To$$ers in Hyde Park

il_principe

Wanted to get an hour in after work so included a few laps of Hyde Park and St James' on the way home.

2 things struck me, 1 quite literally.

1: I lost count of the number of light-less cyclists I glimpsed. Crazy people, very dangeous particularly on the strip in the park itself (up the little hill to speakers corner) where there are many peds about.

2: I got punched by a jogger! Going up said hill when the bloke in front of me has a wobble and slows dramatically, I slap the brakes on, can't go right, there's a bike coming so go left into the path of a jogger but out of his way in time - he decides to land a punch on my left arm as we pass! What a cock, I was too surprised to respond when it happened, but what sort of a w4nker thinks it's ok to punch people at random? I was nowhere near running into him, he didn't have to take evasive action (neither of us did) yet he decides to punch me.

I'm very fcuked off with myself for not turning round and having a word. Vented my spleen on the next light-less wonder I saw instead.

Still seething about it despite a cheeky glass of wine and the might Blues being 1-0 up.

Grrrrr, Fcuking joggers!

itboffin

Take care in Hyde park it's not unknown for people to be mugged for their bikes in there.

cjcp

jashburnham wrote:

I'm very fcuked off with myself for not turning round and having a word. Vented my spleen on the next light-less wonder I saw instead.

On the contrary, a model of restraint and you're the better off for it. You don't know what would have happened if you'd had a word.


(It's probably part of his regular jog route...)

DiggingDeeper

+1

The jogger sounds horrible. Too many people today think the world owes them a living and they are right about everything. You don't need to be like that.

Model of restraint as CJ said.

You have a slow burn fuse, that is a good thing. In the last few days in my manor 3 kids stabbed each other on a bus, some old boy got killed at a garage. About what!

I'm sure when it really matters you will react.

Chapeau sir

DD

greg66_tri_v2.0

Must be the season for it. This morning I was riding along, and a ped cross diagonally, not on the convenient crossing nearby. I have to slow a bit to go round. He doesn't bother slowing, but does take a swing at me with his bag!

Short man syndrome. He got a shouted "TO$$ER" for his trouble. There's no point stopping to pick an argument. How do you ever win? Just carry on and leave them in their sad little worlds.

The Chingford Skinhead

A tad annoying Jash but as others have said restraint is the best option - though like you I often let the not saying anything eat me up inside! On the bright side you can never win those arguments and you never know what he could be carrying... Hopefully Mr Drogba and co cheered you up tonight - and Claudio got a good reception on his return to the Bridge which I was personally pleased about

DiggingDeeper wrote:

+1
...
In the last few days in my manor 3 kids stabbed each other on a bus, some old boy got killed at a garage. About what!
...
DD

I should just like to point out that DD's manor is clearly rougher than my much nicer part of the E4 postal district What is more I have a rock solid alibi for both events... :twisted:

Vivid

Sounds terrible, you did the best thing though, sometimes its best to just leave it before it turns nasty, i blame knives.

Steve Kish

FWIW, you probably did the right thing in not retaliating - excellent self-restraint!

DonDaddyD

Tonight was awful, traffic everywhere and people acting out in frustration.

Sorry to here your experience Jash, I can't believe it...

georgee

That bit of Hyde Park is full of tools, never heard of people having bikes nicked there and I go through there twice a day. at night tons of PODs without light, I find screaming "lights" at them as loud as possible as you pass them has good comedy value.

Littigator

I used to commute through Hyde Park daily and did some lunchtime laps as well. I got so fed up with peds wandering in the cycle lane and other such numptyish 'moments' that I now only use the road around the Northern and Western side.

The cycle path in that whole park is a joke and so few people are properly aware of it that's it's a danger to do any more than walking speed anyway.

lost_in_thought

Totally agree - I used to go through there every day and still do lunchtime laps occasionally. The shared paths are a pain in the bum, peds constantly wandering into the cycle bit or wilfully getting in your way.

Last year I nearly took out someone's toddler which tripped and fell whilst suddenly running across the cycle path a few yards in front of me. Thank god I'd changed my brake blocks or I'd never have stopped in time. The family of said child gave me a full-on verbal assault in return for my actions, I was only going at about 12mph - not really that fast in my book but I now go at snail's pace on the shared bits.

A friend was mugged there last year at night, had her bike, bag, watch taken at knifepoint when a little lost stopped and looking around on the way from hyde park corner to speaker's corner.

I stick to the roads wherever possible. Well done for not retailiating, you never know who's a nutter.

Careful out there!

boondog

how do you do laps ? there's only 1 cycle lane isn't there ?

I agree that peds are the biggest danger, and unfortunately it gets much worse in the summer. inline skaters, idiots talking on phones whilst cycling, gangs walking 10 a breast etc.

Georgee .. whats a POD ?

This morning there was a copper on the pedestrian crossing near Hyde Park Corner instructing cyclists it was illegal to cycle over it. I stopped and asked him why, as it can be hard to get over there some mornings, and he told me that if I get hit on the crossing by a car, then I'm not covered by insurance..interesting.

chriskempton

You should all leave London and move somewhere you don't need to cycle in a park heaving with mad violent knife wielding pedestrians

Well that's what I did.

il_principe

I only use the cyclepath that runs from Hyde Park corner to speakers corner, then on to the roads, N Carriage, W Carriage, Exhibition road, S Carriage and repeat. It's not ideal but it is convenient If I want to get an hour in. Once the mornings are lighter I'll be heading to RP for early morning efforts instead, but have to get 3, 1 hour (non commuting) rides in on Tues, Weds and Thurs.

It is frustratingly slow using the park though, including the ride from the office, 3 laps and home, last night saw 15.56 miles covered in a moving time of 55. 4 Mins spent stopped at lights etc. Av speed was a lowly 16mph! Although Max was 33.1, spinny spinny in 15x16 on the Pearson!

I'm using an iphone GPS app (Trailguru) to track, but I suspect it is nowhere near as reliable as the Garmin.

biondino

boondog wrote:

This morning there was a copper on the pedestrian crossing near Hyde Park Corner instructing cyclists it was illegal to cycle over it. I stopped and asked him why, as it can be hard to get over there some mornings, and he told me that if I get hit on the crossing by a car, then I'm not covered by insurance..interesting.

This may well be right, but I have a feeling policemen, when asked to explain why a certain thing is legal or otherwise, tend to make up a convincing story in the same way parents do to kids when asked questions they don't know the answer to. Mithras?

I'd have thought cycling on a pedestrian crossing was illegal for exactly the same reason it's illegal to cycle on the pavement, since that section of the road becomes de facto pavement when the little man is green.

biondino

chriskempton wrote:

You should all leave London and move somewhere you don't need to cycle in a park heaving with mad violent knife wielding pedestrians

Well that's what I did.

Chriskempton (centre), yesterday:

lost_in_thought

jashburnham wrote:

Max was 33.1, spinny spinny in 15x16 on the Pearson!

That is some serious spinning, especially in 15x16!

Even in 51x16 that would be spinny spinny spinny... I am planning a switch back to 16t next week... bwahahahahaaaaaa

il_principe

lost_in_thought wrote:

jashburnham wrote:

Max was 33.1, spinny spinny in 15x16 on the Pearson!

That is some serious spinning, especially in 15x16!

Even in 51x16 that would be spinny spinny spinny... I am planning a switch back to 16t next week... bwahahahahaaaaaa

Spin like a duck!

il_principe

biondino wrote:

boondog wrote:

This morning there was a copper on the pedestrian crossing near Hyde Park Corner instructing cyclists it was illegal to cycle over it. I stopped and asked him why, as it can be hard to get over there some mornings, and he told me that if I get hit on the crossing by a car, then I'm not covered by insurance..interesting.

This may well be right, but I have a feeling policemen, when asked to explain why a certain thing is legal or otherwise, tend to make up a convincing story in the same way parents do to kids when asked questions they don't know the answer to. Mithras?

I'd have thought cycling on a pedestrian crossing was illegal for exactly the same reason it's illegal to cycle on the pavement, since that section of the road becomes de facto pavement when the little man is green.

Hang on though, don't those crossings have little green lights with bikes on them, next to the green man for peds?

lost_in_thought

jashburnham wrote:

biondino wrote:

boondog wrote:

This morning there was a copper on the pedestrian crossing near Hyde Park Corner instructing cyclists it was illegal to cycle over it. I stopped and asked him why, as it can be hard to get over there some mornings, and he told me that if I get hit on the crossing by a car, then I'm not covered by insurance..interesting.

This may well be right, but I have a feeling policemen, when asked to explain why a certain thing is legal or otherwise, tend to make up a convincing story in the same way parents do to kids when asked questions they don't know the answer to. Mithras?

I'd have thought cycling on a pedestrian crossing was illegal for exactly the same reason it's illegal to cycle on the pavement, since that section of the road becomes de facto pavement when the little man is green.

Hang on though, don't those crossings have little green lights with bikes on them, next to the green man for peds?

I think that particular one at Hyde Park Corner is the kind where you don't push a button, and there's a break in teh central reservation a little further along which, I understand, is where bikes are meant to turn/cross.

boondog

it's the last one as you exit the park onto South Carriage drive, so no lights - just a Zebra Crossing.

Lost_in_thought is spot on, we're supposed to use the break.

Though its frustrating to be delayed down there, I can then sprint down past the Palace and then Embankment. Quite a nice commute all in all.

Christophe3967

lost_in_thought wrote:

jashburnham wrote:

biondino wrote:

boondog wrote:

This morning there was a copper on the pedestrian crossing near Hyde Park Corner instructing cyclists it was illegal to cycle over it. I stopped and asked him why, as it can be hard to get over there some mornings, and he told me that if I get hit on the crossing by a car, then I'm not covered by insurance..interesting.

This may well be right, but I have a feeling policemen, when asked to explain why a certain thing is legal or otherwise, tend to make up a convincing story in the same way parents do to kids when asked questions they don't know the answer to. Mithras?

I'd have thought cycling on a pedestrian crossing was illegal for exactly the same reason it's illegal to cycle on the pavement, since that section of the road becomes de facto pavement when the little man is green.

Hang on though, don't those crossings have little green lights with bikes on them, next to the green man for peds?

I think that particular one at Hyde Park Corner is the kind where you don't push a button, and there's a break in teh central reservation a little further along which, I understand, is where bikes are meant to turn/cross.

Sounds like the police having nothing better to do again. As far as I'm aware the crossing there has a cycle lane with green cycle traffic lights (this is the one on the corner of Constitution Hill). The one coming out of Hyde Park is a pedestrian only crossing but there's no need for cyclists to use it in any case. I find it quicker to stay on the road (bendy buses do block you off sometimes though) rather than cutting through the arch in the middle. You then have some useful mommentum for some serious scalping down the hill.

Christophe3967

boondog wrote:

it's the last one as you exit the park onto South Carriage drive, so no lights - just a Zebra Crossing.

Lost_in_thought is spot on, we're supposed to use the break.

Though its frustrating to be delayed down there, I can then sprint down past the Palace and then Embankment. Quite a nice commute all in all.

Ah, that one. But as the cycle path from Rotten Row ends up to the left of the crossing, you can generally get across without too much delay or actually using the crossing itself. Half the time I don't need to stop completely although it's invariably busy. In the summer there are normally pedestrians around so the traffic is stopping anyway, and there's normally nothing coming from the left to worry about. Horses, joggers, and other cyclists are what I'm watching out for at this point.

chriskempton

biondino wrote:

chriskempton wrote:

You should all leave London and move somewhere you don't need to cycle in a park heaving with mad violent knife wielding pedestrians

Well that's what I did.

Chriskempton (centre), yesterday:

schlafsack

The problem with Hyde park is it's sometimes used by very poor yet agressive cyclists. If you are a non-cycling, regular user of the park then it's easy to develop the opinion that cyclists are a proper menace. People often forget that the cycle paths through the park are *pedestrian* paths that cyclists happen have special permission to use, particularly in Kensington Gardens.

I've seen cyclists travelling far too fast, repeatedly dinging their bells as if it will make the pedestrians disapear. I've even seen one red-faced old man cycle through kensington gardens pushing people off the path and yelling "THIS IS MY ROAD". People use the park for relaxation and recreation, so of course they are going to be off their guard - that's what they are there for - and you have to respect that. You must travel at a speed where you can deal with any situation. Toddlers, dogs, wobbly cyclists.

I'm not saying that the original poster did anything wrong in this instance, or deserved to be punched - there is no excuse for that. However, that jogger may have lashed out 'cos this was only the latest incident of many and just because there was no contact, it does not mean that the jogger was not intimidated by the situation.

And don't get me started on the behaviour of cyclists on Hyde Park corner....if you have half an hour one evening (preferably at home time), go an sit on the memorial and watch....

boondog

schlafsack - come on, give us the gory details !

lost_in_thought

Schlafsack - agreed on some of the paths, eg the one past round pond. However other paths, the one I had the toddler incident on for example, have a clearly defined split between the cycle lane and the pedestrian area. Unless I'm wrong, cyclists have priority in these cycle lanes.

schlafsack

Be considerate!
Pedestrians have priority over all other users of pathways, even in areas designated and marked for other purposes. You are asked to use these pathways considerately, especially when passing.

http://www.royalparks.org.uk/about/cyclingtips.cfm

lost_in_thought

schlafsack wrote:

Be considerate!
Pedestrians have priority over all other users of pathways, even in areas designated and marked for other purposes. You are asked to use these pathways considerately, especially when passing.

http://www.royalparks.org.uk/about/cyclingtips.cfm

Well I never.

Why on earth do they bother painting lines for the 'cycle lanes'?

schlafsack

boondog wrote:

schlafsack - come on, give us the gory details !

I have a reason to hang around the inside area of hyde park corner quite a bit and see all sorts of bafoonery, mostly comuters cycling far too fast through the crowds waiting to cross. One chap springs to mind though.

He was approaching a couple, arm-in-arm, walking towards the crossing into the park. He started dinging his bell and dinged faster and faster as he approached them. He didn't slow or turn out of the way and slammed pretty much into the back of the man-ped. The cyclist fell, hit his head pretty hard and dislocated his shoulder.

Whilst friends checked that he was OK, I called an ambulance (I could start another rant here 'cos the 999 lady would not dispatch an ambulance until I gave her the postcode...for a roundabout!!! - W1J 7NT is as close as you can get by the way). All the time he was being checked over he was moaning that "they didn't get out of his way" and "didn't they hear my bell".