Is it time to start calling out bad cyclists?

Oi, fullkit wanker. Yes you with your Rapha-a-like musette. If you keep ringing your bell at me I'm going to shove it so far up your arse people with think you're having lightbulb moments every 5 minutes. I don't care that you chased me down for the past 4 miles after I passed you when you almost came to a standstill on a mild gradient, there isn't a gap there for you to squeeze through. Oh and don't go onto the pavement at full chat dingling you bell to skip through a set of traffic lights. If you're gonna blow through them grow some balls and do it properly man.

Fuck off at let me commute at my own pace in peace.

I cant find if this has been covered elsewhere, a search for Bucchere brings up nothing, cant see it on the General forum or In The News thread. Apologies if repost.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2013/jul/24/san-francisco-cyclist-manslaughter

If anyone has the link to his blog post about "not seeing a line" etc after he'd mown through the pedestrians, I'd be grateful, interested to read it. From the sound of what is quoted in the Guardian he was riding brakeless.

Surprised he didnt get a jail term. If a motorist slammed into a pedestrian or cyclist causing death then I'd probably be happy to see them lose their liberty for a while, so the same applies here. The victim's wife must be Buddhist or something.

That cyclist should go to prison, he behaved like a knob then chatted online about his bust helmet when he knew the old man had died.

one of those 10-person pedal powered keggers

Oh god, these are in London now?

Kingsland Road heading north between the canal and Richmond Road. Bald guy mid thirties on a bianchi racer, drops no bar tape, hawaiian shorts and a black backpack.

One of the strangest encounters I've had riding in london these past 5/6 years...

This guy starts to ride alongside me from the canal to the next set of lights. Like 200m at least. I'm thinking, this is weird, is he overtaking? But he doesn't. I am not riding particularly fast. Anyway we're riding together and I'm wondering if I made a new friend... then at the junction my new friend swerves left into me riding me into the pavement.

I jam on the brakes and pull back, holding my line. After the junction he resumes his position to the right of me.
I ask my new friend what's up, if he noticed that he ran me into the pavement. He says he 'couldn't give a fuck'. I'm pretty weirded out by this stage. I tell him it was nice to meet him. He asks me to 'go fuck myself'. Then rides though a red light at the next junction.

Unfortunately no car pulled out and totalled him.

I'm still pretty confused about what happened and his objectives.
Has anyone else met this troubled character?

A kidney punch™ should do the trick.

Certain people don't do civil, besides nothing says "what's up, did you notice that you ran me into the pavement?" like a timely and appropriate kidney punch™.

Kingsland Road heading north between the canal and Richmond Road. Bald guy mid thirties on a bianchi racer, drops no bar tape, hawaiian shorts and a black backpack.

One of the strangest encounters I've had riding in london these past 5/6 years...

This guy starts to ride alongside me from the canal to the next set of lights. Like 200m at least. I'm thinking, this is weird, is he overtaking? But he doesn't. I am not riding particularly fast. Anyway we're riding together and I'm wondering if I made a new friend... then at the junction my new friend swerves left into me riding me into the pavement.

I jam on the brakes and pull back, holding my line. After the junction he resumes his position to the right of me.
I ask my new friend what's up, if he noticed that he ran me into the pavement. He says he 'couldn't give a fuck'. I'm pretty weirded out by this stage. I tell him it was nice to meet him. He asks me to 'go fuck myself'. Then rides though a red light at the next junction.

Unfortunately no car pulled out and totalled him.

I'm still pretty confused about what happened and his objectives.
Has anyone else met this troubled character?

Beware the boisterous Bianchi bastard.

Oi, fullkit wanker. Yes you with your Rapha-a-like musette. If you keep ringing your bell at me I'm going to shove it so far up your arse people with think you're having lightbulb moments every 5 minutes. I don't care that you chased me down for the past 4 miles after I passed you when you almost came to a standstill on a mild gradient, there isn't a gap there for you to squeeze through. Oh and don't go onto the pavement at full chat dingling you bell to skip through a set of traffic lights. If you're gonna blow through them grow some balls and do it properly man.

Fuck off at let me commute at my own pace in peace.

Where was the 'mild gradient'? If this was the Col de Holland Park then I have met this guy, he very nearly took out a few peds when jumping red lights earlier this week, when I passed him and told him he should not do this he got aggressive, although when I said that I would rise to his challenge and fight him but thought he would not do very well as he looked 'a bit weak' he declined my offer......

Kingsland Road heading north between the canal and Richmond Road. Bald guy mid thirties on a bianchi racer, drops no bar tape, hawaiian shorts and a black backpack.

One of the strangest encounters I've had riding in london these past 5/6 years...

This guy starts to ride alongside me from the canal to the next set of lights. Like 200m at least. I'm thinking, this is weird, is he overtaking? But he doesn't. I am not riding particularly fast. Anyway we're riding together and I'm wondering if I made a new friend... then at the junction my new friend swerves left into me riding me into the pavement.

I jam on the brakes and pull back, holding my line. After the junction he resumes his position to the right of me.
I ask my new friend what's up, if he noticed that he ran me into the pavement. He says he 'couldn't give a fuck'. I'm pretty weirded out by this stage. I tell him it was nice to meet him. He asks me to 'go fuck myself'. Then rides though a red light at the next junction.

Unfortunately no car pulled out and totalled him.

I'm still pretty confused about what happened and his objectives.
Has anyone else met this troubled character?

This is so unusual.

Sustrans calling out bad cyclists

http://www.sustrans.org.uk/blog/end-another-tour

I've only seen two, but the replies are strong:

The problems you are reporting on are a result of the lacklustre infrastructure that Sustrans has supported. Shared use paths don't exist in The Netherlands because they were found to cause exactly the problems that you report, so why are you building this second best infrastructure already known to cause conflicts in the UK ?

You have overcrowding on your paths because they are too narrow and too widely spaced. A cycle-path in The Netherlands which was expected to deal with a large number of cyclists would likely be four metres wide. What's more, if pedestrians were expected there too, we'd have a two metre wide pedestrian path alongside.

Dutch cycle-paths support a wide range of users, including fast cyclists. Commuters don't all have short journeys to make and they don't all want to make those journeys at 10 mph. It's not completely unknown for there to be conflicts, but they are not common as they are in the UK. While it's necessary to slow down occasionally to accommodate other peoples' use of the cycle-paths, it's also possible to maintain good average speeds because the need to slow down is reduced by good cycle-path design.

I find this to be a very disappointing blog post from Sustrans. The problems that you are seeing are largely of your own making.

Certain people don't do civil, besides nothing says "what's up, did you notice that you ran me into the pavement?" like a timely and appropriate kidney punch™.

I like you. You're like a bit old school, innit. So how exactly do you set up your kidney punch™? At the end of a combination or do you just throw a single punch Bruce Lee style?

I don't throw punches out on the street as I am extremely allergic to plod but I a fast lead right that I can throw from waist height, a stonking over hand left and a hard right hook to the body, unless you are Cuban the floating rib is easier to hit than the kidney. Pivot out dance backwards ready to throw a few hard jabs just in case they still have some fight in them.

The old parallel riding someone into the back of a parked car, or a bus, can be used when street racing (too old for that malarky now) or just with people who just don't do civil. Parallel up hold your ground and force them to brake or hit the car/bus. Its not unknown for me on occasion to do this to scooterists who get a bit bolshy with me.

They way to avoid this move is to brake hard move to the outside and accelerate hard and escape. Yes its true nutters do sometimes ride bicycles.

^Not sure if serious.

All this boasting about violence is really pathetic. It's like I just walked into a steroid filled gym populated by slack jawed, spotty youths.

I find this to be a very disappointing blog post from Sustrans. The problems that you are seeing are largely of your own making.

Oh this, so much this.
One of the huge problems with Sustrans routes ( apart from the compromised design ) is the maintenance. There are hundreds of miles that Local Authorities don't or won't maintain.
The paths were built on the cheap, loosely surfaced, or with very poor standard tarmac, and they now are rutted narrow and or overgrown.
Loads of people still download the routes / buy the maps and follow the routes with full on touring kit, and find motorbike barriers, in some places every kilometre.

I'm impressed, in that case- everytime I've tried to download a Sustrans route it's been an exercise in frustration that I have given up on, every time, sometimes after a significant while spent trying.

What is it about fair weather single speed riders on either Create or No Logo bikes that always seem to see me and want to race me. I am just going at my cruising speed im not even going that fast, on two occasions two cyclists have rode past me so fast that they have gone around the corner near Agar St and nearly crashed in the opposite crub. Ill see you on the road in January.

^Not sure if serious.

All this boasting about violence is really pathetic. It's like I just walked into a steroid filled gym populated by slack jawed, spotty youths.

Not boasting just playing, my philosophy is that a gentleman should be able to handle himself, like I said I don't throw punches on the street but I do attend a boxing club and have done for many years, you should try it before you knock it ......then next time you meet someone unpleasant you won't be forced to run away

As to parallel cycling, well I have cycled for thirty five years including eight years as a London courier, so I am from the old school

Male cyclists being aggro on the street is just the flip side of the same coin of taxi drivers being wankers behind the wheel.

I've only seen two, but the replies are strong:

The problems you are reporting on are a result of the lacklustre infrastructure that Sustrans has supported. Shared use paths don't exist in The Netherlands because they were found to cause exactly the problems that you report, so why are you building this second best infrastructure already known to cause conflicts in the UK ?

You have overcrowding on your paths because they are too narrow and too widely spaced. A cycle-path in The Netherlands which was expected to deal with a large number of cyclists would likely be four metres wide. What's more, if pedestrians were expected there too, we'd have a two metre wide pedestrian path alongside.

Dutch cycle-paths support a wide range of users, including fast cyclists. Commuters don't all have short journeys to make and they don't all want to make those journeys at 10 mph. It's not completely unknown for there to be conflicts, but they are not common as they are in the UK. While it's necessary to slow down occasionally to accommodate other peoples' use of the cycle-paths, it's also possible to maintain good average speeds because the need to slow down is reduced by good cycle-path design.

I find this to be a very disappointing blog post from Sustrans. The problems that you are seeing are largely of your own making.

Read it and commented. The NCN is mainly laughable, shared paths are a joke and especially ones that go near schools. There's one on my commute that I used just once that goes right past a primary school and it's a joke to use at the wrong time.

Bascially these p[aths are for nodders to plod along at 5mph. I'll keep using the road, so thanks but no thanks Sustrans, and keep your Dail Mail-esque blog posts to yourself

Spot on, Dublinkevin.

you should try it before you knock it ......then next time you meet someone unpleasant you won't be forced to run away

Ha, I now have quite a comical image of myself running away every time I meet a tory or a chelsea supporter.

I have been physically threatened, mugged a few times when I was in my early teens, and attacked on the tube once. The latter was because I am a transvestite, I think he felt threatened by my ambiguous sexuality. I avoid violence these days simply by avoiding confrontation, holding my head high, not acting like a victim and laughing at people's aggression, whether I am in drag or dressed normally. I have not had to run away from anyone in 11 years. I think pursuing a violent confrontation when it is unnescessary is the lowest kind of stupidity there is, especially on a bike.

I did jujitsu for a while and the sensei nearly dislocated my shoulder so I quit. It's rock climbing and bikes for me, from now on. I have nothing against boxing or martial arts.

Spot on, Dublinkevin.

Ha, I now have quite a comical image of myself running away every time I meet a tory or a chelsea supporter.

I have been physically threatened, mugged a few times when I was in my early teens, and attacked on the tube once. The latter was because I am a transvestite, I think he felt threatened by my ambiguous sexuality. I avoid violence these days simply by avoiding confrontation, holding my head high, not acting like a victim and laughing at people's aggression, whether I am in drag or dressed normally. I have not had to run away from anyone in 11 years. I think pursuing a violent confrontation when it is unnescessary is the lowest kind of stupidity there is, especially on a bike.

I did jujitsu for a while and the sensei nearly dislocated my shoulder so I quit. It's rock climbing and bikes for me, from now on. I have nothing against boxing or martial arts.

yet you appear to seek verbal confrontation whenever possible on here

ISo how exactly do you set up your kidney punch™?"

Not my trademark I'm afraid...

"Not sure if serious. All this boasting about violence is really pathetic. It's like I just walked into a steroid filled gym populated by slack jawed, spotty youths."

Not serious. ^Not sure if serious?

Not boasting just playing, my philosophy is that a gentleman should be able to handle himself, like I said I don't throw punches on the street but I do attend a boxing club and have done for many years, you should try it before you knock it ......then next time you meet someone unpleasant you won't be forced to run away

There's a difference between being confident enough to defend yourself and lashing out at people whose behaviour you dislike.

but this is the internet where literally everything we say is figuratively literal. figuratively speaking.

^ Is that a metaphor?

Figuratively speaking.