Last week I was run over by a cyclist. He cycled at high speed across a pedestrian crossing, onto the pavement, and then straight into me. I had a fraction of a second warning between seeing the cyclist and the impact to extend my arms in front for protection. No damage was done as I'm fit and healthy but had I been elderly and inform, it could have been nasty. But I was shocked.
Then a few days later at the weekend I was on a narrow path down the side of a chalk hill in the Chilterns, with hedges and woodland either side, birds tweeting in the trees, when I saw a bike heading down hill, straight for me. I had a second or two to stand aside, and was told "There's five more behind." Yup. Five more bikes, all going at full pelt, "Four more", "Three more". Not a word of thanks. Maniacs the lot of them. I doubt they could have stopped in time had I not moved. What about walkers with little dogs not on leads? Or little children? All had helmets and lycra so must have been serious about the 'sport'.
Over the past few years I've twice been scared witless by a cyclist going at full tilt on the pavement and passing me from behind so I was unaware of their presence until I felt the whoosh of the air past me. One false movement by me as they pass and splat. On one occasion I turned round at the noise, and nearly stepped in his path. (It is always a him.)
A year ago I saw a cyclist cycling along the pavement, and then straight across a zebra crossing, without looking, directly into the path of a poor van driver, who had to swerve to avoid killing the cyclist.
And Slough was full of cyclists using the green painted cycle lanes on the roads, but on the wrong side of the road. Or without lights, at night, on the roads.
I know not all cyclists are like this, but cripes they have more than their fair share of totally self centred nutters.
A colleague said there is a hierarchy. Lorries frighten cars. Cars frighten cyclists. Cyclists frighten pedestrians.
But I don't think it is any worse than 20 years ago. I used to cycle 45 minutes to work in central London, and van and car drivers were dangerous. Some were no more than vicious thugs.
(The title reminds me of a bad joke. Man goes into a bar, and sees a piece of tarmac having a pint. Barman says not to mess with him. Man says why. Barman says "He's a cyclepath." Boom boom. Sorry.)
|
|
Have you seen Road Wars? Same thing, but 1.5 tonnes at 90 mph. So, I guess the issue is not so much the mode, as the cyclists may be drivers and vice versa, but more the control of anti-social behaviour.
|
I'm a car driver and a cyclist and I think that gives me a respect for everything and everyone that uses the road.
As you've said, not all cyclists are the same.
I think that the problem is, as elsewhere, cyclists are not prosecuted for failing to following traffic laws. Simply put, they know that they can get away with cycling on pavements, going through red lights, going over zebra crossings when people are crossing, cycling the wrong way down one way streets, cycling without lights at night etc etc.
I'm sure that this issue has been raised on here before, but issue fixed point notices, confiscate bikes, something and then the problem will lessen.........
Chris
|
|
I'm reminded of the 'cycle paths' joke...:^D
|
As a cyclist commuter, the only time I've ever frightened a pedestrian is when they're walking on the cycle path. Not on the pavement, 1 metre away but actually on the cycle path!
Several people choose to walk their dogs on them too - at 6:30am in the winter with a pedestrian on one side of the cycle path and a dog on the other, you can't quite see if there's a lead between them that you're going to hit....
Just to pass on the message that even as low in the food chain as pedestrians, there are still thoughtless people around.
|
|
I don't think cyclists have a monoply on being aggressive. I suspect the unpleasant ones also drive like loonies. And walk their dogs like loonies too. ;)
|
I recall about 25 years ago the Cambridge bike hire business became the subject for some debate due to language students (mostly French and Italians) cycling around at night, 3 up with no lights - a sort of mobile Benneton advert. Personally I thought it petty until i was confronted by a hoard of them coming towards me the wrong way up a one way street - they took my verbal assault as a challenge and contributed a number of lit marlboro's to the messy interior of my Spitfire.
Latter day, only the brave or incredibly stupid dare cycle around Kiev given the habits of the local drivers however the major problem is with the moped riders who are not required to register the machines and during the summer months do a fairly good impression of the language students - mind you, they also contribute to the legless % of the population!
|
|
Saw a particularly crazy bit of riding today, the lycra clad, be-helmeted rider pulle dout from a footpath in front of a van and five other cars, forcing the van to brake and swerve into the opposing lane, had the cyclist waited 10 seconds there would have been no vehicles to avoid contact with - it was almost as if it was delibrate... (this was on a 60 mph rural A road.)
|
|
|
|
|
Where I live the cyclists never use the cycle paths and always bike on the road and in winter hardly any of the younger bikers have lights. Seems to be that where I am its not cool to cycle on the cycle paths!
|
The trouble with cycle provision is that much of it is downright dangerous. Locally we have lanes in the gutter, little wider than the double yellows painted over them. They're full of road crud, slippy and outside the visual sweep of both vehicle drivers and pedestrians. Too easy to fetch up trapped between the kerb and a close passing truck with no effective escape route. Much better to ride further out, in what the instruction books call the primary position where you ccan see and bee seen.
Segregated cycle routes are little better. There's one linking this village and the next, surfaced with loose gravel it's passable on a mountain bike and, with care, on the folder. On the road bike/tourer it's a complete no no. The sort that force cyclists to cede passage to every side road are slow and frustrating Two way hard segretgated routes alongside the road (as in London's Gordon Square) are quite dangerous as well, neither drivers nor cyclists can look six ways at once.
Much better to ride in the road with the rest of the traffic!!!!
|
|
Painted nominal lanes are worse than useless. Non-cycling drivers (not to mention council employees) think they are usable, but they're nearly all bad, for the reasons Bromptonaut gives. Note how they run out of paint at each intersection, where the risk of collision is greatest. Then drivers get cross at cyclists using the primary position, thinking they should ride within the "lanes", the roadside litter, and over solid, parked, obstacles.
|
|
|
You have left out a bit of the joke. All the drinkers are black tarmac .
Then a red tarmac comes in and the bar falls silent. What's the matter with him? etc etc.
|
You have left out a bit of the joke.
I wondered why no-one ever laughs at my jokes ...
|
|
|
A good balanced thread here.
I am a 'roadie' cyclist (lycra larry type) and always stick to the highway code, for the simple fact that if in a incident and you aren't doing so, then you will be at fault, and I am a decent person.
I have a pet hate of cyclists of all levels who don't follow the law - even I nearly run down unlit cyclists on my bike, never mind a car.
I'll give you a typical incident from a cyclist's point of view...
Cycling along a wide road at a fair pace (plus 20mph) this morning, and a car passes very close to me, then swerves to within inches of the curb, then slows down. Kicks up all sort of debris at me. I don't respond, just think the 'w' word. Carry on, catch up with motorist in traffic and pass on outside of him and others. A mile or so later, he does the same thing, cut's in and showers me with debris... same again, I pass and am gone by now. What has he got to prove ? This isn't untypical of some 'poor' motorists.
The only reason I won't get into an argument is that I wear proper cycling shoes and carbon fibre soled shoes with cleats that don't give you a good foot hold on tarmac if a fight starts (bit like standing on ice). You can't walk in the things !
There are idiot cyclists and motorists. The cyclists are far more likely to win the Darwin awards though !
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
