Is it time to start calling out bad cyclists?

• The People's Front of Judea!
  
  
  

ftfy

Almost fell off my bike into a guy who was overtaking me this morning. He was passing a bit close but not dangerously so as we were only going at about 3mph. I just wobbled into him because I am a Bad Cyclist, and also ill, but mostly a Bad Cyclist. He looked v angry as he pedaled off but didn't say anything.

Sorry :-(

So you mean that you were not both well? :(

at this point langster bloke says nonchanlantly: 'excuse me for a second...' and unleashes a stream of abuse at the van bloke that nearly took my eyebrows off. top work mate!

That was tynan.

welsh, bit greying and on the wrong side of probably shouldn't be wearing full lycra?

Just wondering if I myself have been a bad rider – what’s the exact protocol when at the head of traffic turning right across a lane of traffic with cars behind?

I always go into the middle of those little painted boxes on the road with the arrow, go in the middle to stop people coming inside and whizzing past when I’m turning after traffic coming the other way has gone past. I find it distracting cars trying to overtake when turning and had always assumed they should wait for you. This morning some idiot comes up on the outside of me to try and turn right so I knock on his window and he gives it the standard why you touching my car etc etc and I tell him to learn to drive and he goes off….

Me getting a ticket from mounted police officers for a RLJ on Upper Thames Street. Fair enough. Can attend a Road Safety road show on the 14th October and get my fine revoked. Anyone else attending?

I got that offer when I got a ticket in The City for RLJ.

PoPo - "You can attend a cycle safety session instead."
Me - "OK, when?"
PoPo - "Tomorrow"
Me - "what time?"
PoPo - "2 o'clock"
Me - "I can't do that one I'll be at work, when is the next one"
PoPo - "There aren't any others"
Me - "What never?!?"
PoPo - "No. Never. Take your ticket"

This morning some idiot comes up on the outside of me to try and turn right...

At these moments I sometimes assume "maximum nodder" style and set off very slowly and wobbling all over the place.

If you are well positioned this means that the, now extremely wary, driver will usually give you a wide berth as you complete the turn.

Or recognising that pretty much every driver is out to kill you and would far rather ignore your presence and just drive as if you weren't there, let him go first with a sigh....

IMHO you are in the right position though.

Fuck me there are some weapons out there.

Firstly, one guy coming to the end of Bethnal Green Road, turning left onto Shoreditch High Street.

He's in the left lane, behind a car, I'm in the right lane which is clear in front of me.

He's wearing headphones, and then doesn't look over his shoulder or indicate when changing lanes, and cuts me up. At that point, if I was a car, he would probably have been run over. Just for good measure, he then jumps the red light, and turns onto Shoreditch High Street, without looking for traffic coming south. Luckily there wasn't any.

Then, in the heavy rain we had the other week, some guy on a brakeless fixed gear, no foot rentention, and also headphones on, is cycling less than a metre behind a bus. The bus would have only had to touch the brakes, and he would have been fucked.

crazy business coming in this morning - some fella on a silver langster decides at the drop of a hat to let some woman in a polo make a last second left turn across his, and by extention my, path - threw down the anchors and narrowly avoided being bounced over her bonnet. cue much 'wtf are you playing at mate' yelling from me, he pootles off and starts having a go at me over his shoulder, not looking where the fuck he's aiming his bike mind you. hey ho - so we get to the lights at the south lambeth road/vauxhall gyratory intersection and some bell end in a white van starts yelling at us for no reason other than the fact that langster bloke and i are having a bit of a shout at one another. van man is getting all 'you facking cyclists shouldn't be on the facking road you caaahnts!' all the while with what looked like a pre-school kid sat next to him. at this point langster bloke says nonchanlantly: 'excuse me for a second...' and unleashes a stream of abuse at the van bloke that nearly took my eyebrows off. top work mate! anyroads - langster bloke and i saunter up to the ASL - i made a half arsed apology to him, he did the same and we got chatting about bikes and stuff, lights changed, said our 'see you later, be safe mate' and off we went on our merry ways.

#csb

This made me smile.

So this morning cycling down roseberry avenue where it meets exmoth market a girl decidesit was better to try and overtake a bus and a lorry by cycling down the wrong side of the road as the lights turned from red to green. Needless to say i stayed well behind the bus lorry and the cyclist. Then as waiting at the lights at the big junction where holborn meets new oxford street and southampton row runs across. The same girl without stopping rides right out into the middle of oncoming traffic and then turned right without stopping, I think it was possibly the most suicidal piece of riding i have ever seen. I think she thought her helmet and reflective strips would give her powers against the oncoming traffic.

He's wearing headphones... doesn't look over his shoulder or indicate when changing lanes.... cuts me up... he then jumps the red light

on a fixed gear, no foot retention, and headphones on, is cycling less than a metre behind a truck on the way to Elephant & Castle. The truck touched the brakes......

.... and the rest is history ey Mr.Scoble ;D heeheehee

I got that offer when I got a ticket in The City for RLJ.

PoPo - "You can attend a cycle safety session instead."
Me - "OK, when?"
PoPo - "Tomorrow"
Me - "what time?"
PoPo - "2 o'clock"
Me - "I can't do that one I'll be at work, when is the next one"
PoPo - "There aren't any others"
Me - "What never?!?"
PoPo - "No. Never. Take your ticket"

Mine was more like:

PoPo: Are you a courier?
Me: No?
PoPo: Oh, I just saw you had a pouch on your belt.
Me: Wouldn't be able to deliver much with this would I?
PoPo: Suppose not.
PoPos Horse: Ooo.. is that sugar in your ear? Let me try and get my tongue in it to find out... Nom nom nom...

Mine was more like:

PoPo: Are you a courier?
Me: No?
PoPo: Oh, I just saw you had a pouch on your belt.
Me: Wouldn't be able to deliver much with this would I?
PoPo: Suppose not.
PoPos Horse: Ooo.. is that sugar in your ear? Let me try and get my tongue in it to find out... Nom nom nom...

My only RLJ discussion with an overseer:

PoPo: Do you know what a red light means?
Me: Yes.
PoPo: Do you think it's safe to cycle through a pedestrian crossing while they are crossing.
Me: Not particularly, but they had a red light and I went as soon as my light changed to green. They shouldn't be crossing the road when their light is on red should they?
PoPo: No, they shouldn't, but it's very busy and they are trying to get to work.
Me: So am I, but I don't cross junctions on a red light to get there quicker. I've learnt my lesson, I'm sorry for your trouble.
PoPo: Don't let me catch you going through a red light again.
Me: You haven't, but I'll bear that in mind. Thank you officer.

Then, in the heavy rain we had the other week, some guy on a brakeless fixed gear, no foot rentention, and also headphones on, is cycling less than a metre behind a bus. The bus would have only had to touch the brakes, and he would have been fucked.

not sure headphones are relevant to this?

Me: **You haven't, **but I'll bear that in mind. Thank you officer.

Popo: yeah, wait, what..
You: whoosh

Yeah I can't take all the cyclist at the moment - I'm working with 2-3 near misses a ride now from a combination of crazy bikers and impatient cars. Now that it's late-ish autumn I just want it to get really cold so we dependable cyclists can have most of the roads back. Eesh.

PoPo: Are you a courier?
Me: No?
PoPo: Oh, I just saw you had a pouch on your belt.
Me: Wouldn't be able to deliver much with this would I?
PoPo: Suppose not.

this is pure class.

Yeah I can't take all the cyclist at the moment - I'm working with 2-3 near misses a ride now from a combination of crazy bikers and impatient cars. Now that it's late-ish autumn I just want it to get really cold so we dependable cyclists can have most of the roads back. Eesh.

Yeah, im looking forward to my dark and cold 6am ride to work through highgate and golders hill when all the summer cyclists are taking tubes and busses and i can have a hassel free ride in the morning ;-)

My only RLJ discussion with an overseer:

PoPo: Do you know what a red light means?
Me: Yes.
PoPo: Do you think it's safe to cycle through a pedestrian crossing while they are crossing.
Me: Not particularly, but they had a red light and I went as soon as my light changed to green. They shouldn't be crossing the road when their light is on red should they?
PoPo: No, they shouldn't, but it's very busy and they are trying to get to work.
Me: So am I, but I don't cross junctions on a red light to get there quicker. I've learnt my lesson, I'm sorry for your trouble.
PoPo: Don't let me catch you going through a red light again.
Me: You haven't, but I'll bear that in mind. Thank you officer.

My only interaction with mounted PoPo after an RLJ, Bishopsgate (she looked REALLY MAD):

PoPo: So you're *not *wearing a helmet and I just saw you skip that red light.
Me: Guh guh guh guh guh. I guh. I guh. I'm sorry.
PoPo: You've got headphones there too, I see. Do you always wear them while riding?
Me: Huh huh huh huh huh. Fffffffuck. Sorry.
PoPo: Good for keeping the noise out. Anyway, it's a fine just for the lack of a front light and skipping the red light.
Me: I ca I ca I ca ca ca. Oh Jesus.
PoPo: Are you OK?
Me: Nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh. Huh.
PoPo: Er... go on then. This time. Be careful. Walk your bike to the Tube please.
Me: Chhhhhhhhhhhhhhheers then.

Sometimes a speech impediment comes in handy.

Speech impeddlement

Impedalment FFS.

There is a hybrid rider who last week twice draughted me to then accelerate and then cut back in and immediately slow down, I had words with him.

Today he says "The two of us seem to go at the same speed, I can go much faster when I am behind you, it then enables me to overtake."

I pointed out that he was on his highest gear, and that there is a huge benefit from draughting and another cyclist at the lights started laughing. It was good natured but I also asked how much harder it became once he had over taken me. Only now does he realise that once he loses the cover from me he slows down pretty quickly.

A general warning about a hi vis wearing Pashley copy rider, female, glasses, who has a complete aversion for stopping at anything........ Crossing Farringdon road after coming down throough de Beauvoir, whatever the lights do, she just keeps going........ I asked as politely as I could if she missed the red light and the 2 riders canning it up the hill (who both pretty much endoed to avoid her)...... her reply, 'I saw them, so I kept going, I was safe'........ happy in her own bubble until it bursts and more than likely takes some poor innocent down with her.......... Liability on a beg bike.......

** 'I saw them, so I kept going, I was safe'**........ happy in her own bubble until it bursts and more than likely takes some poor innocent down with her..........

That's not her own little bubble - that sounds more like a case of full blown psychosis with a good dollop of sheer arrogance mixed in for good measure. Really hope someone manages to disable her bike in some minor way. There's no way someone like that should be riding around central London

True, I underplayed it. She seemed to appear at nearly every junction I was at from Dalston through to Tavistock Square, oblivious to the chaos she left in her wake....... 3 separate mornings I've caught her at lights in Tavistock (a rare event for this woman believe me), and berated her for such carelessness........ sadly, the inevitable odds of her causing an accident increase daily.......either taking out a fellow peddlar, or causing a lot of therapy for an unsuspecting driver......... I may stop and photo her if the thought arises again, even the most average of nodders tut at her complete indifference.......... the sheer lack of remorse or understanding of her actions are really quite frightening............ I wish no ill to anyone, this woman pushes my very limit.......

That's not her own little bubble - that sounds more like a case of full blown psychosis with a good dollop of sheer arrogance mixed in for good measure. Really hope someone manages to disable her bike in some minor way. There's no way someone like that should be riding around central London