We came up against the archetypal militant, entitled cyclist this afternoon. We were driving around a local reservoir on Dartmoor, a popular beauty spot. We first met this fellow and his young son at a narrow pinch-point in the road - the son, about 12 or 13, was approaching from around a bend and we were at this pinch point. Nevertheless, on the boy came, even though we were at the point before him; no attempt to stop and let us through. His father was a little way behind - he had to wait.
We met them again after a couple of miles, this time as we rounded a bend on a very narrow stretch of road, just wide enough for our car. They were approaching us down a slight incline, so we waited - we waited, because on their side of the road, about 3 foot in front of our car, there was a very large passing place, which naturally we expected them to ride into to let us pass. We were absolutely stunned to find them both ignore this space and stop in front of our car, expecting us to reverse back along a very narrow road and around a blind bend. Seriously??? Mr B didnāt budge, obviously. He gesticulated to the fellow to move into the passing place. It took a while for him to comply. Honestly, he was right next to it, for Godās sake! As we drove past, Mr B waving his thanks, we were met with what we imagine was a mouthful of verbal abuse, which thankfully we were unable to hear as the windows were closed and the air con on.
I wish now Iād snapped a photo, because knowing the type of person he appeared to be, heās likely to have had a body-cam and would delight in sending footage to the authorities, claiming his rights under the new Highway Code changes. Grrrrr
I sympathise , as driver and a cyclist I always pull into a passing spot when on my bike as the lanes are very narrow here .
Unfortunately I rarely meet me when driving the selfish ( mamals ) wonāt pull in and you have to sit behind them
its not just cyclist that do this , the worst are the Range Rovers and other 4x4 that can quite easily mount the grass curb ,but no they charge up the middle of the road forcing you to pull in .
Sorry to hear this,Bathshebaā¦glad you are both ok, as it could have turned nasty, especially as you thought they were murmuring verbal abuse at you both.
Iāve had an encounter with those electric scooters,ā¦I wonāt go there,as itās off topic.
Cyclists drive me nuts, where do they get the attitude from?
My friend and I were walking through a local Nature reserve where they graze cattle on the hill
We were a bit surprised to see the gate open, so we closed it behind us, as the sign requested
Then a Lycra lout whizzes into view, sees us closing it from a distance and yells at us āthanks very much, how the f*** am I supposed to get through now?ā
Youāre supposed to get off your bike mate, open the gate, go through, then close it behind you before you speed off on your merry way
No, he sped passed us, deliberately too close, and when we looked back he was going through the gate and gave us the finger, wasnāt much opportunity for conversation
He left the gate open too, of course
Cyclists should be made to register and wear number plates on their backs so you can report them
I wish Iād thought to record him on my phone but it was all to quick and we were a bit taken back
The militant, jobsworth cyclists are the worst but you do get some cyclists who genuinely seem to act as if they are guilty for holding you up. This is indicated by their legs suddenly making speed on the pedals so as not to hold you up.
The other considerate ones will veer to the other side of the road to the path, get off and walk for a bit. Thus allowing the queue behind them to ease and erase āRed Mistā!
Last Sunday, many of the roads in my area were closed off to allow the Commonwealth Games cycling competition to take place.
In preparation for this, traffic calming chicanes and other road calming surfaces were removedā¦ to be replaced after the event.
These cyclists could be forgiven for the one day only!
These militant cyclists used to be a very small minority, but since the Highway Code changes, it feels as though their numbers are swelling. Word is spreading: āweāre now the road owners, we can do as we like.ā But I do agree, there are still some more considerate cyclists who recognise that weāre all road users, sharing the same space and need to be respectful of each other. I wish they would spread the word!!
Oh definitely! And, letās face it, you locals were the lucky ones to be able to line the roads and cheer them on, if you were so inclined!
Canāt say Iām a fan of cyclists ā¦ they really take the mickey now you have to give them more room ā¦ riding several abreast and holding traffic up which is obviously going to cause higher vehicle emissions but theyāll still be wearing their Zero emissions shirts though theyāre contributing more to global warming now
There is a cycling movement both against motor vehicles and pedestrians. They donāt care about the disabled, they donāt care about the elderly, they donāt care about blue badge users. Itās a very blinkered attitude. They just want to catch motorists on cameras and they will put themselves into dangerous situations to make a sensationalist video that they can post on social media. Itās disturbing.
Iām a keen cyclist and have been for many years, pretty much first starting to ride on the road in central London which in retrospect was sometimes a hair-raising experience although I didnāt think about it like that at the time.
I could say that Iām not a fan of motorists but I wonāt.
I certainly dislike the number of cars on the road but in my experience most people are sensible, give me space and show consideration, itās the disrespectful idiots and arrogant couldnāt care less drivers that pee me right off although they are a minority, some people shouldnāt be trusted with a pedal car.
Iāll certainly pull over to let traffic pass, I did it last night on my way back from work, itās a matter of courtesy and a matter of my own safety, it took a few seconds off my journey timeā¦no hassle!
What really makes me see red is those who ride their bikes in the town centre on the pavement weaving in and out of the way of pedestrians and whizzing around blind corners. Iād love to see them fined, no second chances, no warning just a fine but that simply isnāt going to happen and donāt they know it!
Donāt get me started on escooters , but hey, thatās a different topic.
IMO cyclists should be paying tax and have licences issued for adult cycles which go onto roads. They should also have number plates on clear display. I really canāt see why not.
I agree with some of what you say, but no-one pays āroad taxā anymore. It is now Vehicle Excise Duty, and is based on the vehicleās emissions. Some vehicles with very low emissions are zero rated and therefore pay no VED. Since cycles have no emissions, they would be zero rated too.
Given that getting more people cycling would be advantageous to both the environment and peopleās health and wellbeing any attempt to try and introduce tax would be a disaster, lead balloon springs to mind.
We live in troubled times, strikes, the soaring cost of energy, potential food shortages, climate change, letās not tax cyclists.
Iām not one to take to the streets but if they tried to introduce cycling tax Iād be straight out there brandishing my placard
I never cycle, so donāt understand the problems they may suffer from cars on the roadā¦but I am sure many do!
If I am in my car I tend to be cautious with cyclists & horse riders. The horse rider always acknowledge my careful actions with a raised hand , but I havenāt seen many cyclist do so !
None of us want anybody to get injured on the road, but I feel that the roads were designed for cars to use , so a little wave āto say thanksā would make us all more tolerant!
