Is it time to start calling out bad cyclists?

Listen to this - about a few months ago I couldn't believe my frickin eyes when I saw a lad cycle with his rolling suitcase trailing to right of bike, as he was cycling through Bermondsey, wish I'd got a few pics...

I didn't hear anything just saw some words?

I ride according to the highway code, at a speed that allows me to react safely in a given circumstance (traffic, low visibility ect), never rlj and I wear a headcam. I have one for purely pragmatic purposes as I was left hooked back in November, breaking my collarbone and wrecking the bike. as there was no footage of the road at the time and no one willing to provide a statement, I was left without rebuke to the 'no we didn't, he was cycling unsafely, it was his fault' argument ( I wasn't). The headcam is there for video evidence in case of any future incident (god forbid). I am not fishing for confrontations, I almost never exclaim at another road user unless I am genuinely startled and avoid the shouting matches. to be fair, 99.9% of my saddle time is incident free.
However, in a recent conflict with an Addison Lee driver, you know the ones with the 'get outta my way / in your lane / pay road tax...' spittle out the window ragespew preceding/during/following a dangerous overtake, pointing out to said taximan that footage had and was continually being taken seemed to have a calming affect.

Plus it has a laser on it.

Pew, pew, pew.

I'm quite tempted to wear a headcam when cycling in London for precisely these reasons. However, I don't generally wear a helmet in London (unless it's raining or cold enough to justify a hat) and I think a headcam on a strap would be a little big too ninja for me to carry off. While a GoPro on the handlebars would be a bit too much down the totally rad, dude line. Maybe I could wear one of those tiny microSD card cameras as a buttonhole.

Pew, pew, pew.

Same logic, innit.

Not really, no. It's a method of transport which I choose to use. The only time it's relevant is whilst I'm cycling, a time when other road users are forced to make a snap judgement call about how to treat me; if/when to pass me, how much room to give me, how fast to pass me etc.

These decisions will be based (hopefully) on their knowledge and understanding of the highway code and in some cases on their previous experiences (both positive and negative) with other cyclists. I'd rather he hadn't just had some cunt on a bike jump a red in front of him or almost knock a granny over on a pedestrian crossing.

It is exactly that logic.

Bigoted Attitudes towards black people all being criminals, Muslims all being terrorists, cyclists all being rogue road users doesn't change by black people stopping committing crimes, Muslims all abandoning terrorism, cyclists all stopping rljing, Dutch people all stopping eating mayonnaise and women getting back in the kitchen. They stop by society deciding that being an ignorant, judgemental bigoted fuck isn't acceptable.

yer man trafficdroid does like a bit of the gay-hating.

Someone brought this up before, but then someone else countered it. Haven't seen any evidence of this.

^ agreed in some cases, they do seem to go looking for trouble and some overreact to the most minor of infringements.

It's a shame origamist took his videos down as they really were great. I think he's on here, but haven't seen him about for a while...

Origamist moved to Manchester. Was hoping to run into him when I was working up there as apparently we shared some commute, but I think he is one of those 'gets up early' types.

Maybe I'll bump into him on my way home from the pub.

don't bump into him, that's the last thing you want

Bigoted Attitudes towards black people all being criminals, Muslims all being terrorists, cyclists all being rogue road users doesn't change by black people stopping committing crimes, Muslims all abandoning terrorism, cyclists all stopping rljing, Dutch people all stopping eating mayonnaise and women getting back in the kitchen. They stop by society deciding that being an ignorant, judgemental bigoted fuck isn't acceptable.

Couldn't agree more. But until we land on Planet Utopia where a significant part of the population isn't an ignorant, judgmental bigoted fuck, isn't it worth bearing in mind that a significant proportion of the population are ignorant, judgmental bigoted fucks and acting accordingly? It's not pandering to them - it's simply reflecting the fact that many people are quite stupid or at least can't be bothered to make the effort not to act stupidly. If one dumb fuck doesn't cycle like a twat, and as a result another dumb fuck doesn't get to justify conduct which might kill or maim me, then I'm all for people not cycling like a twat. On that, and many other grounds.

Nice. Do they do a handlebar mount?

It's not pandering to them - it's simply reflecting the fact that many people are quite stupid or at least can't be bothered to make the effort not to act stupidly. If one dumb fuck doesn't cycle like a twat, and as a result another dumb fuck doesn't get to justify conduct which might kill or maim me, then I'm all for people not cycling like a twat. On that, and many other grounds.

Pandering to them would be tolerating people when they start going all 'cyclists are all this and that'.

Pandering to them would be having it in for shouty camera users because you think they make you look bad.

I don't cycle too much like a twat because I'm not too much of a twat.

There is no "us v them" there is only self interested bigotry and everyone else.

And the forrins, obvs.

well yes, of course.

/hides valuables
And the ones with dual citizenship, they're the worst because they're usandthem.

Indecisive bastards.

Pandering to them would be tolerating people when they start going all 'cyclists are all this and that'.

Pandering to them would be having it in for shouty camera users because you think they make you look bad.

I don't cycle too much like a twat because I'm not too much of a twat.

I agree. I don't cycle much like a twat because I'm not too much of a twat, or at least I delude myself to that effect. At the same time, I disapprove of shouty self-righteous confrontation-seeking camera-using cyclists not because they make me look bad, but because they reinforce the stereotypes which the stupid and the ignorant hold so dear. Putting people in stereotypical pigeon holes based on prejudice and bigotry is stupid, but you don't solve that by reinforcing those stereotypes.

Ultimately, a proportion of the population will always be crap on the roads and there's not much to be done about it. I say do what you think is right and don't try to change everyone around you all the time, especially by yelling at them, which changes nobody's mind. If you really care, do campaign work or teach cycle training. Otherwise, just accept that you have to allow for crapness and move on.

IMHO etc etc.

I started cycling a year ago because I got fed up sitting in my car at traffic lights watching cyclist jump red lighs. Now I cycle Like a twat and cyclist shout at me all the time.

car? i thought you had a van.

Calling myself out for cutting up a pedestrian in a shared space this morning. If only he'd had a headcam on and come running after me to shout in my face, then I'd ride differently tomorrow.

^yawn..

the difference being that you colliding with said pedestrian wouldn't have ended his life in the blink of an eye. nice try tho.

is it time to start calling out bad humans?

The incident is later on, for some reason he wants to show the confrontation first.