Is it time to start calling out bad cyclists?

http://road.cc/content/news/117804-chris-hoy-hits-out-stupid%E2%80%9D-cyclists

guy on red road bike with tri bars through kingston, undertaking a left turning HGV that was indicating as the lights were changing. I shouted but you didn't hear as you had headphones in. classy

Bit of a shit one today (around 18:00): Riding down Acre Lane towards Brixton behind a young lady approx 23 on a blue pugeuot(?). I was about to suggest she give herself a little more space from parked cars when BANG!! She smashes into a car door. She's lucky as the car was facing her so the angle was favourable If it were the other way she'd have not only got messed up but would have taken me out, too. The driver was doing something in the passenger side with the door ajar on him.

I ask if she's ok.
her: "Yes"
me: "I was about to suggest giving yourself a little more space from parked cars"

She said something I can't remember pointing the blame at the driver- despite the door ebing open before she got there.
ME: "maybe you should see what damage you may have caused, also the driver has just had his door slammed against him."
her: "Don't tell me what to do" [[It was a suggestion]]
Me: Hang on. If that driver had smashed into you/your bike, you'd expect the driver to show a duty of care, you expect someone to help you. Why do you think it is someone else's responsibility?!"
her: "Yeah? well you should wear a helmet"
Me: "If I rode like you, I'd be inclined. You're just the kind of cunt needed on the roads. Well done, knober"

I get the whole inner dialogue where you think to yourself, 'maybe I should just keep going' but the fact it was pointed out that you'd not only damaged someone else's property but you possibly hurt them in the process and still felt zero inclination to even look back or see that they were ok for your own sakes is really low. Pray someone is there for when you get inevitably smashed by a car door, dickhead.

How many here have smashed into vehicles and just kept riding?

How many here have smashed into vehicles and just kept riding?

When I was 8 I smashed into the back of a parked car. I rode off pretty sharpish.

^And in adulthood?

http://road.cc/content/news/117804-chris-hoy-hits-out-stupid%E2%80%9D-cyclists

Amazing the number of commenters that refuse to address any of the issues being raised.

#longwaytogo

A few years back I was showing a visiting mate back to the train station, riding in primary to his secondary chatting away side by side I took the left turn but hadn't told him... we collided (I smashed into his vehicle), didn't hit the deck, he called me a "bad cyclist" (or said fookinellwatchadoin?), and we carried on riding.

/csb.

Front brake only geared roadie is the best I've seen. Or did I miss something? Didn't hang around him, just in case.

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pugeuot(?)

'Peugeot' :)

[Sorry face gif]

If I can get back to the subject of placating drivers, Here's why I think it will never work (and sorry it's a little long winded/has already been covered/is in the wrong thread). The main stated reason that car drivers hate cyclists is because they RLJ and don't obey the rules of the road even if as anyone using the road will attest most road users don't obey all of the rules of the road all of the time (indicating while turning, speeding, you know actually dangerous stuff), and you can see this in any comments section about RLJing, some rules are set in stone (never jump a red light) whereas other rules aren't (entering a ASZ/ parking on a cycle lane/texting/twatting around on a phone while driving, perhaps the most dangerous and common 'acceptable' lawbreak, which is sure to be the demise of many a cyclist in the next few years))
BUT they also hate cyclists when they 'take the lane' and ride not only legally but how it is recommended to ride, in these instances it is often said that cyclists should use 'road craft' or something like that (basically get the funk out of the way), so that is the first reason cyclists will never placate car drivers, even if everyone obeyed traffic lights and every other rule of the road there would be another reason and then another reason to hate cyclists which makes me think that there is an actual reason car drivers hate cyclists and I'm quite sure it is this:

Car drivers were sold a dream, an expensive dream, the dream is freedom in a car, all the adverts show cars wending their way in empty country roads, and words like 'freedom' are used a lot in car advertising, the car is supposed to represent freedom but the reality is quite different, it is expensive and most time spent in a car is stopping at lights, most people in cars in their morning commute look miserable so then when you get someone drifting past on a bike that probably cost less then the petrol in their petrol tank actually free (or as close as one can get to any kind of freedom) they are reminded that they were suckered into this dream and that they probably bankrupted themselves to partake of this dream that doesn't exist and one of the very reasons they are stuck in traffic going to a job they hate is to pay off the interest on the loan they took out to buy into this non existent dream and instead of realizing that they were scammed into a form of self imposed slavery they prefer to hate all reminders that in fact true freedom comes at a fraction of the price.

So in short I try to ride with consideration but I won't alter my riding simply to attempt to placate car drivers because they will never be happy and I think seeking permission from car drivers or their approval propagates a heirarchy that shouldn't exist. Cyclists don't need permission from car drivers to be on the road.

And while I'm here, when drivers insist that cyclists should have compulsory testing and insurance I tend to find that said drivers stfu pretty sharpish when I counter that perhaps in order to validate the drivers license, all drivers should have to commute on a bicycle for at least a month in the year, every year which would be easier and cheaper to implement, would be better for the environment and probably would genuinely improve road safety............... rant over

This is lfgss my friend, many of the people on here have custom bikes costing the same as a small car, not a tank of fuel.

this guy at herne hill yesterday

ticks all the track riding boxes

hehe

That would be the unavailable image box yes?

This is lfgss my friend, many of the people on here have custom bikes costing the same as a small car, not a tank of fuel.

yes but most of the people sauntering past their stationary car and through the red lights are on bikes they picked up for fifty quid ;)

this guy

So that's what John's famous circle line ride is? Glad I missed it.

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Aha. I'm happy to assume that.

Most of the people I saw this morning on CS7, London Bridge and Bishopsgate :-(

Hey! Us CS7 peeps ride fantastically well................. some of the time.

there was a guy on CS7 this morning riding southbound in the northbound bus lane

i wasn't even surprised by this because it is CS7

Style :-)

Met a right character this morning.

I'm (green) approaching traffic lights (red) and slowing down. I'm almost at a complete stop at the line when some rough builder looking bloke (yellow) darts across my path out of the cycle lane.

No bother, I had seen him coming and figured he was going to do that. The interesting bit was as he flew across the road he turned to me (I'm completely stopped now) and screams "THE LIGHTS ON RED YOU DAFT FUCKING BASTARD" ....oooookay fine nutter. All made better by the fact the traffic light was on red for him also.

Some people.

Me this morning. Chasing a green light at the Trafalgar Sq roundabout coming from Whitehall. Got too close to another rider's rear wheel so that when he shifted his pannier bag took my front wheel and I brought both of us down. Profuse apologies from me and that was that. The guy was really nice; no harm done kinda approach. But still I'm a dick; shouldn't have been there; shouldn't have taken him out; me - more or less deserved for being an eejit.

Apologies if this has been covered here already but given the theme of this thread what do people think about licencing cyclists? A terrible or merely a bad idea??

Nice first post.

Licence is a noun, but license is a verb. You mean "licensing" and it's unworkable, unnecessary, unenforceable and has failed everywhere they've tried it.

It would also go against current government policy- to encourage cycling. Will never happen, in short. Not even in the top fifty ways of making the roads safer.