to wonder why people are so horrible to cyclists that are not breaking the rules?

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Even I get irate at cyclists who go through red lights, pedestrian crossings etc. But how about those that obey the road rules?

This afternoon, cycling with DS14 and DD12, one car honked us whilst overtaking. No reason, apart from the fact that they were delayed by a few seconds as they couldn't go past me within inches to spare. I was riding in the middle of the rode and DD to my left, which is perfectly within the rules.
Minutes later, a road which I always ride in the middle because, if even half a chance, vehicles will overtake without giving any space. A group of pedestrians, shout at us, saying "you should be riding behind each other, what's wrong with you?"??
WTAF???

Why are some people such twats? Luckily (or unlikely) my DCs are used to this, so weren't bothered. Some driver gave my DD (11 at the time) the finger whilst cycling to school. A grown man trying to get one up on a 11yr old girl.

What am I paying tax on my car for every year then?

Because the whole of MN hates cyclists and thinks they are all a problem.

They're really that thick and blinkered some people!

My point exactly

But as I said, some people are totally, fucking stupid.

Some of them will be along to fill this thread with utter drivel in a few moments.

For emissions. Electric cars don't pay vehicle tax at all.

Because cars and bicycles really shouldn’t be sharing the road. Yes, it’s perfectly legal and cyclists have every right to be there but there are just too many difference between the capabilities of the two.

Then you add in shitty drivers and shitty cyclists and you start to get confirmation bias that every driver/cyclist is shitty. Now you have both expecting the worst from each other.

Drivel about needing to transport a fridge to a grieving/dying grandmother as a disabled driver (who the mean council wouldn't give a blue badge to) every Monday by 8:30 sharp or the local shops will all die....

Yeah because motorists never ever break the rules do they 🙄

@nakeklak

No idea why you're paying Road Tax, no other fucker does

@Clariana for the avoidance of doubt - what many people call road tax is vehicle excise duty (VED). It's charged based on the level of pollution a vehicle emits. It goes into the central pot, not a specific fund for building/maintaining roads.

If cyclists were charged VED, you'd have to go through a process of licencing them, registering bicycles, enforcement of non compliance with that. Then you'd apply VED at - guess what? Zero rate because bikes don't emit pollution.

So you'd increase the barriers to cycling, reduce mobility for many people who cycle to work etc but couldn't afford a licence, make loads of bureaucracy with a system for registering bikes, headaches for the police etc, with no tax income to show at the end of it. And you'd worsen public health by putting people off cycling.

Some car drivers are twats.
Some cyclists are twats.
People in one camp will moan about the twats in the other camp.
I guess it keeps the internet going ...

It would help if roads were wider, I would never shout abuse, dangerously overtake or whatever else but inwardly I find it irritating being stuck being cyclists on the country roads here. It can be miles before there's any chance of finding an opportunity to safely pass and for some places there aren't any alternative roads. It's not the fault of cyclists though and fair play to them for being active and better for the environment, but having to leave a fair bit earlier just in case is annoying. Not as annoying about the cars behind who invariably try to intimidate me into doing a dangerously close overtake or chance it on a blind bend though.

Yes, but only one group of those twats kills, disables or injures tens of thousands of people a year.

The roads are fine. Modern cars are built too big and too wide. Compare an old mini to a new mini. The classic land rover defender to the modern version.

Trends have changed too. How many people now have an SUV or a big car when they don't actually need one?

Motorists resent cyclists because there's a tribal mentality that resents anyone who makes different choices.

And because deep down motorists know cycling is better for health, communities, environment etc. Cyclists make motorists feel bad about themselves, sitting on their bums in a pollution wagon rather than being active and green.

It's the same kind of thinking that makes people hate vegetarians, vegans, homeschoolers etc.

Angry motorists also seem oblivious to the fact that most cyclists also hold driving licences and drive regularly.

Oh and I forgot about the country roads drivel.

If you need to get places in a hurry, don't move to the middle of nowhere

Which would you rather have hit your child?

Country roads are annoying I agree. Half the time they can't be wider though because some land owning twat wants to shoot grouse.

My 11 year old has SEN and loves cycling. I do the cycling next to him thing and he gets really upset if people beep at him/us - he thinks he's done something wrong and then (because he has no mid-level and sees things in black and white) when I tell him they are just being silly he wants to shout at them.

Once we were cycling like this and a driving instructor honked at us, a dreadful example for his pupil!

Parked cars are also a problem as they take up up to half of the road space. Not sure how to solve that one though. And cars parked on cycle lanes.....argh!!

Posts like this do little to help the situation, the majority of car drivers are considerate, just like the vast majority of cyclists are (and don't have a death wish)

Sadly even some cyclists have told me that riding two a breast is wrong and cyclists shouldn’t do it 🤦‍♀️. It’s ridiculous - it’s because car drivers don’t want to wait for one nanosecond to overtake and riding two abreast means they have to.

I used to be a keen cyclist but am getting ever more reluctant to get on my bike due to abusive car drivers. Both my kids ride to school and suffer appalling abuse on a weekly basis. I despair for the human race.

Whilst I agree in general cars have increased in size, I drive a picanto and it still doesn't make single track lanes or narrow winding roads suitable for safely overtaking anything.

Oh and I forgot about the country roads drivel.

If you need to get places in a hurry, don't move to the middle of nowhere

What a ridiculous statement.

@WhiteFire every single cyclist hating thread on MN is full of all cyclists are awful.

It's many things but it's not jealousy

@pffft I disagree - when I cycled in London twats in massive cars used to deliberately pull into the kerb while I was filtering (entirely legally) down the inside of traffic. Couldn’t bear to see me progress faster on my shitty bike than they were in their wanky expensive car?