Police pull over 'two abrest' cyclists - argument ensues
Discussion
cb1965 said:
Is there?
I'd say yes there are some roads which are quiet where an overtake can be done with ease.I'm thinking of North Wales, when I have been out for a drive there are roads where cyclists have been side by side and i've had plenty of road to see ahead and overtake.
I remember coming out of Windermere once, 2 fellas riding side by side. I couldn't get the overtake. Had a huge queue of people behind me.
I beeped him and he stuck his fingers up at me.
For people like that i'd love to see the law come in to stop bellends acting like that, he clearly didn't care about the traffic he was causing.
Do you all get so upset at horses?
When I was a keen cyclist, I rode 2 abreast at all times, as it forces cars to slow down, and then conduct a proper overtake, rather than buz within a foot of you at high speed.
Treat a cyclist in the same way you would a horse, and you won't go too far wrong.
I used to love ringing in France, as if you were 2 abreast, cars would slow down, quick pip (not blast) of the horn, you'd go single file, and they'd make a proper overtake, leaving you plenty of space.
I no longer cycle on uk roads, as uk drivers are f***ing imbeciles, and I value my life. I feel massive sympathy for those still brave enough to chance it with all the muppets they give driving liscences to.
Had a very similar conversation with a cop 30 years ago. I know the Highway Code, he didn't. Eventually his much more polite female colleague had to drag him back to his car and she had the good form to say sorry and be safe.
When I was a keen cyclist, I rode 2 abreast at all times, as it forces cars to slow down, and then conduct a proper overtake, rather than buz within a foot of you at high speed.
Treat a cyclist in the same way you would a horse, and you won't go too far wrong.
I used to love ringing in France, as if you were 2 abreast, cars would slow down, quick pip (not blast) of the horn, you'd go single file, and they'd make a proper overtake, leaving you plenty of space.
I no longer cycle on uk roads, as uk drivers are f***ing imbeciles, and I value my life. I feel massive sympathy for those still brave enough to chance it with all the muppets they give driving liscences to.
Had a very similar conversation with a cop 30 years ago. I know the Highway Code, he didn't. Eventually his much more polite female colleague had to drag him back to his car and she had the good form to say sorry and be safe.
BlueFiestaST said:
The law needs to be changed to be a definitive single file only when riding a bicycle.
Looking at that video they should have been in single file without a doubt.
Looks uphill. Speed limit atleast 40mph?
What speed can a cyclist do up a hill? Not 40mph so there would be traffic created behind them.
There is a time and place for 2 a breast cycling.
'There is a time and a place' Like when a faster cyclist wants to overtake a slower cyclist. Which renders your proposal impossible, self contradictory, and not just ridiculous. Looking at that video they should have been in single file without a doubt.
Looks uphill. Speed limit atleast 40mph?
What speed can a cyclist do up a hill? Not 40mph so there would be traffic created behind them.
There is a time and place for 2 a breast cycling.
wilkos said:
Do you all get so upset at horses?
When I was a keen cyclist, I rode 2 abreast at all times, as it forces cars to slow down, and then conduct a proper overtake, rather than buz within a foot of you at high speed.
Treat a cyclist in the same way you would a horse, and you won't go too far wrong.
I used to love ringing in France, as if you were 2 abreast, cars would slow down, quick pip (not blast) of the horn, you'd go single file, and they'd make a proper overtake, leaving you plenty of space.
I no longer cycle on uk roads, as uk drivers are f***ing imbeciles, and I value my life. I feel massive sympathy for those still brave enough to chance it with all the muppets they give driving liscences to.
Had a very similar conversation with a cop 30 years ago. I know the Highway Code, he didn't. Eventually his much more polite female colleague had to drag him back to his car and she had the good form to say sorry and be safe.
They are incapable of overtaking horses now as well. Some numpty today tried to squeeze through past two horses at exactly the same time a car was coming from the other direction.When I was a keen cyclist, I rode 2 abreast at all times, as it forces cars to slow down, and then conduct a proper overtake, rather than buz within a foot of you at high speed.
Treat a cyclist in the same way you would a horse, and you won't go too far wrong.
I used to love ringing in France, as if you were 2 abreast, cars would slow down, quick pip (not blast) of the horn, you'd go single file, and they'd make a proper overtake, leaving you plenty of space.
I no longer cycle on uk roads, as uk drivers are f***ing imbeciles, and I value my life. I feel massive sympathy for those still brave enough to chance it with all the muppets they give driving liscences to.
Had a very similar conversation with a cop 30 years ago. I know the Highway Code, he didn't. Eventually his much more polite female colleague had to drag him back to his car and she had the good form to say sorry and be safe.
saaby93 said:
There's no correlation there?
Beaten to it
I gave up after 3 incidents in a year when cycling alone, so in single file, I was taken off my bike by car drivers passing too close, because they were too impatient to wait for a safe place to pass. In all 3 cases, I was moving at the posted speed limit, so the need for an overtake was questionable.Beaten to it
The results were, broken jaw from the 1st, broken nose and collar bone from the second, rebroken jaw from the 3rd.
At all times I was cycling within the Highway Code, and in all cases the drivers didn't stop.
Treat a cyclist like a horse, or a motor cyclist, or even a pedestrian. They have every right to be on the road. They may hold you up and cost you one or two minutes of your precious day, but so would a caravan, or a tractor, or some old fart driving slowly.
Horse riders, that can be another set with a whole heap of attitude, regardless of how much courtesy you show them.
I even had the V's flicked at me from a little madam who was basically in so little control of her horse that the only thing to do was to stop well short, turn the engine off and wait for her to get some control and get it past. Took quite some time, when it was about 4/5 car lengths past, fired up the engine to move on, spotted the venomous forked fingers in the mirror. Sod you darling.
I even had the V's flicked at me from a little madam who was basically in so little control of her horse that the only thing to do was to stop well short, turn the engine off and wait for her to get some control and get it past. Took quite some time, when it was about 4/5 car lengths past, fired up the engine to move on, spotted the venomous forked fingers in the mirror. Sod you darling.
FredClogs said:
It'd be a help of they stuck to 2 abreast around my way, I came around a tight B road left hander today in a van, just touching the white line on the offside to avoid an over grown hedge and narrowly missed taking out half of some mid level corporate's management on their jolly boys outing to.compare who's spent most of their bonus on their new bike.
I love cycling as a sport and a past time and where we live I'm very used to and very tolerant of cyclists, but the prevailing attitude of these large groups of middle aged blokes out for a jolly when they should be on the golf course or drinking at the lodge is very poor.
So, if you didn't see them before the bend they were going incredibly slow or you were going incredibly fast? Perhaps you don't look in the distance when you drive? If you go around tight left hand bends without being able to see what's around the bend it's always prudent to do it VERY slowly- after all there could be a 4 Tonne tractor approaching!I love cycling as a sport and a past time and where we live I'm very used to and very tolerant of cyclists, but the prevailing attitude of these large groups of middle aged blokes out for a jolly when they should be on the golf course or drinking at the lodge is very poor.
simonr100 said:
cb1965 said:
PS Personally I want to see higher cycling standards
I agree with this. I see many bad drivers on the road but as a percentage it's far lower than the amount of bad riding by cyclists.But there are some idiots in both camps, incredibly enough, like in any groups of humans. You would assume that it's a simple concept to grasp and that even a 8-year old would do just that so it does come as a surprise that a few here and particularly cb1965 are either limited intellectually or just pretend to not get that, probably out of systematic anti-cycling anger.
Although being anti-driver is as stupid as being anti-cyclist. And many use both vehicles although more cyclists drive a car than drivers ride a bike so surely, the cyclist's perspective is a little more relevant.
Edited by nickfrog on Monday 29th May 08:41
Interesting the difference between cycling in the UK and where I am now in Belgium. There appears to be two types of cyclist, those who are lycra clad and the rest.
The Lycra clad are sports people who are on normal roads but appear to obey the law of both the road and common courtesy.
The rest are normal people getting about, the ride normal bikes, not hybrid things, they stop at road junctions and traffic lights, there isn't a sense of get out of my way, they share.
families ride together at the side of cars. Yes there are cycle only paths, and bikes use them 100% but I haven't seen concrete dividers or any anger.
And hardly a cycle helmet in sight, or hi ziv. The local Pizza hut has cycles to deliver goods on so it seems to work. I guess it helps that it is flat but it shows there can be people getting on together, but I feel it is part of the British way to be angry at someone or something
The Lycra clad are sports people who are on normal roads but appear to obey the law of both the road and common courtesy.
The rest are normal people getting about, the ride normal bikes, not hybrid things, they stop at road junctions and traffic lights, there isn't a sense of get out of my way, they share.
families ride together at the side of cars. Yes there are cycle only paths, and bikes use them 100% but I haven't seen concrete dividers or any anger.
And hardly a cycle helmet in sight, or hi ziv. The local Pizza hut has cycles to deliver goods on so it seems to work. I guess it helps that it is flat but it shows there can be people getting on together, but I feel it is part of the British way to be angry at someone or something
Rich_W said:
cb1965 said:
nickfrog said:
My empirical observations tell me it's quite the opposite
Well in the case of London you are plain wrong! 
Consider yourself told Nickfrog. Your eyes are lying to you!
Or maybe as a keen driver and cyclist, I am a little less biased, angry and intellectually dishonest than the average binary thinking anti-cyclist online crusader !
I have to go on the other side of the road to overtake a car, I have to go on the other side of the road to overtake a bike. Single file doesn't magically make me not have to go the other side of the road (honestly if I was doing a stupid overtake I'd prefer a direct head-on to an offset one - less twisting) to get past, and means I have to pass more vehicle.
nickfrog said:
Rich_W said:
cb1965 said:
nickfrog said:
My empirical observations tell me it's quite the opposite
Well in the case of London you are plain wrong! Consider yourself told Nickfrog. Your eyes are lying to you!
Or maybe as a keen driver and cyclist, I am a little less biased, angry and intellectually dishonest than the average binary thinking anti-cyclist online crusader !
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