2 f*ckwits in 15 minutes. Must be "idiot on the road" day

[BentMikey]

The happy "nothing bad happened on my commute" thread ...

And you know what? For the most part it's 'kin boring.

 

[hackbike 666]

And you know what? For the most part it's 'kin boring.

....and for the most part it's been 'kin rare for nothing to happen on my commute this year.

 

[al78]

WTF? Why do these idiots blame others for their f*ckwittery? Really gets my goat! !

<rant over>

see here

 

[trustysteed]

they want to see the ginger headed woman who has a 200lb furball in her stomach

but is the furball ginger?

 

[John the Monkey]

in the hope that something bad will happen so they can upload it to youtube

I think that's unfair - I know the people posting the film, and I know the routes Sharky's talking about. I honestly think you're misrepresenting their motivation.

 

[BentMikey]

It seems much like the typical scorn you get from a bad driver who doesn't want his failings to be exposed.

 

[Amanda P]

Bizarre thinking on the driver's part. As in - he thinks his car has a mind of its own?!

If he'd had a chance no doubt he'd have told you that his horn has a mind of its own, too....

There are lots of cars these days which know when it's icy and can cadence brake for you. And others that know to switch on the lights when it's dark and the wipers when it's wet.

Which makes them a lot cleverer than many of the people who drive them.

 

[brokenbetty]

And you know what? For the most part it's 'kin boring.

That's true, but I think it's worth keeping it going precisely because most of the time commuting by bike is uneventful.

I worry that anyone coming across the forum because they were thinking of commuting by bike would end up with the impression it's a daily dice with death done by a small group of very angry men who, when they aren't on bikes arguing with drivers, are on the internet arguing with each other.

Now we all know that's not true. We all know the stats show that cycling is far safer than the general perception, that it safe, cheap, good for the environment and keeps us healthy, and that most importantly it's the funnest way to get to work unless you happen to have access to a fur-lined pink chariot pulled by oompa-loopmas. But that doesn't come across in the commuting forum at all.

I'd like to see the happy thread as a sticky.

 

[BentMikey]

That's a good post, brokenbetty, I mostly agree.

 

[thegrumpybiker]

it's the funnest way to get to work unless you happen to have access to a fur-lined pink chariot pulled by oompa-loompas.

That is true, I've always regretted the day I traded in my oompa-loompas for a hybrid.
Gonna have to get in touch with that weird confectionary bloke to see if he wants to swap back...

 

[Origamist]

That's true, but I think it's worth keeping it going precisely because most of the time commuting by bike is uneventful.

I worry that anyone coming across the forum because they were thinking of commuting by bike would end up with the impression it's a daily dice with death done by a small group of very angry men who, when they aren't on bikes arguing with drivers, are on the internet arguing with each other.

Now we all know that's not true. We all know the stats show that cycling is far safer than the general perception, that it safe, cheap, good for the environment and keeps us healthy, and that most importantly it's the funnest way to get to work unless you happen to have access to a fur-lined pink chariot pulled by oompa-loopmas. But that doesn't come across in the commuting forum at all.

I'd like to see the happy thread as a sticky.

Unfortunately, commuting fora thrive on conflict - be it motorists vs cyclists, helmet cam users vs non-helmet cam users, poster vs poster - the adversarial character of these sites creates a heightened, distorted and almost toxic impression of commuting by bike. What is even more depressing is that I am so inured to this state of affairs, I play along and no longer care...

 

[BentMikey]

Boll0cks mate, you love it.

 

[John the Monkey]

That's true, but I think it's worth keeping it going precisely because most of the time commuting by bike is uneventful.

But here's the thing.

I only notice the passes these days that are REALLY blimmin close. I get loads of overly close passes (Bollo once called them Rule 163s) that scared the sh*t out of me when I began commuting. I get the general indifference and lackadaisical attitude most drivers have to piloting their vehicle. After 3 years though, something has to be life threatening for me to pay it attention. As a beginner, I'd be far more intimidated by stuff that these days is par for the course.

As an aside, cycling somewhere else can really bring this home to you - a week of commutes after a tour of France, for example.

I worry that anyone coming across the forum because they were thinking of commuting by bike would end up with the impression it's a daily dice with death done by a small group of very angry men who, when they aren't on bikes arguing with drivers, are on the internet arguing with each other.

I don't bandy words with drivers, its largely pointless. I do thank considerate people (there are some, and you can build them up if you do a regular time & route commuting, as you get to know each other). I do think it's doing a bit of a dis-service to the nascent commuter not to point out that things on our roads are different to the way things are in France.

You are not a valued member of the the community of road users.

You are not someone who deserves extra care because you are vulnerable.

You need to have your wits about you, and you need to know what you're doing.

It's not as bad as the impression you'd get from reading most commuting fora, but it's not the joyful skylark some would have you believe either. I wouldn't ride my commute for fun, personally.

 

[Origamist]

Boll0cks mate, you love it.

I enjoy the pugilistic, pissing contests of CC - but that's just a sad reflection on my character.

Naively, I used to think I was a forum bottom feeder, a sort of lugubrious cat-fish, sucking up the shoot and helping to purify the stagnant pond that is commuting. In reality, I'm little more than a bobbing turd...

Nurse! Nurse! Call Smeggers and TC - a self-reflexive enflouncement is being foreshadowed...

 

[trustysteed]

Naively, I used to think I was a forum bottom feeder, a sort of lugubrious cat-fish, sucking up the shoot and helping to purify the stagnant pond that is commuting. In reality, I'm little more than a bobbing turd...

very succintly put, fella!