Cyclists - what annoys you most about motorists?

custardy

crabyducky wrote: »

Once got knocked off my bike by a white van driver who decided there was enough space to overtake me whilst I was passing a traffic island. Was seen and stopped by police, and he got away with a verbal warning. Thankfully I was ok.

When.cycling in the rain if there is a large puddle infringe of me I will usually try to go around it. However there have been times where I flagging been able to cycle around it and so have slowly cycled through it, only for cars to come screaming down the road and straight through the puddle I am going through.

pretty much what happened to me with a taxi driver
He/she drove off and left me for dead on the road

anotherbaldrick

We seem to get a lot of inexpert people on bicycles these days . Not the lycra lineage but more boots old jeans an anorak and wooly hat , the bikes are badly maintained and gears not working , slightest hill they slow right down kipperfeet stuck in top gear wobbling all over the road as they slowly grind to the summit. These are the ones that are a real pain , sometimes you would like to get out the car and give them a push, especially when they are approaching a long left hand curve.

Dave_C_2

anotherbaldrick wrote: »

We seem to get a lot of inexpert people on bicycles these days

.

• Not the lycra lineage- Check
• boots - Check for stout working shoes
• old jeans - Check
• anorak - Does a fleece count?
• wooly hat - Check, especially this weather.
• the bikes are badly maintained and gears not working - defeintely not check
• slightest hill they slow right down - sometimes
• slowly grind to the summit - in granny gear:)

What's wrong with cycling in normal clothes?

Handsome90

Dave_C wrote: »

.

• Not the lycra lineage- Check
• boots - Check for stout working shoes
• old jeans - Check
• anorak - Does a fleece count?
• wooly hat - Check, especially this weather.
• the bikes are badly maintained and gears not working - defeintely not check
• slightest hill they slow right down - sometimes
• slowly grind to the summit - in granny gear:)

What's wrong with cycling in normal clothes?

Exactly! Isn't that's what cycling should be like? Cycling should be open to everyone

Tish_P

Cars queueing slow me down a lot more often than me cycling up a hill slows cars down. Everyone has to share the road, and sometimes that means sharing with slower road users - deal with it.

Norman_Castle

Speeding. Not particularly above a set limit, but faster than needed, and an immense resentment at having to slow for anything.

skivenov

Handsome90 wrote: »

But Highway Code 88 states:

"When filtering in slow-moving traffic, take care and keep your speed low."

Therefore, cyclists and motorcyclists can filter if it's safe to do so.

Indeed, but I would argue down the nearside of a goods vehicle isn't where it's safe to do so, and would put you at odds with Rule 167 as you may well finding yourself in conflict (by way of potenitally getting squished) with another road user.

Which is why, when I am waitng in the left lane, I leave a gap on my offside, where my visibility is better, thereby providing a gap that a biker of cyclist who finds themselves left out in the cold when traffic starts moving can adopt and drop back into lane from.

Same reason why, when I'm on a pushbike, scooter or a motorbike, my preferred filtering position (after not filtering... far safer) is in lane 1 to the offside of waiting vehicles. That way, I'm more visibile to the drivers I'm sharing a lane with, and less likely to have someone cross my path.

End of the day, my main objective on the road, rather than being "right" or "wrong" is to complete my journey safely.

real1314

Dave_C wrote: »

Things that some motorists do that annoy me

1. Comment on cycling web forums making unsubstantiated claims about cyclists, immediately forgetting that most cyclists are also motorists.
   
2. I can usually spot a motorist who doesn't cycle:(

Dave

Erm, don't you see the irony in alleging that others make unsubstantiated claims, whilst you claim to somehow be capable of knowing whether a driver does or doesn't cycle?

Doh!

All I will say on the subject of cyclists and motorists is that there are a lot of both camps who can't use the road/their transport effectively. I do however see a significantly greater proportion of cyclists who commit clear, absolute traffic offences than I do drivers.

e.g running red lights, using the footpath. In my experience over 50% of cyclists I see commit these offences. :cool:

Dave_C_2

real1314 wrote: »

Erm, don't you see the irony in alleging that others make unsubstantiated claims, whilst you claim to somehow be capable of knowing whether a driver does or doesn't cycle?

This is precisely why I used smileys in my original post number 18.

Dave

davidlizard

My two pet hates:

1. Those who insist on saying "Cyclists should pay "road tax" ", despite being corrected dozens of times.

2. Those who cannot be bothered to properly demist their car before setting off. I had one pull out in front of me about 7 years ago resulting in a broken ankle, and have taken avoiding action twice since the weekend before last to avoid leaving a large me shaped imprint in their drivers side door.

I do find on the whole most drivers to be considerate when around me.