....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?

Cycling is how I get to work every day. Same for most of the people I work with too. So no, it’s not a “hobby”, it’s my primary means of transportation.

But this is exactly what the OP is talking about; making silly, dismissive generalisations to justify endangering cyclists. I never jump red lights or cycle on pavements, but threads like this remind that if I was to be knocked off my bike and killed on my way home from work tonight, I’d be regarded as just another Lycra-clad hobbyist who put myself in danger and probably deserved it, and not someone’s mum/wife/daughter/sister/friend who was only trying to get to my kid’s school in time for pick-up.

Presumably you think all motorists who are not commuting to work shouldn't be allowed on the roads either?

When I commute to work across a busy city by car it takes anything up to an hour. I can do it - without jumping a single red light - on a bike in half that time.

So who is holding who up, exactly?

Get a camera, build up a few close passes worth of footage and maybe an admission then try and lose her her license. Fucking arsehole doesn't deserve to be driving

🙄Of course you would

This is simply not true - the reason the HC was updated to include cycling in the middle of the lane (in the "primary" position) is because it was demonstrably safer. Bikeability (gov approved) teaches the primary position should be the default.

Yes there are idiots out there on bikes. But one idiot cycling through a red light doesn't mean its any less dangerous (or shitty!) to drive them, or someone else, off the road or into danger through dangerous overtaking!!

I agree that better cycle lanes etc are a more useful solution though, but again "there should be a cycle lane!" isn't an excuse to drive dangerously!

How would this licensing idea work for my 9yo then?

@starfro - like other posters it's how I get to work too. My sibling had epilepsy - that was their main mode of transport. It might be a hobby to you but to a lot of us it's one of our methods of transport. I've ridden over a thousand commuting miles this year - that's a thousand miles that I wasn't in a car. Imagine how busy your driving commute would be if nobody rode bikes? There would be thousands more cars on the road.

My other half got knocked off last week by a woman who was too impatient to wait for him to pass a junction before she turned into it. She ended up with a burly 6ft3 man sprawled over her bonnet and a traumatised child in the passenger seat. If she'd have waited just five seconds that would never have happened. Instead, she was late to drop her kid at school and late to get to work because she was too impatient to wait for someone who actually had right of way and had to spend half an hour swapping details and getting witnesses.

My GoPro went on this morning - I can't rely on other people being careful anymore because they just aren't.

What were you hoping to achieve by confronting her?

Am not asking this in a passive aggressive manner, but just wondering what you thought the outcome would be?

If I were deliberately cut off by someone like that, I would imagine they were a total asshole to do that on purpose, and that me confronting them would lead to more aggro from them (based on the knowledge of them being a dick )

"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."

Well yes, because that's ALL I've ever seen cyclists do. I've almost been hit several times over the years by cyclists going through red lights whilst I push my pram. Earlier this year some cyclist on the pavement almost hit me (with pram again) whilst cycling on a narrow path at speed, I shouted out at them and 30 seconds later they hit a pedestrian stepping off a bus onto the pavement. How do we report cyclists causing harm?

I have seen ONE cyclist stop at a red light this entire year in London, for every bad car driver there are a hundred cyclists driving dangerously against pedestrians.

I personally would never endanger a cyclist's life and what that woman did was awful, you should report her and definitely wear a helmet camera.

But there is a reason why cyclists get such a bad reputation.

I have seen ONE cyclist stop at a red light this entire year in London.

Exactly @HowDoYouOwnDisorder

I mentioned in my post that we were frequently given literally inches of space by lorries, and other vehicles, especially in rush hour. There would have been a lot of window tapping if we'd confronted them all. Probably not safe to do so either.

🤣

If I feel my life has been endangered by someone not taking care or not taking risks or not actually giving a sh!t, I will tackle them. I won't get abusive, but I will shout and get angry because they might remember it the next time they pull an illegal move or text or talk on their phone or give someone a really close pass. I do not have a problem with loudly shaming someone in the street when I've been scared that I'm going to get hurt by someone driving like a dick. (I'm also that type of woman who will tell people off for dropping litter, hitting kids or other antisocial behaviour). This is no different, and life's too short to be a bystander.

The problem isn't the crappy cyclist being rude or too fast, and it isn't the horse rider whose horse is having a moment over a plastic bag, and it isn't the old lady on the scooter that shouldn't be on the road but due to blocked dropped kerbs, currently is...

The problem is other people feel they need to use THEIR vehicle to frighten or actively hurt others to 'punish' them.

It is not your job to punish those you determine are wrong - maybe they are, maybe they don't care, maybe they simply made a mistake that without the benefit of a time machine, they now can't undo, but it is absolutely NOT anyone elses right to frighten them, hurt them, potentially kill them, just because they're annoyed or momentarily scared themselves.

If you have ever used your car or truck or whatever it is you drive, to threaten or frighten someone else, you shouldn't be driving.

Ridiculous isn't it.

I live in London but I drive around the country regularly.

You know what holds me up the most, by many orders of magnitude? Traffic jams, caused by too many cars, broken down cars, cars who have caused accidents etc etc.

Not cyclists, who are a minority on the road.

On my commute I see some cyclists running red lights, yes. But they are a minority, just like the drivers I see running red lights.

Unfortunately many cyclists seem to be completely unaware of the dangers they are putting drivers in, that cars really can't be driven that slowly and that we have joint responsibility to be safe on the roads.

I am rural so the situation is quite different to towns, I deal with horses, tractors and yes cyclist's daily, I'm also hilly, this is the principle problem, secondary issue is very narrow roads, done with passing places, thirdly high hedges with blind bends ... be driving at 2 mph up a narrow windy hill behind a cyclist, a road marked "not suitable for cyclists!" puts me in danger of being rear ended, I've seen it happen when I was coming from the other direction and had to go to court as a witness. It's 40mph road so the car going at 2mph behind the cyclist was behaving differently to what traffic coming up behind would expect (police confirmed the offending vehicle was only doing 30 mph so well within the speed limit.)

Yes a bugbear of mine, cyclists on roads not suitable for bikes! Add not sticking to the left so you can't pass them in the OPPOSITE direction, insisting I back up?? Yep I get annoyed, and also the big groups when I'm driving to work at 8.45am, just wait until 10am for your leisure cycle

Unfortunately many cyclists seem to be completely unaware of the dangers they are putting drivers in

U wot m8?

I'm sorry, what?

A cyclist going at their own pace on a road they are entitled to be on puts no-one in danger.

Do you know who was at fault in your example? Here's a hint: it's the fuckwit driver who wasn't paying proper care and attention to the road ahead.

Pedestrians are entitled to give their perspective also.

I am in fear of my life crossing on zebras in front of cyclists. So many of them seek to avoid stopping, and giving the pedestrian a chance to cross safely. As an older person, I'm practically as vulnerable in that position as a cyclist alongside a car.

Cycling is a great way to travel and keep fit and I believe that there ought to be dedicated cycle paths and routes for cyclists. I worry a great deal about the safely of those on two wheels.

Clearly, there are sensible and safe, walkers, cyclists and motorists, as well as irresponsible ones. I don't think any intelligent person would claim that ALL cyclist pose a menace when travelling on the main roads. I also think that Mumsnet is not a space where one encounters a lot of thoughtless comments. The tendency is to be supportive and many posters are extremely well-informed and share their useful information.

I too have seen appallingly rude behaviour - but from cyclists. Last year, I saw a male cyclist drive through a red light right in front of a woman, and when she remonstrated, he turned around and called her a fat c*. She was seven months pregnant. I went to see if she was all right, and she was badly shaken.

More people will have concern about the risks which cyclists face. Heavy vehicles and bicycles don't go well together, any more than twelve year olds would be a helpful addition to a toddler soft play and ball park.

I stopped cycling despite it taking me an hour longer now each day to get into work after the 3rd incident.

1st, cycle lane level to a road, car came into the cycle path area and ran over my foot at a junction, 2nd on a shared pedestrian/ cycle path when someone thought it would be fun to put a trip wire and then 3rd where I was on a double laned cycle path mounted up and away from the road yet a car mounted up onto the cycle pavement behind me only pulling away back on to the road when I'd swerved off out of the way, understandably startled and ended up head first in a culvert. I've given up. It's too dangerous.

I am not a driver. I don't cycle in the road, so I am no expert. But it strikes me that what you did was dangerous when you tapped on the woman's window and distracted her attention away from the control of her lethal vehicle.

She will probably be thinking about what you said when she drove off, so not focusing on her job, which is to drive the car safely. She might have endangered others whilst thinking about you at the lights.

I don't drive or cycle on roads, as I say, but surely people are not supposed to do what you did. It's unbelievable to me that you think that is ok.

What did you think she was going to say? Get into a full scale discussion with you at the lights about the whys and wherefores? You knew you were not going to receive a response which would in any way be useful to you. It sounds like you took that course of action because you were angry and wanted a confrontation. You endangered your own safety too by letting yourself be distracted.

It's a good job motorists can't just come right up alongside another vehicle and bang on the glass and start talking to them.

"Unfortunately many cyclists seem to be completely unaware of the dangers they are putting drivers in, that cars really can't be driven that slowly and that we have joint responsibility to be safe on the roads".

I know @gogohmm - I'm terrified every day by the speed of funeral corteges as they whiz by, not to mention those awful law-abiding people who keep to the speed limit in a 20mph zone, and those dreadful people who crawl around supermarket car parks at 5mph trying to find the closest parking space to the entrance.

If you can't drive slowly when the situation warrants it, then you need to retake your driving test. Jesus. 🙄

I don't think it's unreasonable to point out to someone that they have directly put you in danger.

The reason people cycle on busy roads is because they are going somewhere.
It's a mode of transport to a lot of people, not a hobby.

The Councils ought to do more to build safe and secure cycle paths, so that the population can get fit; we can get to work inexpensively; and pollution will be reduced.