Cycling from a pedestrian perspective

[bof]

I normally cycle everywhere but on Monday I arranged to meet my family after work at the Winter Fair in Hyde Park and left the bike at home.

I took a bus over to Hyde Park corner and en-route it passed a cycle commuter. At the next stop people were getting on and off and the commuter - a bloke I'd guess in his 40s, rode up the inside - a space less than 12 inches wide, almost hitting someone getting off the bus and putting himself at serious risk.

Two minutes later I get off the bus in Park Lane and another middle aged commuter (yellow jacket and helmet) was riding along the busy pavement and narrowly missed me.

After that I can quite understand why so many people think we're all knobs.

 

[John the Monkey]

After that I can quite understand why so many people think we're all knobs.

Although conversely it's quite possible for motons to treat you with that special mix of indifference and suppressed malice even when they've *seen* you stop at zebras and red lights correctly, wait your turn in traffic etc with their own eyes.

 

[dodgy]

London cyclists (mostly POBs to be fair) are giving cyclists in general a bad name.

 

[Radius]

London cyclists (mostly POBs to be fair) are giving cyclists in general a bad name.

Isn't that just as bad a generalisation as the motorists make? I'm a 'London cyclist' and I don't do that...

 

[ianrauk]

Give over ... what a very silly quote

London cyclists (mostly POBs to be fair) are giving cyclists in general a bad name.

 

[dodgy]

Well the amount of threads you see on here and other forums when the poster is complaing/whining about cyclists, it often transpires that they're talking about London. When I go to London, I'm shocked at the numbers of cyclists riding aggressively and ignoring red lights, I don't witness the same behaviour where I live.

 

[Radius]

Which is substantially smaller and with less vehicles...

 

[dodgy]

So it's OK to go through red lights in London but not elsewhere?
Merry Christmas by the way, I'm off to the pub

 

[Radius]

So it's OK to go through red lights in London but not elsewhere?
Merry Christmas by the way, I'm off to the pub

Oh the provocation. No. It's not ok. But the number of cyclists being higher will result in a higher ratio of bad ones, and disgruntled ones, who, in the wrong of course, choose to take certain liberties.

 

[SoulOnIce]

Oh the provocation. No. It's not ok. But the number of cyclists being higher will result in a higher ratio of bad ones, and disgruntled ones, who, in the wrong of course, choose to take certain liberties.

Pedant's point

Actually the number of cyclists in London will be higher and thus one could reasonable assume the number of RLJs will be higher too. But this does not mean there will be a higher ratio of bad to good cyclists. The ratio will depend upon the relative bad to good numbers.

And it is unclear if this ratio is better or worse in London.

 

[Radius]

Peh.

 

[jmaccyd]

Pedant's point

Actually the number of cyclists in London will be higher and thus one could reasonable assume the number of RLJs will be higher too. But this does not mean there will be a higher ratio of bad to good cyclists. The ratio will depend upon the relative bad to good numbers.
.

A man after my own heart

 

[ComedyPilot]

London cyclists (mostly POBs to be fair) are giving cyclists in general a bad name.

Much as I don't like london (small L) POBs get up to that sort of trick country-wide.

I don't get much chance to 'do lights', but the times I have, I always pass RLJers and give them a 'Lance' look, as if to say, you only got in front by breaking the law.

As for pillocks on bikes on paths, I usually ride past and say, 'I thought you were a kid, normally young children have to ride on a path'

Shame them is the way to go.

 

[peanut]

I think most of the problem is due to commuters having come to cycling late in life have no idea of cycling etiquette or the road traffic law .
Seems to me that city cycling is pretty much the same as driving nowadays
every man for himself

 

[downfader]

I think most of the problem is due to commuters having come to cycling late in life have no idea of cycling etiquette or the road traffic law .
Seems to me that city cycling is pretty much the same as driving nowadays
every man for himself

My 8 year old cousin knows that you dont ride a bike on the pavement unless you're a kid, and knows what the red lights mean I think an adult, say 18 and over, is going to know what these things mean.