Complete knob on a bike last night

[oyster]

On my commute home last night southbound past Kings Hospital there's an ambulance with full sirens and blue lights going in the same direction as me and trying to get past the heavy traffic. Right outside the hospital there's a predestrian crossing on which the lights had turned red. So there's cars, cycles and pedestrians all stationary waiting for both the lights to change and for the ambulance to get past.

Because of the traffic the ambulance has crossed to the other side of the road.

At the same time this guy on a bike appears from a side road to the left and proceeds to cycle across and is looking left for traffic in order to allow him to continue northbound. Only he hadn't seen or heard the ambulance. So by the time he looks forward he is staring at the windscreen of the ambulance (which has already seen him and stopped).

What happened next is just incredible. This idiot, instead of moving out of the way to let the ambulance past just holds his ground in front of the ambulance, refusing to yield. After a few seconds the ambulance driver hoots and the cyclist relents and passes down the side of the ambulance, but not before banging his fist on the side of the ambulance and shouting very loudly "you effing cccccnts".

There must have been about 10 pedestrians and about 5 or 6 of us cyclists just stood there, mouth open, aghast at what we had just seen.

I can tell you I have never in my life felt more compelled than to chase after him and kick him off his bike. What sort of scum person thinks they're so important that an ambulance in full emergency mode should yield to him? And we're not talking about a POB here - this was road bike, hi viz rucksack, helmet being worn.

[anonymous-user]

and how is Andrew Mitchell these days?

FWIW I'd have had a word with him, internet bravado not req'd.

[yellowjack]

It's not only cyclists. Last night I was stood outside The Roundhouse in Camden, waiting for doors. Traffic was hell, and a BMW was trying to get out of a car park just down from the Roundhouse. He'd already edged his way out into the traffic from his right, and was trying to force his way into the flow of traffic from his left. Then came the Ambulance, full blues'n'twos, from his right. Instead of reversing back toward the gate he'd just come out of, he waved his arms and tooted at the traffic from his left, which at that moment had a red light against it. Other vehicles moved to accommodate his 3 Series Tourer (just) and the Ambulance and the Paramedic response car behind it managed to squeeze through (just).

I'm not defending the cyclist seen by the OP, but it's not about grouping people together because of their chosen mode of transport. A knob, is a knob, is a knob. Simply put, some folk cannot ever play nice with others. It matters not what they go to work on/in, they just aren't nice people.

My vote for complete knob on a bike goes to the idiot last night who I passed on West heath Road in Farnborough. I was driving home from the Station in a good mood, having seen Big Sixes/Charlie Simpson/Deaf Havana at the Roundhouse, when I catch this fkwit ahead of me.

No Lights. No Reflectors (not even pedals). No Hi-Vis. No road sense. No control over his bike. Wobbling around all over the place on the carriageway (honestly, I hate pavement pilots, but at that time of night, with no lights etc, it'd have made more sense). Now I saw him, late, but in time to get around him, but he's a complete twunt, because that's one of the favourite routes away from Farnborough station for cabbies, and if you're going to be meeting a dunk driver, or even just a tired/distracted driver, there are less likely times of day than half past midnight. Knob.

edit = spelling

Edited by yellowjack on Saturday 26th October 19:39

[Eddh]

Idiot, he was probably beasting a Strava segment and getting KOM was more important than someones potential life threatening situation...