Why do some people always want to shout at us...?

ChrisLS

...I've been shouted at and abused by all sorts over the years. People in cars, people on the pavement, even another cyclist had a go at me last night on a cycle lane because I was cycling on the lefthand side :shock:

...anyway why do we get shouted at? I've been shouted at in France...they shout encouraging things 8)

t4tomo

Is it just when you are on the biek or is it in general like
"get back indoor syou ugly b*****g, you're scaring my kids?

In which case maybe cycle with a bag on your head?

ChrisLS

...no mostly when I'm on the biek I don't think my appearance scares young children...

Headhuunter

I've been shouted at by peds 3 times in the past couple of weeks for jumping reds on ped crossing when I haven't! Twice along Tooley St, peds basically continue crossing after the red man is illuminated and I start moving when the amber flash starts and get yelled at! I yelled back.... 3rd time was last weekend, some old duffer with a walking stick and his wife started crossing as I was approaching the ped crossing, the lights were only just flicking to amber from green and there was no way I could have stopped. I had to swerve round them and got yelled at. They were in the wrong...

alan_sherman

Beware pedestrian crossings because the green man is still flashing when the traffic lights go to amber. Remember amber only means 'advance only if the road is clear' so pedestrians have priority over you.

Headhuunter

alan sherman wrote:

Beware pedestrian crossings because the green man is still flashing when the traffic lights go to amber. Remember amber only means 'advance only if the road is clear' so pedestrians have priority over you.

Yes, if they have already started crossing but it doesn't mean they can dash across in front of you when the red man is showing and then yell at you for jumping the red!

notsoblue

Headhuunter wrote:

I've been shouted at by peds 3 times in the past couple of weeks for jumping reds on ped crossing when I haven't! Twice along Tooley St, peds basically continue crossing after the red man is illuminated and I start moving when the amber flash starts and get yelled at! I yelled back.... 3rd time was last weekend, some old duffer with a walking stick and his wife started crossing as I was approaching the ped crossing, the lights were only just flicking to amber from green and there was no way I could have stopped. I had to swerve round them and got yelled at. They were in the wrong...

Yeah, whats up with that? I get this a lot. Pedestrians who seem to pay no attention to their lights, but that accuse you of rlj. One of them even tried to shoulder barge me off my bike to punish me for running a red light when I was through on green.

t4tomo

I had to yell* at 3 pedestrian last night, for crossing roads without looking just in front of me. It seems when its raining you don't need to lookout for traffic as an evening standard over your head makes you invincible.

People pull some interesting expressions when they think they are inches away from getting mown down, when in reality if they just stand still I can easily miss them.

* a frantic "look-out" rather than anything expressing opinion as to their level of road awareness.

sketchley

Why can't I stop shouting at motorists and motorcycles, and scooters. I would like to commute in nice zen like calm, a real oneness with the road and traffic.

Trouble is there are far too many complete tossers on the road.

Back to OP, at least you don't get called "fat cnut" 2 or 3 times a week..... That being said it's not happened this week yet, but there's still time to go.....

notsoblue

Sketchley wrote:

Why can't I stop shouting at motorists and motorcycles, and scooters. I would like to commute in nice zen like calm, a real oneness with the road and traffic.

Trouble is there are far too many complete tossers on the road.

Back to OP, at least you don't get called "fat cnut" 2 or 3 times a week..... That being said it's not happened this week yet, but there's still time to go.....

Don't worry, if you keep to your current cycling habits, then by the end of the summer it'll just be "cnut".

clarkey cat

People are always shouting at me "Get out my garden"

MonkeyMonster

Hambones wrote:

People are always shouting at me "Get out of my wife"

ftfy

TheStone

I've given up caring.

Used to think that everyone hated cyclists because of the few rude people who dangerously jump the lights (and by that I mean those that force peds to step back etc, not those drifting through an empty crossing).

Now I've realised that a lot of people just hate cyclists. In the case of drivers I think it's because we can get round a city so much quicker and cheaper. In the case of peds, it's probably just that they read the daily mail and should probably be aborted anyway.

SimonAH

I tend to do the yelling TBH - there are so few bikes on the road in my (remote provincial) neck of the woods that most drivers have no idea how to behave.

Gets my average speed up no end though trying to power down an 'harris that's cut me up. Never catch 'em on these relatively open roads but the adrenaline burst gets me to work quicker

rick_chasey

Sketchley wrote:

Why can't I stop shouting at motorists and motorcycles, and scooters. I would like to commute in nice zen like calm, a real oneness with the road and traffic.

Trouble is there are far too many complete tossers on the road.

Back to OP, at least you don't get called "fat cnut" 2 or 3 times a week..... That being said it's not happened this week yet, but there's still time to go.....

Reign it in. Is better for you and for everyone else.

I used to rage at people. Now i'm very chillaxed. I get less (it's all relative) abuse, and I'm more stable when I get in to work.

It's the only way.

funkidunc

Sketchley wrote:

Why can't I stop shouting at motorists and motorcycles, and scooters. I would like to commute in nice zen like calm, a real oneness with the road and traffic.

Trouble is there are far too many complete tossers on the road.

Back to OP, at least you don't get called "fat cnut" 2 or 3 times a week..... That being said it's not happened this week yet, but there's still time to go.....

I get called that too but I smile as commuting by bike will get me thin...biscuits permitting.

Its funny that said people tend not to make eye contact when I catch up with them at junctios/traffic lights and I question their intelligence.

iPete

Do people ride in another dimension to me? Very very very rarely have any confrontation with other road users.

As for peds crossing, if you see them in the road & the lights change, try waiting, the number of cyclists who just go is unbelievable.

& if you do have confrontation, blow them a kiss and carry on.

clarkey cat

you need to stay chilled - gobbing off with change nothing

saying that, I did give a c0ck in a convertible audi the finger the other day on Cheyne Walk as he was revving and beeping behind me as we both rolled up to a red light.

Headhuunter

notsoblue wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

I've been shouted at by peds 3 times in the past couple of weeks for jumping reds on ped crossing when I haven't! Twice along Tooley St, peds basically continue crossing after the red man is illuminated and I start moving when the amber flash starts and get yelled at! I yelled back.... 3rd time was last weekend, some old duffer with a walking stick and his wife started crossing as I was approaching the ped crossing, the lights were only just flicking to amber from green and there was no way I could have stopped. I had to swerve round them and got yelled at. They were in the wrong...

Yeah, whats up with that? I get this a lot. Pedestrians who seem to pay no attention to their lights, but that accuse you of rlj. One of them even tried to shoulder barge me off my bike to punish me for running a red light when I was through on green.

I think part of the problem is that, on roads like Tooley St which are usually jammed with stationary traffic which tends to leave a gap at ped crossings, peds see stationary motor traffic and assume they can just wander across the road between the cars without looking and then get a shock when they almost get mown down by cyclists and motorbikes who are still moving....

davmaggs

Headhuunter wrote:

alan sherman wrote:

Beware pedestrian crossings because the green man is still flashing when the traffic lights go to amber. Remember amber only means 'advance only if the road is clear' so pedestrians have priority over you.

Yes, if they have already started crossing but it doesn't mean they can dash across in front of you when the red man is showing and then yell at you for jumping the red!

I have a lot of sympathy for this and have ranted on the forum before. For some reason this week has had a flurry of people just walking out on main roads and looking the wrong way.

However if someone is infirm and on a crossing then give way. There's a good chance that frightening them will lead to a fall. Bank the karma.

Initialised

Mrs Ini says it's the worst part about going running, stupid comments. I get it from time to time.

king_jeffers

davmaggs wrote:

I have a lot of sympathy for this and have ranted on the forum before. For some reason this week has had a flurry of people just walking out on main roads and looking the wrong way.

Full moon

SmellTheGlove

A recent one springs to mind; a few people milling about on the pavement as people do, as I ride past one shouts "Don't slow down mate". Well, I thought thanks I'm so glad to have your permission; on the other hand, it was a fairly busy street, so I shouldn't assume that every remark is directed at me.
This is always my first response to horn-blowing; there's rarely any way of knowing who it's directed at, so I let it go.

noodles71

Headhuunter wrote:

I think part of the problem is that, on roads like Tooley St which are usually jammed with stationary traffic which tends to leave a gap at ped crossings, peds see stationary motor traffic and assume they can just wander across the road between the cars without looking and then get a shock when they almost get mown down by cyclists and motorbikes who are still moving....

I hit a Samoan double door refrigerator with ice cube maker (best description) heading down Bishopsgate like this one day. He came out between the gap of two stopped busses. Just about the time I was about to involuntarily crap myself he got up and said "hey bro I'm really sorry hey". Was good on two fronts.... I didn't get beaten up by the man mountain and the bike didn't get damaged at all.

Moral of the story..... Peds may be stupid sometimes but they aren't all bad all the time.

Headhuunter

noodles71 wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

I think part of the problem is that, on roads like Tooley St which are usually jammed with stationary traffic which tends to leave a gap at ped crossings, peds see stationary motor traffic and assume they can just wander across the road between the cars without looking and then get a shock when they almost get mown down by cyclists and motorbikes who are still moving....

I hit a Samoan double door refrigerator with ice cube maker (best description) heading down Bishopsgate like this one day. He came out between the gap of two stopped busses. Just about the time I was about to involuntarily crap myself he got up and said "hey bro I'm really sorry hey". Was good on two fronts.... I didn't get beaten up by the man mountain and the bike didn't get damaged at all.

Moral of the story..... Peds may be stupid sometimes but they aren't all bad all the time.

I've hit peds emerging from behind lorries/vans/buses a couple of times, both times I went down like a sack o' spuds and they remained standing... I go a lot slower when filtering these days but even then you get close calls when peds just meander through traffic....