stupid rider

[stephenjubb]

just seen a 16 year old "cyclist" girl jump a red light, she then rode past a left turn without a right shoulder check and a car was turning left at the same time. the girl breaked and threw her arms in the air as if to say stupid driver.

she continued to ride as close to curb as possible, she moved out to go round a parked car, no shoulder check and there was a cyclist behind her, luckily not overtaking otherwise they would have collided.

She then proceeded in order to go straight in a left arrow marked lane and just before the end of that lane (where the railings where) moved into the lane for going straight ahead which was full of traffic.

all of the above within 10 minutes. either this girl is inexperienced and has had no cycle training or she is the most silly girl ever and liable to get herself killed.

i have read a lot of cyclists moaning about cars and their behavious but to a point I can understand why motorists have some dislike for cyclists and give us all a bad name.

to classify us all (I try and ride safely, I ain't perfect but don't do the above) as cyclists is ridiculous. we need two terms, one for idiot cyclists above and the other for competent cyclists.

I have really had to refrain myself from lacing into this girl on this forum as I have tried to understand why but it is hard.

I thought of telling her, but she may have got the wrong idea so didn't bother.

anyhow rant over, thanks for reading.

cheers

steve jubb

 

[MessenJah]

i'll never get those 15 seconds of my life back

 

[Joe24]

Inexperienced cyclest i think. Cant do anything with them, you tell them they either says, ok thanks and just carry on doing what they are doing, tell you where to go or listen and improve. I saw a guy do the same thing. stayed in the left turnng lane then indicated right and moved into the right turning lane. At traffic lights he went over into the left turning lane, then when the lights went green, went off and moved over a lane. I told him to be in the correct lane, he said ok thanks and then carried on.
Doubt he is still cycling now, or from the way he was cycling can till cycle.

 

[yello]

How do you know she is 16?

 

[stephenjubb]

it was a guess, she looked young, she was a teenager definitely.

 

[dantheman]

How do you know she is 16?

maybe he thought "that looks just about legal"

 

[BentMikey]

Apart from all the other stuff, it's not actually wrong to go straight on in a left turn lane. Sometimes that can be the best and most appropriate strategy to use, and perfectly legal.

 

[hackbike 6]

Sometime it's a right pain in the harris when people are in the wrong lane.

 

[Tynan]

news to me that you can carry on in a left turn lane, I certainly wouldn't do it, asking for trouble, drives me apologetic when cars to it on me when I've moved across into the correct lane

 

[BentMikey]

As I said, in some situations it's the appropriate thing to do. Playing the odds, cyclecraft way. It is in fact mentioned in Cyclecraft.

There are times that traffic is too heavy and free flowing in the straight on lane, and if you go in it on a bicycle, the situation "encourages" drivers to then undertake you in the left turn lane only to go straight on.

 

[hackbike 6]

Cyclecraft BM's bible.

 

[yenrod]

Teenagers on bikes are starting to really do my head in.

Sat pm out for a ride; some teens milling aorund on bikes and instead of flowing into the traffic system - there wasnt many cars, they are all over the road.

When i was starting off (lights green) one narowly near-misses me SO i decided to have a word with this jerk got along side him and said 'have you no sense because you really need to get some big time'..and just to make sure he did get the msg. looked around one more time stared deep into his eyes and said 'really' :?:

If you dont tell these kids they may not get me yelling at them but be under a car.

I would rather have someone yelling at me than be near brown bread.

 

[MessenJah]

I bet it worked too. A proper lesson, not just a venting of anger/frustration. You taught him good and proper - he'll never do that again!

 

[Gandalf]

Sometime it's a right pain in the harris when people are in the wrong lane.

Totally OT, but it isn't harris, it's aris short for Aristotle.

One of the more convoluted rhyming slangs Aristotle/bottle/ bottle & glass/ arse.