Latest Moan From You and Me 2024

I'm sick of it too @Michael Hewett . The self entitled brigade who think it's fine to batter along the pavements are the worst ones. I can't tell you how often it happens round here now, and I've almost been knocked over several times because of them flying round blind corners.
I can't see how these new rules/laws they're going to bring in will be of any use unless they have to be registered the same as drivers and motorbike riders, and have to wear a plate, so that they can be reported.
Apparently speed limits don't apply to them. There was another recent incident in Regents Park [?] where a woman ended up in hospital [severely injured] because of one of them overtaking a car - and therefore on the side where she was crossing. She'd looked right, for obvious reasons, and was going to the little junction in the middle, but he overtook the car on her side and sent her flying. It was in the exact same spot a woman had been killed by a cyclist who was in one of those 'clubs'.

 

They are trying to clamp down on cyclist a bit I think but until they have to be registered and carry an id plate its not really going to be possible .
I caught a bit of that stupid bloke Jeremy vine the other day coming out with all kinds of idiotic statements in the defence of cyclist.
We get aggressive car drivers but I think the attitude and lemming like approach of some cyclists is a big problem on the roads.

 

And then there's those Heath Robinson efforts that they transport their children in either precariously perched behind them or in carts level with the exhaust pipes of cars

I've heard cyclists referred to as mobile organ donors. Pretty apt description in many cases.

 

I'm not sure where the boundary is between a healthy moan and hateful ignorant comments aimed at pouring hate on an entire section of society for the reckless actions of a few, but I'm pretty sure some of the last few posts might have crossed it.

 

I don't cycle on the road because I don't have a driving license and I don't know the rules.
It's just pavements for me, but I always ring a bell if there is someone in front of me and pass them very slowly. The other day there was a couple of people walking on front of me. I rang a bell for ages, then when I was just behind them, the man turned around, said I should be on the road and didn't move at all.
On the other hand, my boyfriend always moans about cyclists on the road. I feel like they're not welcomed anywhere

 

I'm sure there are many careful and sensible cyclists as well as some careless ignorant ones, the same as car drivers and pedestrians and even mobility scooter riders (a few of those are a menace on the pavements around here, going faster than a brisk walking pace and expecting pedestrians to jump out of their way on narrow pavements).
The problem is that car drivers can be reported but cyclists (and scooter riders) can't, or not so easily. A few times I've come close to being hit by cyclists on pedestrian crossings where the cyclist must have failed to stop at the red light. Always in big cities (Leeds and London). One (in London) yelled abuse as he swerved around the wheely suitcase that I was pushing in front of me. Very unpleasant behaviour, but I think they are a minority.

 

@KarolinaW There is a cycling proficiency test you can take and there's nothing to stop you reading the Highway code. The library will have a copy. It is illegal to ride a bike on the pavement.

@Michael Hewett I was having a bit of arant to Possum when I came up behind cyclists riding two abreast on a winding country road. I said they should move over to single file so cars could pass. She said the Belgian highway code, which she had to learn to pass her driving test, says they should ride 2 abreast for greater safety. Doesn't seem logical to me but there you go.

My moan - last night at dance class we were told there would be no class on June 4th because the Olympic flame was passing through Les Sables d'Olonne on its circuitous route round France. Mega humph!

 

I agree about unpleasant and careless cyclists being in the minority, @JennyJB , and also with the fact that it's nearly impossible to report the ones who cause the problems. It's such a shame, because it makes drivers suspicious and potentially intolerant of all cyclists.

The idea behind cyclists riding 2 abreast is that the car following them has to wait until there's a genuine opportunity to overtake, as they would if overtaking a car, rather than squeezing the lone cyclist into the ditch in order to get past.

 

This driver wouldn't squeeze them @Liriodendron but on winding country lanes, 2 cyclists abreast can lead to deep frustration and then silliness in some drivers.

 

Also the UK highway code.

If you have say 8 cyclists riding single file on a country road, it's going to be hard for a car to SAFELY overtake them because 8 cyclists makes a long thing to overtake.

8 cyclists riding 2 abreast makes half the length of mass to overtake.

It is better for competent drivers, and it fits better to how they were trained to overtake. As it reduces the risk of a cyclist being forced off the road, it is also better for drivers because, well let's face it, do any of us really relish the thought of explaining to a police officer how despite all the training we had to do in order to earn our licence, we still couldn't manage to overtake a slow moving object without crashing and hurting someone?

 

As an ex-cyclist who was once forced into a ditch by an overtaking car (between Grantchester and Cambridge - good visibility, straight road) I can assure you it does happen, @Obelix-Vendée .

 

If only, and I know this is a crazy idea, I'm almost embarrassed to say it. But here goes.

What if, when we accept our driving licence, we also accept all the responsibility that goes with that, including accepting that we don't get to decide what the rules are, or when to apply them or when they don't matter because they apply to everyone else except us.

I know. Crazy idea. I'm a fool. Sorry.

 

You are right of course. It's just a recent thing for me, as they stopped my very early morning bus to work out of nowhere. I was lucky to have a bike at all, otherwise I would have to walk quite a while at 5am when it's dark and there is no-one around you. Quite scary, especially when you're a woman. I do realise it's illegal, but at the same time that change was very last minute.
My point is there is no need to be rude. Plus, seems like a lot of people (as I hear it from my friends/family too) don't like cyclists no matter where they are, no matter if they're cycling in a safe way or not. For the pavements they're too fast, for the roads they're too slow (let alone the ones who are behaving dangerously). Ideally there would be more cycling paths and more laws around cycling on the roads.

 

I agree, @Clueless 1 v2, but the same should apply to cyclists, accept they don't need to pass any test.

 

That's true. But contrary to what some seem to think, passing a driving test doesn't magically make someone superior to someone else.

I mean, let's face it, the driving test is pretty much a test of, can you make this big metal box move without crashing it?

The argument that drivers are superior because they've passed a test is flawed, and I'm surprised I need to point this out because it seems blatantly obvious to me. But here goes.

The driving test is intended to see if a candidate has the MINIMUM legally required skill to take control of a motorised vehicle weighing upto 3.5 tonnes. There is nothing on the standard driving licence restricting top speed, so you have to be trusted to drive within the speed limits, in a vehicle that invariably is capable of exceeding them by a very substantial margin.

Your average cyclist will be on 10 to 15kg of aluminium and will be able to muster a whopping top speed of about 15mph in short bursts. An elite MAMIL will muster about 25mph, very occassionally, in perfect conditions, maybe 35mph.

I think it's clear that there's a bit of a difference between driving and cycling.

The other thing that baffles me with this argument is the completely binary view that there are cyclists and there are motorists. This creates a huge problem for me. I find myself almost schizoid as I carry out my duties of hating myself. You see, I have a driving license. I own and drive a car. Because I passed my driving test I'm now better than... myself.... wait... I also own a bike. I'm a bloody cyclist.... but that means I haven't passed a test.... but I must have passed a test because otherwise they wouldn't have let me have a car.... I'll quit now. Head's fried. I can't handle this paradox.