Lycra clad bladdy idiots..

negativelycra

AARRGGHH!!

Like most on this forum, I'm a driver and cyclist. I can see both sides of most of the debates about mixed road use, and generally think that any "us and them" thought process is instant bilge, and we can all get along if brains are engaged.

However, sometimes the skinsuit brigade really confuse me - they really do. I came home on ym normal evening commute down the A34, very slow traffic. Eventually i pass the blockage - it's skin suit man on the bypass holing up every bugger, and as a bonus getting 1/2 the cars / vans / HGV's passing far too close as they vent their anger in a stupid way.
The thing is, there is no reason whatsoever for skin suit man to put himself in this dangerous position. Cheshire caancil didn't just give us 1 gloriously smooth, lovely cycle path, but 2:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=alderley+edge&hl=en&ll=53.291915,-2.255581&spn=0.059103,0.154324&hnear=Alderley+Edge,+Cheshire+East,+United+Kingdom&gl=uk&t=m&z=13&layer=c&cbll=53.291915,-2.255581&panoid=hhJzgIxFgcW6-WA6eKah-A&cbp=12,11.98,,0,0

These paths are absoloutely fab, and are exactly what the Macc BUG and other cycling groups have been campaigning for - proper facilities for cyclists. Why in gods name did this bloke not want to use them? Smoother and less puncture prone than the gutter, less confrontational than the main bypass carriageway. I totally get why noone uses the naff paths at the side of some roads, but the A34 ones really are bliss. Now, there will be a small (but important ) percentage of those drivers held up by him that take it out on the next poor bugger cycling innocently along the next bit of road - because sadly some do think "us and them."

Can anyone explain why a small percentage of cyclists seem to take such pleasure in being obtuse gits that wind up drivers so much - even at the risk of their own skin?

/rant.

TL;DR? Bloke ignores the best cycle path in the county and chooses to ride in the middle of the A34 at rush hour. Cyclingradar poster rants a bit.

dodgy

I prefer to have choice over which cycle paths I use, most of them don't get the 'dodgy seal of approval', however, after 'streetviewing' the length of that cycle path, I'd definitely use it even if there was no traffic on the road.

Gpfanuk

I know this section of road and use it on regular rides back from Congleton. It is almost glass like in its smoothness, the guy must just be a first-class prick to choose the busy road over that. Can't help but think it'll all end terribly for him and then be blamed on the poor motorist

smiley_boy2501

My mate was cycling in the rain along here and swore he could see his reflection in the sheen on the road because it is so damn smooth.

napoleond

That cycle path is on my commute too. It's freaking awesome!

dodgy

It's a brand new road, it doesn't even appear on Google Satellite view yet.

Maybe there is hope (that road designers will build in cycle paths for new projects).

amaferanga

Could it be that he missed the start of it and then there wasn't any way to get on it without hopping up the kerb and over the grass so he decided to keep going on the road?

dodgy

amaferanga wrote:

Could it be that he missed the start of it and then there wasn't any way to get on it without hopping up the kerb and over the grass so he decided to keep going on the road?

Experienced that one before.

rolf_f

Yep - can't see a reason not to use that. No side roads, no pedestrians. Just a private line of tarmac. The only real criticism is that both entry and exit look a bit clumsy - particularly if you want to carry on along the A34 - it all gets a bit messy there. But the luxury of miles of safe segregation surely make that a small price to pay.

negativelycra

amaferanga wrote:

Could it be that he missed the start of it and then there wasn't any way to get on it without hopping up the kerb and over the grass so he decided to keep going on the road?

...And if that was the case, I'd understand. Sadly, to pass him 2 miles down the road, he's missed the entrance on the roudabout, the slope by the pedestrian crossing, and 4-5 dropped kerbs which are presumably there for whoever cuts the grass by the on/off ramps to the cycle path from the various flyovers along the road.

As other posters have agreed - this is the best cycle path we have, and i wish we had more of them all over. To have it and choose to not use it is pretty bellendish.

Oh, and Rob F - no sane man wants to continue along the A34. It'd be bloody terrifying down the dual carriageway bit!

Grill

I highly doubt he was wearing a skinsuit.

ricky1980

I am also in the same situation where when I drive I sometimes come across cyclists hogging road, as well as while I am on my two wheels.

I think its the general lack of etiquette from both set of road users. Drivers should always give us cyclists room when making a pass. Equally, cyclists should be fully aware for the situation around them and try best not to hinder other road users.

My pet hate is when a pair of cyclists riding side by side on a single lane road. Which makes other cyclists passing them a very dangerous affair not to mention the fact that it will frustrate a lot of car drivers.

While I am on the London roads, I often get shouted at that I should stay in the bus lane. But the point is cyclist can use any lane of traffic. I use other lanes to pass stationary or slow traffic which is perfectly fine and then move back in. While some drivers considers us a nuisance o. The road consider this sort of behaviour completely unacceptable.

There need to be a nation wide education campaign from the government on how drivers and cyclists should behave on roads. Too often have I been literally squeezed by cabs/mini cabs/vans and posh cars at the lights so I am.prevented from get through the traffic. It makes no.sense to.me why they do it as I just pass them again and again over the next few sets of lights. Ridiculous.

danlikesbikes

We have some pretty good ones in MK that I do use - but looking at the google map it looks bloody lovely, nice to see the planners putting it in & I don't know why anyone would not want to use it.

CiB

I'm sure you're every bit a committed cyclist as the rest of us on this forum, but referring to the miscreant as Skin Suit Man just makes you sound like every other Daily Mail cycle-hater spouting bile.

I had a look at that picture and it looks wide enough. And what's this absolute vital need to be somewhere else a few seconds earlier? Sometimes we get help up, by cyclists, tractors, little old ladies and anything else you can think of. All except the cyclist is a longer delay.

Live with it. Skin suit man indeed!

lotus49

I am more bothered about inconsiderate cyclists since I started cycling again than I was before. I know that the behaviour of a few idiots shouldn't be an excuse to take it out on every cyclist but a lot of car drivers tar us all with the same brush.

We all have a duty not to antagonise car drivers and be as considerate as possible, not just out of politeness but in the interests of all cyclists. I would love to see more consideration given to cyclists by car drivers but I don't see it happening until cyclists give more consideration to drivers.

nferrar

There are as many idiots on bikes as there are in cars, it's just one lot have a steel cage around them to protect themselves from their idiocy.

Anonymous

Seems you (the OP) have more of a problem with cyclists wearing lycra than if they cycle badly lol
What do you wear cycling?

Sounds like that cycle lane is great but most I have seen are for pedestrian and cyclists scared of cycling on the road, not suitable for actually cycling on.
I have been shouted at to get on the cycle path (that realistically isn't) when it causes no problem at all being on the road.

Car drivers often just want what is best for them and have either no knowledge or regard for the law.
The driving test is just a test of competancy. Loads of drivers should not be on the road just because of their ability, let alone attitude!

gloomyandy

The section of road between the road edge and the solid white line looks wider and better than most cycle paths in this part of the world...

ricky1980

Carbonator wrote:

loads of drivers should not be on the road just because of their ability, let alone attitude!

+1 especially the latter. I meet too many crappy drivers on the rare occasion when i do drive a car.

Last saturday was in my car going to a friend's place. 2 lanes of road with a bus lane. A lady with a big 4x4 started to drift into my lane (inside lane, the lane between outside and the bus lane) and we were pretty much side by side and she was probably 1 wheel ahead. Not sure what the hell she was doing. So i beeped to alert her and to prevent a crash. She did an emergency stop in the middle of the road. then undertook me in the bus lane and started shouting at me while going at 30mph and sped off @ 50mph through a set of red lights.

I am sure there are plenty decent female drivers. But the stereotypical view of an incompetent female driver isn't even enough to describe it. Her lack of skill/concentration and her utter contempt of road use and the poor attitude was infuriating. At that point i wish I had a pair of lasers mounted at the front (like the ones from Enterprise) that has a setting called "Vaporise".

Raffles

cycle lane is usually lane full of sharp stones, broken glass and sharp refuse that causes mass punctures, I can understand if some riders dont want to use them.

danlikesbikes

nferrar wrote:

There are as many idiots on bikes as there are in cars, it's just one lot have a steel cage around them to protect themselves from their idiocy.

^-^ Agree

There are sections of cyclist, motor bike riders, van drivers, sales reps, 4X4 drivers, lorries, pedestrians, motorbility scooters............ you get the picture...... who give their own groups a pretty poor name amongst other road users.

As I said previously this particular cycle lane does look very good indeed, but we are not a country where cycle lane use is mandatory & we all have to live with each other using the road that we are legal entitled to do so.

Wirral_paul

Negativelycra wrote:

Can anyone explain why a small percentage of cyclists seem to take such pleasure in being obtuse gits that wind up drivers so much - even at the risk of their own skin?

Somehow - i doubt the fact that he was on a bike altered the fact that he was an obtuse git. Put him in his car and i bet he'd think he owned the road too. They're generally the ones who are found rooted to the middle or outer lane of the motorways at 50-60mph it seems. Perhaps this would be more accurate....

"Can anyone explain why a small percentage of people seem to take such pleasure in being obtuse gits that wind up drivers so much - even at the risk of their own skin? "

dodgy

Raffles wrote:

cycle lane is usually lane full of sharp stones, broken glass and sharp refuse that causes mass punctures, I can understand if some riders dont want to use them.

This is a thread about one particular lane, and local riders have said how excellent it is.

farrina

I stand to be corrected but in my experience 98% of cycle lanes is they are devised by people who never ride a bike and are consutructed to satisfy a tick box mentality to be seen to be doing something.

Amongst the issue I see ....

They expect you to share with pedestrians (who are not expecting cyclists going any faster than 5mph)
They are never maintained so all the road detritus builds up in them
They expect cyclists to stop at side road junctions
They assume that a cyclist will not go faster than 10mph
They have have excessively sharp bends/grids/kerbs/lampposts and the likes

I have seen roads that were reasonably safe for cyclists turned into potential death traps as the construction of cycling paths (and consequent narrowing of existing road) allied to the fact that the resultant cycle path is covered in glass left by the local natives and never swept forces the cyclist back onto the (now extremely narrow) main road.

In my experience the best cycle paths are those that are straight, run alongside an existing road with minimal side road intrusion, particularly when they are out in the country a bit (less in the way of smashed glass and errant dog walkers etc)

The subject path in this thread actually looks quite good although I have not had an opportunity to ride it.

One point to note is that a cyclist is NOT legally obliged to use a cycle path as the case of Daniel Cadden http://www.camcycle.org.uk/newsletters/71/article14.html details.

Regards

Alan

ps Feel quite sad when you see the virgin land that the new road was constructed across here http://goo.gl/maps/aiHwi Once gone never retrieved ....

Anonymous

ricky1980 wrote:

I am sure there are plenty decent female drivers. But the stereotypical view of an incompetent female driver isn't even enough to describe it. Her lack of skill/concentration and her utter contempt of road use and the poor attitude was infuriating. At that point i wish I had a pair of lasers mounted at the front (like the ones from Enterprise) that has a setting called "Vaporise".

I used to drive every day for my job (not in a big van or lorry) and in my experience women will rant at you because they do not really know what they have done and just do not like being told off by a man.
A guy in the same possition would either hold his hands up and say sorry, or tell you to fcuk off, but rarely act as if they had done nothing wrong.

thefd

Negativelycra wrote:

However, sometimes the skinsuit brigade really confuse me - they really do. I came home on ym normal evening commute down the A34, very slow traffic. Eventually i pass the blockage - it's skin suit man on the bypass holing up every bugger, and as a bonus getting 1/2 the cars / vans / HGV's passing far too close as they vent their anger in a stupid way.
The thing is, there is no reason whatsoever for skin suit man to put himself in this dangerous position.

Are you sure it's not ineedalarger remember him...?

ricky1980

Carbonator wrote:

women will rant at you because they do not really know what they have done and just do not like being told off by a man.

sounds like you got it bad at home kidding

Gpfanuk

Raffles wrote:

cycle lane is usually lane full of sharp stones, broken glass and sharp refuse that causes mass punctures, I can understand if some riders dont want to use them.

+1

Gpfanuk

dodgy wrote:

Raffles wrote:

cycle lane is usually lane full of sharp stones, broken glass and sharp refuse that causes mass punctures, I can understand if some riders dont want to use them.

This is a thread about one particular lane, and local riders have said how excellent it is.

The cycle lane is elevated so is not subject to the usual flotsam and jetsam that washes up on most cycle lanes. I avoid the green painted dumping grounds at all costs! Although if they were swept by the council on a regular basis I would be more inclined to use them (are you listening Stockport MBC?)

roger_merriman

clicking the link and looking at google street view, thoughts are how do you join this cycle lane? google only shows a dropped kerb off a roundabout which looks less than ideal even if the path is lovely.

Other is the road is wide, i find it difficult to see how a bike would seriously hold cars etc up. it's wide enough for 3 cars side by side.

jgsi

farrina wrote:

I s

ps Feel quite sad when you see the virgin land that the new road was constructed across here http://goo.gl/maps/aiHwi Once gone never retrieved ....

Cheshire is sooo a lost cause if you want rural bliss.... it aint here.
Nice can of worms anyway.. but I rest easy that according to sources all the worms were re-homed during construction of the A34 bypass