Cyclist bad manners?

[Hagridy]

There were roadworks on my journey today which kept us waiting for 20 minutes so quite a few cars waiting. Just before we were allowed past a cyclist came up behind us but decided to pass us all and wait at the front. Once we were past the roadworks the road is very windy so it took a couple of miles before I could safely pass never mind all the other cars he had pushed past.
AIBU to think it was bad manners for the cyclist to whizz past us all and keep us all waiting. Most cyclists seem sensible but every now and again I come across a complete idiot who seems to think the road belongs to him.

So far the only one calling anyone stupid was you QuertyGirl

And I'm not interested in whether people think I'm "lovely" or not, as getting home with my son and myself alive.

No, I called an action, stupid. It is stupid. It encourages bad overtakes which can get you killed.

How is that, not stupid? It's completely stupid!

If you are only able to cycle at 5mph you should maybe have a think about whether country roads are the safest place for you to be......

and I say that as a fellow cyclist!

This is a hilarious comment. Have you driven on every road in the UK? Does your car breathe in when there's heavy traffic? 😆

I've been stuck behind cyclists a fair few times and I'm a very confident/experienced driver.

Nevertheless, OP, you're BU. Sorry.

So would you stop for everyone to pass? I doubt it as it's unfeasible. You'd be there all day letting entitled drivers pollute the roads.

That's a classic though. Blaming a cyclist for pollution 😂. I think that's the cars, not the cyclist 🤦

Too right, pulling in on a narrow rural road can be very dangerous. It's much safer to hold your place in the lane rather than to encourage drivers to squeeze past you.

Just because you can doesn't mean you should. These attitudes are why people think some cyclists are dicks.

Being more worried about being seen as rude than the safety of yourself (and in my case also a young passenger) isn't just stupid, it's insane.

OP you're wrong here and cyclist was right.

Re pulling over and letting other cars pass...do people realise that it's more difficult to continually stop and start a bike? Like it's a physical effort. You build up momentum as you go which you lose every time you stop. Sometimes when you're "stuck" behind a cyclist who you think should just stop and let you pass, they could be knackered and if they stopped they may not be able to start again.

Not every cyclist you see is a seasoned one. Many are just starting out and building up their fitness or recovering from an injury.

I personally can't ride a bike and now I'm 30 I'm too scared to try due to aggressive drivers.

@OoooohMatron

Rather be a live "dick" than a dead, courteous cyclist

Last time there was a thread line this someone said they regularly get stuck behind a bike going 1 mile an hour for 3/4 of a mile. That's 45 minutes

They said this with a straight face 😂

I m a keen cyclist have been for many years, if that had been me and i ve done this plenty of times, i'd have got to the front of the queue but at the temporary traffic lights let the cars go on their way first.

If there were loads of cars, i d have set off first (or i'd be there all day) then after the roadworks, let them all past when safe to do so.

Sure i don't have to but we all have to share busy roads, so why not? doesn't make any difference to me but it might make some anti cyclist car drivers think differently about folk on bikes.

The most common thing that is heard at inquests when cyclist are killed, is I didn't see them. Getting to the front of queues and holding the primary position might cause annoyance but can save your life!

Nobody worth listening to thinks that though

YANBU but cyclists always have been and always will be selfish and inconsiderate to anyone else on the road.

They do things like that and then act all hard done by wondering why people would rather they didn’t exist. It’s madness.

Most cyclists seem sensible but every now and again I come across a complete idiot who seems to think the road belongs to him.

what makes you think that it belongs to you? Or any car driver for that matter?

Exactly!

RTFT

Honestly, manners do not trump road safety

Nothing like a dangerous sweeping generalisation to finish off the week!

But if that allegedly selfish behaviour ( I don't think it is selfish) keeps you alive it's a reasonable trade off. Hugging the kerb, stopping on narrow roads and then getting hit by left turning vehicles ( less likely to happen if you filter to the front) are all things that are more likely to happen to less assertive cyclists

All you are doing is fermenting anti cyclist feeling, @DingDongDenny said when there is a long line behind them, not when there one or two!

I do a 60 + mile loop around West Devon regularly, there are sections of narrow road, sometime a milk tanker or a Harpers feed lorry comes up behind me, i stick to my lane BUT when i see a gateway, i pull over and let em by, they ve a job do, i'm doing a hobby.... but apparently i'm "stupid" lol!

@Alexandra2001

It's not my responsibility to get the drivers to like me. I make all my cycling decisions based on safety.

I know women are often raised to please people but risking death to please a bunch of strangers, is a touch extreme.

Cyclists are road users the same as you. There’s no pecking order. They’ve gone to the front as risk mitigation.

@QuertyGirl My Mum insisted i went to a local cycle racing club when i was a kid, we found one that had women riding & being "considerate" to cyclists was drummed into all cyclists back then.

Its not done to make car drivers like me, its done because an angry and impatient driver does stupid things, like overtaking on bends or with an on coming car, i don't want to be involved in their accident.

The more car drivers hate cyclists, the more they squeeze past, cut in or just run us over because they see us as "road lice" not a person, something to get in front of at all costs, even if it causes death (and wont be them)