About cyclists in this whatsapp group

[OrnateGecko]

This is not an anti-cyclist post per se, but I'd be interested in people's thoughts!

I am a member of a very big local whatsapp group that was formed to campaign for improved street safety in our area. The council is rubbish at maintaining road signs etc and there have been a number of bad road accidents in the past year, including a fatality. I feel really strongly about improving safety especially as I have young kids. This group was initially great as we co-ordinated a big protest, have campaigned for councillors to listen etc.

But the group seems to have become a focus for a handful of mainly keen cyclist men who are clearly very anti-car, and use it to share anything that makes life harder for drivers. The council is proposing parking charges locally and a number of small businesses are upset about this. These guys are posting in the group mocking the businesses for their concerns. I feel like I can't post anything any more as actually I do need my car - we live 1.5 miles from school (our catchment school) and I work in healthcare so cannot work flexibly; I need to drive to get kids to school/nursery and then to work on time. I also have to drive for work (home visits).

I know I should just leave the whatsapp group but actually I really want to be involved in local campaigning for improved street safety - which is what this was meant to be about. Do I make an offshoot group that isn't so anti-car? Or stick my head above the parapet and point out that the cycling blokes are alienating boring old mums like me - who want to be able to drive around at a low speed, safely park and for our kids not to risk getting squished by an HGV... ?

Don't leave. Make your point and stand your ground. There are probably others in the group who feel the same as you do.

And don't talk yourself down with the "boring old mums like me" crap - your opinions are as valid as anyone else's so don't be apologetic about it.

Factually state a reminder that the group was set up to look at wider issues of street safety, not to be anti-car.

Don’t leave. Just highlight what you want to highlight and ignore the cyclists.

Thanks - I do feel quite boring as these guys have obviously got interesting jobs and don't seem too worried about money etc. I like the local butchers but for me paying an extra £2 every time I want to shop will actually have an impact on me

Don't leave. I bet other people in there think the same things.
Tell them to have a read of Invisible Women and suggest how you do trip-chaining in their car free utopia

Dickheads like them give cyclists a bad name. I'm so exhausted by drivers' aggression towards cyclists, and it really doesn't help when some people are dicks on bikes, as drivers then go "look, see? Dickheads!" and feel justified in driving dangerously.

If these men don't have anything helpful to add, why are they even on the group? Alienating/aggravating people trying to make roads safer is not helpful to cyclists or drivers.

Some cyclists are overbearing twats.

Best ignored.

It's not just boring old mums who need cars, but they are right, cars are the problem. Imagine how much safer the roads would be if only the people who really need them, (like you), used them. Not sure what their gender has to do with it.

oh goody, it's at least ... xmany days since MN had a cyclist-bashing thread.
Every day is men-bashing-thread day, though !!

Quite - Ggggrrr male cyclists, ruining the world

Must be handy to use that old chestnut every time someone has a legitimate gripe about a particular group of cyclists. @OrnateGecko has a legitimate concern about specific individuals in a group designed to improve road safety.

OP is not damning ALL cyclists. If tractor drivers, roller-skaters or those who ride their elephants down the same road make the same comments, I'm she'd be frustrated by them too.

You could say the original group is suffering from mission drift, and suggest they start another group.

Not all cyclists, just male ones?

Classic first line of post - akin to i'm not a racist but....

In this particular instance they happen to be men though. Is it now a faux pas to mention that?

It's irrelevant

Do you need to engage with them?
Ignore irrelevant points and post about the issue and carry on campaigning.

This thread is a clear indication of why she must state at the off that that what follows is not a let's-bash-cyclists post. She has a concern about a particular group* of cyclists in a specific situation *relevant to her life.

However, it seems she's damned either way, almost like it's an easy way for dissenting views to be stamped out. Huh 🤔

If it's irrelevant, why make it relevant by latching on to that part of her post? It's an effective distraction from having to address her question I suppose. Latch on to that instead of looking at the bigger picture.

Don’t leave but do be open to what they are saying. There’s plenty of evidence that increasing active travel infrastructure actually improves traffic levels (getting people who don’t need to drive off the roads some of the time) and actually improves revenue for local businesses. If you consider fuel and parking costs in many cases that negates the £2 extra spent at the butchers. Plus you get exercise and the butcher doesn’t go out of business.

some people do need to drive and some of the time e.g if you need your car for work right after the school run it won’t always make sense to cycle or walk to school. BTW 1.5 miles isn’t really justified to drive unless it’s really unsafe and wouldn’t it be better if it was safe? That’s what they are campaigning for Which sounds like what you wanted too.

its cars as the default journey choice that’s the issue not cars per se. It doesn’t have to be anti car or anti cycle - everyone is just trying to get around. It’s a pity that these discussions get so tribal. Instead of leaving tell them about families, parents (you’re not a boring old mum) that have to do “linked trips” and as these make up a huge part of short journeys that are perfect to replace by active travel that alienating you and people like you with their divisive rhetoric won’t help.

I was bullied by two male cyclists on our local next door group and next door did nothing about it. If I commented on anything, they would make sarcastic, mysogenistic comments, to the point I just stopped commenting.

It started so innocuous. One of them asked what people thought of the new cycle lanes and I commented that I was disappointed that they had removed bus lanes to accommodate them. I said something about not thinking about the needs of elderly and disabled people - my daughter has epilepsy.

And that was enough.

He would write long, made up stories about me and his mate would join in, so there would be a whole thread mocking me and abusing me.

It was utterly baffling and really, really unsettling, and the site just ignore my concerns.

So anyway, I feel your pain. These guys can be nasty and hurtful. Stay safe.

If they're continuing to contribute nothing to the group aside from mocking other members I'd sooner kick them out rather than set up a new group!

YABU - 1.5 miles to school is nothing - easily walkable.

When you say you need your car, I think what you really mean as you want your car as you value the convenience - at least be honest about it.

How big of issue is this actually ? I mean the road safety.

If you want to be involved in issues locally WhatsApp groups are basically just full of sabre rattling loud mouths who have loads of nonsense to spout but nothing of substance to say.

Start communicating with your local councillors and mps. Get involved directly .

Leave those Middle Aged Men in Lycra to their hostage situation in that WhatsApp group.

I would simply respond with “Whilst concerns are car use are valid, there are many who have no option but to use cars and given this group was set up to focus on safety concerns, I would kindly request that the anti-car rhetoric is taken elsewhere or another group for like-minded individuals started separately and we stick to the original focus of the group.