"Some people do the stupidest things at junctions..."

[Jacomus-rides-Gen]

Was it you who said this to me when I pulled up next to you at the traffic lights at Queen Victoria St and Queen St?

There was a scaffolding truck or something like it in the outside lane, and I joined you in the inside lane, on a black roadbike with red bar tape. Wearing black arm and leg warmers, with a flo singlet and flo backpack cover. I think we also saw each other a couple of times along Embankment?

I think you turned to me and said "Some people do the stupidest things at junctions" and I hope you were referring to the truck sat in the cycle box I managed to shout a garbled "Yerp!" kind of noise because the lights changed and I zoomed off - I love drag racing that section down to the next lights its got a very slight downhill to it which means one can get up far more speed than drivers think you can, and all of a sudden you've beaten them to the lights

I wasn't being rude

 

[thewicksy]

This is dedicated to all those bloody cyclists out there who, as soon as a fellow cyclist goes through a red, are the first to yell: "Red light!" As if we didn't already know!!!! What jerks, utter peanuts! Some advice: get a bloody life!!!! Who the hell do they think they are?: "Oh, look at me, Mr goody two-shoes who always - without exception - waits for the green light before I set off. What a perfectly law-abiding citizen I am. Oh, hang on, wait a minute, what's that I see up ahead? Why, it's a fellow cyclist who has the sheer audacity and rudeness to plainly go through a red light!!! Honestly, the utter cheek of it. I, being the model citizen I undisputedly am, must loudly protest and inform my fellow cyclist what a terribly illegal act he is so casually performing. If only every cyclist could be as perfect as me; the world would be such a better place.”

If the above sounds exactly, or even vaguely, like the words you utter self-righteously to yourself everyday, well I despair!! I really do. What business is it of yours what people like us do on our own bikes? Or is it some principle you’re pointlessly standing up for? If so, what do you possibly hope to achieve from it? Come on: try, if you can, to answer any one of these. I dare you. In the real world – whilst you’re off inhabiting your own insanely perfect one (please, stay there) – is that your actions achieve nothing. Not one thing. No one agrees with what you say (what, tell me, is actually, yes actually, wrong with cycling when nothing is coming?); the only perfect thing you are doing is letting everybody know what an absolute over-principled, self-righteous (“Oh look at me, so law-abidingly waiting for the green light”) and up-tight (does shouting “red light” make you somehow feel like a better person for trying, though totally in vein, to uphold the law?) you are.

So tomorrow, instead of shouting you’re lungs out at every “light jumper”, do everyone a favour and shut it. Trust me, though it may seem like it in your deluded head, you’re not making one iota of a difference - fact! You’re just being a bloody, pesky nuisance. A few words of advice: calm down (believe it or not, life’s more important than to get irate over these things) or get the hell off the road. I, and hundreds of others, would rather the latter.

 

[jdapayne]

If the above sounds exactly, or even vaguely, like the words you utter self-righteously to yourself everyday, well I despair!! I really do. What business is it of yours what people like us do on our own bikes?

It's my business because:
1 - it gives me a bad name (as a fellow cyclist)
2 - it's dangerous, and I like to think I care for the safety of other road users.
3 - same reason I'd shout it at a car driver (or shout at a car driver doing anything else illegal on the road)

Or is it some principle you’re pointlessly standing up for?

Yes, safety, and not pointlessly, unless it's to some idiot who won't pay attention anyway, because they're oh so above the law (like you perhaps?)

If so, what do you possibly hope to achieve from it?

Maybe get a RLJ to become a non RLJ (I was 'converted' in much a similar way)

Come on: try, if you can, to answer any one of these. I dare you.

Done

In the real world – whilst you’re off inhabiting your own insanely perfect one (please, stay there) – is that your actions achieve nothing. Not one thing. No one agrees with what you say (what, tell me, is actually, yes actually, wrong with cycling when nothing is coming?)

maybe we should scrap traffic lights for everyone, then it can be a free for all?

; the only perfect thing you are doing is letting everybody know what an absolute over-principled, self-righteous (“Oh look at me, so law-abidingly waiting for the green light”) and up-tight (does shouting “red light” make you somehow feel like a better person for trying, though totally in vein, to uphold the law?) you are.

So tomorrow, instead of shouting you’re lungs out at every “light jumper”, do everyone a favour and shut it. Trust me, though it may seem like it in your deluded head, you’re not making one iota of a difference - fact! You’re just being a bloody, pesky nuisance. A few words of advice: calm down (believe it or not, life’s more important than to get irate over these things) or get the hell off the road. I, and hundreds of others, would rather the latter.

PS. Sorry for feeding the troll, I'm new an inexperienced, so you can let me off?

Edit - and what the fûck did that have to do with the original post anyway? Put your rants in your own thread.

 

[yenrod]

Whicksy: If a car driver jumps alight then they're seen as being seperate to everybody WHY because there are so many of them...

Not so for cyclists = we get the bad name VERY VERY easily !

 

[goo_mason]

Oh hello - a troll ?

I'll tell you what you're doing wrong - you're breaking the law and helping to tar us all with the same brush so that drivers and anti-cycling types can continue to rant about us jumping reds, cycling on pavements etc etc.

Other cyclists end up suffering because of your attitude to breaking the law - "it's a silly law so there's no harm in breaking it, and I'm not hurting anyone". And that's the start of the slippery slope.

Still, you're as welcome to your opinion as I am to mine - and congrats on such an abusive first post

 

[buggi]

???? what provoked that?

 

[frog]

Don't you take any notice of these bloody do gooders Wicksy! You keep doing your thing!

My Gran needs new corneas and the bloke at the end of the road has knackered kidneys so you just carry on and prove us all wrong!

Gran is on holiday for the next two weeks in Brighton, so can you ease up until the middle of September?

 

[yello]

You know you're in the wrong thewicksey - otherwise you wouldn't have taken the time to register on cycling forum to have your pathetic little say. If you didn't give a toss then you'd just carry on doing jumping reds. And please do. I don't care.

 

[Jacomus-rides-Gen]

There I was getting all excited, but no, just another net geek who needs to vent their frustrations from the safety of an online forum, as they are too weedy and socially retarded to converse face to face.

 

[Tetedelacourse]

I'm a troll, foldy-roll, foldy-roll, I'm a troll...

 

[simon_adams_uk]

Do Not Feed The Trolls!

S

 

[magnatom]

This is dedicated to all those bloody cyclists out there who, as soon as a fellow cyclist goes through a red, are the first to yell: "Red light!" As if we didn't........... [/FONT]

 

[Tetedelacourse]

Actually I wonder if this is in fact Cab in another guise since there has been little to argue about in the last day or two.

 

[Emu]

[If the above sounds exactly, or even vaguely, like the words you utter self-righteously to yourself everyday, well I despair!! I really do. What business is it of yours what people like us do on our own bikes?/QUOTE]

You're right. It's no business of mine. But twice in the past 9 years I have been the first to a cyclist that has been knocked off because of their own stupideness. Twice I have called an ambulance and twice I have been the person who put that person into recovery position and have stayed with them until the ambulance has arrived. Not nice in the slightest. Next time I'm put in that situation I just might cycle past. I know I won't because I'm not that kind of person.

I don't care what you do on your bike but please leave me out of it.

 

[Tynan]

not sure that was justifying red light jumping

just telling those that feel shouting at those jumping lights are wasting their time and that they're self righteous jumped up peanuts

I think

I certainly wouldn't

but don't let that get in the way natch