The hatred towards cyclists/horse riders etc

[RH1234]

Following on from a conversation on another thread; AIBU to think that the hatred towards all cyclists/other road users I.e. horses is completely atrocious and unjustified.

Lots of people will make comments about “I bet they were in Lycra”, “I dislike road cyclists”, “they don’t even pay road tax”.

My question is not; do you hate cyclists. My question is why do you hate me someone you have not met) as a cyclist?

For perspective:

1. I pay VED (Road tax doesn’t exist) on 3 vehicles.
2. I have insurance for my bikes - which includes public liability etc. My cycle insurance is genuinely more expensive than my car, I also have free insurance through British Cycling.
3. I don’t run red lights (for transparency, I have been through one red light, floor sensors don’t pick up carbon fibre, it was 5am, after waiting a few minutes, with no cars I went through)
4. I cycle an average of 19-23mph, I can overtake tractors near me, I’m smaller than a tractor surely you can pass me.
5. I do ride two abreast if in a group, but if passing is difficult, as per the Highway Code we ensure you can pass when safe.
6. When riding on my own, I wave cars past so they can often go before they can see.
7. Yes I wear Lycra - but you try cycling 100 miles without decent chamois in place. I won’t mention leg hair as that’s a whole different subject for you.
8. My wife use to love cycling, but won’t ride on the road now due to the drivers attitudes.

AIBU to be annoyed that I don’t do any of the things people moan about, yet people will hate me, some people will hurl abuse, some people will literally try and drive me off the road (luckily not that often for the last one)

All I want is, to enjoy the sport I’m love, get fit and then spend the time with my family. Yet my wife has said to me, she is anxious when I’m out and follows me on find my iPhone, because she’s terrified someone will one day leave me for dead in a ditch.

Surely a two minute delay is not unreasonable? I don’t judge based on hobbies or backgrounds, why am I judged?

AIBU in thinking that those who state they hate cyclists clearly are either media influenced or just plain horrible people.

Apologies, this has turned into more of a rant than a AIBU, but I’m sure you get the gist.

The issue is horses shouldn't be on the road. We've heard of some riders pointing oit bridleways have gone, fields have been developed for housing. Well yes, times change and sadly that means we can't always do as we please.

If you don't have land or at least an available field to use then you need another hobby. Horses should not be on public roads they are too unpredictable.

Nothing that has a detrimental effect on other people and road users.

Well tough, at the moment horses are still allowed on the roads, so your opinion means nothing.

You are coming across as an extremely intolerant and frankly quite vile individual.

I think the first response perfectly sums up a lot of the hate towards cyclists and horse riders.

Despite cyclists and horse riders having every right to be on the roads, in 'their opinion' they shouldn't be.

A proportion of drivers will feel the same, and a proportion of those think that they can therefore treat cyclists/riders badly because they don't want to share the road with them. This is where it becomes dangerous.

Also, unfortunately (as with anything!) people will have had bad experiences with cyclists/riders and then their lizard minds think all are bad so they hate on everyone.

As a former horse rider I've been in some horrifying situations where car drivers just either didn't appreciate the danger they were putting me, my horse and themselves in, or just didn't care. Lots more riders are wearing cameras now and it's helped in some prosecutions.

That wasn’t the question, therefore I cannot judge on that comment. Shame.

Its good to read that you always give a wave or a nod. It’s not about thanking people for obeying the Highway Code. It’s about some basic politeness. In the same way that I always wave if someone pulls over to let me through or lets me out at a junction. I don’t have to wave or nod thanks, and neither do they, I just think some basic politeness goes a long way.

I used to live in the Yorkshire Dales, still visit regularly. The number of times I have been stuck behind a car “going for a nice drive” along windy country roads far outweighs the slight delays from cyclists - even during that ‘Tour de Yorkshire’ event that dragged every competitive and some non-competitive cyclists from across the UK to the Yorkshire Dales.

Still don’t hate cyclists.

Really hate tourists who don’t know how to drive on country roads and pootle along with no thought for anyone else.

There are a number of posters on this thread who should not be allowed to drive. Their attitudes are downright dangerous - being irritated by being slowed down by other road users.

They don’t seem to know that other road users are just as entitled to use the roads - and use them safely - for whatever reason.

Car drivers should reflect on the enormous ecological damage they do: the use of land (finite resource) given over to roads, and the non-renewable resources that make and run cars.

Car drivers are pretty much the highest threat to people’s every day safety.

100 million per cent this. ^

You can tell who the lycra clad brigade are on here (or if it's not them, it's their wives trying to defend them!) 😂

They are, by a country mile, the worst people on the roads. Think they own every road, but pay fuck-all tax or insurance!

This is just the problem isn't it - you have personally decided that horse riders shouldn't be on the road.

But they are perfectly entitled to be there with any other type of road user.

Horses are unpredictable sometimes, but so are other road users - poor drivers, young inexperienced drivers, drivers who hate horse riders, children kicking balls in to the road and then running out to grab them... etc etc. If we all drove, cycled, rode and walked on roads with other people's safety in mind don't you think that would be preferable?

If you recognise that horses are potentially flighty and pass them according to the highway code, everyone should be able to share roads safely without deciding someone shouldn't belong there, no?

Horses have a right to be on the road (alongside cyclists & pedestrians). Everyone else is there under the conditions of their license (which includes following highway code)

Horses actually designed the winding country lanes - if you look at the natural tracks horses make when left to graze freely they follow the pattern. They are perfect for horses & only became a problem when unsuitable vehicles eg modern cars starting using them.

I have a helmet camera & report all careless & dangerous driving to the police - 8/10 reports result in action taken against the driver (including warnings, awareness courses, fines, points & court)

I find drivers will post these silly ignorant views on SM but tend to say something different to the police & courts.

You could stick to driving on the motorway where you are safe from dangerous cyclists & horses.

Or perhaps motoring is more than a hobby & you have somewhere to be - like the horse riders & cyclists.

Oh dear. I ride my e-bike in order to get to my horse most days! There is a way to get there using mostly gravel farm tracks, but after flooding, several had loads more big gravel dumped on them, making them very unstable under my wheels. Until they are flattened more by tractor traffic, I am cycling about half way on a fast country road (albeit with decent visibility for passing). Undoubtedly, there will be some drivers who feel that their particular reasons to be going from A to B outweigh mine... Meanwhile, I'm just trying to use less diesel while saving about 2500 miles of driving per year and doing something for my health. We have major, signposted tourist cycling routes along some of the smaller country roads, and while it's mildly annoying as a car driver to be stuck behind them for a bit occasionally, I try to recall that I also enjoy cycling those routes safely. In town, there are a few cycle paths, but the main problem is that they are quite short, don't join up properly, and tend to spit you out onto the road at very awkward places, so that it's often safer just to stay on the road, rather than bounce on and off several times within a few hundred metres.

As for the horses, we try to avoid roadwork as much as possible, but sometimes, we have to ride on roads for a bit, mostly on minor roads through small villages. Most drivers are pretty considerate, but I recall a tractor driver that almost pushed us into a ditch, even though we were trotting ahead in order to get to a safe place for him to pass (we were on a farm track that we were supposed to be riding on, attached to our yard). Beforehand, my horse was fine with tractors...

What’s your hobby or interest?

ps I pay plenty of tax and insurance. Try a new line.

Well it's a chat forum, the op has asked for opinions?

I'm not vile at all, ive just witnessed huge jumpy horses on public roads and imo it isn't safe or appropriate. Hopefully the law will catch up with modern day road safety and ban them.

Get a different hobby, a safe one that doesn't put other road users at risk.

If you drive anywhere and sit in any sort of queue with people behind you, you are by definition holding other people up.

Cars are the issue when it comes to congestion, especially cars with just one person in them taking up a completely disproportionate amount of road space.

Why do drivers need to take up ~10 m2 on the road all to themselves? Just completely selfish.

I agree!

You are now just being goady!

I think with both horse riders and cyclists some kind of assessment should be needed before they're allowed out on public roads. Never going to happen so all motorists cans do is protect themselves with dash cams.

How is it goady? It is a safety issue.

Because the driving licence ensures that nobody ever breaks the law or causes harm in a car, does it.

Oh.

And drivers aren't?

Public roads are for the public, you don't need a car to use them

Well no but it ensures they have some competence and can handle the vehicle that they're in charge of. Unlike horse riders who can be absolutely inexperienced yet have a huge unpredictable animal jumping about on public roads.