Is it time to start calling out bad cyclists?

If there was no indication, then they are at fault.

If they were indicating, then it would be up to a court to apportion blame based on all the evidence - how long they had been indicating, whether they had checked their mirrors, your speed etc.

Clearly you missed an opportunity to signal with extreme violence when the undertaker was level, I like to aim for solar plexus but neck works too.

Looking back and screaming "NO!" usually does the trick.

Or of course wipskid through their front wheel works too.

@edscoble

http://nooooooooooooooo.com/

To the Hi-Viz dude going down the CS7 last night, just as you merge to go straight on towards Clapham or left to Brixton. Very good that you put your arm out to indicate but moving across at the same time with out a little check over the shoulder is madness considering the bus was overtaking you. Fair play to the bus driver didn't make a meal of it by honking at you.

To guy this morning who went through a pack of cyclist at full pelt having to move between the moving cyclist and a bus, fuck me you were bloody lucky a second slowly that bus would have hit you.

I got called out last night by an old dude on a boris bike. Apparently I undertook him, which he pointed out is a very dangerous thing. Which I agreed to, but said undertaking isn't something I'd do ever. The only real problem was that he said I did on Museum st. I didn't ride down Museum st. at all. Strange encounter. I spent the rest of the ride worried that I'm either blind or crazy, or it was just the other guy??

Strangely I wonder if the person complaining about the "ride faster" comment could be referring to me, but the events are very different...

I was going along from London Bridge to Bricklayers Arms, (that left turn at Borough, followed by the long stretch without any lights after the crossing) and halfway down there a group of cyclists all come out from a minor road on my right hand side, onto the main road.

They look right, then left, and maybe four or so come to join the road which was (apart from me) clear of traffic (effectively turning right from the minor road). I was in primary and forced into what could effectively be a secondary position, because as I am cycling at a fairly fast pace, I see the group of cyclists from the junction coming into the lane, and needed to not cycle into whoever would cut me up. As I have right of way, it became a bit difficult.

I had to slow quite abruptly because I see a number of other cyclists coming down on me, but at this very point one of them neither slows to come behind me, nor accelerates to be in front. I am left with another rider converging on me, and with only the choice to cycle faster to avoid a potential collision, or slam on my brakes, to the same effect.

Considering an alternative perspective like for @BobbyBriggs I wonder how else it could have worked. That one of the four (it could have been three, it could have been five, it was days ago now) followed the pack but continued to cycle into my path, and at a much slower pace - they were going to cycle into me if I couldn't pass on the inside. They should have entered the road behind me, or at worse beside me like the others. However, their trajectory and speed meant they would cycle and be in front of me at a slower pace, or go into me. I had to swerve and undertake, or slow to nearly a stop, to reposition behind them, then overtake properly.

From my perspective there were four or so cyclists who as a group considered the road clear to enter, but only three were going at a pace and joining in effectively the primary position. In an ideal world they should not have entered the major road until I had passed, but they instead surrounded me as I was merry on my way.

At the point of the one cyclist forcing me to maneuver sharply, and twice making turning motions practically into me, I said quite frustrated, "if you're going to do that, you should at least go a bit faster", where, if they had been a little faster, there was room for them to be in front of me.

I'm sure I was in every way in the wrong for having right of way, and being angry that a cyclist slowly cycled into my side, but it was frustrating enough to remark they should be going faster if they wanted to cut me up like that - at that pace, had I not looked, we would have both gone down.

It's like an Etta James track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vzIFrfvbh0

Well, maybe, but i was thinking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbZWpLDw5p8

I thought you were gonna give me Ella...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gn9A-kdsRo

This is when polo is great, either a) you have the skills to check people off the road when they try to cut you up or b) you ride everywhere on a stupid spiny gear so will never be going fast enough to have that problem.

There is only one cry me a river
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DksSPZTZES0

Ah, see I was on the road bike after running errands. Must have been the problem, I could freewheel. Kinda enjoyed riding the fixed today, at that stupidly slow speed where the grandmas walked faster.

@Hefty I knew you'd check me on that.

Belfast cyclists have developed a thing for kerb hopping... Into the road, without shoulder checking. One very nodder one, I honked softly but not sure she understood it as "Oh I better check next time".

The other one came in from my blind spot. Luckily I didn't move off just then. Seems I shall have to start doing 180 degree checks even at junctions/traffic lights.

I'm glad we don't have peletons of aggro cyclists yet, racing, undertaking, demanding space instead of just going to work. Its quite chill here...for now.

Not sure if this is a calling out-worthy offence, but certainly notable.

Was riding North up the canal from Limehouse when a guy passed me at speed, while I was overtaking another, slower canal user. I wasn't especially cut-up, but it was close enough to be an eyebrow-raiser, and the guy's speed was definitely in 'where's the fire' territory. Anyway, a little ahead he then swerved left to avoid a pedestrian, and that's when it happened. In the failing light it looked like someone had thrown a bag under his wheel - sort of semi-floppy like it was full of water. Then I saw the feet as it rolled to a stop - and the head bouncing merrily along on an entirely different trajectory. Dude had hit a coot so hard it had spontaneously ISISed. The rider stopped and went back, and to be fair looked pretty ashamed. Not sure what his reason for going back was, exactly.

Anyway, his riding wasn't identifiable as critically reckless or furious, but clearly in the low light and with a partially obscured view of the towpath ahead, tragedy struck. So be careful, unless you really hate coots.

Fucking Coots, fuck those little feathery fucks, fuck em all.

Seriously tho, canal tow-paths are a stupid place to ride fast. Aside from the antisocial aspect of using a shared path that way, if things do go wrong there's a solid chance you'll be bobbing for your bike in piss and diesel.

Coots are awesome. This makes me desperately sad :(

Dude had hit a coot so hard it had spontaneously ISISed.

Such vivid imagery

That's incredibly sad. Coots are monogomous as well, so somewhere out there is a widow or widower coot :(

Canal towpaths are certainly NOT the place to be racing around. I hope that person feels really ashamed.

Indeed you're correct: that wasn't me, since you asked. My minor altercation took place on Old St, and we were all on the same road, going in the same direction.

I'd be perturbed in your shoes as well.

I may have face planted into the back of a small car this morning.

I may have been filtering too fast in slow traffic.

I may have this on camera.