What the hell is wrong with some people

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There was an article in our local paper about cycling a while back about a new road whioch opened from Peterborough to Spalding, which rendered the old road much quieter and therefore safely usable by the greater majority or cyclists. It attracted some wonderfully vitriolic comments, one from a foolish young girl who admitted that she like to 'get close enough to cyclists to try and hit them with her door mirror'. Others just don't seem to see why they should have to pull all the way over into the other lane when it's only a bike they're passing.......

 

[Peowpeowpeowlasers]

Idiots like the one the OP refers to are part of the reason I now have a camera stuck to my handlebars.

No charges from the above other than a visit from the police and a very stern warning, resulting in a letter of apology from the driver (which is supposedly on its way to me).

Oh and my video now appears directly below his website if you search for his company name. Which I'll rectify when I receive the apology.

 

[Crankarm]

Cycling too close to the kerb gets many cyclists killed because the cyclist is willfully placing himself out of the standard cone of concentration of motorists and therefore in greater danger. In my view, that means it's a mistake, and wrong. This is not akin to forgetting to lock a door and being blamed for being burgled. You don't 'accidentally' ride far left - you do so on purpose. It is more like leaving a key in the lock on purpose because you're afraid you'll lose it. The fact that they do these things out of fear doesn't make it right or safe or smart to do these things. True, it wouldn't be deemed their 'fault' if they were killed or injured (or burgled) while doing these things, but doing these things doesn't help.

When cyclists know the real dangers posed by the road, there is no bravery involved in riding well into the lane. On the contrary, this behaviour reflects the desire for self-preservation.

Anyway, I fear this subject is getting a little tense and is in danger of getting away from the 'fun and friendly' mandate of the forums, so I will bow out of this one at this point.

You are just plain wrong. As you suggest cyclists are at fault themselves when they are knocked down I am thinking you may actually be a rabid petrol head incognito doing a bit of trolling. However if you cycle in the US and drivers there are very respectful of cyclists then all I can say is enjoy you are very lucky. Cycling in the UK is very different.

I recall a post on a recent thread where a fellow CCer reported being shouted as they passed by a moton who was stuck in stationary traffic "Run the feckers over!"

With a climate of hatred like this how can any cyclist feel safe with nutters like this behind the steering wheel or that the authorities take seriously punishing anchors who put our lives at risk when we ride on the roads?

 

[400bhp]

zzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[lulubel]

Cycling too close to the kerb gets many cyclists killed because the cyclist is willfully placing himself out of the standard cone of concentration of motorists and therefore in greater danger. In my view, that means it's a mistake, and wrong. This is not akin to forgetting to lock a door and being blamed for being burgled. You don't 'accidentally' ride far left - you do so on purpose. It is more like leaving a key in the lock on purpose because you're afraid you'll lose it. The fact that they do these things out of fear doesn't make it right or safe or smart to do these things. True, it wouldn't be deemed their 'fault' if they were killed or injured (or burgled) while doing these things, but doing these things doesn't help.

When cyclists know the real dangers posed by the road, there is no bravery involved in riding well into the lane. On the contrary, this behaviour reflects the desire for self-preservation.

Anyway, I fear this subject is getting a little tense and is in danger of getting away from the 'fun and friendly' mandate of the forums, so I will bow out of this one at this point.

I got a similar type of response a while back when I said I'd been looking at the circumstances surrounding my accident back in February (which was - in law - totally the other party's fault) to see what I could have done differently to prevent it happening. As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter where the actual blame lies, if there's anything I can do to avoid a similar accident happening again, I'll make very sure I do it.

So, what you say about cyclists "putting themselves at risk" by riding too close to the side of the road makes a lot of sense to me. No, it shouldn't encourage close passes, but it does. Therefore, it makes sense not to do it. It also encourages drivers to believe that all cyclists should be riding in the gutter, so they get far more pissed off with those of us who ride assertively.

In that kind of environment, I think it is brave for inexperienced cyclists to ride assertively. If I am battling a headwind, I still often find it hard to take the lane where I really should, despite being stubborn and pig-headed.

I totally agree with this. I've actually taken to avoiding a certain stretch of road when I know there's going to be a strong headwind because my nerves can't handle it!