AIBU to find cyclists annoying

[MumOfTheNorth]

This probably is unreasonable but I just find cyclists so annoying. Not saying every cyclist does every one of these things. It just seems to happen a lot. Am I the only one that gets this irrational irritation?

What I find annoying...

• Taking up the whole road so you can't leave enough space to safely over take
• Weaving in and out of traffic
• Walking around cafes or the office in sweaty lycra with their click clacky shoes
• Running red lights when I'm trying to cross on a green man
• Cycling on the pavement
• Not tucking in on small country roads once in a while when there's a massive que of traffic behind them
• Having no lights or helmet on in the dark
• And most of all... talking to me about cycling

YANVU:. Please stop this unnecessary anti cyclist rhetoric. It doesn’t help anyone. You know most people who cycle also drive? There are badly behaved and annoying cyclist but there are even more badly behaved drivers, and they are the ones causing death and injury every day.

I appreciate people staying fit and reducing the number of cars on the road. But yes, it does annoy me when they don’t pull over to let cars pass once in a while when there’s no space to overtake safely, and the amount of cyclists I’ve seen driving at dawn/dusk with no lights, reflective gear and/or helmets infuriates me.

Do you know what really annoys me OP? Drivers. And to make this clear, I drive too. Annoyingly I drive more than I cycle at the mo. But needs must. It's the entitled ignorant shits like you that annoy me. Every time I ride my bike I can guarantee that I will have at least one experience which puts me at risk of serious injury or death, thanks to shit driving. Be it careless or intentional. This does not happen when I'm driving. It's more of an occasional occurrence. I drive for work and live rurally, so I do a lot of miles.

As an aside. When I'm driving cumulatively I spend far more time stuck in traffic jams (road works, after an RTC, traffic volume etc) than I've ever spent waiting to safely overtake a cyclist/ group of cyclists. So get some bloody perspective there.

Guess what - I don't pay 'road tax' on my car. It's based on emissions. And insurance? I'd be fucking bonkers not to be insured when I'm cycling. Then I can claim for injuries, damage, inconvenience, etc when some twatty ignorant driver inevitably knocks me off.

If the shitty driving wasn't enough, I've been verbally abused and threatened on numerous occasions by drivers. Obviously I've done nothing wrong, just had the audacity to be female and cycling... so it makes me fare game. It's stupid ignorant threads like this, the shite that is spewed by the likes of the Daily Fail, social media posts and Jeremy Clarkson that perpetuate these myths and embolden these entitled idiots.

Why don't you have a go at cycling OP? Put yourself in our shoes. Then, hey guess what? I bet you'd be a bit more tolerant and it might even make you a better driver.

No lights in darkness I agree with you on, the rest seem more just usual anti cycling comments.

we have a shared pathway, for horses, cyclists, dog walkers, walkers,
you can guess who i find the most annoying and dangerous! and my dog hates them too

I once counted the illegal or dangerous incidents but cyclists in a week of driving to work through the city. One incident of a guy putting his feet down and pushing himself through the green man. That was it.

I did the same with cars. 72 incidents that included multiple flying through the red light as it changed (basically speeding up at amber), pulling out at junctions into oncoming traffic, dangerous parking including double yellows and bus lanes, overtaking cyclists dangerously, the list goes on.

I'm sorry you have been held up slightly on the road, but however you look at it, car drivers break far more laws than cyclists.

Yeah you’re unreasonable. Dangerous behaviour occurs with all forms of road transport.

The driver who killed my friend’s husband who was cycling to work was doing 60 in a 40 mph zone. He was declared dead at the scene. His children are growing up without a father.

Yes, bad cyclists are annoying. Bad drivers are annoying too. I do both and see both.

What really annoys me is when I'm stuck behind a cyclist - and yes it's frustrating, especially when you're in a rush - and the car behind me is itching to overtake when I can see it's not safe. I'm in front, I can see there's a car coming ahead, or a blind bend or hill. I'm not overtaking until it's safe. Back off.

A woman overtook me recently, gesticulating as she did, then nearly crashed into a car that appeared on the other side of the road (which I had seen as I was further up the hill) and the cyclist. Her steering swerved wildly, clearly out of control of the car, and I've no idea how she managed to miss them both. So bloody dangerous. (It is one local road I get this on, I'm not being over-cautious... I just know this road very well.)

I never see the points of these posts. I'm a cyclist, and a driver and a pedestrian and I see dangerous behaviours from all three all the time.

Cyclist: cycling with headphones in, jumping lights, mounting pavements.
Drivers: speeding, jumping lights, texting while driving, passing too close, driving aggressively
Pedestrians: walking along with headphones in and their face in their phones not looking where they're going, stepping out into the street without looking, walking on cycle paths next to perfectly good pavements.

Can't we just all agree that everyone is an arsehole and leave it at that?

You can find cyclists annoying if you want to. I find drivers not so much annoying as utterly terrifying, which is why I'm not a cyclist.

Mostly YABU. Cyclists are road users with equal rights to road use. More of us should cycle.

But cyclists on the pavements is a growing problem. The JustEat etc delivery cyclists in my town are completely lawless and cycle anywhere without regard for pedestrians. They’re quite dangerous sometimes.

People annoys me OP… I’m a pedestrian, cyclist and passenger in a car.

Pedestrians annoy me by walking side by side at extremely slow speeds chatting and ignoring you as you are trying to get past. They annoy me by being oblivious to everyone else.

Motorists annoy me by speeding, parking on the pavement so you can’t get through, not stopping at crossings when they’re lawfully supposed to, driving through puddles at high speeds and splashing pedestrians top to bottom.

Cyclists annoy me when they run a red light or hold up loads of people or ride abreast on a busy road (yes I know why but I hate it). And yes I do agree they shouldn’t be on pavement but if there are no pedestrians present at least they’re not holding up an entire row of cars in a rush for work? Britain needs more cycle lanes - everyone cycles in Scandinavia because it’s safer. I understand the road width just doesn’t allow it, but it’s needed. Big bonus is it’s more environmentally friendly.

You know what annoys me more than ANY of the above? Scooters and electric scooters. They come at you at great speeds and scare the crap out of you. They are the worst for weaving in and out of traffic and ignoring traffic rules.
But what it all comes down to is … people are annoying. Full stop.

I live in a popular rural tourist destination and we have a lot of cyclists. They tend to fall
into 3 categories:

1. local people who use cycling as transport- very considerate, gave way when the can, give you a smile and wave when you give way for them.
2. locals who cycle as a sport/hobby. Will generally allow overtaking in single track roads but won’t give you a smile and wave for giving way to them.
3. cycle tourists-take over the roads in summer behave like the own the road, cycle in big groups and refuse to give way ti anyone, cause massive tail backs on single track roads. Pretend local people don’t exist and have no right to use the road for driving, have complete lack of consideration for the fact that people actually have to use the roads to get to work/ pick kids up from school etc.

I have endless patience for no’s 1 and 2. Will make sure I give way for them when i can even if it means waiting in a passing place for them to pass, I’ll always acknowledge when they have given way to me with a wave even when no2 cyclists just glare at me stony faced. But the no 3 cyclists can absolutely just fuck off, I hate them with a passion. They are unbelievably selfish and make driving anywhere a nightmare in the summer. Have made me late for picking my kids up from school numerous times and make it difficult for me to do my job which involves driving on rural roads. I’m always happy to see one of stuck at the side of the road with a puncture.

Christ, it’s like the last gasp Tory GB news wankers have decided to make their last stand on MN lately with all the Daily Mail style threads. It’s getting worse than Facebook.

As a cyclist.
I hate cyclists all in black with no lights. Why would you not want to be seen?
Cyclists that pag other people. So dangerous.
Cyclists that jump red lights and leave me stood at them like an idiot.
Cyclists that weave in and out of traffic. You can't be seen when you duck behind that next car.

E scooters.
Car drivers that damn me just because I'm a cyclist and not because of my cycling.
Bad, inconsiderate car drivers.
Pedestrians that step in front of me without looking- my bike is sharp and pointy, I am heavy and will hurt you.

Cyclists who go through red lights get me! They want to be respected road users - then follow the rules. Don't pick and chose ones that suit you! I was crossing on a pedestrian crossing the other dad and a man, in Lycra head to toe weaved his way through the line of cars wh had stopped and cycled through the crossing missing me by a whisker

Also those who do stop are red lights - don't put your hand on my car to keep you up right cos you wear those silly shoes that click onto your pedals.

Actually cyclists cause much more traffic as they don’t bloody move so cars can pass 😂 they should be banned honestly

My bugbear is people trying to cycle up the steep hill near me, one one saying not suitable for cyclists with an arrow marking the alternative route! It isn't safe to be travelling at circa 1 mile an hour on a road with tight bends, tall hedges and 22% gradient. I encounter someone, sometimes a group at least twice a week, I'm doing 20mph max as that's the speed limit, but not everyone complies with speed limits and it's an accident hot spot (low powered motorcycles/scooters and even small cars have been rear ended on that hill because the speed limit increases to national speed limit and people come round the bend to a slow moving vehicle/person.)

Another issue is cars pollute far more in first gear which is what I'm stuck in following a slow moving bike. Before anyone asks, I can't use public transport because there isn't any and I don't have a death wish so bikes are out!

You sound awful, and so self centred.
Most cyclists drive as well, and pay road tax. And as you know don't have the benefit of airs bags crumple zone etc. They have as much right to be on the road as you. Impatient drivers, with their risky behaviour, make it feel like a bear death experience. It's not on.

@DivingForLove

On our roads unless you luck fairly close to the hedge (there is no kerb) the vehicles in the other direction struggle to get past you, country lanes require a different sort of approach to road positioning and unfortunately we have holiday makes, second home owners and new arrivals (popular place to move from london to) who don't know how to ride our roads forgetting too that they are national speed limit but also lots of agricultural vehicles and walkers, horses ... you can't ride in the assertive style I see, yes you can be on the road but share and follow the not suitable for bikes advisories (certain hills)

Do you want to have a quick check on what road tax is actually for and then let me know how much a bike should cost? Hint it has absolutely nothing to do with owning the roads.

I love cyclists. Before DC I cycled everywhere and it was so lovely. Now, I'm grateful for those who choose to cycle instead of drive and jealous of those who have the time to enjoy recreational rides.
What I have a very low tolerance for is people who get 'annoyed' when other people are just exercising their right to us the roads.

YABU. Some cyclists are dicks. Just like some motorists.
Imagine if everyone who could cycle, did? We'd all be healthier and they'd be less pollution and less traffic.

Walking around cafes or the office in sweaty lycra with their click clacky shoes

The bastards. How dare they.

Like wearing click clacky shoes?