds of a metre is a very close pass - more if you’re going at 40mph. A lot of motorists seem to think that as long as they don’t hit the rider, then that’s a successful pass. It’s not acceptable.

Tested, licensed and insured?

works do well for drivers, eh.

Look something nasty happened

but it’s got fuck all to do with MN

where the vitriol. Is usually towards male MAMILS

Im sorry this haooedned but a MN thread is an inappropriate response !

You could say that about most posts on MN @Thisisworsethananticpated .

Have you SEEN the pages of vitriol on this thread directed at cyclists in general, not just MAMILs?

I'm also a motorist. My attitude comes from treating other motorists the way I'd like to be treated when I'm the one driving.

@olderthanyouthink

Shared lanes risk people, dogs and kids stepping out in front of me so I have to ride slow, I have places to be and I don't want to spend lower than I have to getting around.

This is why car drivers get frustrated!

So you don't want to be inconvenienced by slowing down, trying not to collide, having to potentially stop at a junction. But if a car driver expresses the same frustration then it's not ok? A bit hypocritical 🤷🏻‍♀️

Yep, ever since drivers were required to be tested, licensed and insured the number of people killed by drivers is almost zero.

Firstly, OP was in the centre of the lane NOT on the centre line. Secondly, if it was clear then the driver should have gone onto the other side of the rosd when overtaking. If you can’t overtake without leaving 1.5m you shouldn’t be overtsking.

There's dangerous drivers and there's dangerous cyclists. Cars are insured, they have license plates and you have to pass a driving test to be able to drive one. Cyclists on the other hand...

No you shouldn't risk it, and I don't. What I do get then is a big SUV behind me beeping at me because this road goes on like this for a few miles, they want me to overtake, I don't want to take the risk so don't, so that car then goes around me and the cyclist causing a hazard on blind corners. All when there was a bay the cyclist could have pulled into, without having to stop, to let cars pass, which they totally ignored to stay in the centre of the road. When I do come across the rare cyclist who does the right thing, I feel like they deserve some sort of reward and am so thankful.

Average weight of a car 1300kg. Bikes on the other hand...average weight 11.3kg.

Fuck off with your false equivalence.

@converseandjeans I live in a city so it might vary where you are big the pavement speed vs the road speed for me is a bigger difference than my road speed and the speed limit. About 5mph vs 15mph vs 20mph. The reduction is much bigger. I know out of town the speed limit is higher but less people cycle where it's less urban, not none but less.

I am not slow on my electric bikes and yet I am STILL getting aggression from people in cars because they perceive me to be slow just because I have pedals. Why on earth and I being overtaken while doing the speed limit or just under? Why overtake right before a speed camera then brake hard? Why overtake when there's clearly a junction you need to stop at ahead where I'm just going to go to the front of the queue in the bike box?

A cyclist going about their life isn't likely to randomly just in front of your car, they have a vested interest in signalling if they want to turn. Little children and animals are stupid and do things like walk along the dividing line or dart out because "ooooh stick!". Different.

Cyclists in the road don't make more junctions for cars at all. Adding bike lanes does and sometimes bikes even have priority so you'd have to stop to let them go.

Absolutely. What a bonkers, shitty attitude.

Although I note her crying on the Oxford thread where the council are prioritising cyclists and improving traffic and movement in the city. Says it all.

Cars are a menace and even more so with attitudes like hers. I say this as a petrolhead.

@olderthanyouthink

Why? Because a lot of drivers are idiots who don't really think much past their own agenda.

that oxford thread is awful.

all that whining from drivers.

driving is way too comfortable and drivers really should re-think their habits.

Don't blame the cyclist for the actions of the dangerous driver. The only one in this scenario who is wrong is the SUV.

I passed my cycling proficiency test and I'm insured through British Cycling. I'm very proud of my cycling proficiency certificate. 😁

No you shouldn't risk it, and I don't. What I do get then is a big SUV behind me beeping at me because this road goes on like this for a few miles, they want me to overtake, I don't want to take the risk so don't, so that car then goes around me and the cyclist causing a hazard on blind corners. All when there was a bay the cyclist could have pulled into, without having to stop, to let cars pass, which they totally ignored to stay in the centre of the road. When I do come across the rare cyclist who does the right thing, I feel like they deserve some sort of reward and am so thankful.

So the cyclist pulls into the bay? You say they don't have to stop but when I've done this before it depends how many cars are behind you - I've then been stuck in the bay unable to get out again for a bit. As a motorist you probably think well I don't care, why should I be stuck behind the cyclist the cyclist can be stuck in the bay.

And there we have the root of the issue - motorists think that they have more right to be on the road than cyclists and that cyclists should get out their way. When cyclists have as much right to be there.

If a cyclist pulls into a bay and gets back on the road due to the volume of traffic on the roads it's likely within 30 seconds there's another car behind them. So do they pull into every single bay on their journey. I regularly bike 50 miles - it's going to take me a long time to get anywhere with all this pulling over you think I should do.

If you're doing 50mph in a 60 mph limit and there is a car behind you who may want to do 60mph do you pull over? Because I never see slow cars pulling over for me to get past when I'm driving.

See i don't agree with you... for starters.. make your 50 mile rides on quieter roads.... its not nice being followed by 20 or 30 cars for miles on end...

I move over for vehicles because its safer for me and helps spread a little bit of goodwill...

i think the nonsense on the "primary" position is causing a great deal of friction... yes it can occasionally be safer but on the whole a bad driver will just try and get past regardless only know will knock over the cyclist.

Vast majority of drivers do not read the highway code nor do have they heard of the latest advice.

Yes of course cyclists have equal rights to be on the road BUT being dead and in the right doesn't look good on a headstone.

@Alexandra2001

I think I'm somewhere in-between. I will pull over where possible but don't do it religiously and especially if it means I'll be doing it for miles. Alleviating flow is one thing. Pulling over for every vehicle detracts from the pleasure of doing some exercise.

Cars just have to get used to it and cyclists shouldn't be choosing routes for the benefit of cars. I'll definitely choose the safest route, which avoids black spots but otherwise I'll go wherever it takes my fancy. Having said that I tend to go out Sunday mornings when most are in bed, so rarely have 20-30 cars trailing.

The tractors will pull in every so often to alleviate the tailbacks, even though they are doing vital work to feed everyone, and going a lot faster than the cyclists.

If you've a problem with your car and need to limp it to the garage at 10mph do you...

a) Avoid rush-hour, take quiet backroads and let anyone past that you're holding up?
b) Go on the main road and take great pride in causing massive delays to everyone?

I'd choose a), because I don't like inconveniencing other people. Seems that is a fringe view in modern society.