if you're slow and like to pootle, then DON'T FILTER!!!

boneyjoe

Now I have absolutely no problem with anyone who filters safely, and makes a swift getaway when the lights change (whether you're on a carbon beauty, brompton or rusty piece of crap). BUT, the past few days I've noticed an alarming (and hugely irritating, not to mention dangerous) tendency, whereby the slow pootlers (who you just passed a minute ago), come filtering through the traffic at junctions and push their way right to the front! Everyone (and I mean everyone!) then jostles dangerously past them when the lights change, only for the exact same thing to happen at the next set of lights!

Finally lost it and yelled blue murder at one of these idiots this morning, who'd almost taken out a bunch of other riders in a dodering swerve across the lanes!

Don't know quite what the solution is, but I for one will be having harsh words with these people going forwards!

asprilla

I think this occasionally, but then I realise that I'm doing exactly the same thing to every car driver who has just overtaken me. I then get tied up trying to justify why I shoud be able to get to the front and others shouldn't.

Eventually I give up because I can't do it.

BentMikey

Annoying, certainly, but I don't get why it's dangerous to overtake the slow pootlers? They are usually gutter nutters, which means they are nicely out of your way when you take the lane across the junction as you should be doing anyway.

boneyjoe

I think the difference is that most people try not to hold up traffic, while these lame individuals seem determined to do so.

They will probably cause a crash at some point no doubt. I hope not serious of course, but just enough to deter them from getting back on their bikes!

asprilla

The only time I find it dangerous is if someone stands front right and then starts to move to the gutter as soon as they set off.

BentMikey

boneyjoe wrote:

I think the difference is that most people try not to hold up traffic, while these lame individuals seem determined to do so.

They will probably cause a crash at some point no doubt. I hope not serious of course, but just enough to deter them from getting back on their bikes!

...and how do you justify your filtering to the front given Asprilla's very good point of you holding up all the motor vehicle drivers?

boneyjoe

The overtaking gets dangerous in narrow city lanes, jostling with cars, cabs, trucks, other cyclists etc. At least it feals pretty hairy to me at times!

lost_in_thought

Asprilla wrote:

I think this occasionally, but then I realise that I'm doing exactly the same thing to every car driver who has just overtaken me. I then get tied up trying to justify why I shoud be able to get to the front and others shouldn't.

Eventually I give up because I can't do it.

Spot on. That's why, if I know that traffic is moving at a pace where it's just going to have to overtake me again immediately, I tend to join the queue.

boneyjoe

If you use the cycle lanes, you are not holding up the motor vehicles at all. And yet, these slow idiots filter between the cars and then push in front of you! Its a totally different issues to car v bike.

rich_e

I hate this too.

I'll have have perhaps overtaken someone who is pootling along on some old piece of crap. I arrive in the ASL, and next thing I know, they have filtered, gone straight through the ASL and are sat in front of me.

Now the ones that don't RLJ then sometimes go forward on to the edge of the road, past the pedestrian area.... it's just stupid because in some areas, this means you can't even see the traffic lights.

Happened to me this morning in a cycle lane infact. Waiting right at the front of it for the individual lights to change. Another cyclist pushes his way past me, so he's beyond the lights, and doesn't even know they've changed. :roll:

BentMikey

boneyjoe wrote:

If you use the cycle lanes, you are not holding up the motor vehicles at all. And yet, these slow idiots filter between the cars and then push in front of you! Its a totally different issues to car v bike.

So you're sitting in the left when crossing junctions? Just because a cycle lane is painted there doesn't mean it's a safe place to ride. To me, those lanes do an excellent job of painting the *most* dangerous bits of road to ride in.

boneyjoe

Well Hallelujah! Finally, someone agrees with me! Thank you Rich_E!

scottgeniusltd2005

ooohh bike snobbery. as if we don't have enough problems with cars, bus, coaches,lorries, mopeds, motorbikes,wvm...now we have road rage cyclists!!! get a grip, you don't own the road anymore than they do, oh i forgot, because your faster, fitter, can afford a better bike, you feel you can shout at these poor people who dared to get in the way of your record attempt to get to work, or as in your own words, the next traffic light on red. :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

boneyjoe

Scottidiot, you have totally missed the point. These are dead slow riders who aggressively push to the front at junctions, instead of waiting in line, like the rest of us.

Oddjob62

scottgeniusltd2005 wrote:

oh i forgot, because your faster, fitter, can afford a better bike, you feel you can shout at these poor people who dared to get in the way of your record attempt to get to work

No, it's simply the fact that if i'm first bike to the lights, other bikes should wait behind me. If they are at the lights first i wait behind them. It's not snobbery or a case of who owns the road, it's common courtesy.

rich_e

boneyjoe wrote:

Scottidiot, you have totally missed the point. These are dead slow riders who aggressively push to the front at junctions, instead of waiting in line, like the rest of us.

Yeah!

It's the whole principle of why push to the front of other cyclists who are clearly faster than you. I just don't understand it. Like has also been said, I've just passed you as I was clearly going much faster, so why then stop infront of me, often across the ASL white line!

I mean, for example, if I rocked up to an ASL on my downhill bike, and there was a Roadie there, in full lycra on a carbon bike, I wouldn't dare go in front of him. But maybe it's just because I'm aware of my surroundings and what is going on. I think it highlights how so many people who cycle in London just don't have a clue. I'd imagine many don't drive either, so don't have that experience to rely on.

I'm sure we call all agree though that to stay to the left in a cycle lane or at the side of an ASL is a stupid idea if you intend to pootle, as there is a very good chance somebody may turn left on you. It amazes me when I see so many cyclists just queing in a line in a cycle lane at a junction when the rest of the ASL is empty. It's there for you to use!

scottgeniusltd2005

"scottidiot"? you sound like a really nice fella. call people names, shouting at strangers because they don't conform to your idea of cycling ettiquette. i'd like to see you try that in a country like holland or india.

davidmarsden

Take it on the chin. So what they pulled in front of you its not the end of the world.
Cars are always faster than me put I pull in front of them at the lights and further down the road they may have to wait to overtake me if there is a car in the oncoming lane. Its the way traffic works.

These cyclists maybe wrong but maybe they made a mistake. Shouting is the wrong way to go.

DonDaddyD

It annoys the absolute hell out of me when a person is riding slow, I've past them, I'm stopped out at the lights and they plonk their bike in front of mine.

They then proceed to ride their bike at a speed I find it hard to keep my bike upright or even pedal without going to a smaller ring at the front. I then have to wrestle with them and vehicles to the right to go about my merry way.

The only other thing I hate is when the pull up beside me, with me waiting near the curb and they move off and box me off...

chuckcork

I think they believe their still in a car and therefore have the divine right to overtake pointlessly before they have to stop anyway and then block the road for everyone.

If its motorists doing that I either a) let them because I know I'm not going to get held up that much and I'm not really giving a sh!t or b) just cruise past them and make the whole overtaking thing look pretty damned pointless and pathetic.

With a bike though? When in the past its been a road bike and me on a Sirrus, and they then faff and wobble around trying to clip in while moving nowhere I've simply overtaken them at speed to make the point. With slopwpokes though I guess all you can do is not get aggro over nothing, after all you're held up by 2 seconds, what are you a motorist for it to be a life and ego threatening experience?

I find its where I've overtaken someone and then stopped after a hundred metres or so ahead for a red and they then run it ;then I go on green and pass them again and then again stop for a red and they again cruise through it, that makes me feel like getting physical :evil:

freehub

So if the traffic lights are red, I see a space at the side of the road to get by, is it not ok for me to go to the front?

BentMikey

It's not a queue of bikes, it's a queue of idiots in tin cans. For the rest of us sensible people on two wheels, if there's a space put a bike in it. And chill out, like others have said.

And ride out more, don't be a gutter nutter.

gandhi

chuckcork wrote:

I find its where I've overtaken someone and then stopped after a hundred metres or so ahead for a red and they then run it ;then I go on green and pass them again and then again stop for a red and they again cruise through it, that makes me feel like getting physical :evil:

That really annoys me too! Mostly because I realise it makes absolutely no difference to my personal journey time, and affects me in no way apart from irrationally winding me up - it just seems unfair...

Rich158

It does seem to be getting worse from tonights experience, and those fucking bromptons are a complete pain in the arse:twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

I saw some of the worst cycling ever tonight. Some silly cow tried to go up the inside of an artic at the top end of Regent street, when he was indicating to turn left :shock: It was a good job she was blocked by a moped. She then proceeded to pootle across every set of red lights, weaving in and out of the peds. Talk about give us a bad name :twisted:

robrauy

Rich_E wrote:

Now the ones that don't RLJ then sometimes go forward on to the edge of the road, past the pedestrian area.... it's just stupid because in some areas, this means you can't even see the traffic lights.

Don't think this is stupid at all - I do this often if I feel unsafe at a junction. I'd prefer to sit past the pedestrians rather than get caught up in the tangle of cyclists, buses and lane changing cars.

Even when you can't see the lights, you can always hear the revving cars when they do change.

Having been knocked off my bike twice this year I really don't care if this upsets some people.

roger_merriman

to be honest I don't mind the bimblers as they don't know what they are doing and are so slow, that with my quick take off are easy enought to pass well before cars have started to catch up.

oddly enought on the big hybrid it's the normally faster roadies that can be a slight problem, in that that while on the open road SCRing they will woosh past away from the lights they tend to not spring away, and yes they do commonly plonk them selfs at the front having reached the lights after.

so I either just wait if they can pull away reasonbly well, or if not pull away knowing that in all likely hood they will either pass me or be with me at the next lights and so on.

just depends on the roads as to what I do I tend to just pull away as most other cyclists seem to pull away painfully slow, I know i'm slower as well once in the lycra and the clipless.

BentMikey

robrauy wrote:

Rich_E wrote:

Now the ones that don't RLJ then sometimes go forward on to the edge of the road, past the pedestrian area.... it's just stupid because in some areas, this means you can't even see the traffic lights.

Don't think this is stupid at all - I do this often if I feel unsafe at a junction. I'd prefer to sit past the pedestrians rather than get caught up in the tangle of cyclists, buses and lane changing cars.

Even when you can't see the lights, you can always hear the revving cars when they do change.

Having been knocked off my bike twice this year I really don't care if this upsets some people.

It's both bad cyclecraft and illegal, and it isn't improving your safety. You can do far better by taking the lane across the junction as mentioned earlier in this discussion.

robrauy

BentMikey wrote:

robrauy wrote:

Rich_E wrote:

Now the ones that don't RLJ then sometimes go forward on to the edge of the road, past the pedestrian area.... it's just stupid because in some areas, this means you can't even see the traffic lights.

Don't think this is stupid at all - I do this often if I feel unsafe at a junction. I'd prefer to sit past the pedestrians rather than get caught up in the tangle of cyclists, buses and lane changing cars.

Even when you can't see the lights, you can always hear the revving cars when they do change.

Having been knocked off my bike twice this year I really don't care if this upsets some people.

It's both bad cyclecraft and illegal, and it isn't improving your safety. You can do far better by taking the lane across the junction as mentioned earlier in this discussion.

Sorry - I don't agree. Surely it's "Bad Cyclecraft" and not improving anyone's safety to suggest that following an overly simplistic rule at all junctions is the right thing to do.

I can think of one busy crossroads where there are 3 lanes of traffic - 1 left turn only, 2 straight on. 200 yds away there is a right turn filter. It's a very straight road and reminds me of a drag strip.

There are cars in the left turning lane that have only just realised, and want to go straight on. There are cars in the middle lane that need to get right as soon as the lights changed to get in the filter lane. There are always several cyclists at the front of the left turn lane who will also go straight on. And there are loads of youths on scooters who often don't give a sh*t about how they ride.

I can sit on the other side of the pedestrians and still see the red light. When it changes I am well ahead and in a safe place before the wave of chaos swallows me up.

Oh and sorry but the legality of this doesn't interest me.

vorsprung

I blame Boris for suggesting this on the radio

DonDaddyD

I hate it when they box me in beside the curb at the lights then I have to let them go ahead just to drop them again.

Sewinman

I would consider giving up commuting if this kind of thing annoys you! I normally react with a pitiful smirk.

Most of these types are in a complete world of their own and are certainly not 'aggresively filtering', just brain dead 'i must not stop as i am on bike' pootling. They are like zombies.

Get over it. The remedies to the problem would effect us all...i.e. awareness training.