Re:
We have some roadworks not far from my house, and for the last several months (it feels like a lifetime) our little residential road has been used to divert traffic off of the slightly bigger residential road it would normally use.
This diversion has allowed me to watch the day to day commuter closely, as, despite my high annual mileage I am very rarely a commuter. My observations have drawn the following conclusions.
Commuters are all ten minutes late. They are mostly angry. They shout. They use their horns to try and clear traffic, believing they can blast pedestrians, parked cars and even double decker busses out of the way. They are mostly angry. They shout... male drivers of black cars being particularly well versed in Anglo Saxon and not averse to shouting at old ladies.
I don't live in a city, I live in a sea side town with a population of around 76,000.
When I ride my road bike I am frequently close passed, occasionally shouted at "get on the pavement' being a favourite, very frequently have vehicles overtake me and then almost immediately slam their brakes on the turn left, right or just stop in the middle of the road, I have even been squashed into the kerb, when the car overtaking me suddenly realised he needed to park, while I was level with his passenger window (my method of alerting him to the fact, with the word FORF*CKSAKE!).
Never, never NEVER have I got into a fight or argument with a driver, never have I chased them down for this reason and so never have I had a driver climb out of his car and threaten me. I have on the other hand use the video evidence from my camera to report truck and bus drivers to their companies and car drivers to the Police.
However, about the most worrying aspect of this whole thread is the objectifying of fellow cyclists as "roadies" and "they" by other cyclists on a cycling thread on a cycling forum.
Now THAT scares the sh*t out of me, because if other cyclists see me as an object, a lump of something 'in their way' on the road, rather than a PERSON who has chosen, not to drive his car or ride his motorbike but instead to take some exercise by riding one of his or her (my daughter rides too... yes and they vote and everything) bicycles... well then we are all F*CKED.
As for a complete lack of knowledge of the Highway Code and the rights of road users, well, welcome to the club, cos even the Police don't have a clue, I know, I've had conversations with them.
We have some roadworks not far from my house, and for the last several months (it feels like a lifetime) our little residential road has been used to divert traffic off of the slightly bigger residential road it would normally use.
This diversion has allowed me to watch the day to day commuter closely, as, despite my high annual mileage I am very rarely a commuter. My observations have drawn the following conclusions.
Commuters are all ten minutes late. They are mostly angry. They shout. They use their horns to try and clear traffic, believing they can blast pedestrians, parked cars and even double decker busses out of the way. They are mostly angry. They shout... male drivers of black cars being particularly well versed in Anglo Saxon and not averse to shouting at old ladies.
I don't live in a city, I live in a sea side town with a population of around 76,000.
When I ride my road bike I am frequently close passed, occasionally shouted at "get on the pavement' being a favourite, very frequently have vehicles overtake me and then almost immediately slam their brakes on the turn left, right or just stop in the middle of the road, I have even been squashed into the kerb, when the car overtaking me suddenly realised he needed to park, while I was level with his passenger window (my method of alerting him to the fact, with the word FORF*CKSAKE!).
Never, never NEVER have I got into a fight or argument with a driver, never have I chased them down for this reason and so never have I had a driver climb out of his car and threaten me. I have on the other hand use the video evidence from my camera to report truck and bus drivers to their companies and car drivers to the Police.
However, about the most worrying aspect of this whole thread is the objectifying of fellow cyclists as "roadies" and "they" by other cyclists on a cycling thread on a cycling forum.
Now THAT scares the sh*t out of me, because if other cyclists see me as an object, a lump of something 'in their way' on the road, rather than a PERSON who has chosen, not to drive his car or ride his motorbike but instead to take some exercise by riding one of his or her (my daughter rides too... yes and they vote and everything) bicycles... well then we are all F*CKED.
As for a complete lack of knowledge of the Highway Code and the rights of road users, well, welcome to the club, cos even the Police don't have a clue, I know, I've had conversations with them.
