Just been gobbed on

Buggi

Bongobabe wrote:

Hi all, new to the forums, hope you don't mind me posting.

I've only been commuting for a couple of weeks (gone from being a keen indoor cyclist to brave the great outdoors), and on my first trip to work I was on the cycle path with lots of cyclists going by, and I could hear a rider behind me. I was thinking to myself, 'why aren't you going by - there's plenty of room?' and when there was nobody else around, he cycled by and squeezed my bum on the way.

I was stunned, and nearly tipped off my bike. I was really scared too, and wasn't sure what to do. I stopped by some chaps working in the road, and the guy kept looking back, I think to see what I was going to do. I just paused until he was well out of sight and cycled on to work. I told my colleague who told me not to give up cycling for one idiot, and got me a really loud attack alarm to attach to the front of my cycle rucksack- bless.

I haven't had any probs since, but traded in my nice lycra for baggies for a week as I thought I might have been 'asking for trouble'. This week I thought I should wear what I like on my bike and put my lycra shorts back on.

I guess it's sad but there's bad cyclists out there too as well as nasty pedestrians and drivers.

i have my arse smacked a total of 3 times now, the most recent in Paris by some guy on a moped. i have personally never found any of the incidents threatening in a "sexual" way, only thought of them as annoying cheeky idiots to risk knocking me off.

However hun, if i was you i would trust your gut instinct and if you felt threatened sexually then you should report it to the police. There was a time when i was followed by someone and i knew it was more than someone just being a cheeky idiot, so i reported it. There is a reason God gave women gut instincts and sexual pervs is one of them. If it made you stop in your tracks and wait for him to disappear, then there is something seriously wrong there. Wear what you want, baggy shorts are not going to deter a perv... reporting him to the police might do tho. And don't think it's too late, he might be a serial arse pincher... and the sad fact is that people who commit serious sexual offences start off with minor offences like this until they grow more confident that they are not going to get caught, so get on the phone to the cops hun as soon as possible.

ps.. get yourself a CO2 cannister (as you're new to cycling you might not know about them, they are little cannisters that pump your tyres up really quickly). a squirt in the face with one of those will probably be more effective. see how he likes a cold burn to his eyes.

Stxsas

I have mixed feeling about this thread.
About groups of young adolescent scum, I have to say that most people are unaware of there limitations in regards to self defence. Being attack by several people is a different kettle of fish to a single opponent.
Lets face it the easiest way to win any fight is not to get into one, no matter how angry.
The best course of action these days seems to report it to the authorities.
When you report it make sure you pester them, as some police forces prioritise cases, but if you pester them then they will have to do something to get you off their backs.
With young people and people in general, you cannot change their ways through use of violence. You need the authorities to take action against the "yob culture".
It is true that more youths are carrying knives these days but the majority do not know how to use them properly, but this still makes them dangerous.

Your best weapons in difficult and violent situations is your mind, and your ability to escape, which is alot easier on a bike.
If you are unable to escape, then use what ever means to escape you can. Use tools like a cycle pump, a multitool even a shot of water to the face from a bottle might give you enough time to escape.
Stay calm, escape.
Once safe, report or write down all you remember and follow your reports up.

MentalRaver

Stxsas wrote:

I have mixed feeling about this thread.
About groups of young adolescent scum, I have to say that most people are unaware of there limitations in regards to self defence. Being attack by several people is a different kettle of fish to a single opponent.
Lets face it the easiest way to win any fight is not to get into one, no matter how angry.
The best course of action these days seems to report it to the authorities.
When you report it make sure you pester them, as some police forces prioritise cases, but if you pester them then they will have to do something to get you off their backs.
With young people and people in general, you cannot change their ways through use of violence. You need the authorities to take action against the "yob culture".
It is true that more youths are carrying knives these days but the majority do not know how to use them properly, but this still makes them dangerous.

Your best weapons in difficult and violent situations is your mind, and your ability to escape, which is alot easier on a bike.
If you are unable to escape, then use what ever means to escape you can. Use tools like a cycle pump, a multitool even a shot of water to the face from a bottle might give you enough time to escape.
Stay calm, escape.
Once safe, report or write down all you remember and follow your reports up.

I agree apart from more youths are carrying knives.....most people don't carry knives.

Remember I said about impact factors? Well, reasonable force is your tool in the bag and if the odds are against you, you can raise your ante as long as it's "reasonable"

A friend once said "Better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6."

Stxsas

Just for some of you that might not be aware.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/YoungPeople/CrimeAndJustice/TypesOfCrime/DG_10027666

Porgy

mazcp wrote:

Porgy wrote:

...Anyway I tried that. And I wrote to the council. And I put notes on the cars. Blah blah blah. Anything else I forgot to mention?

Yes, you forgot to mention the outcome of each of these lines of enquiries...before smashing in wing mirrors.

I didn;t smash in wing mirrors!

I squeezed passed the cars that were parked on the pavement - on the little bit of pavement left. I'd tried walking on the road and got a lot of abuse. As a side efffect of this squeezing through I twanged a few mirrors - after all they stick out a bit. A few broke off. But I ask you - what was I supposed to do. Presumably these people were parking on the pavement because there wasn;t enough space on the road - my road by the way - the road I was living on. But not concerned what their non-driving neighbours would do to get from A to B with the pavement out of commission. After being there several years and being completely fed up with my neighbours attitude to pedestrians, and veery other avenue failing, I decided to stop being careful about the wing mirrors, and stop running the gauntlet of traffic in the middle of the road just to get to the shops or the tube station every day!

I set off a few alarms too.

What's your problem? Do you park on the pavement?

misterben

I see a lot of stuff here about helmet cams - are they a useful (and permissable in court) tool in going to the authorities? Anybody got experience?

mazcp

Porgy wrote:

Do you park on the pavement?

Yeah, 'course I do. What you gonna do about it?! Knock my wing mirror off?

...ooops, sorry, starting to sound like one of your neighbours.