Fellow cyclists damaging cars

[AyBee]

[rant] I was following a guy who got stuck between a car and a bus whilst trying to squeeze through a gap which was too small. Instead of pulling his bike back out, he continued pushing and I'm fairly certain he caused some damage to the poor woman's car. Instead of checking, he just rode off. She had managed to wind down her window by the time I got through the gap and was shouting out the window at him. I followed him through (bike on the back wheel because my bars wouldn't have fitted, caught him up and told him that he'd damaged that woman's car which wasn't on, to which his response was "I didn't realise". He pulled his bike through a gap with force so there's no way he didn't know there was contact and what annoys me was that he didn't even stop to check.

I don't think there's anything else I could have done but it irritates me that people behave like this, if it had been the car hitting him, he'd have demanded her details and yet she has no way of even knowing who he is

[/rant over]

[anonymous-user]

Total selfishness.

I'm sure you see the same thing in supermarket car parks (between cars) or hit and run drivers.

The important thing to remember is that 90% of the population aren't actually selfish tts like that.

[yellowjack]

AyBee][rant said:

I was following a guy who got stuck between a car and a bus whilst trying to squeeze through a gap which was too small. Instead of pulling his bike back out, he continued pushing...

[/rant over]

Not to defend bad behaviour, but. Question?

Did he get stuck because he went for a gap that was never big enough?
(If he did, he's a twunt, and deserves to be roundly birched for his 'crime'. It was your duty as a decent cyclist and human being to do this )

- OR -

Was he already part way through when the vehicles involved 'closed the gap' on him?
(If so, they probably deserved any resulting damage for being poor drivers)

Sadly, this cyclist's behaviour is not indicative of poor standards among just cyclists. I've been on the receiving end of damage three times (car to car). Two broken mirrors (electric/heated, so not cheap) whilst stationery. Drivers on both occasions fled without stopping, and they must have known about the damage. One was a BMW X5 in a village in Oxofrdshire, driving too fast for the available road width. A smidgin of patience would have seen him past without issue. Second was a Clio in narrow street in Portsmouth. Instead of waiting at a wider section by a junction, he roared up along the narrow section between two rows of parked cars, where I was stranded. Another bill for mirror glass. Third one was a doddering old git in a gold Mercedes in a car park. He'd swung in just before me, but didn't straighten his wheels. He didn't straighten them before reversing out either, meaning he dented/scratched the wheel arch of my car. No note, no apology, no nothing.

Generally poor behaviour, low standards, and lack of moral courage are to blame. Increasingly likely to happen as well, it would seem. If someone thinks they can get away with something they'll try it on. Sad, but true.

[AyBee]

The first one - we were both behind the car, he then went for the gap (which was marginally too small), got stuck, forced his bike through. I had a rant at him about it not being cool and that now he knew he'd damaged her car, he could easily ride back and find her in the massive queue of cars and then rode off since I couldn't really see anything else that I could have done. It just frustrates me that people can treat other people's posessions which such lack of care. If that had been me in my car, I'd have been furious, but helpless. C'est la vie.

[80sMatchbox]

If only cyclists had registration plates...

Has this ever been discussed before?

[Mave]

80sMatchbox said:

If only cyclists had registration plates...

Has this ever been discussed before?

What, unlike yellowjack's car drivers earlier? ;-)

[AyBee]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I just can't help showing off on the commute