Dealing with anti cyclists

[All uphill]

Probably the only positive of being pretty deaf is that I rarely hear what is said/shouted in my direction. I review my behaviour, and either acknowledge my error or choose to think they are admiring me and my bike.

It's years since I responded with any aggression; it's too risky for a smallish old geezer like me, and it happens so infrequently here that it's not worth bothering with.

I also take it easy for a few minutes until any adrenaline surge has passed.

 

[fossyant]

Decent ride yesterday on shared paths. Everyone was friendly but it was a lovely Sunday morning. That can change mid week when people are in a rush. I once had an old bloke kick off because I hadn't rung my bell. I then responded "I did, three times, ding, ding ding". Didn't quite go so far as he get a hearing test, but many old folk can't hear a bike bell. We have a friend who can't hear bird song as her range of hearing is limited.

 

[ianrauk]

In incidents that involve emergency braking I generally turn the air blue at the top of my voice, but for comments I usually ignore them. One exception was a cyclist who called me a weirdo. After I asked him what his problem was it ended with him slapping me around the face trying to goad me into a fist fight.

A motorist I did that to got me in a headlock and threatened to cave my head in with a hammer.

A motorist who got out of his car and threatened me got the same back. He quickly skulked off. I will not be intimidated.
Perhaps he posted on a motorists forum somewhere saying beware of some cyclists.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

A motorist who got out of his car and threatened me got the same back. He quickly skulked off. I will not be intimidated.
Perhaps he posted on a motorists forum somewhere saying beware of some cyclists.

Or in the daily Mail - they seem to like that sort of comment

 

[Drago]

A motorist who got out of his car and threatened me got the same back.

One of the advantages of being a big unit and closely resembling my avatar pic is that motorists dont get lairy with me.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Decent ride yesterday on shared paths. Everyone was friendly but it was a lovely Sunday morning. That can change mid week when people are in a rush. I once had an old bloke kick off because I hadn't rung my bell. I then responded "I did, three times, ding, ding ding". Didn't quite go so far as he get a hearing test, but many old folk can't hear a bike bell. We have a friend who can't hear bird song as her range of hearing is limited.

I had that a few months ago

I had rung my bell - which is quite loud but a friendly ding-a-ling - not a Ping type bell
then slowed right down and rung it again
Then said "excuse me"
Then he reached a wider part of teh tow path so I just rode around him

only to get "Haven;t you got a bell" shouted at me

I honestly cannot believe he didn;t hear me - but it was a possibility

except that I saw him again a week or so later and he heard the bell just fine that time

people are weird - but we do have to allow for the fact that some people are deaf

 

[presta]

A motorist who got out of his car and threatened me got the same back. He quickly skulked off. I will not be intimidated.
Perhaps he posted on a motorists forum somewhere saying beware of some cyclists.

The problem with retaliating is that you then make yourself into the one at fault.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I do not often have problems like those - probably because I mostly ride on paths and at quiet times due to being retired


But in the occaisions where people have shouted things at me I generally have zero clues as to what they actually said

it is normally "shouty" so probably critical - but they might be saying how nice my bike is

last one was a few days ago and included the word "nice" and sounded unusually friendly and complimentary
from a work van as well!
I think there must have been a glitch in the Matrix

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I have spent years developing a response for such a scenario.

I just tell them to eff off.

You spent years developing that?. Slow learner? 😱😳😂😉

 

[roubaixtuesday]

The problem with retaliating is that you then make yourself into the one at fault.

The problem with retaliating is that they're in possession of a lethal weapon and you're not. Writing as someone once chased along a pavement by an irate motorist driving at speed.

 

[ianrauk]

The problem with retaliating is that you then make yourself into the one at fault.

Nope. He started it and I finished it. That's what I told my parents anyway.

 

[Psamathe]

I tend to think of people in such situations as saying more about themselves than the behaviour of anybody else. So much in life is on the balance of positives vs negatives and if people can't see the positives from cyclists and only focus on the minor negatives then that speaks more about their own narrow mindedness.

Occasionally cyclists will cycle in places they shouldn't, I have. But they'll normally be doing it in a very safe cautious manner and balance of benefit/detriment is still so far into the benefit (including for the motorists & pedestrians) getting in a tis about minor minimal risk stuff just screams narrow-minded.

Ian

 

[Webbo2]

Ok thanks everyone I feel better today i have to admit I was in the wrong for cycling across I should have got off and pushed as has been pointed out. I think what bugged me so bad is I want to be on the road but sometimes feel like i’m taking my life in my hands so chose the crossing that day and got abused for it

I nearly got taken out by an old biddy today in France. She shot out of a side road on her bike across the main road which had a zebra on the far side of the junction. When I shouted at her she just pointed at the zebra which was a least 2 metres away from where she crossed. However given my lack of French I couldn’t tell her to get to specsavers.

 

[briantrumpet]

I nearly got taken out by an old biddy today in France. She shot out of a side road on her bike across the main road which had a zebra on the far side of the junction. When I shouted at her she just pointed at the zebra which was a least 2 metres away from where she crossed. However given my lack of French I couldn’t tell her to get to specsavers.

Are you sure it wasn't priorité à droite? It's a stupid system, but once you are in towns, very often that is the norm (i.e default), and particularly the old biddies will do exactly as you describe, without looking.

 

[Webbo2]

Are you sure it wasn't priorité à droite? It's a stupid system, but once you are in towns, very often that is the norm (i.e default), and particularly the old biddies will do exactly as you describe, without looking.

I’ve no idea to be honest but there were no signs. I wonder what priorite the driver on the main road thought she had when she over took me then pulled a Uie to turn round blocking the whole road and causing me nearly to lock the wheels. 😱