Cyclists that put a slur on our good name

[dondare]

After returning home from my daily commute, I decided to visit the supermarket in my car. After leaving the supermarket with enough Ice cream to fill a swimming pool I noticed a rather shoddy looking guy on a ahoddy raleigh racing bike pass me , then wobble into the middle of the road as I approached. I used my horn and got a middle finger off him, then a tirade of abuse.

Cyclist "What's your focking problem"
Me "Would be an idea to indicate before you move to the centre of the road"
Cyclist "Whos says so"
Me "The Highway code and common sense"
Cyclist "$&387$&£&^$&*^£ £&$^^£!"&^£^"

He then road of, overtaking cars waiting at some lights before mounting the pavement and riding off.

If someone knocked him off his bike then it would be the motorists fault.

Anyone else have examples like this.

The Law requires motorists to drive with due care, attention and consideration. As a driver you have to watch out for dozy pedestrians and incompetent cyclists more than for those who are alert and able, and drive as carefully as necessary without getting impatient or annoyed. The horn should only ever be used as a warning of your presence, not to admonish.
Cyclists have a bad name but it's motorists who bring danger to the roads and are responsible for managing that danger.

 

[661-Pete]

Hook, line, and sinker.

The OP is just trolling .

Not necessarily. But I think he gets the message

I may have used the horn at a cyclist, years ago, but I can't remember when. The sort of situation might be: kid apparently zipping out of a side road into my path without looking. Horn has to be a life-saver, only that and nothing else...

 

[dondare]

Hook, line, and sinker.

The OP is just trolling .

Ahhhhh....

 

[Bird Brain]

The original poster must be on a wind-up,I agree.

 

[PK99]

I never signal when I'm moving into the centre of the lane, I wouldn't want people to think that I'm turning right/changing lane when I'm just positioning myself better for an upcoming junction/pinch point/avoiding a drain. Am I wrong? Obviously I wait for a gap in traffic before doing this by the way, I'm not swerving in front of speeding cars.

Depends how you signal, i'd use a flat handed "stay back" to move to the middle of the lane to let a following car know i am aware of them

 

[summerdays]

I never signal when I'm moving into the centre of the lane, I wouldn't want people to think that I'm turning right/changing lane when I'm just positioning myself better for an upcoming junction/pinch point/avoiding a drain. Am I wrong? Obviously I wait for a gap in traffic before doing this by the way, I'm not swerving in front of speeding cars.

Me too - I would spend my life signalling and giving potentially confusing messages given the number of potential side roads I could be turning into - when I would rather have my hands on the handlebars in case of pothole I don't know about or needing to brake suddenly. I have usually looked several times when I know/can see an obstruction coming up ahead and start gradually moving out in advance, and then move back in fairly promptly after the obstruction if its safe. How many cars do you see signal to move around a parked car or change their lane position as they approach a road narrowing. (That may be because I'm normally cycling in a busy city though).

 

[BentMikey]

None of that makes not-signalling correct behaviour though.

 

[Norm]

Me too ...

Me three.

I've been told, on motorbike training, that you signal when you change lanes, not when you move about within your own lane.Slightly different because the speed means you aren't being overtaken, but it's a general principle I use whenever I'm on two wheels.

 

[Clive Atton]

Aaahh, the self righteousness of the (probably) non-driving cyclists here is staggering. When driving or motorbiking, I too am fed up with cyclists who you attempt to overtake considerately only for them to NOT look over their shoulder, NOT indicate, just move dangerously into the middle of the road right in front of you with no warning. You have attempted to pass carefully, given them plenty of room and they still try to cycle under your front wheel(s). In these circumstances what is wrong with using the horn(as well as performing an emergency stop) in order to save their pathetic worthless lives?

Cycling out of Southsea yesterday morning an idiot rides off the pavement on the other side of the road, doesn't look in any direction other than the one he's heading in. He's wobbling all over the place, I slow down to try and avoid him but still end up being forced into the kerb so I call out 'look out' and was quite surprised when it turned out I was the 'fc*king cn*t' and he could have me any time. Some contributors to this forum need to realise that there are plenty of idiots on bicycles who make life for other road (and pavement) users just about bloody impossible. I will add that conversely that there are plenty of good cyclists as well but obviously one doesn't notice them.

No, I am not trolling.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

what does the fact that the old raleigh was "shoddy" have to do with anything?

me smells a bike snob…

 

[BentMikey]

Aaahh, the self righteousness of the (probably) non-driving cyclists here is staggering. When driving or motorbiking, I too am fed up with cyclists who you attempt to overtake considerately only for them to NOT look over their shoulder, NOT indicate, just move dangerously into the middle of the road right in front of you with no warning. You have attempted to pass carefully, given them plenty of room and they still try to cycle under your front wheel(s). In these circumstances what is wrong with using the horn(as well as performing an emergency stop) in order to save their pathetic worthless lives?

Cycling out of Southsea yesterday morning an idiot rides off the pavement on the other side of the road, doesn't look in any direction other than the one he's heading in. He's wobbling all over the place, I slow down to try and avoid him but still end up being forced into the kerb so I call out 'look out' and was quite surprised when it turned out I was the 'fc*king cn*t' and he could have me any time. Some contributors to this forum need to realise that there are plenty of idiots on bicycles who make life for other road (and pavement) users just about bloody impossible. I will add that conversely that there are plenty of good cyclists as well but obviously one doesn't notice them.

No, I am not trolling.

It looks like your driving could be considerably better, despite whatever the cyclist was doing. You're clearly not leaving enough room, reading the road ahead, or anticipating what other road users might do.

 

[sunnyjim]

After returning home from my daily commute, I decided to visit the supermarket in my car. After leaving the supermarket with enough Ice cream to fill a swimming pool I noticed a rather shoddy looking guy on a ahoddy raleigh racing bike pass me , then wobble into the middle of the road as I approached. I used my horn and got a middle finger off him, then a tirade of abuse.

Absolutely appalling. I’ve noticed quite a few shoddy looking people myself recently. Some of them don’t even wear a tie. And their horrible common bikes - <shudder> Raleigh! At least they could try to keep to the back streets round their grubby hovels and not make the place look so untidy.

 

[ManiaMuse]

Aaahh, the self righteousness of the (probably) non-driving cyclists here is staggering. When driving or motorbiking, I too am fed up with cyclists who you attempt to overtake considerately only for them to NOT look over their shoulder, NOT indicate, just move dangerously into the middle of the road right in front of you with no warning. You have attempted to pass carefully, given them plenty of room and they still try to cycle under your front wheel(s). In these circumstances what is wrong with using the horn(as well as performing an emergency stop) in order to save their pathetic worthless lives?

As the overtaking vehicle you are the one responsible for making sure the overtake is safe. You should be prepared for an inexperienced cyclist to wobble or move unexpectedly and that means giving them plenty of room and being prepared to back off if suddenly you find yourself with no room or an oncoming vehicle. If you say you are being forced into the curb then that suggests at that point it was unsafe to overtake.

I fail to see how using the horn would make the situation any safer. An inexperienced or wobbling cyclist is even more likely to be startled by a car horn and do something unpredictable or potentially dangerous. Unless the cyclist is deaf or you are driving a magical silent car it is highly unlikely that the cyclist is not aware of your presence already.

And how exactly are their lives pathetic and worthless?

 

[dondare]

We know that there are plenty of idiots on bikes and if they show up on this forum site we give them a hard time. If someone said

I cycled on the footpath, went onto the road and through a red light and a motorist beeped me so I gave him the finger

then they'd get properly flamed or accused of trolling. But the fact is that motorists have to be able to take other people's poor road skills into account when they drive without losing their temper. It's one of the conditions of using a motor vehicle on the public roads. Shoddy cyclists are annoying but impatient motorists are downright dangerous.

 

[Jezston]

It looks like your driving could be considerably better, despite whatever the cyclist was doing. You're clearly not leaving enough room, reading the road ahead, or anticipating what other road users might do.

You guys aren't serious, right? You don't seriously think that pulling out into the center of the lane without looking behind you is perfectly acceptable do you? If someone had done that on video you'd be all over them, Lee (unless they were a courier of course).

Is this about getting at the truth or just having an argument between 'us' and 'them' and having to win?

In the interests of full disclosure, I should mention the closest I've got to car ownership is getting a form for a provisional license, then forgetting about it.