"Die in"

[Salsprocket]

have to agree with this,i often drive in Cambridge and you would not belive the stunts I have see bike riders pull.i guess every group of road user is as bad as the other

Having visited Cambridge a couple of times (not in a car), I would certainly believe that cycle riders pull stupid stunts. It seemed to me that in Cambridge the cycle rules and, in the city centre, pedestrians are very much at the mercy of the cycle riders. Despite it being an interesting and beautiful city, the selfish and arrogant element of the cycling community has put me off going there again.
However, having said all that, these people are probably not real cyclists as we would know them on RB.

 

[Chute55uk]

Getting togged up in fancy dress and sitting on someone's step won't achieve anything.
I bet there was someone walking around with a megaphone and someone with a 'soundsystem' bike getting everyone worked up as much as the 'angry drivers', before heading off on critical mass and take back the streets (of course riding by the highways code in a safe manner and obeying all the junctions and signals....).
.

There was a guy with a mic and pa introducing the opera singer and musician, who played the cello while he read out the names of the dead from this year. It was quite a sedate event no shouting or whipping up of frenzy,s ala wolfie smith, we just stood there while the police closed the roads then listened to the opera singer layed down on the road for 15 mins and then everyone dispersed and the police went home.
The critical mass however, that was shameful and I for one won't take part in another. Talk about how to lose friends and alienate people. Shocking.

 

[The History Man]

Talk us through that then?

 

[Chute55uk]

Kinda in asda at the mo will give a run down later but let's just say stew has many points

 

[The History Man]

Deepest sympathies. Will wait

 

[02gf74]

I guarantee that 90% of these cyclists Jump Red lights in London as you see it all the time which gives cyclists a bad name so we shoot ourselves in the foot by not obeying the HC so any wonder that motorists tend to dislike us more & more.........

what exactly is the poble with jumping red lights? If there is no traffic coming, I know I am safer going through a red light with no cars next to me. Cars go through red light too yet noone makes an issue of that. Anmyway, back to the topuic, I though Boris' repsonse was both sensible and well thought out.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "This targeted operation has been hugely effective at raising awareness of road safety among motorists and cyclists.

"This is a balanced operation reminding everyone of their duty to take care of each other while out on the roads, and I hope the figures put to rest concerns by some groups that they are being singled out."

 

[stewlewis]

what exactly is the poble with jumping red lights? If there is no traffic coming, I know I am safer going through a red light with no cars next to me. Cars go through red light too yet noone makes an issue of that. Anmyway, back to the topuic, I though Boris' repsonse was both sensible and well thought out.

Ooo, well, it's against the law, it antagonises drivers as they can't do it, cyclists can't moan about drivers as doing this gives the motorist moral ammo, and overall road users should abide by the same rules otherwise what's the point of moaning from either side.

I think people do make an issue of drivers jumping reds, the law, the accidents it causes, the insurers, the traffic light cameras etc.

If, until the rules are changed everyone needs to abide by what's in place now.

 

[Chute55uk]

well heres my evening at the critical mass. by the way I think they do more harm than good but needed to attend one to be suitably qualified to comment.
riding from euston I had a friend with me who had never been to london, let alone cycled there and he was crapping it to say the least. we got there at 4pm and took a reasonably back route to waterloo bridge. we observed many many people jumping red lights, I commuted by bike in london for 20 odd years and it was never that bad. I also lost count of helmetless bikers with full enclosed headphones and phones attached to their handlebars.
every other bike seemed to be a fixie with no brakes and i witnessed many of these doing 'fixie skids' when approaching lights then blasting through. I didnt count how many cyclists I saw on the 2 mile trip but I would estimate that 80-90% of cyclists saw were either blatantly breaking the law or were putting them selves at risk by the way they had little regard for their surroundings. anyway back to the event.
The 'die-in' was what I expected but the critical mass seemed to have an air of menace with at least a thousand cyclists probably more mass transiting around the streets, whenever there was an intersection some 'outriders' would block the flow of traffic (irrespective of right of way or light status) while the 'mass rode through which would take a good 15 mins front to back. no wonder that some drivers were getting pissed off with having their progress interrupted but if they dared beep their horn or shouted they were met with torrents of foul mouthed abuse and jeering. one guy on a moped who tried to move across the flow of bikes when his light was green was pushed off the moped ( I saw this happen) and had his keys taken from him.
I had the impression that there was a hard core of militant cyclists bent on causing as much aggro as they could while the ability to remain invisible by melting back into the crowd was always an option. I carried on the ride for maybe 12 miles and bailed at the mall where the whole mass seemed to stall to gather outside Buckingham palace and cycle around the gold statue. the mass moved on to tower bridge and so on running around 23 miles in total.
to sum up there is little doubt in my mind that this "critical mass' only serves to raise hostilities against cyclists and the cabbies that were venting their anger were probably justified in doing so, yes I get the point that if all those cyclists were to get into cars then it would be like that every day but to wind up the very audience you are trying to win over will never work. on the ride back to euston i felt very much like a moving target and I did my very best to keep out of the taxi drivers way. all I will say is I'm glad I don't commute in London anymore.