a small rant about "nice guy" drivers

[DaveReading]

A new team member did it at work the other day, in a scene straight out of Billionaires "Hi. My name is Jo. My pronoun is they. nice to meet you all". And yes I had to explain to colleagues what Jo meant by this.

Didn't that get confusing, asking her "what would they like to drink?".

 

[atalanta]

Didn't that get confusing, asking her "what would they like to drink?".

It's not that hard.

 

[jefmcg]

If you want to discuss gender, we already have a 13 page thread going.

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/baby-registered-as-gender-unknown.220626

 

[winjim]

Last word from me then (from JM actually) on gender & pronouns

NOTES FOR JOURNALISTS/MEDIA/ETC:

Name: Jack Monroe. Real name: Jack Monroe. On my passport and bank account: Jack Monroe. Name assigned at birth: None of your business, and of no relevance to your story.

Pronouns: Pronouns are how you refer to a person when not using their name. Please use ‘they/them/their’ in place of ‘she/her’ etc. They/them pronouns are grammatically correct when used to denote a single person, although common usage is plural. It might look odd at first but it’s definitely okay.

https://cookingonabootstrap.com/201...irl-called-jack-i-have-something-to-tell-you/

 

[steverob]

Related to this, another "nice driver" thing that annoys me - stopping your car so I can cross the road.

Thanks, but I really don't want to push my toddler's buggy in front of your car. I'd rather wait until you've passed and go behind you. Oh, and as long as you're waving your hand I'll keep shaking my head and smiling.

Back on topic(-ish), the second most annoying thing as a pedestrian is when an approaching driver slows to let you cross with a wave when it is dark out. Unfortunately while they might be able to see me clearly, I can't see their frantic waving inside their car, because my vision is totally obscured by their headlights - their windscreen just looks like an empty black rectangle to me. So I stay at the side of the road until they either come to a complete stop and make it completely clear that they want me to cross, or they speed up feeling all annoyed at the bloody pedestrian who wouldn't cross the road despite them having spent the last ten seconds waving their arms off at them.

 

[atalanta]

If you want to discuss gender, we already have a 13 page thread going.

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/baby-registered-as-gender-unknown.220626

excellent suggestion @jefmcg. More stories of 'charitable' drivers and the chaos they cause, please!

 

[boydj]

Sorry, but this is not true. In at least the south east, drivers in slow moving traffic flash their headlights all the time to indicate a person waiting to turn right across them should proceed or the driver waiting behind a stop line should join the traffic.

This is exactly how I was wiped out with both the turning driver and the flasher failing to register my presence in lane 1, in spite of hi-vis and flashing and solid lights.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

This is exactly how I was wiped out with both the turning driver and the flasher failing to register my presence in lane 1, in spite of hi-vis and flashing and solid lights.

hi-vis doth offend mine eye.

 

[Welsh wheels]

How did this thread go from a rant about drivers to discussing transgender issues? The internet never ceases to amaze me.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

How did this thread go from a rant about drivers to discussing transgender issues? The internet never ceases to amaze me.

Because conversations aren't rule based? Despite what the thread-nazis try to impose.

 

[david k]

Yeah this is interesting - where I grew up a single flash of the headlights just means "go ahead, I'll wait for you", and it's something you learn in driving lessons. I don't mean the emergency light, continuous flash - just a flicker, really.

My larger point stands.

I was driving down a road once when a jcb pulled out across me and crashed into me. There reason was that the guy opposite flashed him to come out. As he crossed my path to turn right onto the road, how would the driver flashing know if I was aware or not? The problem flashing your lights is you cannot tell them it's safe, they have to make that call, as such I never flash anyone in anymore, but will slow down and hope they realise I am letting them in

 

[david k]

You are correct! Glad to know this little custom didn't make it over to the UK, would hate to spring out in front of someone thinking that's what they intended when in fact they meant nothing of the kind... Have edited the original post to reflect my lack of UK-headlight-etiquette knowledge.


I do have a ponytail, but my name's not Eric. And that is my bike.

Not that it isn't custom, I think it is, but as pointed out it's not what is taught or the Highway Code. And in my experience was dangerous, however in many cases it works and I suspect will continue, but because of my incident I don't engage

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Yeah this is interesting - where I grew up a single flash of the headlights just means "go ahead, I'll wait for you", and it's something you learn in driving lessons.

Only if your driving instructor was an utter twunt. Or you grew up outside the UK.

 

[Lonestar]

Flashing headlights near me means that there is a mobile speed camera ahead.

Means I pressed the wrong button.

 

[DaveReading]

I was driving down a road once when a jcb pulled out across me and crashed into me. There reason was that the guy opposite flashed him to come out. As he crossed my path to turn right onto the road, how would the driver flashing know if I was aware or not? The problem flashing your lights is you cannot tell them it's safe, they have to make that call, as such I never flash anyone in anymore, but will slow down and hope they realise I am letting them in

A driver flashing his/her headlights means, at most, that they don't plan to drive into you.

If you interpret that as a guarantee of what other drivers are going to do, then you're asking for trouble.