jeff oakley Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 This week end I was away in Wales with my motorhome. As the sun was shining the cyclists were out, clad in their finest lycra. I have no problem normally with cyclists but this week end I witnessed the most arrogant and stupid riding ever. The roads out where we were do not have flowing bends etc so the cyclists at first were cycling two abrest making over takes almost impossible, then they move in to a single file, but now they are spread out over around 1/8th of a mile with no gaps between them on roads were it is narrow, This goes on for around 5 miles before those in front of me get impatient and start to over take where there really was no room. Que lots of fist waving etc from the cyclists. After 10 miles I managed to get past by which time the queue behind me was miles long. And it was avoidable. We all need to get a long but this current craze for bikes and lycra is having a negative effect on the smooth passage of traffic in certain areas. Cyclist will argue it is their right to cycle, which it is, mortorists will see the antics of a few and tar all cyclists with the same brush, as unacceptable, which the riding I saw was. It was only luck that people were not injured. I don't know the answer but if you or those you know cycle as part of a gang, then think about your actions in situations like theses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Farrimond Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 although I agree cycling two wide can be a pain in the A***. as a cyclist myself I can also see the other side, when we go riding down narrow lanes cars will simply skim past your elbow as they are so desperate to get past. Then when another car comes the other way the overtaking driver will simply push you off the road in panic, trust me this happens regularly. so as a result you have to ride defensively. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Colonial Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Not surprised Jeff, really quite indefensible on their part. It matters not whether you're blatting, cycling, riding a horse, jogging or whatever, anyone on the road has a duty to be aware of others around them and the situation and be considerate towards them. These cyclists clearly were not. It's the exact same reason why the police will come down on club runs that exceed 12 cars - I'd no more want to be stuck behind 20 identical cars than 20 cyclists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cast iron Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 my "Old" copy of the highway cone only permits single file cycling.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Can you hang on while I get the popcorn and beer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SootySport Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Ever seen a gang of 7everns on the road. Same story as above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allegory Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I'm with Steve on this one I'm afraid To fan the flames of debate, the other viewpoint "seems" to suggest it is ok for impatient drivers to overtake a cyclist in an unsafe manner simply because they have been delayed on their journey. Now if that cyclist were replaced with a large slow moving tractor that would easily damage the car, I doubt many drivers would be so keen to test their impatience with their own lives despite still suffering that same delay to their journey. With the greatest respect, how can any responsible driver say it is only luck that no one got injured when it is the driver only making the decision to overtake? Pass the popcorn... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickmaster Andy Lowe Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I live in Wales I used to cycle a lot 20+ miles a day They are a pain 3 to 4 feet from the edge even on straights, middle of the road wobbling up hills They should pass a test and be insured When I used to jog with my dog on its lead down the costal path now cycle path too We had countless clowns on bikes passing as fast as they could 30+ mph with a following wind with no warning Lots trying to get between me and my dog on his lead Countless arguments and shouting matches So when the tables are turned they can be far worse, but the threat of a bag of dog poo over the head sorts them out We no longer jog along that route it's to stressful They should ban or limit time trials from the road we get too may around Wales They couldn't ride through Leeds 4 foot from the edge why do they think it is ok here Rant over Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff oakley Posted July 23, 2013 Author Share Posted July 23, 2013 although I agree cycling two wide can be a pain in the A***. as a cyclist myself I can also see the other side, when we go riding down narrow lanes cars will simply skim past your elbow as they are so desperate to get past. Then when another car comes the other way the overtaking driver will simply push you off the road in panic, trust me this happens regularly. so as a result you have to ride defensively. This was on A roads where they were riding but the amount of visibility was such that a long overtake was not on. had they have left gaps it would have been no issue to hop safely around them. It isn't illegal to cycle two abreast on a road that has broken white line, where there are unbroken lines they must cycle single file. There are good and less good in all walks of life, but as someone said on here the car driver has the ultimate responsibility no matter how annoying some can be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tolf Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 London cyclists = mobile organ donors No they dont own the road, they like to think they do. If you want to own the road, then pay bl**** road tax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 But even paying RFL you don't own the road, or even a little bit of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allegory Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 London cyclists = mobile organ donors No they dont own the road, they like to think they do. If you want to own the road, then pay bl**dy road tax I like to think more that London cyclists without helmets = mobile organ donors Regarding the road tax and road ownership it is sadly a mistaken viewpoint expressed by many car drivers and I am not sure why. For example, I like many others on here have multiple cars so actually pay several lots of vehicle excise duty despite the fact I can only ever use one at a time... by that logic I should therefore get more road "ownership" than drivers who own just one car even if i chose that day to be out on my cycle. Also, as i understand, "road tax" was abolished in 1937 and interestingly Churchill’s opposition to the Road Fund was largely financial but not exclusively so. Fearing motorists would lay claim to roads by dint of paying for a small portion of their repair, he wrote: “It will be only a step from this for [motorists] to claim in a few years the moral ownership of the roads their contributions have created.” My final quote from " The oddly fascinating history of ‘road tax’ and the Road Fund" puts the road ownership debate in perspective - Forty years later, J.S. Dean, the journalist and head of the Pedestrians’ Association, wrote ‘Murder Most Foul’, a polemic calling for an end to “road slaughter” and an end to the motorists’ view that highways were made for their exclusive use. “The private driver is… most strongly influenced by the sense of ownership of his car, and, as he often believes, of the road as well. It is “his” car to do with as he pleases, and, as he often believes, it is “his” road too, and the other road-users are merely intruders who are there at their own peril. This belief (it is of interest to note) has its origin in the vicious and anti-social proposition, embodied for a time in the Road Fund and since sustained by the motor and road propagandists, that the motorists have a right to demand that the motor taxes should be devoted exclusively to the construction and “improvement” of roads, i.e. as experience has shown, to the construction and “improvement” of roads with special or exclusive reference to the convenience of the drivers and with a general disregard of the convenience and safety of the other road-users. Of course, one might as well say that the drink taxes ought to be devoted to the construction and improvement of public houses or the duties on cosmetics to the establishment of beauty parlours. If everyone is in agreement, can we debate why we are still facing countless middle lane drivers on the motorway acting as if they have a moral right to sit there "owning the road" now that it is illegal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Algar - Competition Secretary Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 As road-users we should all be respectful of one and another, and I think this is what Jeff was complaining about. They were making it very difficult for cars etc to pass. Unfortunately this seems to be the case more and more. With the attitude of "I have a right to be here, tough" but everyone also has a responsibility to other road users and that is often forgotten. Hence more and more "road rage" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tolf Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Yawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Hurdsfield - Joint Manchester AO Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 As an elderly occasional cyclist this is what I do When I hear a car coming up behind me, long before the car gets close, I wobble a bit, sometimes I drift a little way out from the kerb before drifting back. This tends to make the car driver slow down and give me a bit more room. Sometimes they pull alongside me and give me one of those "whats an old git like you doing on an effing bike, cant you ride in a straight line?" looks iyswim But at least they slow down rather than skimming my elbow at speed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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