Kamikaze Cyclists!

Tilt

Nebulous2 wrote: »

At some point in the next 2-3 years I'm going to reach the point where I've driven a million miles. I've cycled around 20,000

I've seen some absolutely terrible driving, a fair proportion of it by bus drivers.

In all that time I've never been asked to justify myself as a driver. People are happy to blame the individual errant drivers

Yet knowing I cycle means every bigot on earth feels the need to make me justify the actions of other cyclists. I have enough on my plate looking after myself in the jungle that is our road system without having to carry the weight of other people's actions as well.

Why bother to comment at all then? No one asked you to "justify" the actions of other cyclists. Mind you I doubt anybody in their right mind could justify the actions of the cyclists described in my OP.

Tilt

fred246 wrote: »

If a motorist drives a 1500kg vehicle stupidly at 60MPH in an urban area I would be disgusted because of the death or injuries he could cause to other people. If a cyclist cycles dangerously I am not that bothered because he is only likely to injure himself. It would be like him doing skydiving or bungee jumping. I wouldn't take the risk myself but if someone else wants to then I am not too bothered. I think what it does illustrate that is sad is that normal Mr Average does not cycle in the UK because of the perceived risk. I think in urban areas it is only young male risk takers that are cycling. In Holland everyone cycles because the cycle paths feel safe and take you from your front door to the shops, your place of work etc.

The problem is the affect it could have on the driver/witnesses when a cyclist is crushed under the wheels of a large vehicle (lorry/bus/coach for example) as a result of their own stupidity. I liken it to someone committing suicide by throwing themselves under a train. The driver sometimes suffers for a considerable time afterwards EVEN THOUGH he/she was totally blameless.

fred246

I understand that it would be traumatic to injure someone but having read about cycling accidents over years I don't get the impression that these nutty cyclists are causing many collisions. The careful cyclist waiting at the red light and then being killed by the HGV turning left seems to be more of a problem than the red light jumper. Motorists are the cause of most incidents injuring cyclists.

armyknife

It's that time of year again when the Norwegian Highway Authority clean out the understructure of it's bridges and culverts.

armyknife

Can anyone else see a pattern here of the last 7 threads started by our 'friend'?:

Threads Started By: Tilt

Kamikaze Cyclists! ( 1 2)
Tilt Public Transport & Cycling

Interesting Drink-Drive case!
Tilt Motoring

Cyclists still not getting the message ( 1 2 3 ... Last Page)
Tilt Motoring

I fancy an Alfa ( 1 2)
Tilt Motoring

Cyclists, have I missed something? ( 1 2)
Tilt Motoring

Switch your lights on!! ( 1 2 3)
Tilt Motoring

Cyclists without lights ( 1 2 3 ... Last Page)
Tilt

Tilt

armyknife wrote: »

Can anyone else see a pattern here of the last 7 threads started by our 'friend'?:

Ooo, someone's being doing their home work. I am honoured that someone is taking so much effort over lil 'ol me.

Nebulous2

Tilt wrote: »

Why bother to comment at all then? No one asked you to "justify" the actions of other cyclists. Mind you I doubt anybody in their right mind could justify the actions of the cyclists described in my OP.

Sometimes I don't bother. Other times it feels important to stand up and counter attacks whose main effect, and possibly aim, is to create conflict between road users.

brat

Tilt wrote: »

I'll give you a thanks for that because I actually agree with you. But you still havn't commented on what I observed in central London last night which is the point of the thread. We sometimes hear about cyclists being involved in collisions and getting killed by larger vehicles in London. Well after driving through there last night, it's not hard to see why it happens. Surely the authorities should be doing more to make sure these incidents don't happen? For example, how often do the police prosecute cyclists for having no lights?

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/article3968018.ece
We've discussed these issues ad nauseam, you forget too easily. No cyclist is happy about other cyclists riding without lights. Occasionally there may be a reason for it, eg they may be unaware that the light has failed, but all too often they know they have no lights and rely on other motorists seeing and avoiding them.

But we're not our brothers keepers and we are unable to influence them. I've cycled past cyclists and asked them to get some lights, and I've been told to f*ck off. I've spoken to coach drivers who have overtaken me too closely and been told to f*ck off. Only one of those incidents caused me to fear for my safety.
Last week I gave a ticket to "Student Grant" who was on his bike with no lights. He had lights in his rucksack, but didn't put them on his bike because HE could see fine!?

The last two nights I've not seen one cyclist on the road without lights. I've seen three motorists without lights. One was drunk and was arrested, the other two were blissfully unaware until pointed out to them. I've been to two RTCs in the last two shifts, one of which was boy racer in a field and another was a drunk who had driven his car over a pavement into a wall outside the town hall. The first RTC resulted in 3 to hospital with minor injuries, the second was 'no injury' by virtue of good luck that no pedestrians were involved.

The point I'm trying to make is that, yes, the police do do something about offending cyclists, although it is not prioritised particularly highly. This is because their limited resources are better used targeting real risk, namely the risk caused by motor vehicles being driven badly, not a trumped up risk voiced by anti cycling vitriolists.

Tilt

This is all very well and interesting Brat BUT you still bang on about the likes of me being an "anti cycling vitriolists" which I am not. My observations of the behaviour of MOST of the cyclists I saw during Fridays' rush hour in central London should surely be worrying to the emergency services? The predicted potential cyclist accidents will be (Hopefully) reduced when the police get their act together!

Nebulous2

Tilt wrote: »

This is all very well and interesting Brat BUT you still bang on about the likes of me being an "anti cycling vitriolists" which I am not. My observations of the behaviour of MOST of the cyclists I saw during Fridays' rush hour in central London should surely be worrying to the emergency services? The predicted potential cyclist accidents will be (Hopefully) reduced when the police get their act together!

You cannot demonstrate a reduction in predicted accidents. Cycling in London has roughly doubled in twenty years with deaths and seriious injuries being pretty static.

What you need to consider is your own actions. Why are you posting about it here? What are you trying to achieve? Punishment for people you don't like?

Most of the people on here are likely to be responsible law abiding people. Even if people who refuse to use lights are frequenting cycling forums do you think a rant will change their behaviour?

The most likely outcome of your rants is to increase mistrust between cyclists and bus drivers. That will mean more entrenched positions, more cyclists with cameras, more reports to the police about bus drivers who have annoyed them.

A bus is a huge dangerous piece of equipment and bus drivers behave badly as well as everyone else. What do you think me posting about that in a bus drivers forum would achieve?