No, he's a person on a bike

[cd365]

Whilst driving home from doing the weekly shopping yesterday, I spotted a middle-aged man cycling on the pavement to my right; he was on a supermarket special. 200 yards down the road I stopped at traffic lights, whilst waiting I could see him come off the pavement at the lights and onto the road with the intention of crossing it. He had got about a quarter of the way across when the lights started to change, he wasn't looking at all, he was staring down at his back wheel.

In the middle of the road there is a refuge, I assumed he would wait there. The car to my left started to move and I took my foot off my brake and having an automatic it started to roll forward all the while I was still watching this cyclist. He still hadn't looked up and was about to join the road right in front of me so I put my foot back on the brake, I had gone less than a foot forward. What made him look up at that point I don't know, possibly the movement of my car, he put on his brakes and stopped. I moved off slowly at which point he shouted something to me and when I was down the road he shouted again and gave me the V's.

I said to my wife that he is an idiot and unsafe on the road. She said to but he is a fellow cyclist and my response was, "no, he's a person on a bike". I assumed that he got a fright and was reacting to that, a few years ago I would have taken the next left and confronted him, but I didn't, I'm a lot more chilled out nowadays

He is roadkill waiting to happen.

 

[I like Skol]

The scary thought is that there is a significant proportion of the population just like him walking around in their own little bubble and some of them even get driving licences! If you think about it too much you would stay in your steel box and never venture out on a bike.......

 

[helston90]

Horrid to imagine the terrifying affect this could have on the life of the person who hit him and his own friends and family caused by his own stupidity- this is why I assume everyone is about to do something stupid- in a car or on a bike or on foot, it was his lucky day!

 

[Biker Joe]

Back in 1963 I was in the Armed Services, being taught to drive by an army driving instructor.
He told me, many times over, to treat every other road user as if they were completely stupid.Whether it was a vehicle driver, a cyclist or a pedestrian. That way I would always be prepared to expect the unexpected.
We would be driving along the road and he would say, " That driver will suddenly pull out of that side turning are you ready?" or, " That person in the blue coat is going to step right out into the road. Are you ready?"
We would be waiting at traffic lights and he would say, " That driver in front is going to suddenly reverse. Are you ready?"
The driving course was a 6 week intensive course and day after day he would come up with the most ridiculous scenarios.
I took his advice to heart and, 50 years on, it has proved to be the best advice he could have given me.
It has got me out of many potentially nasty situations because I am always ready. Whether I'm on my bike, driving, or out walking.

 

[ShipHill]

My dad told me when I was 17 and got my first motorcycle that "Everyone on the road is a potential idiot... and you're not much better Sonny Jim". Wise words really although worded harshly.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I asked my father where he learned to drive, when he was teaching me to drive.
"Oh, I picked up bits, here and there"
I asked him about drivers' license tests, and he said
"Oh, there were no tests then, would you take a test to drive a team of horses?"
Perfect driver, never had an accident, except on his bicycle, running into a sewer grate. Broke his tailbone and the back axle of a DL-1.

 

[sabian92]

People see a bike rather than the person and I think that's why people sometimes treat us like crap.

There are idiots in cars, on bikes, in buses, on foot, but people don't see it like that. It's "That car is driving badly" for cars but then for a guy on a bike it's "THAT CYCLIST IS A PR1CK KILL HIM NOW".

Shameful.

 

[Lanzecki]

If you get in an altercation with anyone, remove your helmet and glasses. It humanises you. Strange, but true.

Africa, 1990, CSM's only bit of good advice "When talking to a local, loose the shades guys, you'll be seen as a person not Arnie"

 

[Bryony]

There is a old bloke round where I live that is a serious danger to himself and others on the road. Yesterday I was walking back from Aldi (picking up some cycling shoes!) and he was cycling towards me on a fairly busy road in town and all of a sudden he just started cycling in circles in the middle if the road about 4 or 5 times!

I've also seen him do exactly the same on a busy A road, apparently he's been doing it for years!

 

[YahudaMoon]

The cyclist with Tennents Super hanging of the handlebars in a carrier bag are the best while smoking skunk weed with pit bull dog in toe (or girlfriend)