Is it time to start calling out bad cyclists?

Permitted. Agreed, maybe not necessary for a lot of things. If a system of long distance deliveries to last few miles nodes was in place. Which it isn’t.

I'm sure I heard something about this being a thing in Paris

Me. This morning. Woeful.

Me the other morning. Straight lined a chicane to avoid wet leaves & got told to ride a better line by the unsighted oncoming rider who had to feather their brakes a bit & probably change their underpants as a result.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE0fzQGo9l0&feature=youtu.be

Not sure if here, bad drivers or memes thread

An assault by someone on a bike:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/police-release-efit-image-of-cyclist-who-shoved-pensioner-a4105691.html

Got in to an accident today coming over Blackfriars on the CS.

Guy in front of me riding a hire bike was weaving about in both lanes and I wanted to pass so I went inside and he moved in front of me, I rang my bell but he couldn't hear me as he was wearing some big headphones. Anyway, when he moved left I moved right and went around the outside, at which point he decided to change lanes again, didn't look and caught his handlebars inside the kids seat on the back of my bike.

I dragged him along for a little bit (about 10m) and then he went over the handlebars as we came down the slope after the width restrictors. He got up off the floor (at least he was ok) and then charged over to me shouting and screaming with snot running out of his nose, shouting that I'd cut him up and caused an accident. Blah, blah, blah. You cunt etc...

He had his fists clenched and was very cross so I stepped off my bike and he seemed to relax a bit. He carried on shouting for a bit so I said sorry and rode off.

Now, I'm wondering if any of this was my fault. I feel like it 100% wasn't but tricky to be objective in these scenarios. Did anyone see it happen?

From your description, my opinion is as you approached from behind and couldn’t get the attention of the cyclist in front before undertaking you shoulder a fair amount of responsibility..

Sounds like Boris guy was riding like an an absolute turd and intentionally blocking out sounds from your environment is a bad idea for sure though 🤷‍♂️

Sounds 50/50 to be honest.

When I encounter riders like that, I just sit back and wait. It’s not worth the risk to save such a small amount of time. If I’m in a rush and need to get somewhere faster, I take the road instead of the CS.

I didn't undertake, he swerved across to the left so I overtook on his right side.

50/50 seems very unfair. If he had have just stayed in his lane and not rode into me then nothing would have happened.

Yeah, I could have stayed behind him and not bothered overtaking at all but that's not the way of the CS, people are overtaking others all the time.

Ah sorry, misread completely. Still waking up.

I hear you. For me though, if there’s someone riding like that I’m just not sure it’s worth the risk of trying to pass to save 90 seconds. Yes, it is the way of the CS to try to pass everything in sight, but we have a choice as to whether we join in or not. Maybe 50/50 isn’t fair (I too thought it sounded like you’d attempted to undertake and then overtake), so apologies if that sounded harsh.

Nothing much you can do, aside from hanging back and staying well clear.

From a cyclist skill attitude pov the other cyclist was definitely to blame (headphones, not signalling, confusing road movement) but others would say if you are the "sensible" and experienced cyclist, you should anticipicate such behaviour.

At the same time, there is an expected level of "bad cycling" we all have and a "omfg not seen this before" and then you can make an incorrect judgement.

Like those idiots turning left at the green for me and lots of others while driving and all of us in the lanes going "ok........not stopped for red, not indicating, floating over roundabout lanes=normal in Belfast, but what the actual fuck is this?????"

I'm pretty easy about it. No damage to me or bike and I remained totally calm all the way through.

I think the guy was a melon, swerving about on a Santander bike with noise cancelling headphones is bound to cause an accident sooner or later. I'm sure he's telling the story to people with a wildly different opinion.

From a cyclist skill attitude pov the other cyclist was definitely to blame (headphones, not signalling, confusing road movement) but others would say if you are the "sensible" and experienced cyclist, you should anticipicate such behaviour.

This is kinda what people are saying, but this is madness. One person can't be culpable for another's behaviour, that's not how society works.

you should anticipicate such behaviour.

Yeah, it isn’t so much about blame but assessing risk and avoiding situations where there could be conflict.

This is all a bit pointless without a video. From your description, he was in the majority wrong, but if someone is riding like a prick, it's in your interest to pass them sufficiently wide such that additional prickish behaviour does not result in you colliding. For whatever reason, you did not manage this.

In this case you were lucky both you and your bike are fine. If you want to look out for yourself, you need to compensate for the stupidity of others. Just because it wasn't your fault doesn't mean you wont still end up on the deck.

I nearly got taken out by a car the other day, I was filtering on the inside of a queue of traffic, but as the road bends to the right, there is loads of room on the left. A car coming the other way wants to turn across the traffic and head down a dead end side road i had never seen anyone use in 10 years of commuting this stretch. He blasted across, didn't check for cyclists and I just managed to stop with a huge endo.

This was all his fault. I wasn't riding that fast, the road is very wide, and he was doing something I'd never see anyone else do. He didn't check it was clear. That said, I am now more cautious on that stretch and keep an extra look out for the same shit happening. It might take another 10 years, but hopefully I'll be even readier next time. It won't change the fact it will be the drivers fault, but it might mean I don't go over their bonnet.

Sometimes it is better to just accept that technically they haven't a clue and you are the best cyclists/driver and just let it go, happy nobody got hurt so badly/got sued/police got called.

I would not see that myself, personally, as being culpable for other people's moronic road behaviour, more that it just AINT worth it.

Yep I will win my insurance claim when that idiot coming out of a parellel park didn't see me and dents my car, but can I really be bothered with it... nah, I assume everybody makes mistakes, anticipate and let go.

Sure, that driver not giving way to me when I cycle is definitely in the wrong, but really I quite like my teeth so... I already had my finger on the brake. Yep I'd win the argument in court, but can I be bothered...

Hopefully the rest of your commutes will be smoother :)

Bloke on lovely Orange Soma squeezing between buses, vans and pavement on the wrong side of the road, outside Whole Foods on High St Ken. Why?????

Waterloo bridge is temporarily closed due to the protest at the moment and it illustrates us how glorious and calm it would be if it was permanently pedestrianised. Peds walking in the middle of the road and cyclists meandering over looking at the scenery and impressive mini ramp that has been constructed on it; it's thouroughly enjoyable. But of course there are still so many wankers expecting to be able to blast it over the bridge and beat that strava record or get to their office 20 seconds earlier. The amount of near misses I saw and people on bikes having the attitude "you're in the road get out of my way" sort of thing was such a shame. On the whole tho shared spaces like that would be so good for london.

I was in Florence a few years ago and noted how the area around the duomo is mixed PED and bikes. Thousands of people milling about and eating and drinking and getting from a to b by bike. All with zero drama.

Imagine getting that past a council here!

I rode along Fleet Street on Tuesday and stopped at the Chancery Lane traffic lights. Just as they went green, someone went past on my inside. I said: 'Not on the inside, mate' and reinforced that at the next traffic lights. He said: 'I know, I'm sorry, but I can't do my usual route home because the bridges are blocked.' I said: 'If you're on a bike, you might have to walk a bit, but they're perfectly happy to let you pass.' 'Oh, great, thanks!' and he continued to avoid the bridges ...

It's total anarchy out there. :)

Almost killed myself on the way home. Imagined a right turn filter light whilst my brain was chewing over some work-related shit. It was only the car at the head of the queue coming to a halt as I went past that saved me - the thought of ‘what is this chump stopping for?’ was enough to wake me up to the fact I was about to ride directly into oncoming traffic. Glad I had my brakes seen to recently. Need new pants now.

Had my heart in my mouth last night; came up to some temporary traffic lights where they'd closed one lane and a woman came down the left side and swung between the car at the front of the queue and the 'WHEN RED LIGHT SHOWS WAIT HERE' sign just as the lights changed (think she'd decided she was going to jump the red). So close to being caught between the bumper and the sign.