What's all the aggression about?

Its no big news but I am still shocked by the level of aggression that some car drivers display. Today I was riding admittedly a bit wobbly in the middle of the road and there was a car overtaking me on the left. My arm hit the mirror and turned it in a bit. No dent. no scratch, no big deal. All he had to do was to adjust the mirror again. However, the driver felt it was necessary to shout all kind of abuse at me, the f word, the c word, the lot. Anyway, I apologized, said it was my fault but told him there isn't the tiniest scratch on his car so there is really no need for all the abusive language. That just made it worse. I think the guy would have preferred if he would have killed me actually. And this really isn't the first time this kind of thing happens.

I just wonder is this still normal human behavior? I mean, the normal reaction would have been to ask first, are you ok? Did you hurt your arm? It was absolutely clear that there was nothing wrong with his car, but I could actually have been hurt. I don't want to get into the whole 'what has become of our society?' thing, but sometimes I am really wondering where all the aggression comes from and what's wrong with those people. Am I supposed to HTFU and d- lock his window in return, just because I am living in London? Makes me think. Especially since I just came back from Japan where you don't get any of that at all...

FUCK YOU punkpixel!

:)

This place is fucked.. but you could live in the middle of a warzone.. or Australia.. now count yourself lucky and move on.. after d-locking the fucker's windows in, of course.

and that was why the NYFag mini was invented...

Just ignore them unless they actually look like they might hit you; in which case, kick them in their fucking cocks and tear their fucking throats out with your fucking teeth.

Just ignore them unless they actually look like they might hit you; in which case, kick them in their fucking cocks and tear their fucking throats out with your fucking teeth.

After having D-locked their windscreen of course!

Just ignore them unless they actually look like they might hit you; in which case, kick them in their fucking cocks and tear their fucking throats out with your fucking teeth.

Biting their nose off always works for me, spit the nose flash on the floor and stamp on it!`

No one likes us; we don't care.

Ggggggrrrrrrrrrrr.

Scary.

(this kind of thing never happens to me)

ok I get the idea. Maybe it takes me another week to get used to London again. I have the d-lock ready. Still stressful and totally unnecessary.

take everything with a pinch of salt. Whilst there are some complete assholes most people, in what ever form of transport, are generally courteous.

It's almost as unnecessary a some cyclists who start bitching when a car has the bad manners to get within 6 feet of them (cf banshee lady) or who act like someone's a babyrapist for crossing the ASL...

To paraphrase bill hicks, weed shouldn't just be legal, it should be mandatory.

In the words of the prodigy :

"Fuck em and their law"

someone's a babyrapist for crossing the ASL

I hate those babyrapists.

Biting their nose off always works for me, spit the nose flash on the floor and stamp on it!`

After D-Locking their window, don't forget the window!

This place is fucked.. but you could live in the middle of a warzone.. or Australia.. now count yourself lucky and move on.. after d-locking the fucker's windows in, of course.

you guys call them D Locks? Thats cute.

Sitting in a car is akin to sitting in a cinema, you've got a lovely seat, an artificial environment controlled by air conditioning, possibly a snack to eat, some soundtrack you've chosen, and outside of the screen you have this lovely image of the world.

Then some cyclist gets in the way and your rosy experience is shattered and you have to deal with the fact that you're in traffic and in a grey town, and that people are making you interact with it all.

Point is: Drivers experience a detached and illusory view of the world, and they really hate those that make them experience the real side of it and shatter this illusion.

That's always been my take on it. That they hate externals (cyclists, motorbikes, peds) because it pops their bubble.

The movie a lot of them seem to be watching is Lethal Weapon or is it Death Race 2000? We the humble cyclist are but target practice.

Yes there are some very curteous drivers out there, however, some are ablsoute ****'s who see a cyclist as an opprtunity to embody all their frustrations with life and maim/kill.

Yesterday it was the dimunitive Bangledeshi woman on Hackney Road with her mother in the back turning right who pulled out on me & then gave me a gobful of abuse for daring to question her driving skills. Charming.

Get a bike, get a life!

Yesterday two nice things happened to me:

1) Roundabout in Bexleyheath. A driver, who had right of way, acknowledged me with a wave to say sorry for being a bit slow and holding me up.
2) Roundabout in Plumstead. A van driver, again with right of way, actually slowed down and flashed me onto the roundabout. He could see that, if he continued, it would interrupt my momentum.

I was in shock!

Then left hand bend in Greenwich, flashy GTO cut me up. Normal service resumed....phew! :-)

yesterday, whilst riding home along past chealsea FC a motorbiker complemented my bike, we had a little chat and it was nice.
made my home journey for sure.
But also does anyone else smile when a car speeds past you and you catch them up down the road and then pass them, and they don't catch you back up due to the traffic.
thats the best feeling a cyclist can get (in London, IMHO)

Sitting in a car is akin to sitting in a cinema, you've got a lovely seat, an artificial environment controlled by air conditioning, possibly a snack to eat, some soundtrack you've chosen, and outside of the screen you have this lovely image of the world.

Then some cyclist gets in the way and your rosy experience is shattered and you have to deal with the fact that you're in traffic and in a grey town, and that people are making you interact with it all.

Point is: Drivers experience a detached and illusory view of the world, and they really hate those that make them experience the real side of it and shatter this illusion.

That's always been my take on it. That they hate externals (cyclists, motorbikes, peds) because it pops their bubble.

You've just identified a Parisian driver

I sometimes drive with a window open. Is that a bit like watching a 3d movie.

May stop doing this though as d locks across the bridge of my nose really hurts.

On a slightly more serious note, when driving I do try to consider other road users whether that be cyclist, bikers, trucks, or whatever and if, for instance, I'm stuck in a queue of traffic going nowhere, will try to leave or make space for 2 wheeled types to squeeze through. Probably 50% of motorcyclists will give a nod / wave of acknowledgement but much less so cyclists. So come on folks, manners go a long way and showing appreciation of someone's efforts will surely help in ensuring they extend the same courtesey to the next cyclist.

yesterday, whilst riding home along past chealsea FC a motorbiker complemented my bike, we had a little chat and it was nice.
made my home journey for sure.
But also does anyone else smile when a car speeds past you and you catch them up down the road and then pass them, and they don't catch you back up due to the traffic.
thats the best feeling a cyclist can get (in London, IMHO)

yeah feelin that in any urban centre I cycle in, my favourite thing when they really boot it to the next traffic queue/ lights and then you just smoothly roll past on their right, give a side glance in their window as if to say 'ahhh, join the queue loser'