A cyclist's rant to incompetent road users...

muckybutt

anewman wrote: »

These are called Bicycle lights. It is a legal requirement to have them fitted to your bike and use them in the dark. They are therefore particularly important at this time of year when it is dark at 4pm. Reflectors may not be enough to prevent you being crushed by a car, particularly if driven by a dozy driver, or stop a pedestrian walking out straight in front of you.

60

At night your cycle MUST have white front and red rear lights lit. It MUST also be fitted with a red rear reflector (and amber pedal reflectors, if manufactured after 1/10/85). White front reflectors and spoke reflectors will also help you to be seen. Flashing lights are permitted but it is recommended that cyclists who are riding in areas without street lighting use a steady front lamp.
[Law RVLR regs 13, 18 & 24)]

muckybutt

ASL's shame the stupid cyclist didnt know how to use them in York last week when I knocked her off !

Two lanes - ASL for both, im turning left, bike comes along the right side of me and stops in the middle of both lanes, light changes to green and I proceed to set off, bike goes straight on then decides no shes going left too.....bike meet my bumper.
She gave no signals that she was turning, im glad I have cctv in the van as a third witness.

Police agreed with me bikers fault, its about time bikers were made to pay insurance and competancy before being allowed on the road.

custardy

muckybutt wrote: »

ASL's shame the stupid cyclist didnt know how to use them in York last week when I knocked her off !

Two lanes - ASL for both, im turning left, bike comes along the right side of me and stops in the middle of both lanes, light changes to green and I proceed to set off, bike goes straight on then decides no shes going left too.....bike meet my bumper.
She gave no signals that she was turning, im glad I have cctv in the van as a third witness.

Police agreed with me bikers fault, its about time bikers were made to pay insurance and competancy before being allowed on the road.

but then just today a woman reversed her Focus into the side of my (large!) car
i had been stationary for at least a minute,waiting to pull out of a car park junction
it shows a complete lack of awareness
even when i (and cars in the queue) was sounding my horn and looking at her in her in her drivers mirror,she reversed regardless
so you can imgine how she would fare with less prominent road/pavement users!

WhiteHorse

Keith wrote: »

So is driving at 90mph on the motorway, I also do that.

Enough said.

Selective cutting, removes the words

Allright, here's your entire post ...

I cycle through London, and I do jump red lights if I can see the other sides of the junction is on red/pedestrian light is on green. However, if there is a pedestrian on/near the crossing I'll slow and let them cross, most will jump back expecting me to go straight at them. I also cycle along a single lane cycle path separated from the footpath and road. A few weeks back, I came up behind a woman walking down the middle of it. Did she move? Did she toffee.

But the admission is here ...

... I do jump red lights ...

... to a criminal offence. As can be seen, the rest of the post may be left out without harm.

Col7777

Who remembers a scene on TV not too long ago, one of those police documentaries, where a cyclist was seen ignoring a red light, when they pulled him it was David Cameron before he was a PM, he laughed it off. said he was sorry but in a rush.

I've seen police pull lads for cycling on a footpath, but then only a few days later I saw two police cycling on a footpath, not on an emergency just taking a short cut.

I used to cycle to work sometimes, I remember one dark morning a man shouted me, I stopped and he said, "You are breaking all the rules aren't you?" I asked him what he meant, he laughed and said, "Well you've got lights," he was joking of course but I got his point.

As mentioned earlier a lot if not almost all cyclist don't know there is NO CYCLING on a towpath next to a canal, the poster earlier mentioned the cyclist broke some fishing rods, I saw one once break a fishing pole that cost a over a thousand pounds and he rode off, plus as mentioned they cycle at speed too on these towpaths and expect others to move.

Yes there are bad drivers and a lot of them too, when I cycled I tried my best to do it properly and safely, I did come across of lot of bad drivers while cycling, but while driving I have also come across a lot of bad cyclists, there is good and bad on both side here.

What I often wonder is do some of these cyclist drive and if so do they drive like they cycle and I would say the same about some motorists too if they sometimes cycle.

Just remembered a neighbour was cycling with his two young daughters on the road nearby when a policeman stopped him and advised him to use the footpath as it was safer, if had have been cycling on the footpath he would have told him he was breaking the law, you can't win.

vikingaero

Col7777 wrote: »

What I often wonder is do some of these cyclist drive and if so do they drive like they cycle and I would say the same about some motorists too if they sometimes cycle.

I'm mainly a motorist but I cycle too. I certainly don't run red lights, go up one way streets, ride in pedestrianised streets etc. Most other cyclists do what I don't.

johnfarquhar74

Col7777 wrote: »

As mentioned earlier a lot if not almost all cyclist don't know there is NO CYCLING on a towpath next to a canal,

Since when? you can certainly cycle on the towpath where I am, in fact British Waterways have a guide for cyclists encouraging 'friendly' etiquette?!?

mikey72

johnfarquhar74 wrote: »

Since when? you can certainly cycle on the towpath where I am, in fact British Waterways have a guide for cyclists encouraging 'friendly' etiquette?!?

Ours don't unless you have a free permit.
But you still can't cycle over fishermen even if you have it.

Rolandtheroadie

I notice two posts above that bring another dimension into the whole discussion. The cyclist hitting the car and the Focus reversing. Both being piloted by women.

blissfulbabe

scotsman4th wrote: »

I notice two posts above that bring another dimension into the whole discussion. The cyclist hitting the car and the Focus reversing. Both being piloted by women.

Ah, but the cyclist who rode through a red light, in February this year,and hit me as I was crossing at a pedestrian crossing (where the green man was displayed) was a male. He was nearly as upset about his damaged front wheel as I was about my discolated knee cap and the gash in my leg that needed seven stitches.