Is there any way to change the narrative?

[Simpleton]

Don't worry about changing attitudes as this is mostly down to ignorance and as someone once very clever said...''Don't argue with an idiot, as they bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.''

Write to the council as mentioned.

 

[Lemond]

I had an experience today that was quite unpleasant. So I'll describe what happened to set the scene.

There's a local park that I ride through most days. Its allocated as a traffic free cycle route and is marked as such on the local authority cycle routes map.

Just inside the park is a bowling green. It seems that the bowling club members are allowed to drive into the park and drive on the footpaths to the clubhouse and park there. I assume this is because some of the bowling club members are elderly, I'm not aware that any other members of the public are allowed to drive in there.

As I was approaching the park gates today a car pulled into the gate and stopped part in the gateway and part with the rear end of her car on the pavement. The driver then put the hazard lights on. Because the car was slap bang in the middle of the gate I was forced to squeeze through a small gap on the drivers side. Of course, at this point the driver pulled away and only very narrowly avoided hitting me.

What shocked me most was the reaction. A fellow bowling club member hearing me shout (I'd shouted as she pulled away to "STOP") gave me a glare, and then told me that cyclists weren't allowed in the park, anyhow, you can imagine the rest, it all got very unpleasant and all the standard stuff was spouted - all cyclists are a menace, don't have a bell, don't have lights, are dangerous, should be banned from the roads etc. And isn't it amazing that even though such incidents are incredibly rare, everybody but me seems to know somebody who's been knocked over by cyclists?

After a couple of minutes of this I left him, but he followed me still ranting. At this point the driver is parking up, so I approached her and tried to have a reasonable discussion with her. She admitted that she had absolutely no idea about what had just happened but then proceeded to tell me that it was my fault because cycling isn't allowed in the park (it is) and that I shouldn't have tried to squeeze past her and that I should have waited for her to pull out - I kept calm and pointed out that I'd had to squeeze past as she was blocking the gate, and that I was in effect passing a stationary vehicle so had absolutely no idea if she was about to pull out or if she was planning to park there for 10 minutes and that I couldn't reasonably have been expected to wait to find out if she was planning to pull out. Her friend is absolutely vitriolic, spitting out unpleasantness along the usual lines.
By now more bowling club members are arriving, even though none of them have witnessed whats happened they're all very sure it was my fault and aren't shy in telling me and also reminding me that cycling isn't allowed in the park, yadda yadda yadda.

Anyway, what this incident and others has made me realise that if you scratch just a little beneath the surface of most average people in this country there's an absolutely vile hatred of cyclists that seems to be based on skewed perceptions and complete ignorance.
I've often scoffed at the parallels drawn between this and forms of bigotry, but after days like today it doesn't seem too far off.

So here I am completely shaken, not so much by the event itself but by the ugly attitudes of those around me today. So shaken that its 2am and I can't sleep so am writing this long winded post.

I just wondered if there's any hope of these attitudes ever turning around?

Change the narrative alright. Statements such as "if you scratch just a little beneath the surface of most average people in this country there's an absolutely vile hatred of cyclists" is just hysterical nonsense. This "them against us" attitude cannot be helpful.

 

[Pale Rider]

I can't fully grasp what happened from the OP, but it looks like a fairly standard cyclist/other road user disagreement.

It's a shame it happens, but I would put it in the same class as a puncture.

You can do without it, but it doesn't happen often, and it's a very minor bother in the grand scheme of things.

 

[cd365]

I'd get my old heavy mountain bike out one wet night and have a ride on their green

 

[User169]

"I couldn't reasonably have been expected to wait to find out if she was planning to pull out". Perhaps not for "ten minutes" but that sounds like a disgruntled assumption rather than anything real, and you could reasonably have been expected to wait for twenty seconds or so and then ask politely... I reckon.

BB

I'm not sure it's wise to make too many assumptions about how a car driver is likely to act. However, surely the onus is on the driver to check that it's safe to move before doing so. If you want to operate dangerous machinery in public, you should be prepared to accept a high degree of responsibility for your actions.

 

[bonsaibilly]

I'm not sure it's wise to make too many assumptions about how a car driver is likely to act. However, surely the onus is on the driver to check that it's safe to move before doing so. If you want to operate dangerous machinery in public, you should be prepared to accept a high degree of responsibility for your actions.

Agreed, although if you know or assume you do from experience, the locale and the typical behaviour of the drivers there, it seems reasonable to anticipate or at least ride with a bit of patience. Particularly if it wasn't wilfully dangerous or threatening driving, which it doesn't seem like in this case.

It just reads a bit like the rider snuck through instead of waiting half a minute. You could discuss the rights and wrongs of it all day!
BB

 

[Sara_H]

Sounds like a bunch of nothing to me, they're probably just used to their ways and it might have been more fruitful to wait, and enquire if they were stopping or heading in, rather than squeeze by and then shout out. And if then a dispute arose over cyclists (which it probably wouldn't have done) just pointed out the law entitled you to cycle there.

"I couldn't reasonably have been expected to wait to find out if she was planning to pull out". Perhaps not for "ten minutes" but that sounds like a disgruntled assumption rather than anything real, and you could reasonably have been expected to wait for twenty seconds or so and then ask politely... I reckon.

BB

Is that what you do every time you pass a stationary car then?

 

[Hip Priest]

I'd like to think people don't really have a vile hatred of cyclists. I reckon they were probably just siding with their bowling friend against a stranger, regardless of right & wrong.

It's not nice being ganged-up on, so I hope you feel better soon.

 

[jonny jeez]

Is that what you do every time you pass a stationary car then?

Sorry if this has been suggested already, but I don't have time to read all the thread.

I would decide how much this is worth to me, if it was worth a lot to try and change the bowling clubs bigoted views then I would gather some cycling friends...a big group...and pay a vist to their club next week. Tell them that you felt that they should see how it feels to be bullied by a growing group of people all refusing to see anyone's point of view, anxiety, fear and perspective...except their own.

Then proceed to act as selfishly as them by sitting on their bowling lawn and rounding on anyone who suggests that you should move

If you call the local rag first and inform them of a peaceful gathering is about to occur in protest of the bigoted views of the local bowling club, they will likely lap it up...its dripping with irony.

Who knows it'll either infuriate them and reinforce thier view of cyclists as hateful creatures who they should drive close to every day forever more, and tut when they see them at the lights

Or, if you Pull it off, it might just make them think...and perhaps make it into the papers.

Or


You can write them a letter and have it signed by as many people that you can...a petition if you will ...in support.


Or you can just burn the bowling club to the ground.

 

[jonny jeez]

I'd like to think people don't really have a vile hatred of cyclists. I reckon they were probably just siding with their bowling friend against a stranger, regardless of right & wrong.

It's not nice being ganged-up on, so I hope you feel better soon.

I'd like to as well and think that this is most likely the case.

Although I do suspect that, because we all act this way sometimes, that we all hide a vile hatred....of "others"

 

[Pale Rider]

Is that what you do every time you pass a stationary car then?

If I have to do a squeeze through, one question needs to be answered first.

Is the car likely to move?

Easiest way to bottom that one out is check if there's anyone in the driver's seat.

if there is, I want to be certain the driver is aware of me and my intentions before I start the manoeuvre.

That can be established by ringing the bell, eye contact, or tapping on the window - all of which I've done over the years.

It is no more than basic cycle craft.

Or, if that's what you want, it's an 'issue' about 'changing the narrative'.

 

[Hip Priest]

I'd like to as well and think that this is most likely the case.

Although I do suspect that, because we all act this way sometimes, that we all hide a vile hatred....of "others"

That's true. Tribalism.

 

[Sara_H]

If I have to do a squeeze through, one question needs to be answered first.

Is the car likely to move?

Easiest way to bottom that one out is check if there's anyone in the driver's seat.

if there is, I want to be certain the driver is aware of me and my intentions before I start the manoeuvre.

That can be established by ringing the bell, eye contact, or tapping on the window - all of which I've done over the years.

It is no more than basic cycle craft.

Or, if that's what you want, it's an 'issue' about 'changing the narrative'.

The car was parked with hazard lights on. There was nothing to indicate an intention that she was about to move away. And as I was passing her from behind and my eyes aren't on telescopic stalks I'm at a loss to understand how you think I should have made eye contact with her?
As for tinkling my bell, well as she moved away I shouted, literally as loud as I could and she didn't hear me so I suspect a tinkle on the bell would not have had any effect. Do you tinkle your bell every time you pass a stationary parked car?
Essentially the main things that could have prevented this near miss were - her not parking in such a dangerous spot, her checking he mirrors before manouvering. Pretty basic driving,

 

[50000tears]

To be fair Sara you did start the scenario with this.

As I was approaching the park gates today a car pulled into the gate and stopped part in the gateway and part with the rear end of her car on the pavement. The driver then put the hazard lights on. Because the car was slap bang in the middle of the gate I was forced to squeeze through a small gap on the drivers side. Of course, at this point the driver pulled away and only very narrowly avoided hitting me.

This shows that you saw the car pull into the spot which makes it a whole lot different from a car that has been stationary for a while. Given its very poor positioning it seems highly likely that it would not be in that spot for more than a few seconds. The reaction you got was poor, but I think most wouldn't be squeezing through that gap unless there were certain the driver was aware of them.

 

[Sara_H]

To be fair Sara you did start the scenario with this.



This shows that you saw the car pull into the spot which makes it a whole lot different from a car that has been stationary for a while. Given its very poor positioning it seems highly likely that it would not be in that spot for more than a few seconds. The reaction you got was poor, but I think most wouldn't be squeezing through that gap unless there were certain the driver was aware of them.

Well, I think we'll have to agree to disagree. There wasn't any other way to get through, so I suspect most would have gone through.
As others have said, the onus of responsibility is on the driver to check before pulling away from a stationary position. Given that she was obstructing the entrance she should have anticipated that other park users might have been coming through. Thank goodness it was just me and not some children who probably wouldn't have known to slam on anchors and veer right out of the way as much as I could as I did (which essentially meant splatting myself against the gate post)
But if a group of people on a cycling forum can't refrain from victim blaming, then I guess we can't really expect the old dears in the bowling club to either.