So many idiots on the road today

kona_matt

Just to acknowledge the other road users i had there pleasure of encountering today:

The lady who managed to mount the verge on a dead straight, dry section of road, hit the fence and spin the car back to face where she'd come from causing a 1 mile tailback - IDIOT (she's fine by the way, i saw her retrieving her handbag from the passenger seat of her written off car as i rode past before being taken away by the boys in blue)

The white van man who passed me at about 70mph in a 50 zone giving about 0.5m clearance - IDIOT

The teenage girl riding her BSO on the right hand side of the road into oncoming traffic over the brow of a hill - IDIOT

The hyundai driver who passed me at 40mph when i was in the primary going under a narrow bridge - IDIOT

The orange girls on their way out in a pink limo who threw some horrible alcopop in my direction with the words "ere are mate, av a drink" - IDIOTS

And not forgetting the scooby doo driver who was so desperate to get past he used every last bit of his turbo before hitting the breaks and cutting me off turning left in front of me - IDIOT

Thank you.... thank you all...... no........ really, i don't know what i'd have done without you today.

Initialised

The bloke tearing down the Queensway in a green classic, loud sports car. I don't think he knew the police were waiting for him - IDIOT

bikes.org.uk

All that in one day?! I'm so glad I gave up commuting years ago. Such a shame these idiots spoil it for everyone else.

Did you know there are 700,000 cycling commuters in the UK?

tangled_metal

bikes.org.uk wrote:

All that in one day?! I'm so glad I gave up commuting years ago. Such a shame these idiots spoil it for everyone else.

Did you know there are 700,000 cycling commuters in the UK?

Commuting is safe, mostly so why not make that 700,001 cycle commuters?! A good way to get your mileage up I think.

PS it would be 700,002 if I followed that as well!! I really must take that plunge again. Last year I had been commuting about 2 months by this time. Then the summer rains came and I really just couldn't be bothered.

BTW OP, where do you commute? I was wondering if there is any pattern to the really bad behaviour drivers. Say is it southern towns and cities or just the bigger cities or is it just anywhere and where you commute is not a factor? I also wonder (and don't shoot me here) if some of the abuse cycle commuters get is down to some way we are riding our bikes?? I say this because I rarely got any abuse and rarely got cut up too. I could be riding more defensively or not... Just wondering out loud.

brac20

I'll be starting to commute next week (chalk me in as #700,001). Hope I don't get that much hassle, although it's mostly off the road cycle paths to my work so shouldn't be too bad (I hope!).

king_jeffers

brac20 wrote:

I'll be starting to commute next week (chalk me in as #700,001). Hope I don't get that much hassle, although it's mostly off the road cycle paths to my work so shouldn't be too bad (I hope!).

I think you'll be okay, I'm usually quite a considerate cyclist I've had the odd problem but nothing major, just people not paying attention. Just need to be super alert all the time. Especially when you hear the click of a gear and the rattle of a chain slightly behind you.

KonaMike

I had a woman in a KA follow me for about 3 miles this morning ,about 2 inches of my back wheel. She had about 20 easy chances to pass me,I even pulled right against the kerb and waved her on 3 times but no ,she was happy at 14-16 mph stuck to my back wheel :roll:

kona_matt

Tangled Metal wrote:

BTW OP, where do you commute? I was wondering if there is any pattern to the really bad behaviour drivers. Say is it southern towns and cities or just the bigger cities or is it just anywhere and where you commute is not a factor? I also wonder (and don't shoot me here) if some of the abuse cycle commuters get is down to some way we are riding our bikes?? I say this because I rarely got any abuse and rarely got cut up too. I could be riding more defensively or not... Just wondering out loud.

my commute is Benfleet to Chelmsford (Essex). About 13 miles of A and B roads. I use the quietest roads i can but there can still be a fair amount of traffic and some major roundabouts to contend with. I'd say I normally get one incident a day that pisses me off. For example, this morning I was coming downhill at 30ish mph, car in side road definately saw me and decided to pull out into my path anyway. fortunately no oncoming traffic so she got a mouthfull as I overtook her. IDIOT.

I think last friday was a particularly bad day. Maybe the "friday factor" of people wanting to get home as quick as humanly possible, how dare a cyclist delay their journey by a few seconds! I find this true of driving anywhere on a friday night, significantly more accidents on the motorways. took me over 3 hours to get to my mate's 30th in brighton from Chelmsford the other week. that should only take 1hr 45min, 2 hours if busy. passed 4 accidents on the motorways.

kona_matt

KonaMike wrote:

I had a woman in a KA follow me for about 3 miles this morning ,about 2 inches of my back wheel. She had about 20 easy chances to pass me,I even pulled right against the kerb and waved her on 3 times but no ,she was happy at 14-16 mph stuck to my back wheel :roll:

IDIOT

Specialized Needs

KonaMike wrote:

I had a woman in a KA follow me for about 3 miles this morning ,about 2 inches of my back wheel. She had about 20 easy chances to pass me,I even pulled right against the kerb and waved her on 3 times but no ,she was happy at 14-16 mph stuck to my back wheel :roll:

Are you <cough> large?

Perhaps she was drafting you

kona_matt

Specialized Needs wrote:

KonaMike wrote:

I had a woman in a KA follow me for about 3 miles this morning ,about 2 inches of my back wheel. She had about 20 easy chances to pass me,I even pulled right against the kerb and waved her on 3 times but no ,she was happy at 14-16 mph stuck to my back wheel :roll:

Are you <cough> large?

Perhaps she was drafting you

with the price of fuel at the moment i'm not surprised!

KonaMike

I'm about 10.5 stone soaking wet ! I like the idea she was after a tow though !

miss_mystra

when it really pelted it done with rain last week, on my way downhill by London Bridge station... i would like to thank the two men who decided to run out into the road with their little girl in a push chair, having to stop that quickly nearly made me come off the bike in such wet weather... i had thought oh they wont will they and had already started braking anyway to slow down but no... they did.

I'm sure a kid in a pushchair wont melt in the rain, try crossing safely instead!!! The irony is there is a pedestrian crossing about 5 meters further up.

All i got was a hurried 'sorry'... you know the kind of sorry they don't actually mean.... hurumpf!