This morning's commute and other commuting stories

ginger twat

Bit racist fam.

I'm sorry but I have his stupid ginger beard and gf's screaming face etched into my mind by the fight or flight response. I think I've forever going to associate those fair-skinned and red follicled people as being shitstains of the highest rank thanks to this deficient specimen so I'm going to be rather like one of those shelter dogs that the new owner discovers has a pathological fear or hatred of certain things...

It might not help that i was on my way to the cinema to see Macbeth and spent two hours watching people being brutally hacked apart or burnt at the stake, as my reaction feels quite rational by comparison.

One was being given a talking to by the popo on OKR/Bricklayers as I was heading home Wednesday. So either they're all being driven awfully or karma caught up with that one.

Got the bus and caught every red light in S. London.

We had the coveted top-front seats which gave me a good vantage point to spot the countless dozens of dick moves by road users.

It saddens me to say that the vast, vast majority of these were from cyclists.

Mainly just selfish, "me-first" stuff rather than dangerous behaviour, but you can see why other road users hate us. They shouldn't, but you can understand why they do.

including the fuckshovel and his boyfriend that told me to 'get out of the middle road you cunt' before threatening me with violence on kennington road this morning? no. these cunt's opinions and sense of entitlement are so deeply and irrationally ingrained there's nothing you or i can do whilst on a bike that will change them. if as a driver, you are going to use minor infractions that are more likely than not motivated by a sense of self preservation on the part of the individual committing them, to collectively blame a minority, the problem lies entirely with the person making that claim, and they probably shouldn't be driving a vehicle in a public space. fuck em.

I know - that's what's depressing about it.

It sometimes feels like we're heading into a giant road user cunt-off with everyone being as shitty as possible to each other.

Kennington Road? What were you on BTW?

green mash. about 8am-ish

White shirt, blue trousers?

ha! no sir / ma'am.

#strtgth4lyf

Ha, there was this guy on a green mash with a white short sleeved shirt but had his lock wrapped round his shoulder. Stains guaranteed.

tchoh! giving mash riders a bad name.

wait... what?

loving the mist commute in, temperature drop was good as well, could break out more of the winter gear, snow socks, gore text boots, and the softshell gilet, came out to play today..

Back on Belfast streets, yep the tiny town my parents live in The Netherlands is more chill.

But then, the roads are wider, the speed limit is 20mph, not 30 and nearly everyone that drives cycles too. There's parking on cycle lanes there too, and a fair few unlit cyclists (even though Dutch bikes traditionally have dynohubs) but there you go.

Still, it's not bad over here in Belfast bar the fact that some people can't drive for shit, but you get that everywhere too. But more room on the roads/cycle lanes would be nice...less defensive cycling and more chill cycling...

The problem is that when you're in the bus, you don't see as many motorists passing you as much as cyclists thus you see more poor cycling.

This is where the perception come from.

It was sitting on a bus commute, watching people on bikes whiz by, that got me back into cycling. Thank you bike people.

Got lots of dirty looks from couriers today, hey guyz. You look like your having lots of fun...

Yeah maybe you perceive more infractions from the road user group who overtakes you more.

Bus > cyclists
Cyclists > cars
Cars > ??

Cars > Bloody cyclists

Explains everything

Joy of Sarf Lundun innit, I haz a car and I iz betta then u.

Every letter sent from DVLA should have driving is a privilege not a right.

Busses innit as they pull out when ever they like.

Clearly, motorists rage is making life for the cyclist more dangerous.
I can't help thinking that their rage is being exacerbated by the measures designed to keep cyclists safe: segregation reduces road space for the "entitled" and so when there's no segregation, the cyclist is the focus of each moment of their delay and thus of their anger, or simply much more vulnerable to the angry/distracted/delayed/those feeling "deprived" of time or road space

Need to work on making the congestion charge zone a big park+ride.

That's another wee bugbear of mine...
Superhighways going in to get rider levels up... But finding somewhere to lock your steed is no easier when you get there

Or people get behind the wheel and become awful people.