Cyclists read in !!!

[piggzy]

Out of curiosity for the most part.

I know a fair few of you are avid cyclists so this is a genuine question and not being a cunt ...........yet

But why do some cyclists REFUSE to use a cycle lane? Is there some logic that I may well be not thinking through that makes this safer or is it some form of protest?

Two of the *cyclists were in front of me today. Far to the right of the cycle lane and 2 abreast (so they could chat) so I couldn't even over take the *cyclists until zero traffic

There must be a valid reason I am missing as I see it too often just be a mistake ??

Thanks

*cunts

[BertRoot]

I ride a bike every day and it beats me. There is a stretch on the way to work and it is a very wide pavement split for pedestrians and cyclists yet you still get cunts riding on the road and it ain't that wide and is the only way to the motorway so gets busy. If I see a cycle lane I ride in it because it is safer and if I get hit I have a better case that I wasn't in the way.

[satzzz]

And why do pedestrians walk in cycle lanes?

[Mickey]

And why do pedestrians walk in cycle lanes?

Because the cunting cyclists don't use the cycle lanes


Meanwood Road for example in Leeds,

Council spend thousands on these cycle lanes into the city, but are they ever used well I've seen more cyclists use the roads than the new cycle lanes

[piggzy]

Baffled then. I always assumed there was some obvious reason I was missing but I guess just a few strange cyclists don't like using em.

Hey ho.

[beansontoast]

There's a bypass around the town where I live with a cycle path all the way along the one side, but with seven roundabouts I can understand if someone with 100psi tyres doesn't fancy going down & up all those dropped kerbs. I do think in general some cyclists must be daft or have massive bollocks commuting along a lot of roads I drive down such as the 60mph road that leads to my office which has articulated lorries constantly driving up and down.


My main bitch lately is zebra crossing users. The cunts need indicators they seem to be striding along the pavement then do a sharp ninety degree turn onto the crossing. Anyhoo - enough of that bollocks.

[beerman]

And why do pedestrians walk in cycle lanes?

I was crossing a bridge in a cycle lane and some old biddy said I wasn't meant to be riding on the pavement. It was clearly marked as a cycle lane ffs.

[maltloaf]

I had a run in with a lorry driver once who thought I should have been on the shared pedestrian/cycle path, which was full of pedestrians and I was averaging 18 mph. Road speed in that section is only ever around that anyway so I rode on the road.

I don't think it's always clear cut.

As for 2 abreast that's actually encouraged on club rides because it makes the group far shorter if a car is needing to overtake. It only becomes an issue for motorists that see a bike and think they must be in front of it, even if the bike(s) are going the same speed as the rest of the traffic!

That said, there are some pig headed cunts of cyclists who think they own the road. I despair at them because it rubs off on the rest of us.

malty

[Over Carl]

I find that the type of bad road usage (by both cyclists and drivers) seems to vary depending on location.

As this thread is about cyclists, my relevant local gripe is cyclists who can't cycle straight and veer all over the show. How the fuck are you meant to safely overtake if there also is oncoming traffic?

[Oily]

This is why most won't use them,the people who design these routes don't ride or have very little experience when it comes to riding.Also shared paths are sometimes littered with glass/debris etc
http://road.cc/content/news/151843-n...nges-offers-no

[Oily]

I find that the type of bad road usage (by both cyclists and drivers) seems to vary depending on location.

As this thread is about cyclists, my relevant local gripe is cyclists who can't cycle straight and veer all over the show. How the fuck are you meant to safely overtake if there also is oncoming traffic?

Maybe they're dodging all the potholes etc?Would you overtake a slow moving tractor if there was something coming in the opposite direction?You treat a cyclist like any other road user.

[maltloaf]

Well, you shouldn't really be overtaking a cyclist against oncoming traffic, for the reasons of potholes, avoiding pedestrians, car doors suddenly opening or whatever, the advice is you should treat a cyclist as if they are the width of a small car. I'm

[satzzz]

I was crossing a bridge in a cycle lane and some old biddy said I wasn't meant to be riding on the pavement. It was clearly marked as a cycle lane ffs.

I've had similar experiences

Sent from my Philips Cellnet using a 12c508

[Over Carl]

Maybe they're dodging all the potholes etc? Would you overtake a slow moving tractor if there was something coming in the opposite direction? You treat a cyclist like any other road user.

If potholes were the issue I would probably be noticing them as well. Round here we seem to have retards that think cycling on roads in random zigzags making it very hard to safely overtake is normal behaviour. If we had a lot of local tractors pointlessly zigzagging across the road putting themselves and everyone around them at danger, then I would bring that up next time we had a thread on nuisance tractor drivers.

Well, you shouldn't really be overtaking a cyclist against oncoming traffic, for the reasons of potholes, avoiding pedestrians, car doors suddenly opening or whatever, the advice is you should treat a cyclist as if they are the width of a small car.

That is a fair point, but round here we have a lot of roads that "could" be made into five lane roads but have two opposing lanes that are fairly wide (with space for parked cars on both sides). If the roads weren't as wide I would concede to your point, but the roads round here often have enough space to allow safe overtaking.

Edit: Was out and noticed the roads I was thinking about aren't quite that big, more like 4 possible lanes. Often cars parked on one side or both. I thought back and the examples I was thinking of had cars parked on one side so I would say there were three available lanes worth of space even if road markings only showed 2 lanes so there should have been ample space to safely pass.

[piggzy]

The thing that always makes me smile is the helmets with the funky rear view mirrors on them sticking out on a sort of stalk. I nearly choked the first time I saw one.
Now I am sure they genuinely do help with visibility and all that before you all start... but lets be honest, you do look a bit special in one :-)

[Over Carl]

This is why most won't use them,the people who design these routes don't ride or have very little experience when it comes to riding.Also shared paths are sometimes littered with glass/debris etc
http://road.cc/content/news/151843-n...nges-offers-no

I just read that article and it seems the only issue is that sometimes cyclists may have to give way to cars that may have priority at some junctions.

I was expecting to read it and maybe have some sympathy for cyclists, but reading that article makes me lose any sympathy.

The road network was designed for cars, and car users pay a significant amount to be allowed to use them. However even then car users often have to give way to other car users, and other road users such as cyclists and pedestrians.

Funny how cyclists pay nothing to use the roads, and expect they should never have to give way to anyone or anything.

If cyclists could pull their heads out their arses and be reasonable, they might not get so much hatred directed at them. (n.b. I'm not trying to say all cyclists are unreasonable, but that article is proof that there is a fair number that seem to live in a bubble thinking their unimpeded progress is the only thing that matters in the world which I suspect is the real reason there is so much hatred directed at cyclists).

[BertRoot]

Funny how cyclists pay nothing to use the roads, and expect they should never have to give way to anyone or anything.

You think? Check here.

[Over Carl]

Without real transparency to let us know exactly where our taxes go it is hard to say.

I can see the point you are making and I will concede that it has some validity.

However I think it would be equally fair to say that everyone in this country pays tax to survive. However in order to use roads, cyclists don't have to pay a penny. In order to use roads, car drivers have to pay Road Tax (actually called VED for the anally retentive), obscene fuel duty, MOT, and insurance (a fair portion of which is tax). My crude mathematics shows me I pay probably around £1.50-£2/mile specifically for the privilege of being able to legally drive down a road (ignoring cost of car or maintenance). How much do you pay roughly per mile on your bicycle?

I notice though that you have ignored the real issue I brought up, that these cyclists have been given infrastructure to help them, and instead of being grateful, they are crying that they might have to sometimes give way.

Edit: I've just made another thread to moan about car drivers. I see plenty of bad behaviour by drivers and cyclists. Bad behaviour/attitudes by one side doesn't excuse more bad behaviour/attitudes by the other side imho.

[BertRoot]

I agree on some points and I think the country has suddenly, in the last two or three years, got a lot of new cyclists who seem to think they are owed more. Clubs tell them to ride in groups, two abreast, etc and to me this is wrong. The point I was trying to make is that saying cyclists don't pay for roads is wrong. I pay a fuck ton as well for using my car on the roads and if I ride responsibly on the road or available cycle path and don't put anyone else in danger then in my opinion that is fine. Everybody has to give way somewhere and if idiot cyclists find that hard to believe then that is their own dumb lookout but I chose one of the points that you made which was wrong.

[Over Carl]

To be brutally honest, I must admit I just got annoyed after reading that article so just went to troll mode.

You make the very good point that everyone pays for our road network, and I have made the point that drivers seem to pay the most for the priveledge.

I suppose I could compare the situation with say a night club. You have paid loads of money for a VIP ticket that allows you to skip the queue, you have dedicated seating, free drinks, and get to go back stage and meet the bands.

Then I roll up with the cheapest available ticket. It would be absurd for me to go round demanding better treatment than you are getting, or for me to behave recklessly and expect you to keep taking action to save my life. I think that is a better way to make the point I poorly made earlier.