When will it bloody end with motorists attitude ??

scottmac":1liy46h7 said:

Re. When will it bloody end with motorist's attitude?

Answer: never

Why?


Also, local councils are more interested in chasing OAP's whom put the wrong wheelie bin on the wrong day so they can slap a hefty fine on the poor ol' buggers, when they should be doing something worthwhile like devising proper road layouts which are helpful for everyone's safety.

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I don't get this problem but I've even heard of people being fined for putting their bin out too early and leaving it out to late :shock: fine as long as the fines go to the upkeep of the crappy cycle lanes, so we can use them instead of the roads, being a bit of a road coward, 'cus of the muppet drivers, I'd be happy with giving them a bit of attention where ever the money comes rob the grannies just give us something worthy of a bike. Sorry ours are just like riding on broken glass.

Alison

Sign this:

http://www.e-activist.com/ea-campaign/b ... arget_id=0

You never know...

scottmac":1j4t2hbd said:

Sign this:

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Hmmm! I'm a member of the CTC and wasn't aware of this! :facepalm:

I drive 35,000 business miles a year, and have done for over 30 years. I also ride motorcycles and a horse (not all at the same time).

The standard of driving is slowly getting worse, but more importantly the levels of aggression and competitiveness are rapidly rising and I think this is what we as cyclist get the backlash from.

I really don't know where cyclist hatred comes from, but I can say it is not just confined to cyclists, as we have to take a fair amount of abuse on horses too, although I have to say being a 6 foot tall man, I feel that the sudden realisation of some (almost always older men) drivers, that they are not about to shout at a little girl, does tend to shut them up.

As a cyclist, in the 9 months since I started road riding, I have been shouted at numerous times (not that I usually know what they are shouting, as I am deaf in my right ear), I have had at least four incidents where car drivers tried to crush me against the kerb deliberately, including one by an old man on Christmas Day (good will to all men my arse!) and more drive by 'punishment passes' than I can recall, but not once has anyone had the balls to challenge me face to face.

When will it stop? It won't, unless the Govt. and Police make it unacceptable, like drink driving.

I have reported every incident I have experienced to the Police and in one case to the employer of the Johnsons Apparel Master van that came within a foot of clipping my handlesbars. Whether anything comes of these reports I have no idea, but it can't do any harm to get the statistics recorded, as this seems to be the only measure that central Govt. takes any notice of.

The day it ends with motorists is the day that every cyclist rides with lights, not on the path, doesn't RLJ, and generally doesnt behave like a tit on two wheels. Cuts.bad enough to see the normies riding like this, but to see obviously keen riders on nice bikes with decent kit behave in this way makes me shudder. Until our house is largely in order I can't see motorists sorting out theirs.

Chopper1192":2qfasz71 said:

The day it ends with motorists is the day that every cyclist rides with lights, not on the path, doesn't RLJ, and generally doesnt behave like a tit on two wheels. Cuts.bad enough to see the normies riding like this, but to see obviously keen riders on nice bikes with decent kit behave in this way makes me shudder. Until our house is largely in order I can't see motorists sorting out theirs.

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That sounds like an excuse for motorists to me, and given your profession, I find that statement extremely worrying.

And I can say that as someone who has lights fitted to every bike (road or mtb) when I ride on the road, who NEVER rides on the path, who NEVER jumps a red light and who uses over 35 years of motorcycle and driving experience to cause as little inconvenience to all other road users, without taking any shit or sacrificing my own safety or speed.

I should also add that I do not live in a city and that our town has almost no commuter cyclists to antagonise drivers of motor vehicles, so that excuse can be ruled out of the equation, at least in the area where I live and ride.

Chopper1192":5hdlqyin said:

The day it ends with motorists is the day that every cyclist rides with lights, not on the path, doesn't RLJ, and generally doesnt behave like a tit on two wheels. Cuts.bad enough to see the normies riding like this, but to see obviously keen riders on nice bikes with decent kit behave in this way makes me shudder. Until our house is largely in order I can't see motorists sorting out theirs.

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That's just naive - it wouldn't change a thing. Because most in society are rank, fecking hypocrites.

Are you attempting to suggest that cyclists have an statistically greater amount of people flouting either the law, common sense, or what would be considered arrogant use of the roads? I can assure you, as much as some would like, that's hardly the domain of purely the cyclist.

The only reason why motorists feel they can get away with hypocrisy is because they've got a lot less to lose - "might is right" seems to be an attitude that empowers some.

From my perspective, the proportions seem about the same - about the same % of cyclists are knobheads, as about the % of motorcylists as about the same % of drivers as about the % of pedestrians.

'cept for those on high-horses and residing in ivory towers, who seem to think the problem is with one of the most vulnerable road users.

Yes, knobhead cyclists do cyclists in general no good. But knobhead motorists typically put a lot of other road users at danger. Only a few minutes ago, driving home from the gym, I witnessed a complete and utter tool driving like a typical young, dumb and full of cum idiot. But oh no - not until cyclists get their own house in order will that sort of hormonal response sort it self out...

This:-

NeilM":5hdlqyin said:

When will it stop? It won't, unless the Govt. and Police make it unacceptable, like drink driving.

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Completely agree.

Neil M - Excuse for motorists? Balls is it. Read the words, not the spaces between them. I never suggested anywhere, either directly by implication, this this is justification for motorists to behave like nobs.

I'm not defending them one jot. I'm suggesting that as a group we're in no position to complain when such a visible segment of cyclists are no better than the very motorists we're decrying.

I'm pleased to hear you behave on your bike and help nuns acros the road. I, for my own part, do not wee in the bath, but that doesn't mean others don't do it. Conversely, you blame commuter cyclists for societies ills - where's your evidence that they are any better or worse than any other sector of the cycling fraternity?

Other Neil, I never suggested or arrangements suggest any numerical figures or proportion for cyclists who misbehave. If you also read the actual words you will see no reference of any kind to numbers. I suggest only that they exist, they are visible, so what moral superiority as a group do we have compared to them? I would suggest very little, if any.

Just let them get on with it - I have spent much time and thought formulating a response scenario for when motorist next decides to have such a moan. Instead of arguing with them, or trying to engage them in rational discussion to which they are unlikely to respond positively, I would suggest we just respond by saying "F**k off."

Chopper1192":35szvpbc said:

Excuse for motorists? Balls is it. Read the words, not the spaces between them. I never suggested anywhere, either directly by implication, this this is justification for motorists to behave like jobs.

I'm not defending them one jot. I'm suggesting that as a group we're in no position to complain when such a visible segment of cyclists are no better than the very motorists we're decrying.

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No that's not all you said - you suggested that until cyclists were whiter than white, motorists would never change their ways.

Which is complete fecking rubbish.

I don't buy - not for one second - that knobhead drivers are knobhead drivers because there are knobhead cyclists about. And vice versa. They behave as so because they don't give a shit, not because they do give a shit. The only difference, being that knobhead drivers tend to pose a significantly greater risk to the rest of the population who use the roads.

So why should the supposed improvement, that probably is statistically no more prevalent in any group of road users make a flying fecks worth of difference to some other group of motorists? It won't - it's just some meaningless rhetoric.

The only way the situation will change, is like NeilM said - by it being made unacceptable - and could be with sufficient sway and lobby. And given how fops like Woris, and Wameron like to futz, on occasion, with a bike, a ruddy complexion, and an escort in a car, just out of camera shot, then I'm sure they can find sufficient degree of self-righteousness, with enough invective by the voices of cycling that may hold sway with them (the Boardmans, the Hoys, the sideburns, sorry I mean the Wiggins of this world).

It's all about will and effort. Not some hoary rhetoric about how the behaviour of some has some bearing on the greater safety on the roads.

I had two occasions on the way back from Fort Augustus earlier of road bikers waving me on aggressively, trying to get me to pass them into blind bends.

You should only wave people on where it is safe.

I try to let is wash over me, but these idiots are using the same quiet roads I choose to use for the same reasons.

Cyclists need to embrace the fact many drivers are also cyclists and many are very pro cyclist, and not automatically have an anti attitude towards them.