Why attack cyclists?

[bozmandb9]

I've noticed recently on a certain popular social media site, a tendency amongst some enthusiastic cyclists to judge and condemn other cyclists, who they decide do not conform to their ideal of how cyclists should behave, or the standards we should meet.

Now I get it, in terms of, most of us know perfectly well how to cycle in order to minimise inconvenience and danger.

However we live on this planet called earth. If we observe people walking, driving, cycling, or doing pretty much anything, we'll find plenty to criticise. But we tend to accept that 'accidents happen' when it comes to driving. As it happens, they don't, which is why to Police, they are all 'incidents', and all caused by driver error.

My point is this. When we rant, especially in public, about 'lesser' cyclists, who may jump red lights, or cycle in the wrong lane, or whatever it is, all we are doing is increasing the noise in the anti cycle babble, which does us no favours whatsoever.

Why should cyclists be expected to be perfect? Why should we expect to be judged on the conduct of the worst of us? Try that with pedestrians!

The fact is, whether driving, cycling, motor cycling or walking along the pavement, the greatest skill you can have is to anticipate and avoid danger caused by the mistakes of others.

 

[steveindenmark]

So if we see a clip on here of a cyclist acting like a total plank, are we not to say anything? Do we turn a blind eye and give the impression to motorists that it's ok for cyclists to behave like planks. But as soon as a motorist makes a mistake, we are all over them like a rash.

I just wondered.

 

[bozmandb9]

So if we see a clip on here of a cyclist acting like a total plank, are we not to say anything? Do we turn a blind eye and give the impression to motorists that it's ok for cyclists to behave like planks. But as soon as a motorist makes a mistake, we are all over them like a rash.

I just wondered.

Up to you Steve, if it makes you feel better to rant about others' failings, then at least if you do it here, it's not out in the public space contributing to the cycle hating. But you might want to think about why it's so important to judge other cyclists. Do you do it with Drivers and Pedestrians too? What's the purpose?

 

[steveindenmark]

Yes I do it with other drivers. As long as people post things on here of riders or drivers doing stupid things, people will comment on it. It's a bit pointless posting things otherwise.

 

[Drago]

To answer the thread title - because they're making up for their small genitalia.

 

[mustang1]

I don't think we should accept "accidents happen".

Imagine flying on an airline called Accidents Happen Airways?

 

[Ian H]

[QUOTE 4992038, member: 9609"]...cyclists know there activity has a disproportionate amount of riders who seem clueless on roadcraft ?
[/QUOTE]

Remember there is no compulsory training for cyclists. Anyone of whatever ability is free to climb on a bike and launch themselves into the traffic.

The huge decline in cycling in the 70s meant that a generation missed out on the training imparted by parents and others for whom it was just transport. The consequences of that are still with us.

 

[Ajax Bay]

a generation missed out on the training imparted by parents and others for whom it was just transport.

5 years of cycling to school along London's South Circular for me (and the school didn't allow pupils to ride to school until they'd passed their cycling proficiency test - training/classes arranged on the school premises lunchtimes/after school). I wonder whether I would be content to countenance my offspring riding this now?

I found this today whilst poking about a box of old stuff in the attic.
Has anyone else still got one of the little metal badges ??
View attachment 335632

 

[bozmandb9]

To answer the thread title - because they're making up for their small genitalia.

The question Drago, is more why cyclists insist on attacking other cyclists, who they perceive not to live up to whatever standards they have decided should be mandatory, or is your answer still as above? If so, you may be right - I think that the aggression and need to be right, and shout it all the time, is probably symbolic of a feeling of inadequacy.

 

[numbnuts]

Why attack cyclists?

It's a bit like the Catholics we seems we have an open season you either “put up” or “shut up” or as Jesus said “turn the other cheek”, he didn't say which one

 

[confusedcyclist]

Humans, despite our own perception of being completely rational and robotic beings are actually just apes with slightly bigger brains. We are all prone to many cognitive biases, mental fallacies, and inter and extra tribal conflicts. We spend most of our lives bumbling through on auto pilot, some are better than others at snapping out of it and applying logic and rationality, other's are happy to go with the flow, because it requires less mental effort. Civilisation is built up around the assumption that we are all rational beings, but where it all goes wrong is where the rational meets the irrational. Most of us can see irrational behaviour when it crosses us, but fail to see our own irrationality. We don't live in a perfect world, and can't have it all our way. Despite our rational tendency to want to impose order in the chaos of the real world. It's actually built up around so many paradoxes and mental thought stoppers that if we were truly rational beings, our brains would simply be overwhelmed, we don't have the sheer processing capability. Hence, that's why we rely on our animal autopilots.

We desperately want order to make sense of the chaos... So long story short, if you want to know why groups of humans fight with each other, just work out why the apes do it.

Or buy this book:

 

[petek]

Enough people are down on cyclists already without us falling out amongst ourselves.
That said MAMILs are fair game.
So are hipsters on vintage bikes.
E-bike drivers as well.
Recumbent folk, of course.
Deffo anyone without a back mudguard permanently attached ( WHY??).
Apart from those, let harmony reign.

 

[mjr]

Everyone else hates cyclists. Why should we be any different?

The greatest trick the bad motorist ever pulled was to convince the world he didn't exist and all delays were the fault of cyclists.

 

[mjr]

So if we see a clip on here of a cyclist acting like a total plank, are we not to say anything? Do we turn a blind eye and give the impression to motorists that it's ok for cyclists to behave like planks. But as soon as a motorist makes a mistake, we are all over them like a rash.

I just wondered.

Not turn a blind eye, but let's not get particularly excited about someone on a 10kg pedal cycle making a mistake through ignorance. There's a very good heavyweight reason why we should be at least 500 times angrier about the motorist driving the motorised 5000kg Merc-Maybach "like a total plank" plus they shouldn't be able to plead ignorance... unless they're driving it without having taken a lesson, I guess.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Remember there is no compulsory training for cyclists. Anyone of whatever ability is free to climb on a bike and launch themselves into the traffic.

The huge decline in cycling in the 70s meant that a generation missed out on the training imparted by parents and others for whom it was just transport. The consequences of that are still with us.

What training do cyclists need? Everyone knows which side of the road to use, what a red light means and where you should give way or stop. We'd all be dead long before we got near a bike if we didn't know how the road network functioned. The reason car drivers and motorcyclists need training and testing is because the skills needed to operate those vehicles are initially very complicated and and in no way intuitive. The speed and weight of them are not easy to "Feel" for a novice and the ability to read the road conditions and signage while mastering them has to be taught and tested for.

A bicycle is a piece of P to master, after the first five minutes of wobbling about we're up and away. People have been killed because they have taken a chance on running a red light or riding on the wrong side of the road, no one dies because they don't know what red means or that you should ride on the left.