To think cyclists shouldn't think themselves above the law ?

[AmIWhatAndWhy]

DP has just called me, he left work and was crossing when a cyclist sailed through the lights and missed hitting him by inches.

The same has happened to me countless times, sometimes when with the DC. Why do they think it's okay to sail over pedestrian crossings?

I had a incicent recently where at a very wide T-junction, I (on a bike) had positionined myself correctly on the middle of the road as I was waiting to turn right when the junction was clear. A car then came up from behind me, positioned itslef to the rgiht of me (even though the there was masses of space to the left of me) indicating to go left - which in fact I didn't initially notice (given that the car had come from behind me, I was stationary and looking ahead to the roght and left of me for when it was clear to the corss the road truning right). He then beeped at me for having the temerity to cross the road acorss "his" path.

IcingOnTheCake - when inconsiderate drivers stop in the area reserved for cyclists at traffic lights, I would never wait to their left but instead move on front of them anyway. Because I then have to turn the bike sideways I am very slow in starting. But if they had the decency to leave enough space it would not happen. It just cannot be safe to wait to the left, assuming the driver will notice.

I really think that many lives could be saved through a public information campaign targetting both drivers and cyclists. Many cyclists have had no training and are unaware of the rules of the road but motorists should have no excuse.

prettybird that is

upwind, i wasn't referring to lights with an area reserved for cyclists. I was refering to ordinary lights. I am not here to defend car drivers and their bad habits, i just wish cyclists would for once admit that they act dangerously on the roads/pavements/pedestrian areas and would stop defending it by saying "car drivers do this..."

Even when people have come back with stories of cyclists injuring pedestrains/injuring toddlers/causing accidents/scratching and damaging cars/causing death, cyclists still act like they do no wrong and always come back with a defence of some kind. Even when Sparkle just said about the cyclist on a roundabout, which to me the cyclist was in the wrong because he shouldn't have undertaken and cut across the car like that, the cyclist is STILL made out to be the inconnent one on the bike and the BIG BAD driver is in the wrong!

here is a Traffic light junction on the way home where the only safe option is for me to go to the front and stand just in front of the solid white line.

The cycle route corsses on the road (othe rside of it - so I have to cross the traffic to go the irection I want to ) just beofre the lights.

If I don't go to the front of the traffic queue I risk getting knocked over by the cars: it is a tow lane queue, but both lanes can go straight on. Even the majority of cars trun immedaitely left, there is another "left" just beyond the junction, as well as the "straight on" option. As I am taking the left beound the junction, my only safe option is to be ahead of the traffic.

I don't run the light per se - in that I wait for it to turn green, but I do "break" the Highway Code by advacning to just ahead of the solid white line.

Now if there were a cyclists "apron" at the front of the junction as there should be, as this is supposed to one of the city's cycle routes (- and that "extra" left leads to a pedestrian walkway with a cycle lane in it) then I wouldn't need to it.

I am a blameless pedestrian constantly menaced by cyclists. There needs to be a crackdown! There needs to be proper education of cyclists and the police need to get them off the pavements and fine them for running lights.

prettybird, you differ from about 50% of the cyclists round here who simply do not stop at pedestrian crossings when the lights are against

oops them

How about when they cycle on the wrong side of the road? I always find it odd when they do that.

The wrong way down one way streets also popular and going at high speed round cycle paths where these cross pedestrian paths

It's children i worry about because i imagine it's very frightening being hit by a cyclist when your so small. I remember a few years ago, i cyclist used to go racing past dps shop on the pavement, right up close to the doors. I remember dp saying that one day someone is going to step out a shop a get hurt.

Well you can guess what happened. A little girl walked out the shop and the cyclist hit her. I think she just had a cut knee but was really frightened. Needless to say we never say that cyclist again.

I am not totally blameless - there is one short section of pavement (from my office to where I can join the cycle route) where I do cycle on the pavement. But I am very concsious of the fact that I am the interloper and give all pedestrians right of way and a wide berth

As a sometime cyclist, and with DH being a cyclist I am very aware of the importance of "Safe cycling", and also being a considerate driver. However, living in London has opened my eyes to teh fact that there are a lot of idiots out there. The other night I was walking past Buckingham Palace when a man on a bike cycled past (on the pavement directly towards us). He was shouting "Fuck off, fuck off". He was probably drunk, and I thought at one point he was aiming to hit me. I wish the police had been about.

Whenever I see a cyclist coming towards me on the pavement I walk directly at him (and it normally is him.) If they have to swerve to avoid me I get a glow. If they have to stop it sets me up for the day.

Similarly, if I see a cyclist trying to run a light in slo-mo while I am crossing, I will deliberately walk slowly in front of him and try to force him to stop completely.

I will do something similar on one way streets and pedestrian zones.

In both circumstances I will say the word "prick" loudly and distinctively as I walk past.

I am tired of these oafs thinking they are above the law or somehow special and different because they have a shiny bicycle with a smart ringing Mickey Mouse bell.

If you are out of primary school you have no excuse for riding on the pavement and, whatever your age, you have no excuse for breaking laws on the road unless you are in the sort of danger more commonly facing Mickey Rourke et al than pompous cock-ends from Islington or Dulwich. If you're in a hurry, buy yourself a car, you cretins!

As long as you are on a pavement or pdestrian zone which doesn't have a sign up saying it is "shared" between cyclists and pedestrians - then yuo are perfectly entitle to do os.

I wonder how many pedestrains realsied what that blue sign means? ie that the cyclist has as much right to be there are the pedestrain and that threy should both give due consideration to each other.

I do have to (repeatedly) ring my bell on the pedestrain overpass to get the pdestrians who are walking on the half that is clearly makred for the cyclist (ie it is painted green, with bicycle painted on it every 20m, while the pedestrain half is painted red) and they still don't get out the way and then are shocked when I have to shout "excuse me please" at them (I am a very plited person! )

Cyclists, drivers, pedestrians, skateboarders, motorised old people buggy-users etc, we could have an aibu thread for any of them. It's not the mode of transport, it's the individual person.

My dh is a mad lycra-wearing triathlete who cycles everywhere. He is also a police officer. His pet hate is bad cycling because he is so passionate about it as a form or transport/leisure/exercise. He issues many, many fixed penalty notices to cyclists to try and get the message across. They do not 'get away with it' all the time.

I think we could all do with having a little more respect for the law and each other. When pg and cycling I was overtaking a stationary vehicle with a bus following me. The bus driver decided to try and pass me and the stationary car at the same time, misjudged it and crushed me into the stationary car. I was severely bruised, cracked my head and was badly shaken. He did not apologise but shouted about 'bloody cyclists'.

When I say pavement I mean pavement, not cycle path - if I cyclist is entitled to be there then that's great.

I would say that near here, though, we have at least one one-way sem-pedestrianised street which is open to buses and cyclists. The cyclists seem to think they can cycle both ways up it (using the pavements proper when a bus is coming). I wonder how they would feel if the bus drivers decided to follow their example?

PS meant "distinctly" earlier - not "distinctively".

Natch.

of course you are right showofhands.

I witnessed an accident 5 weeks ago where a cyclist (no helmet, no reflective clothes, no signalling) was knocked off his bike turning right straight across the traffic.

He is still in hospital - the driver wa svery shaken up as you would expect but it wasn't his fault at all

I actually agree with you re pavements - but there are somne pavements that aren't obviously cycle paths where cyclists are permitted to be.

There are two examples of that on my route to/from work (not including the overpass where there is an obvious cycle path - even it is ignore by the pdestrians) where the pedetrains do not seem to realsie that I am entitled - nay, directed - to be on the pavement - and make no attempt to "share" the space.

In Holland the rule is that if a bike is hit by a car, then the car is at fault. This makes for a very safe feeling when cycling as cars are all aware of this and give cyclists a wide berth.

Most people in Holland cycle and so understand that even if the cyclist is at fault they can lose an arm, leg or their life in an accident, whereas the car driver merely gets shaken up or a scratch on their car.

I think this is a great law and should be implemented here too.

If the roads in the UK were safer for cyclists then I don't think they would cycle on the pavements so much.

Having said that, I do think cyclists should respect pedestrians when they are on the pavement.

"In Holland the rule is that if a bike is hit by a car, then the car is at fault. This makes for a very safe feeling when cycling as cars are all aware of this and give cyclists a wide berth."

while the dfety aspect behind this thinking has to be respected surely it is a very stupid thing to do to absolve one group of people from any responsibility for their actions what so ever. while i accept that the cycle system in holland is far superior, surely greater eduction for both groups motorists and cyclists is whats needed rather than absolving one group totally of responsibility.

mayorquimby I think that Hambo has it right - "...even if the cyclist is at fault they can lose an arm, leg or their life in an accident, whereas the car driver merely gets shaken up or a scratch on their car."

With more power should come more responsibility. And I think there should be a public information campaign aimed at cyclists too - many of them have never learned to drive and have no idea how dangerous it is when they do something motorists don't expect.

The power with responsibility point also applies as between cyclists and pedestrians, Upwind...

of course it does