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.

But usually horses aren't mentioned in either theory/practical tests. Drivers are only assessed once. Yet it is drivers who kill people, not horses or cyclists.
Do you know how many horses and riders are killed by drivers each year?

Drivers are the issue, not horses.

Most horse riders have insurance. I certainly wouldn’t ride on the road or in public without it.

Riding and Road safety, which many of us have.
You really hate horse riders don’t you?

I dont hate cyclists but if im in a rush and there's a horse on the road it always pisses me off. I used to live near a riding school so it was all the time but luckily I dont anymore

But why?

Insurance doesn't mean that cyclists aren't liable for paying the cost of damage they cause. Car insurance is mandatory because cars etc are big heavy things that can cause hundreds/thousands of pounds of damage.

A worst all a bike can do is cause a bit of a dent, and usually it's the bike which comes off much, much worse.

The cost of administrating such a scheme would far outweigh any benefit it would provide.

Sometimes we have to ride a couple of miles on a road to get to the nearest bridleway...

I've seen an accident caused by a cyclist pulling out at a cross roads without stopping, making the car it hit swerve in to another car.
I was a witness in a car behind, i doubt the cyclist was insured but if he was he should have been liable for both cars damage.

I wouldn't dream of taking my horses or cars on the road without insurance, that's bonkers.

It should also be illegal for any cyclist or horse rider to be on the road without hi viz clothing any time of day/night/year.

The point being that cars cause expensive damage every single day, and the premiums paid reflect that.

Bikes don't so insurance is not and will never be a legal requirement, because that would be expensive and, frankly, stupid.

'Bikes don't so insurance is not and will never be a legal requirement, because that would be expensive and, frankly, stupid.'

Well as has been said some careless riders of both bikes and horses can cause accidents so it should a legality that everyone using public roads is insured.

Tripe , a cyclist hit my near side front door , cost 1200 pounds ,the lycra clad twit said no l have no money so went to court and he did not pay so my insurance sent bailiffs round took all his goods and his bike to pay for my car door , when he hit me l was stood handbrake on engine off even a city car is big enough to see , charged with dangerous cycling and the court took his driving licence away . It needs to be mandatory for cyclist to have insurance and a riding license as well , road usage or road tax is a silly idea,we are canvasing our mp to make this legal we need accountability from cyclist so like car drivers they can lose a riding license while drunk or on drugs while riding

It is a requirement in pony club to have the road rider badge to be able to progress through the general test schedule. You can’t achieve, can’t remember if it’s C or C+, without it! All members also receive public liability insurance with membership, plus generally the animal they are riding will also have insurance separately, so technically insured twice

Depends if it’s a pavement or a shared use path. Horses can be on the latter

I dislike cyclists because they're a dangerous nuisance, but the level of vengeance makes me feel slightly sorry for the guy. 😃

Insurance is mandatory for your car because of the frequency of accidents and the average cost of accidents, principally the cost of you damaging someone else's property and not being able to cover the cost of it. It's not saying that accidents never happen.

The average cost of a bike hitting a car is absolutely negligible compared to a car hitting something, and so it's not necessary or cost-effective to require mandatory insurance for pushbikes.

This is not hard to understand.

C+, my DD has just done it 😄

Didn’t you read this by pp? Only at 12.19 today so not like it was pages before.

'Tripe , a cyclist hit my near side front door , cost 1200 pounds ,the lycra clad twit said no l have no money so went to court and he did not pay so my insurance sent bailiffs round took all his goods and his bike to pay for my car door , when he hit me l was stood handbrake on engine off even a city car is big enough to see , charged with dangerous cycling and the court took his driving licence away . It needs to be mandatory for cyclist to have insurance and a riding license as well '

Many cyclists won't have a few hundred or a couple of grand spare to pay for dents caused by their carelessness.

The worst a cyclist can do is cause an accident which kills someone. Just like anybody else on the road.

I read it. My point still stands. Most cycle accidents don't result in £1200 worth of damage.

You understand how insurance works, right? It only makes financial sense to the insurance companies and to the customers if there is a cost/benefit to having insurance in the first place for a sufficiently large population.

I cycle and drive and as a driver I've never once been annoyed by a cyclist. Not a single time in 15 years of driving. I'm just patient and give plenty of room and everyone's happy. Whereas when cycling I've had hundreds of negative encounters with careless or aggressive drivers down the years.

I think a lot of drivers get their opinions from other people and don't think for themselves based on their actual experience. Or their bad driving causes the problem.

I don’t like cyclist because most people don’t seem to know how to cycle. They race down those cycle lanes when people cross the road I have seen a woman be hit, they can hit you and ride off into the wind.

I don’t mind horse riders I like horses

And how do you feel about drivers, who speed, go through lights, hit and run, kill people every day?

You probably don't feel the same because you drive and therefore it's not 'drivers' it's 'bad drivers'.

In reality serious accidents caused by cyclists are incredibly rare and disliking them as a group is irrational and fuelled by the media.

Where I live is very popular with cyclists and horse riders. I myself was a cyclist all my life until I injured my back last year.

Never had any issue with a horse rider. It is always the cyclists and it’s the ones that cycle in packs and regardless of the Highway Code I think it’s daft they cycle two abreast. Lots of windy and difficult lanes near me.

I suppose the biggest difference that I notice is groups of horse riders tend to be women and groups of cyclists tend to be men.

I do not mind being held up by cyclists as long as they are in single file.

Maybe l was a bit heavy , l do cycle and drive not anti cyclist , my camera in the back of the car see him head down missed the rear of my car and hit rear door and passenger door 2 new doors , he never looked , my insurance dealt with the cyclist , he had no insurance and my insurance followed through with him having to pay he refused so the insurance sent in bailiffs, l told the story a bit wrong , but l at um about 9 pounds a month have cycle insurance even if l die by being hit by a car . So if l upset you sorry NotTer William l am not anti cycle as at 80 l do cycle.

Again thanks for all the replies, great reading and interesting justifications.

Interestingly, a post on social media is where a cyclist was pushed off her bike into the canal. A significant number of the comments state: “good it’s a cyclist”, “they should have stopped”, “they should have slowed down”. All trying to justify why this cyclist deserved it.

Watching the video, the cyclist physically stopped their bike, whilst receiving abuse, then was pushed into the canal, unable to get out.

The route the cyclist was on was a towpath (not the road - lots of comments on here have expressed using cycle paths etc)

Even more interesting, the cyclist was a female, clearly targeted for cycling.

If this incident had happened without her on a bike, I guarantee there would be uproar and a hunt for the chap, rather than the “they deserved it”.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/mum-traumatised-after-dog-walker-32200394.amp

He shouldn't have pushed her but she was far from faultless there. She was going at some speed and only braked at the last minute. She should have slowed right down when she saw people up ahead on such a narrow path. I wouldn't have done what he did but I would be pretty annoyed if a cyclist approached me like that! As a cyclist I would have stopped in good time and allowed them to pass.