Idiots in the sun

[guitarpete247]

I have often come across idiots, in my local town, popping up the kerb and cutting through groups of shoppers to avoid red lights/mini RaB. Then dropping back of the kerb in front of traffic, which has to brake to avoid collisions. They are usually smoking/texting/listening on headphones to that tune that goes "Thud Thud Thud" with someone swearing a lot. Or even doing all three.

 

[guitarpete247]

I know I'm old .

 

[tadpole]

I did try to join a Bristol cycling club via its forum, So I spent time fulling in my details in the online registration form, A few hours later I received an email saying that I have limited access to the forum until I've been on a social ride, Tried to log in the the small bit of forum I was allowed to see. I was not able to log in, so I emailed the guy in charge, He replied, and I was told I couldn't sign on to the forum until I'd been on a social Ride. I could't go on a social ride as the only one I could find advertised on the forum was at the wrong time. I couldn't seen any other rides coming up as I couldn't get to that part of the forum as I couldn't log in until I'd been on a social ride. but as I'd not been on a social ride with the club in the past 14 days My registration was deleted this lunch time. I don't think Its my kind of club, I think given my bad memory I'm likely to mess up the secret handshake or forget if the reply to secret spy coder phrase is "the birds fly darkly at midnight" or "Meet me at the Blackbird pub at lunch time".

 

[summerdays]

I've had a quick look at my Strava records but I've not been using it that long so I don't have a journey down the cycle path logged (or not that I can find) and on the upward journey there certainly don't seem to be many segments.

Some people just cycle inconsiderately, when I've had a bad overtake and looked to see if I could identify them via Strava, they usually don't appear, so there are people out there cycling like that anyway.

 

[BigAl68]

I've had a quick look at my Strava records but I've not been using it that long so I don't have a journey down the cycle path logged (or not that I can find) and on the upward journey there certainly don't seem to be many segments.

Some people just cycle inconsiderately, when I've had a bad overtake and looked to see if I could identify them via Strava, they usually don't appear, so there are people out there cycling like that anyway.

They ride amongst us

 

[Crackle]

Haven't Strava just changed the system so you can only flag a segment as dangerous if you've ridden it. People recreate the flagged segment slightly differently anyhow.

 

[guitarpete247]

I went on, what I was lead to believe was, an easy social ride. I was dropped on numerous occasions. I was made to feel uncomfortable as my bike cost me less than £2000, wasn't carbon and is probably older than half of the group who went out. At the cake break I tried to join in conversation but felt I was ignored in preference to the other newbie but who had much more expensive ride. On the way back, about 5 miles from home, I was dropped and left to make my own way alone. I was on the e-mail list for several weeks and had one e-mail from the club sec. He had been contacted by a couple of guys who had gone out with the same group and had been left 15 miles from home and had no idea where they were. They'd had to stop people to ask for directions home.
If I want to cycle back on my own I'll go out on my own.

 

[Profpointy]

for the Bristol chap especially , I went out with the local CTC on their "easy" ride, slightly nervous of my ability as I was only really a commuter rider (12 miles round trip) and the ride was 35 or whatever - and only my fixie was roadworthy (sadly still the case) . A friendlier and more welcoming group you couldn't hope to meet. Everything was kept to the pre-advertised slow pace, and a couple of very non athletic types were accommodated with an appropriate pace and was all very jolly. Important to stress that some of the guys could easily have cycled 3 times as far in half the time - but didn't 'cause it was the "easy" ride. They did other rides for faster and faster still groups - the later being 100 mile affairs. Great bunch

 

[John the Monkey]

I have often come across idiots, in my local town, popping up the kerb and cutting through groups of shoppers to avoid red lights/mini RaB. Then dropping back of the kerb in front of traffic, which has to brake to avoid collisions. They are usually smoking/texting/listening on headphones to that tune that goes "Thud Thud Thud" with someone swearing a lot. Or even doing all three.

You know what I think when I see that?

Thank f*** they're not in a car.

 

[John the Monkey]

As the OP I can't be. However the general point was about idiots buzzing kid's and family's on a Sunday. Two had garmins on their bikes but it was more their general disregard for other cyclists that ****ed me off.

I'm not much for Strava (the competitive bit of it isn't really my thing) but it seemed a bit unfair to assume that they were riding like nobbers because they were Strava users. They could just be nobbers.

More seriously, I think the sort of road culture we have in Britain (impatient, aggressive) is bound to produce people who move from being impatient, aggressive drivers who mostly get away with flouting the law, to being impatient, aggressive cyclists who mostly get away with flouting the law. My suspicion is that they don't last long as cyclists, because people are far less deferent to non motorised traffic.

Back to the op, we have a converted railway nearby (the Wheelock Rail trail) on a sunny weekend it's completely useless as a means from getting from place to place, so choked it is with walkers, potterers and people with those bloody extendable dog leads. Mostly I ignore the fact that it's there, although I daresay someone's terribly proud of its place in Cheshire East's "network" of cycle routes.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

More seriously, I think the sort of road culture we have in Britain (impatient, aggressive) is bound to produce people who move from being impatient, aggressive drivers who mostly get away with flouting the law, to being impatient, aggressive cyclists who mostly get away with flouting the law. My suspicion is that they don't last long as cyclists, because people are far less deferent to non motorised traffic.

^This.

A fair few cyclists are just passing through our brilliant pursuit, the number of decent bikes gathering dust in folks garages is frightening. But I'm too tall to buy any of them!

 

[the_mikey]

Re: The Bristol to Bath Cycle Path: It's a busy and popular cycle path and people project all kinds of different and conflicting values onto it, that includes the local authorities who fund, maintain and invest in the path as part of a greater cycling network, which isn't invested in to provide a cycling playground for children, but nor is it a racing track, but the reality is, it's expected to provide some kind of utility to cyclists.This year lighting will be installed on the section from Staple Hill Tunnel to Mangotsfield Station, this is largely to ease the use of the path for commuters, on dark wintery evenings it's not filled with leisure cyclists, but determined cyclists trying to get home.

 

[summerdays]

That's when I don't like using it, I try to get out to the ring road before darkness, as I find the main path a bit spooky and lonely on a winters evening, whereas the ring road path feels safer. I expect that is a false illusion brought on by stories on the B2b path. There were some guys playing instruments at Mangotsfield station last week which gave it a lovely atmosphere.

 

[BigAl68]

That's when I don't like using it, I try to get out to the ring road before darkness, as I find the main path a bit spooky and lonely on a winters evening, whereas the ring road path feels safer. I expect that is a false illusion brought on by stories on the B2b path. There were some guys playing instruments at Mangotsfield station last week which gave it a lovely atmosphere.

I use the path every weekday mid summer or mid winter and it can be a bit spooky in winter with the rain and the dark. This time of the year it's beautiful in the mornings as it's just me and a few other early commuters sharing it with the wildlife. Deer, badgers, foxes, rabbits and squirrel. Beats the A4 or the train hands down

 

[ufkacbln]

With you there, personally think that Strava should not allow segment creation at all on family cycle path routes, it's just asking for trouble and creating conflict for gleeful misrepresentation really.

The other option is simply to add a new award such as the KoM... any section on a cyclepath above 12 mph should be awarded a Muppet award