View Full Version : Policy needed for dealing with aggressive cyclists
...wot it sez.
I made the terrible mistake this morning of crossing the road. This pillock came out of nowhere - the first I knew he was there was him screaming abuse at me, because he had to slow down. I simply froze - not to be awkward but because I was so shocked at seeing Lycra Man on a racing bike coming at me at such high speed. Yes I did look, I simply D/K where he came from.
I've a right to use the road too... you should expect the unexpected, even on a bicycle - shouldn't you? Including dozy peds like me crossing the road. When he'd gone and after my heart came back down from my mouth I thought 'self you should have pushed him off'
Well I wouldn't do that but you know what I mean.
timwilky
16-11-09, 09:07 AM
I posted about the abuse I had from one woman who expected me & jasper to move so she could get past me on the pavement(She said it was too dangerous to ride in the cycle lane and she might get hurt, as a consequence of which she would not be able to work at Chorley hospital looking after fat *******s like me. Her words), and the guy who rode into me also on the pavement, fortunately being a fat ******* he was the one who ended up on his backside.
Sorry mate I didn't see you...............................
Was he going down the road in the right direction ?
was he within the speed limit ?
Was he filtering ?
If you had been on a motorbike and somebody stepped out would you be pi55ed off ?????????
Tim, I think there is a legal age limit for riding on the footpath.....
maviczap
16-11-09, 09:17 AM
Obviously he wasn't looking far enough ahead, and probably had his head down too. Most posuers on racing bikes wouldn't dare adorn it with a bell to warn dozy peds like yourself ;)
He'd get laughed at for having a bell by his club mates
However as a cyclist myself I have crept up on folk who just haven't heard my approach, so I anticpate this and whistle ahead. Sound travels at 600mph, me between 15 & 20mph. Saves making them jump and doing something daft, then I say thanks as I pass.
But on the flip side, I was in a car and turning right at a traffic light junction, so I was just positioning in the road to turn, then out of nowhere came this dipstick who was going for the traffic light sprint prize, in the middle of town. I was stationary and not moving, but I got abused and two fingers from this guy.
Even as a fellow cyclist, I would have quite happily flattened him with the car. We have a hard time on the road from cage drivers, but we don't do ourselves any favours.
kwak zzr
16-11-09, 09:22 AM
law to them selfs mate and they dont pay ruddy road tax! :(
maviczap
16-11-09, 09:22 AM
A stick through the front wheel offers instant retardation in these cases, victim is usually to stunned to do anything
maviczap
16-11-09, 09:25 AM
law to them selfs mate and they dont pay ruddy road tax! :(
HaHa the old 'Don't pay road tax' line. I've got 2 cars & 2 motor bikes so pay more than my share. All my biking mates have cars, so they pay too, so how many cyclists don't own cars these days? ;)
kwak zzr
16-11-09, 09:27 AM
and dont even start me on horse riders
maviczap
16-11-09, 09:32 AM
and dont even start me on horse riders
Here I do agree with you...... horse poo in the road when I'm cycling isn't nice :hackedoff:
We need to encourage more people to cycle, especially to work, but more needs to be done to educate cyclists in how to behave and how dangerous they are.
the_lone_wolf
16-11-09, 09:33 AM
http://lauriekendrick.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/rodney_king.jpg
ArtyLady
16-11-09, 09:57 AM
and dont even start me on horse riders
No.....please.....don't :lol:
kwak zzr
16-11-09, 09:57 AM
thats why i didnt lol
Milky Bar Kid
16-11-09, 09:59 AM
I don't have anything against cyclists who are sensible and don't think they own the road.
I was driving home from work the other night on the A75, a main Euroroute, it is a shocking road and always busy with HGV's and other traffic travelling to the ferries in Stranraer. I came around a blind bend to find not two but three cyclists abrest in the road! WTF! Deathwish or what! Then they gave me the fingers!
Next time I am going to run them over...!
(Disclaimer: This is a joke. I do not intend on running any cyclists over, EVER, in my life, should any of my bosses happen to be reading this.)
ArtyLady
16-11-09, 10:00 AM
With regard to your OP Ed, it is a problem - like you say they're not particularly visible by the very nature of being streamlined, they're quiet too, can you imagine if you didn't see or hear him what chance would a hearing or sight impaired person have? They really should have more regard to other road users - as TLW points out with his pic! Just glad you didn't actually get hurt that's the main thing :)
FGO has a apoujnt, I was being dozy - well sort of, I was more than half awake. But he appeared from nowhere - and as others have pointed out, no noise. I don't think I did anything that justified the verbal I got though.
I'll find another to jaywalk in front of tomorrow:smt065
ArtyLady
16-11-09, 10:01 AM
thats why i didnt lol
Note that everybody....very sensible man that kwak zzr! ;) :lol:
kwak zzr
16-11-09, 10:03 AM
Note that everybody....very sensible man that kwak zzr! ;) :lol:
i remember our last debate AL :rambo:
Any man who is prepared to wear lycra shorts and display his man parts for all the world to see has my vote!!
the_lone_wolf
16-11-09, 10:03 AM
They really should have more regard to other road users - as TLW points out with his pic!
http://xore.ca/missingthepoint.png
;)
mr.anderson
16-11-09, 10:04 AM
so how many cyclists don't own cars these days? ;)
In London?
All a bunch of lycra'd up lemmings down here IMHO.
Reckless Rat
16-11-09, 10:15 AM
I think everyone who have a gripe about cyclists should try riding through town/city for a couple of weeks.
Dicky Ticker
16-11-09, 10:21 AM
The rules of the Highway Code apply to everybody---Truck,bus, car,motorbikes,cyclists and pedestrians---------just nobody seems to take any notice of them-------if we all did there would be a lot less incidents.
As far as this incident is concerned,one dozy,one no bell but it is unfair to say that cyclist should have insurance and exclude pedestrians. Pedestrians cause a fair amount of accidents by their negligence
metalangel
16-11-09, 10:24 AM
HaHa the old 'Don't pay road tax' line. I've got 2 cars & 2 motor bikes so pay more than my share. All my biking mates have cars, so they pay too, so how many cyclists don't own cars these days? ;)
So paying road tax on one vehicle justifies using others without? Excellent, I'll go get my car's tax refunded and if I get done claim that I already pay road tax on my Fazer.
timwilky
16-11-09, 10:42 AM
I think everyone who have a gripe about cyclists should try riding through town/city for a couple of weeks.
Strange, I have a similar view that all car drivers should have a go at riding a motorcycle and then driving a truck for a few weeks.
Having had my car badly damaged by a red light running cyclist years ago. (New wing, bonnet and windscreen required). I am definitely of the opinion cyclists must have 3rd party insurance and a registration plate to enable them to be traced.
Pedestrians cause a fair amount of accidents by their negligence
Oh I accept that I didn't see the bloke - probably a SMIDSY - but doesn't anticipation apply to cyclists too?
suzijax
16-11-09, 10:46 AM
Its the cyclists who think they are allowed on the pavements that bug me too i always refuse to get out of the way and they then have to go on to the road even if the traffic is coming the wrong way because thats what they expect me to do.
As for road tax not really bothered about that but 100% they should have insurance for the damage they do scratching your cars when filtering or when they crash into you because they think they have the right of way when its clear to normal road users they dont
ArtyLady
16-11-09, 10:56 AM
http://xore.ca/missingthepoint.png
;)
Yeah ok point taken ;) :lol:
Oh I accept that I didn't see the bloke - probably a SMIDSY - but doesn't anticipation apply to cyclists too?
I reckon it should
...
As for road tax not really bothered about that but 100% they should have insurance for the damage they do scratching your cars when filtering or when they crash into you because they think they have the right of way when its clear to normal road users they dont
Well AFAIK technically you can (try to!) sue anybody who causes damage of any sort so they would certainly benefit from insurance rather than being pursued through the courts for money out of their own pockets - better still if like DT says they try and obey the highway code!
I think we need some way of tracing and reported certain cyclists.
Some can't see red lights, always have right of way and have seen them do some interesting things...
Much like some motorcyclists then ;)
Dicky Ticker
16-11-09, 11:57 AM
Holland -land of the cyclist--all bicycles have a small reg plate either on the rear mudguard or at the rear of the saddle--------------Simple answer
All the kids at my school had to undertake a Cycling Proficiency course to make them better road users.
As a road user, all bicycle owners should be encouraged to go on comething similar, like a basic CBT.
A professional bicycle user i.e. a courier, should be required to undertake such a course. If bike users were required to have insurance then there could be reductions in teh cost of premiums for all other cyclists that also undergo the course.
maviczap
16-11-09, 12:18 PM
Oh I accept that I didn't see the bloke - probably a SMIDSY - but doesn't anticipation apply to cyclists too?
Yes
maviczap
16-11-09, 12:24 PM
All the kids at my school had to undertake a Cycling Proficiency course to make them better road users.
As a road user, all bicycle owners should be encouraged to go on comething similar, like a basic CBT.
A professional bicycle user i.e. a courier, should be required to undertake such a course. If bike users were required to have insurance then there could be reductions in teh cost of premiums for all other cyclists that also undergo the course.
Can't disagree with this, maybe the couriers ought to be licenced, and if they're caught jumping red lights then givem points & a fine.
Can't agree with putting plates on bikes & licencing them, as more encouragement is needed to get people back on their bikes, this is an expensive and bureaucratic nightmare. It wouldn't pay for itself as the Govenment would pocket all the money
Holland -land of the cyclist--all bicycles have a small reg plate either on the rear mudguard or at the rear of the saddle--------------Simple answer
Unless that has happened over the last few months that is not the case.
Part of the traffic regulations (etc) in the Netherlands is that if you as a car driver hit a bicycle from behind it is per definition the car's fault. Now that will make car drivers look won't it.
The problem in this country is that there is no proper provision in the form of cycle lanes and other priority provisions for cyclists making it unsafe and dangerous for cyclists. This prevents new cyclists using the road, therefore there are not enough cyclists on the road to make it necessary to notice them. This is why car drivers and pedestrians don't 'look for them'. If car drivers don't want to see motorbikes they definately won't register cyclists, besides who is going to win? Power to the cyclists, but until that I'll stick with my motorbike as I simply don't feel safe in this county on a bicycle and one of the reasons I wanted a motorbike, to get noticed a bit more.......
ArtyLady
16-11-09, 01:05 PM
.....This is why car drivers and pedestrians don't 'look for them'. If car drivers don't want to see motorbikes they definately won't register cyclists, besides who is going to win? Power to the cyclists, but until that I'll stick with my motorbike as I simply don't feel safe in this county on a bicycle and one of the reasons I wanted a motorbike, to get noticed a bit more.......
I used a bicycle for a while - I've never felt so vunerable in my life - people brushed past me way too close (tbh I'm pretty sure that they just didn't see me!) I sold it in the end - I'm pretty sure they still don't see us on motorcyles but at least we have power to get out of situations, and can use the whole of the road as and when situations dictate.
Fizzy Fish
16-11-09, 01:20 PM
I happily cut cyclists a fair amount of slack and always try and given them plenty of space. Generally I find them fine, they tend to be pretty live and let live, as with most bikers.
But I had a really aggro one shove me and shout a load of abuse at the lights the other day. My crime? I was SHOCK HORROR riding in a bus lane (where, incidentally I am allowed to go), waiting patiently behind a somewhat wobbly cyclist who was passing another one, so that I could pass with plenty of room. Mr Tour de France raced up behind me and was outraged that I didn't instantly fling the motorbike out of his way, him being a clearly superior being on his bicycle. :confused:
Jeez, if that's how he gets oversomething like that he must have a very stressful daily existence in London... :rolleyes:
Interestingly it was the other cyclists who pulled him into line. :smt023 Maybe that's the answer, peer pressure?
fizzwheel
16-11-09, 01:34 PM
Of course we also need to go alongside the policy for dealing with dangerous and aggressive cyclists one for
Dangerous & Aggressive pedestrians
Dangerous & Aggressive motorcycle riders
Dangerous & Aggressive car drivers
Dangerous & Aggressive van drivers
Dangerous & Aggresive lorry drivers
etc etc etc etc
You can't legislate against stupidity or those that think that laws and common sense dont apply to them...
Some people are just idiots...
Some people are just idiots...
Who, me?????:D
HaHa the old 'Don't pay road tax' line. I've got 2 cars & 2 motor bikes so pay more than my share. All my biking mates have cars, so they pay too, so how many cyclists don't own cars these days? ;)
Agreed !!!
............ pathetic really .....
If you have an issue with people not paying road tax, it needs to be with the BMW 118d drivers :smt065
xXBADGERXx
16-11-09, 06:07 PM
I spent many months cycling to and from work and used my motorbike riding techniques to avoid confrontation , including having eyes in the back of my head . Yet ...... a couple of months ago , the Local Lycra Cycling Nobbs from Rhos-On-Sea cycling club were riding 2 abreast down my local road , I gave the horn a quick toot from a long way away to warn of my impending arrival and gave a cars width distance from the furthest rider (as stated by the highway code despite me being on the SV) and another warning toot as I got closer . One of them decides that in this narrow road it is now ok to ride 3 abreast and caused me to take action and go onto the wrong side of the line as he aggresively swerved out to try ride past his buddies . This , as you can imagine got me to flip my visor up alongside the pillock and ask him if he bothers to look despite knowing a bike was approaching and 2 warning toots .... he just blinked and looked stupid , so obviously he was profoundly deaf as well as having an attack of stupidity .
Specialone
16-11-09, 06:11 PM
On the way home tonight, hi vis cyclist filtering at 25 mph, in the middle of the road, not allowing anyone past when they could, i overtook them at 4000 rpm in my diesel van give him some fumes to calm him down.
When the traffic was slowing he caught me up then dodged in front of me just missing the car in front.
Cyclists have no regulation on the road whatsoever, they fooking pee me off, half of them dont have lights on, no hi vis, nothing, pay sod all to be there, they ride like they own the place, im gonna have to start getting my passenger to 'right turn clyde'.
fizzwheel
16-11-09, 06:21 PM
they fooking pee me off
And of course every motorist / motorcyclist is an angel and never does anything wrong.
im gonna have to start getting my passenger to 'right turn clyde'.
and of course it would be acceptable for somebody right turn clyde you when you were on your motorbike would it ?
Why is it that as motorcyclists we hate being sterotyped. Yet we quite happily do it to other people. Is a human life worth so little to you, that you'd endanger somebody else's life "because a cyclist once p*ssed me off"
I realise that some cyclists are idiots, I have seen plenty of them. But why do you feel like you have to react / shout at them, behave in an aggressive manner towards them. I've had plenty of people shout and swear at me. Once when I was cycling along minding my own business. I had somebody lean out of their car window and spit on me. My crime was riding on the road when I should have been according to them, riding on the pavement...
I happily cut cyclists a fair amount of slack and always try and given them plenty of space. Generally I find them fine, they tend to be pretty live and let live, as with most bikers.
But I had a really aggro one shove me and shout a load of abuse at the lights the other day. My crime? I was SHOCK HORROR riding in a bus lane (where, incidentally I am allowed to go), waiting patiently behind a somewhat wobbly cyclist who was passing another one, so that I could pass with plenty of room. Mr Tour de France raced up behind me and was outraged that I didn't instantly fling the motorbike out of his way, him being a clearly superior being on his bicycle. :confused:
Jeez, if that's how he gets oversomething like that he must have a very stressful daily existence in London... :rolleyes:
Interestingly it was the other cyclists who pulled him into line. :smt023 Maybe that's the answer, peer pressure?
Ha ha I enjoyed reading that. :D
maviczap
16-11-09, 06:44 PM
I realise that some cyclists are idiots, I have seen plenty of them. But why do you feel like you have to react / shout at them, behave in an aggressive manner towards them. I've had plenty of people shout and swear at me. Once when I was cycling along minding my own business. I had somebody lean out of their car window and spit on me. My crime was riding on the road when I should have been according to them, riding on the pavement...
+1 Fizz Plenty of idiot cyclists, motorcyclists, cage drivers, lorry drivers, white van mans
If you ride on the pavement you get even more abuse.
I once got a tirade of abuse from a cage driver because I'd held him up for a mili second, after I'd passed a parked car which was in the cycle lane :rolleyes:
Specialone
16-11-09, 06:52 PM
And of course every motorist / motorcyclist is an angel and never does anything wrong.
and of course it would be acceptable for somebody right turn clyde you when you were on your motorbike would it ?
Why is it that as motorcyclists we hate being sterotyped. Yet we quite happily do it to other people. Is a human life worth so little to you, that you'd endanger somebody else's life "because a cyclist once p*ssed me off"
I realise that some cyclists are idiots, I have seen plenty of them. But why do you feel like you have to react / shout at them, behave in an aggressive manner towards them. I've had plenty of people shout and swear at me. Once when I was cycling along minding my own business. I had somebody lean out of their car window and spit on me. My crime was riding on the road when I should have been according to them, riding on the pavement...
Firstly Fizz, this was meant tongue in cheek, no offence was meant.
Secondly, on a serious note, from my own experience, i have more cyclists cutting me up, disobeying road rules, generally peeing me off than any motorcylists.
Thirdly, I would never harm anyone like that, the worst offenders would probably get some verbal abuse but that would be it.
I wasnt talking of all cyclists just the ones that flout the laws of the road, albeit i think its unfair that they are not regulated when everything else is and they can cause accidents and get away scot free because they cant be traced.
If some of these cyclists rode motorbikes the way they ride cycles, they wouldnt last long thats for sure.
Phil
SoulKiss
16-11-09, 07:36 PM
they cause accidents and get away scot free because they cant be traced.
Phil
fixed for ya (took out the word can)
I figure with the increased premiums for losing NCB, the cyclist that cut me up, and while I was lying in the road worrying if Vixis, who was lying on top of me, was ok, ran off, despite another cyclist trying to stop/restrain them, I am going to be about £2000 out of pocket.
Biker Biggles
16-11-09, 07:48 PM
You have to draw the line somewhere.Yes cyclists can and do cause accidents,so we need to register,tax and make them have insurance.Yes?
But why not extend that to pedestrians who also cause accidents.We could make them carry ID chips so we could catch them if they ran off too.In fact lets make every moving object out there carry a chip so big brother will always know who has been responsible for what.
Personally Id rather live with the consequences of having a few rogues and deviants out there than entrust our entire living space to State control.
gonna have to start getting my passenger to 'right turn clyde'.
Someone needs to point out the obvious.......
.....if your passenger does that then s/he'd be chinning ya :lol:
"Left turn, Clyde" :thumbsup:
xXBADGERXx
16-11-09, 08:01 PM
DOH
Specialone
16-11-09, 08:03 PM
Someone needs to point out the obvious.......
.....if your passenger does that then s/he'd be chinning ya :lol:
"Left turn, Clyde" :thumbsup:
Good point, shows im not into violence while driving lol, while its a 'he', he acts like a girl sometimes so right on both counts lol
You know what through me, clint drove left hand drive pick up in those films so always right turn clyde.
maviczap
16-11-09, 08:04 PM
fixed for ya (took out the word can)
I figure with the increased premiums for losing NCB, the cyclist that cut me up, and while I was lying in the road worrying if Vixis, who was lying on top of me, was ok, ran off, despite another cyclist trying to stop/restrain them, I am going to be about £2000 out of pocket.
If that lad was able to claim damages from the Criminal Injuries board, for being hit on the head with a car jack by the other 3year old in the car, then surely you'd warrant claiming something?
Somehow I doubt it, life isn't like that :hackedoff:
At least the other cyclist tried to stop him :confused:
davepreston
16-11-09, 08:38 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKYbJy-Gdvc&feature=rec-HM-r2
this is blue pete's attempt
Jayneflakes
16-11-09, 10:51 PM
I was a dedicated cyclist for twenty years before I got ill and had to give up the bikes. In that time I only had one accident involving traffic and that was a tit in a caravan who pulled in next to me and pushed me off the road with his car door. When I banged on his window, He did the "Look straight ahead and pretend they are not there Marjory!" which just made me bang harder on the damn window. :smt097
Cycle paths are often badly designed by non cyclists (the slippery painted surfaces give that away!) and when they weave foot ways and cycle ways together, they are never clearly marked and pedestrians wander all over the damn things. Dog owners who let their dogs off the lead on a cycle way really P**s me off, if I do not end up running through a foul dogs egg and getting it flicked up in to my face and hair, the the little B*****d runs into my wheels and flips me over the bars. :hackedoff:
The CTC are frankly a bunch of ****s, I looked into joining but as a mountain biker back then I was made rudely unwelcome. I also looked in to insurance for riding my bike, I rode every day to college on an Orange Clockwork and locked it with a super heavy and very strong D-Lock. The CTC quote for cycle insurance on a £1000 bike was laughable, it gave me third party insurance only and did not cover the bike from theft while at college. For that they wanted £265 per year, payable in one payment only. (this was 1994) :x
I am one of those Damn angry cyclists, I have been pushed off my bike by thugs, stopped in the street by a bottle wielding chav scumbag and had a chav driver in a Nova throw the contents of an ashtray at me at a traffic light.
As a cyclist, I quickly learned that at traffic lights I was a target and I have and still do run red lights when I am in danger from a D***Head in a car who thinks it is funny to run me down. However, that rarely happens and I can usually pull up in the cycle section and pull away safely when the light changes... Unless a S***bag Taxi driver, with all the road awareness of a visually challenged dead ant zooms up and tries to nudge me out of the way. :smt097
As for pedestrians, not once have I thumped one, despite the often earphone wearing/cell phone chatting morons stepping off the pavement and into the cycle lane. I also do not see why I would need to shout abuse at said cretin, catching my handle bar in the kidneys is usually enough to make them look where they are going. :smt065
Ooooh, I am cross... I really miss riding my bike. I made Mad Max look like a Sunday Driver on a day trip to Calais! :smt022
These days I am some what less militant and a whole lot more huggy as a learner biker on L plates and a fear of the go fast lever! ;) I think that all motorbikes should be restricted in size and speed. Does anyone really need more than a 50CC engine? :smt118 :smt040:smt005:smt036
:bom:
mkz9876
16-11-09, 11:01 PM
remember in cheltenham about a year ago i was turning left idicated in good time just as i started to turn a cyclist cut up the inside of me and then had the cheek to hurl abuse at me, he was a bit more apologetic when he had a transit nudging his back wheel, if he hadnt had hurled abuse at me i would have carried on assuming he was just a t**t but he had to open his mouth and prove it, and irritate me enough to chase him,
no patience for stupid inconsiderate road users be that cage drivers, bikers, cyclists, pedestrians or the absolute ridiculous amount of stupid horse riders, we all make mistakes but ffs take some responsabilty for your actons rather than blame everyone else around.
I used to ride my bike around Manchester when I was a student but I wasn't an aggressive nob. Most cyclists are OK, it's just that some aact as though they own the road. Sure sometimes you have to be assertive, but what's with all the abuse I got.
I wonder if the bloke will be there tomorrow so I can walk out in front of him again:D
Anyway I'm going to spy on Janey and walk out in front of her bike:smt054
Jayneflakes
17-11-09, 10:32 PM
Anyway I'm going to spy on Janey and walk out in front of her bike:smt054
Ha ha, time to sharpen up the bar ends on the wet stone! :smt097
Aww, but Ed, you knows I loves ya really. :drink:
I know, I am bad... :smt118
-Ralph-
18-11-09, 12:40 AM
If you ride on the pavement you get even more abuse
Quite rightly so, cyclists shouldn't be on the pavement.
Unless it's one of these stupid cycle lanes that shares the pavement with pedestrians, in which case sometimes it can't be avoided due to bad design.
Cyclists have developed a tendency to ignore the rules and regs in recent years, such as riding at night with no lights, riding on pavements, running red lights, etc. Motorcyclists tend not to break those kind of rules. Motorcyclists do other things to annoy other roads users and get criticism for it and as a motorcyclist I accept that we bring it upon ourselves with some of our antics. Cyclists need to accept that they bring it upon themselves too and take the criticism on the chin.
rpwoodman
18-11-09, 12:59 PM
Quite rightly so, cyclists shouldn't be on the pavement.
Unless it's one of these stupid cycle lanes that shares the pavement with pedestrians, in which case sometimes it can't be avoided due to bad design.
Cyclists have developed a tendency to ignore the rules and regs in recent years, such as riding at night with no lights, riding on pavements, running red lights, etc. Motorcyclists tend not to break those kind of rules. Motorcyclists do other things to annoy other roads users and get criticism for it and as a motorcyclist I accept that we bring it upon ourselves with some of our antics. Cyclists need to accept that they bring it upon themselves too and take the criticism on the chin.
Some sanity! Well said.
vBulletin® , Copyright ©2000-2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.