Do we not deserve our bad rep?

[ferret fur]

& constantly asks people to 'prove' what they saying: When they do he replies with totally subjective, self-serving & unsubstantiated assertions of his own. Or just hurls abuse.

 

[swee'pea99]

A bit like driving at 100mph outside a school. Irresponsible idiocy.

Absolutely. Just the same really.

 

[tdr1nka]

Lee, re: post 139.

Anyone can see you added more verbiage to your post and a direct insult after my initial reply.
Why so cagey? If you have something constructive to add then at least be up front rather than sneaking around in previous posts adding things you wished you had said.

Also for the record, I always state that my experiences are London based and I cannot speak for other parts of the country.

 

[dondare]

[quote name='swee'pea99']Absolutely. Just the same really.[/QUOTE]

In so far as both are perfectly safe to do so long as you don't have an accident.

 

[swee'pea99]

And how much further does equivalency require after all?

 

[dondare]

He did say "a bit like" and not "equivalent to".

 

[dondare]

Anyway, my argument and indeed the whole point of this thread is not that illegal behaviour by cyclists is especially dangerous but that it's antisocial.

 

[swee'pea99]

I suppose doing the ton past a school could be called antisocial...

 

[bryce]

[quote name='swee'pea99']Absolutely. Just the same really.[/quote]

I wouldn't go that far. The two are certainly analogous and underline the point I was making in the post.

As is stepping out into a busy street without looking. Not likely to cause injury most of the time.

Or leaving pr0n unencrypted and in the download folder on the family pc.

etc. etc.

 

[dondare]

[quote name='swee'pea99']I suppose doing the ton past a school could be called antisocial...[/QUOTE]


Are you familiar with the arguments of speedophiles? They are certainly analagous to the arguments of RLJers.

 

[swee'pea99]

Never met a speedophile, to the best of my knowledge. How do their arguments go?

 

[mickle]

Lee, there is a connection between the irresponsible behaviour of some cyclists and the contempt in which many drivers hold us. I know this to be true because some them have told me. Your assersion that this contempt is in no way connected to them driving in an intimidating and aggressive manner around us just doesn't hold water.

You can't see it because to do so would be to admit that your illegal behaviour endangers other cyclists.

The fact that you don't get pissed off at RLJing cyclists is irrelevant.

 

[dondare]

This is because I am speaking from experience. When I am out driving and I see a cyclist RLJ, does it bother me? No it really does not, even if I didn't RLJ it still would not bother me as I have have more important things to worry about.

You don't regard it as wrong when you do it so it doesn't bother you when other cyclists do it. But motorists who don't cycle have a different view, and they're probably the majority. Also pedestrians feel threatened by cyclists who ignore the lights at pedestrian crossings; you say that you never read the papers (and obviously editors are very selective) but even so you can't be totally unaware of just how worked up the general public gets because they see cyclists as a law-breaking, risk-taking menace to society.

Or can you?

 

[summerdays]

When I am out driving and I see a cyclist RLJ, does it bother me? No it really does not, even if I didn't RLJ it still would not bother me

The fact that you don't get pissed off at RLJing cyclists is irrelevant.

Not quite - it proves that as he does RLJ he therefore doesn't see it a problem when others do it. Whereas someone who is used to stopping at traffic lights does get annoyed when they see someone breaking the law. He is unable to see the other point of view because he RLJ's.

 

[summerdays]

but even so you can't be totally unaware of just how worked up the general public gets because they see cyclists as a law-breaking, risk-taking menace to society.

Try reading the Bristol Evening Post online.... any report relating to the road turns into an slinging match between the cyclists and motorists in the comments section. A pedestrian was knocked over and killed this week by a car, and they still managed to get a dig about getting rid of cycle lanes/cycle paths.