Have we become a nation of cycle haters?

Have we become a nation of cycle haters?

Author
Discussion

MadDad

Original Poster:

3,834 posts

260 months

Saturday 14th June 2014
quotequote all
I went for a quick spin tonight that took me through Windsor, as I approached a set of lights that were in my favor a bus coming in the other direction jumped the lights and pulled directly across in front of me.

I was traveling at 22 mph when the bus cut me up causing me to skid quite heavily, but I steered towards the back of the bus and missed it by inches (it just kept moving - despite the fact the driver acknowledged me by lifting his hand from the wheel and shrugging of the shoulders).

A bit of drama but it happens, so I let it slide and was in the process of clicking up through the gears so I could pedal off when a group of 4 pensioners started to shout at me about jumping red lights (despite the fact they were using a pedestrian crossing on red!). I pointed out that the bus jumped the red and my lights were in fact still green - so before they start berating people they should get their facts right!

At this point another group on the other side of the road and totally unrelated to the pensioners got involved and started to shout abuse 'you *ucking bike riding *unts are all the same, think you own the road, don't pay tax, etc etc'.......I didn't say a thing, just looked at them in disbelief as another torrent of abuse kicked off - so I just peddled off - absolutely fuming!

Have the general public finally turned against cyclists en-mass based on the drivel written in the Daily Rant by some antagonistic jerno who simply wants to sell headlines? I was genuinely shaken by the abuse from the pedestrians despite the fact I had done nothing wrong, but can't figure out what on earth would trigger people to behave like that towards someone who was almost flattened by a bus driver who broke the law!

egor110

16,818 posts

202 months

Saturday 14th June 2014
quotequote all
in towns cycles work but on the a roads there a pain in the ass, you get a long line of traffic all trying to overtake a cyclist.

there just not fast enough on a roads 40-60mph to allow the traffic to flow.

Rob_T

1,916 posts

250 months

Saturday 14th June 2014
quotequote all
By pensioners I am going to assume you actually mean baby boomers. I have found this section of society to be the most selfish, arrogant, self centred and aggressive of the lot. It doesn't surprise me that you have been at the receiving end of their vitriol. Ignore it and move on.

ecsrobin

17,023 posts

164 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
quotequote all
Seems odd that a bus and pedestrians were all in the wrong. If however they were in the wrong maybe its a regular occurence for cyclists in the area to jump the lights and so they're sick of it.

I hate seeing cyclists jump lights, if I can stop for them on my bike and car why can't others? But as a cyclist I feel were more vulnerable to abuse as we can hear it, in a car people generally won't shout as you won't here them.

otolith

55,899 posts

203 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
quotequote all
Drivers who can't safely overtake a cyclist on an a-road should put their licence back in the cornflake box they got it from.

anonymous-user

53 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
quotequote all
I'm not sure if we are becoming a nation of cyclist haters, but I certainly think drivers and cyclists are on a collision course, pardon the pun.

I cycle occasionally for recreation/exercise, and drive cars every day pretty much.

When I'm out of my bike, I find myself getting cut up by car drivers turning across the road in front of me, squeezing past me stupidly close, and other such things that make me very uncomfortable and slightly annoyed.

When I'm in my car, I find myself getting really fked off watching cyclists ride straight through red lights and the wrong way down one way streets etc and generally making a nuisance of themselves, and when I come up behind them out of town where the speed limit is 40-60, I get slightly irked at the traffic being held up by them.

The only real way forward is to have properly separate cycle routes, which will keep bikes and cars apart for the vast majority of a journey that one wishes to make, but we just don't have the money of the space to do that in the UK.

It's a shame because I think we should encourage more cycling and less car use, but it will bring with it more deaths and more hatred.

thetrash

1,847 posts

205 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
quotequote all
Rob_T said:
By pensioners I am going to assume you actually mean baby boomers. I have found this section of society to be the most selfish, arrogant, self centred and aggressive of the lot. It doesn't surprise me that you have been at the receiving end of their vitriol. Ignore it and move on.
This,a bunch of s who will enjoy a great and long retirement off the back of their children and grandchildren.

heebeegeetee

28,591 posts

247 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
quotequote all
Rob_T said:
By pensioners I am going to assume you actually mean baby boomers. I have found this section of society to be the most selfish, arrogant, self centred and aggressive of the lot. It doesn't surprise me that you have been at the receiving end of their vitriol. Ignore it and move on.
Baby boomers were born from 1948. Doesn't that give us 1 year's worth of pensioners?

egor110

16,818 posts

202 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
quotequote all
otolith said:
Drivers who can't safely overtake a cyclist on an a-road should put their licence back in the cornflake box they got it from.
don't get all defensive , you hit a line of traffic and you can bet your life there trying to get past a cyclist.

a lot of the a roads down here don't room for 2 cars and a cyclist to safely pass, so you get the line behind the cyclist looking for a gap to overtake, if the traffics busy or theres a cyclist also on the otherside then the gap never appears.

i'm not saying it's anyones fault just the speed differential is much larger on a fast a road compared to a town road or city where i'd agree cyclists are able to exceed the speed of cars,buses.

i'm no cycle hater i had to ride a bike every day for work come rain or shine not just when the sun was out or when tour de france fever hits the country.

thetrash

1,847 posts

205 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
quotequote all
heebeegeetee said:
Baby boomers were born from 1948. Doesn't that give us 1 year's worth of pensioners?
They retired early!

fiveoclockhero1

672 posts

183 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
quotequote all
MadDad said:


Have the general public finally turned against cyclists en-mass based on the drivel written in the Daily Rant by some antagonistic jerno who simply wants to sell headlines?
No, they've turned against them because a lot of cyclists are aggressive, lycra clad fk wits with no regard for other people who use the road.

0a

23,879 posts

193 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
quotequote all
It's slightly suspicious that your story has every other road user and pedestrian as a rabid cycle hater. Perhaps you need to review how you ride, or get some training?

otolith

55,899 posts

203 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
quotequote all
When I hit a line of traffic on an A road, they're usually trying to get past another car or a lorry.

Engineer1

10,486 posts

208 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
quotequote all
thetrash said:
heebeegeetee said:
Baby boomers were born from 1948. Doesn't that give us 1 year's worth of pensioners?
They retired early!
On a final salary scheme with their mortgage paid off. wink

Joey Ramone

2,150 posts

124 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
quotequote all
I find that car drivers treat me courteously. In return I try to have as little impact on their driving as possible. I think it's mainly due to the fact that I only cycle on country roads and rarely cycle in a large group. If there is a group, we always single-up if a vehicle is behind us. But I'm not making a point about the OP. I just think that towns and A roads are always going to lead to confrontation between cars and bikes.

Getragdogleg

8,737 posts

182 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
quotequote all
I think the problem is the Government and local councils insistence of "helping" cyclist by installing traffic calming and badly thought out cyclepaths.

The ride to work for me used to be simple, I used the excellent cycleway that runs right around the bay, this was badly damaged in the storms and has not been repaired properly yet. Some sections have sand so deep you cannot ride on it and other bits have large rocks making progress slow if you don't want to damage your tyres.
So, I am now using the road. The narrowed road with wide pavements to the left and little islands in the middle, then there is the laughable sections of cyclepath that in some cases are maybe 20 feet long and terminate with a stop and wiat for me, or the cyclepath that was installed for 100 yards on the right hand side of a road that has two way cycle traffic marked on it but abruptly ends on a blind corner so you cant see to cross back to the left to carry on the journey.

I think the non riding public see all the special attention cyclists get and how it also frustrates them and the anger is directed at riders rather than the stupid road planners.

anonymous-user

53 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
quotequote all
I think society has changed as a whole, just look at the "bad parking" thread which really should be called the "arrogant parking" thread, people care more about protecting their own car from an accidental scratch than whether another person can park safely. People hold others in such low contempt these days that the "i'm alright jack" mentality prevails along with the "whats in it for me" mentality.

How many times have you passed someone stuck in a lane, obviously broken down, and cars just pull out and pass without stopping to at least help push the car off the road. Its not a case of being cycle haters, everyone is too self absorbed in their own life to care about others. Cyclists are an easy target because the motorists have had the lion share of road infrastructure for 80 years and old habits linger hence the road tax comment always comes up!

I do get annoyed by the way any one on a bike is lumped together in one group though. If someone cuts me up at a roundabout for example, my anger is directed to him/her alone, not other drivers of the same brand/model or motorists as a whole, I dont suddenly assume that everyone driving a car is an arse, texting and under the influence but someone witnesses a person on a bike jump a red light and every cyclist is demonised. Odd.

And yes, county councils are full of non cyclists who insist on ballsing up every road we have trying to help cyclists without seemingly consulting anyone.... there is a major balls up being built on the A4174 Bristol ring road just off the M32 now, another set of lights just to let cyclists cross the road despite a far better crossing 100 yards up the road... it will piss of motorists because no cyclist will use it and that just increases the resentment.

Dammit

3,790 posts

207 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
quotequote all
Long term none of this matters, the days of human controlled motorised vehicles are numbered- let the idiots howl out of the windows of their Johnny Cab about their false sense of entitlement, once the teeth of their dangerous driving are drawn they become irrelevant.

JimmyTheHand

1,001 posts

141 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
quotequote all
thetrash said:
Rob_T said:
By pensioners I am going to assume you actually mean baby boomers. I have found this section of society to be the most selfish, arrogant, self centred and aggressive of the lot. It doesn't surprise me that you have been at the receiving end of their vitriol. Ignore it and move on.
This,a bunch of s who will enjoy a great and long retirement off the back of their children and grandchildren.
Being the generation who are children to the "baby boomers" - I think your anger is misdirected.

You want to look at those CEOs/finance/Share holders who say squeeze the pay and materials to ensure they make a few more short term percentage points for the company, even if that means sending work to some third world sweat shop. Companies no longer want to invest in people as they see staff as just a cost that can often be got cheaper and consumers will buy cheap rubbish at huge mark ups. But then again that is why we can have TVs cheaper now than they were in the early 90s (let alone compared to when the baby boomers grew up).

Then you get Gordon Brown's raid on pensions which is when companies stopped offering good ones.

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

30,230 posts

234 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
quotequote all
Kind of been done to death...but a lot (not all) cyclists think the rules of the road don't apply to them