Cyclist knocked off and abused

[budgie smuggler]

Just seen this on another forum:

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2...

I would have flipped if that mouthy bint had starting talking to me like that after knocking me off! What a dopey mare.

[BGarside]

The usual 'it's your fault for being a cyclist' bullsh!t.

The Police are as institutionally biased against cyclists as the general public, and what passes for British 'society' is actually an undisciplined rabble of ignorant, stupid, hostile, anti-social morons.

As a keen cyclist, I hope one day to be able to emigrate to a more civilised country where the roads (& society in general) have not degenerated into a lawless free-for-all...

[BGarside]

Even in London, now that there are bikes everywhere, cycling is still as dangerous as ever...

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/half-of-c...

[TonyHetherington]

I'm a keen cyclist, so not knocking the message, however those stats I can't work out.

42% of cyclists have been knocked off. The most at risk category (25-34) have had 40% knocked off. So how is the total 42% if the highest category is 40% ?

[Vocal Minority]

BGarside said:

what passes for British 'society' is actually an undisciplined rabble of ignorant, stupid, hostile, anti-social morons.

Here, in a nut shell you have it.

May I add self centred, and unmotivated to compromise their own life in the tiniest way (eg making room for a cyclist on the road), even if the cost to them is nil, if there is not a tangible benefit to them.

[Vladimir]

It was painfully obvious on our five week tour of France and Spain how much better those countries are geared towards cycling; and it's respected not hated.

Our nation is becoming more angry and less tolerant by the day.

[Rob_T]

I think there must be something in the water in the UK.

EVERYONE seems to be angry and up for confrontation. Just take a look at the two pensioners in the Asda car park the other day... They got into a fight over a space and one got killed by a punch! I'm not surprised by any reactions any more. Just keep your head down and don't answer back.

Sad sign of the times

[prand]

Vladimir said:

It was painfully obvious on our five week tour of France and Spain how much better those countries are geared towards cycling; and it's respected not hated.

Our nation is becoming more angry and less tolerant by the day.

Would be nice if our country had double the land mass and the same or less population to play around in it too.

[S10GTA]

Vladimir said:

It was painfully obvious on our five week tour of France and Spain how much better those countries are geared towards cycling; and it's respected not hated.

Our nation is becoming more angry and less tolerant by the day.

I concur. I did a week in Spain and it was glorious. Lots of room at the side of the road, cars passing nice and wide and the surfaces were exceptional!

[Vladimir]

prand said:

Would be nice if our country had double the land mass and the same or less population to play around in it too.

New Zealand then?!

[SpydieNut]

budgie smuggler said:

Just seen this on another forum:

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2...

I would have flipped if that mouthy bint had starting talking to me like that after knocking me off! What a dopey mare.

fking hell - I can't watch things like that. Stupid stupid bh. They're got their heads so far up their own arses that they can't be bothered to slow down and wait a few seconds to let the cyclist turn, in case it makes them late, or just because they think they're the most important thing on the road.

What if it was another car that was ahead of them and turning right? I bet they wouldn't have just ploughed into the back of it and, if they did, they wouldn't have been such fking gobstes about it. Blithering idiots.

[prand]

Vladimir said:

New Zealand then?!

Wherever really. The UK is just too full, roads too old and space at a premium in all but the remote wet and windy bits. So to expect us to all get along nicely is not really possible.

[Zigster]

I just watched that video on the Guardian's website. (I had to have the sound down as I'm at work and don't have headphones with me - no idea what the verbal abuse consisted of.)

How could the Police claim that was partly the cyclist's fault? The car rammed him from behind on a long, straight stretch of road! WTF?

[Sandersports]

Vocal Minority said:

Here, in a nut shell you have it.

May I add self centred, and unmotivated to compromise their own life in the tiniest way (eg making room for a cyclist on the road), even if the cost to them is nil, if there is not a tangible benefit to them.

Couldn't have put it better myself !!! Great explanation

[Benrad]

prand said:

Wherever really. The UK is just too full, roads too old and space at a premium in all but the remote wet and windy bits. So to expect us to all get along nicely is not really possible.

The kiwis have a much much worse attitude to cyclists than we do here according to my aunt who lives out there

[supersport]

Vocal Minority said:

BGarside said:

what passes for British 'society' is actually an undisciplined rabble of ignorant, stupid, hostile, anti-social morons.

Here, in a nut shell you have it.

May I add self centred, and unmotivated to compromise their own life in the tiniest way (eg making room for a cyclist on the road), even if the cost to them is nil, if there is not a tangible benefit to them.

Sadly it is too

[TwistingMyMelon]

On the other side of the coin on my daily rural commute 95% of drivers are really good

I have to ride some (short) parts on twisty A-roads, that most non cyclists would say shouldn't let bikes on and 95% drivers are really good

Same on the rural B & unclassified roads, for every car that passes me a bit too close, there are hundreds that sit behind me and give me plenty of room. I do ride at 18-25Mph and hold a "positive" position in the road which helps, I also accept that from time to time some cars will pass quite close.

I never really get any abuse shouted at me, and I get the same motorcyclist often pull up along side me wanting a high 5!

There are some drivers that want confrontation, I just look out for the warning signs and give them a wide berth, as it aint worth the hassle.

[allegro]

Not that i condone what happened to the cyclist but am i the only one who would have stopped as a mark of respect for the funeral procession until i was sure normal traffic had resumed?
Riding in amongst a funeral procession just seems wrong to me

[JPJ]

To allegro's point, surely it would be difficult to know what cars were and were not in the cortege, other than the obvious silver hearses? It would be particularly difficult to tell if the red Peugeot was, or was not part of the group.

Secondly, while it is deemed wrong to overtake a cortege, in this instance he was overtaken by it and therefore it wouldn't be easy to know if and when the line of cars would finish - in many cases on a bike you're aware of a vehicle being nearby, but not what it is or what is is doing and you don't tend to have mirrors to look in to see what is behind. A glance over the shoulder ascertains something is or isn't there, not the specifics of the vehicle itself in some cases.

Finally, as for any road user, an overtake should only be performed when it is safe to do so without impeding other traffic and being aware of junctions and other road furniture. I'm not convinced that overtaking a cyclist at an obvious road narrowing with a side junction is particularly observant.

[47p2]

TwistingMyMelon said:

...hold a "positive" position in the road

^^^This


I never ride in at the kerb, it's asking for trouble, just left if the middle of the lane when conditions allow and on dual carriageways the centre of the left lane