NO...Cyclists don't ride on pavements or jump red lights at all.

andygb

Flyboy152 wrote: »

My point was not to start a battle about car drivers do silly things, my point was that we are constantly told, by the Lycra association, that cyclists are the pinnacle of virtue when it comes to road craft.

Who are they then, never heard of them.
Cyclists are just like other road users - a mixed bunch.
I have noticed, that I seem to be the only one who ever indicates, when I pull out to overtake a cyclist/parked car.
I also let motorcyclists past, by flashing the left indicator and moving in slightly, whereas a lot of car drivers seem to try to deliberately stop them from passing.
There are quite a few cyclists who do stupid/illegal things, but there are many more car/van/lorry drivers who do stupid things.

birkee

Strider590 wrote: »

Prepare for the worst, I agree.....

But what's happening is many drivers look upon every cyclist as a nuisance and will attack cyclists in any way possible, with very little provocation.
This is a word apart from simply being more aware and accounting for the possibility of the cyclist doing something silly.

Unfortunately, there are too many people like this. They are the only people that matter in their own heads, and anybody that gets in their way, is asking for trouble.
You know the sort.....if there's a queue, it's beneath them to wait their turn types..... because they're 'different'.

Watch who shouts the loudest when they want someone elses help though.
(They may even be the proud possessors of ASBO's too, for things like, upsetting the rest of their neighbours because they are allowed to play loud music at 2am in their own homes if they want to.)

Harry_Flashman

Strider590 wrote: »

Prepare for the worst, I agree.....

But what's happening is many drivers look upon every cyclist as a nuisance and will attack cyclists in any way possible, with very little provocation.

Because cyclists often are a nuisance - just another annoyance to look out for while driving.

Clydefrog

I've been cycling to work (around 12 miles a day) for the past two years and have learnt to watch out especially for bus drivers, company vans and taxis. For some reason these people seem to have an overinflated perception of their own skills and rarely pay any attention to other road users. At least where I live.

Strider590

birkee wrote: »

You know the sort.....if there's a queue, it's beneath them to wait their turn types..... because they're 'different'.

Ah that old chestnut again, im sorry but if it's a dual carriageway and has two lanes, there's no reason at all for anyone to queue in the one lane. It's not an act of being rude, ignorant or aggressive, it's an act of common sense.
The road was designed with two lanes, that's what they are there for.

Oddly, add one more lane and it becomes a motorway.... I've never see single lane queue's on a motorway....

JQ.

Strider - I very much suspect Birkee was talking about life in general, ie. queues at the Cinema, supermarket etc - hence the comment about ASBO's.

Footpather

As a cyclist and a driver I have seen both sides of the coin. However having twice done a charity bike ride to Germany and back across Holland you can really see the difference in attitude when you return to Britain.

On a slightly different note, the other day I was cycling behind another cyclist who only paused at a pedestrian crossing long enough for the pedestrian to be out of his way and then he set off again. At the next lights he didn't bother to stop at red and the ones after that he mounted the pavement and rode around them. The daft thing was he didn't get any further or faster than I did and I obeyed all the lights.

Marco_Panettone

Things I've learnt from this thread:
1. Everyone thinks their behaviour is better than everyone else's.
2. People behave badly no matter what form of transport they use.
3. People get really irate over this issue without foundation!!

Surely we can all agree that SOME cyclists ride illegally sometimes. SOME drivers drive illegally sometimes. SOME pedestrians do stupid things sometimes.

However, MOST people (however they are travelling at the time) are fine and considerate - it's just the idiots that we remember.

Look after each other, and keep safe out there.

uk-tyler

Harry_Flashman wrote: »

Because cyclists often are a nuisance - just another annoyance to look out for while driving.

You must get annoyed a lot when you are driving, what with all those pesky cyclists, pedestrians and other road users.

I drive for a living and cycle for a hobby. The drivers in the UK seem to have a worse attitude to cyclists than anywhere else in Europe. Drivers here overtake leaving no room what so ever and pull out on cyclists, viewing them as second class road users.

I don't ride a bike on the pavements and I don't jump red lights in the same way I give cyclists a wide berth when I overtake whilst indicating. I don't pull out in front of anything, cyclists included.

Am I a better driver than anyone else? No. But as a cyclist, motorcyclist and driver I try to be aware of other road users, no matter what form of transport they are using.

Strider590

uk-tyler wrote: »

Drivers here overtake leaving no room what so ever and pull out on cyclists, viewing them as second class road users.

Exactly, in a time when what you drive dictates your social class, the good ole British class system rears it's ugly head again.