I'm Sick of these Idiots.

freebs

Have just cycled home from Welwyn Garden City to Biggleswade, a journey of about 25 miles. Road conditions were greasy with some fog patches. Much of the way is not lit. Three times cars have had to sit in behind me for a few hundred metres and as the opposite side of the road has cleared they have given me a long blast on the horn as they have passed.

Now I'm sure this happens more in the big cities but I'm sick of these wankers. I'm essentially being abused for daring to ride on the road. Do these people shout abuse at people in queues in the supermarket? Of course they don't. Of course the main issue is that it is dangerous. Cyclist are vulnerable and it quite frankly scares the shit out of me when you get a loud blast you are not expecting. The road conditions make the resulting swerve more dicey. Now, I do plenty of cycling and am well lit and have the right gear, even so I sometimes nearly end up in the hedge.

It's got to a point that I'm not sure what I would do if I ever caught one of these arseholes up at the lights and that's not me at all. I know I'm preaching (ranting?!) to the converted but it is a permanent reminder of how vulnerable we are as cyclists.

Other than that I enjoyed the ride. Rant over.

gubber12345

i know the feeling mate.

bus_ter

You must have held them up for what 15-20 seconds? half a minute max?

They were probably in a life or death situation and every second counted. In which case their aggressive horn blowing was entirely justified.

hstiles

Nope. From experience it happens far more in the sticks. My Sunday club runs are always punctuated by the car horns and Neanderthal shouts of passing Surrey tossers.

Brakeless

I was out for 50 miles in Hertfordshire today. Very greasy roads, went very slowly round corners. No 'problems' with motorists at all. The main thing I noticed was loads of cars coming out of fog with no lights on.

KINGGARY

I was overtaken tuesday night on a rural road by a bloke in a land rover, he drew along side me wound the window down and shouted at me that i should be more considerate to road users?
Not really understanding what point he was trying to make i caught up with him about 2 minutes later in a village getting out of his car.
He was most suprised when i stopped and asked him to explain what he meant. He believed I should have pulled over and let the traffic behind me passed and showed consideration to other road users, when I pointed out there was only him behind me and asked if what he meant was get out of my way he started getting rather angry.
After I suggested he may want to buy a smaller car if he can't drive the one he currently owns and may consider the positive effect exercise may have on his rotund appearance he called me something unrepeatable and demanded my name and address. I said fine get some pen and a piece of paper and I'll give it to you. He stomped off to his car and returned with a pen and paper ready for my name.
I said I'd better spell it out for you so there's no mistakes, he said fine and I said right its f**k off and rode off leaving him looking like he was going to explode.

freebs

I've calmed down now but I do feel that these people think that we should be in some way subservient to them. I just don't want to get maimed or killed by some idiot more intent on abusing me than concentrating on driving half a ton of metal.

TakeTurns

Fair enough, but you've got to accept that we live in a world with the sane...and insane. You will encounter these lunatics in all walks of life. Just gotta protect yourself in the safest way and just brush it off.

In retrospect, 2 years ago I would retaliate at all drivers and easily become aggravated. Nowadays I don't even flinch. Worthless, pointless.

mm1

freebs wrote:

Do these people shout abuse at people in queues in the supermarket?

Well, yes some of them do...or at least they kill other drivers in the supermarket car park (in an incident not too far away from you).

cmhill79

I find this happens more lower socio-economic areas.

FECES

On one occasion some nutcase in a yellow sportscar pointed what looked like a handgun out of the window as he drove passed me. Absolutely crapped myself tbh. Not a clue what his actual intentions were as the driver didnt try to cut me up or blast his horn, probably trying to intimidate me the AH!.

charlie_potatoes

cmhill79 wrote:

I find this happens more lower socio-economic areas.

Classy

cmhill79

Charlie Potatoes wrote:

cmhill79 wrote:

I find this happens more lower socio-economic areas.

Classy

It's not a controlled experiment but unfortunately in my experience it is true

DavidJB

Then I suggest you stop riding your bike. They will always be there. In contrast I've ridden 10,300 miles this year and had maybe 5 horn blasts? I've also had 2 people on my side of the road nearing a head on collision and 4 near misses in total...fun fun.

freebs

I've now slept on it and I'm still livid. I think it's the fact that these people make a deliberate act to unsettle/abuse/intimidate. If I did it in the street I would be arrested.

It's a different debate I know but if someone pulls out on you you can be 99.99% certain they haven't seen you, they are not attempting to murder you (still shouldn't happen of course). People don't do it to horse riders (of course it's highly likely they would come off worse if they did!).

Some thing should be done, although for the life of me I can't think what. The likelyhood of getting a registration number and any independent witnesses and then the police to prosecute would be miniscule.

I will continue riding and I won't be swinging for any motorists should I ever catch them up but it shouldn't be happening.

freebs

Re the above, I'm not suggesting the hooters are trying to murder me! Only that it is a deliberate act.

smidsy

cmhill79 wrote:

I find this happens more lower socio-economic areas.

I do not think the previous poster from Surrey would agree with that :shock:

I am a cyclist, I get annoyed when cars give me abuse, but I also drive a car (a lot) and if I get held up by a cyclist I do still think it is a pain.

It is a simple fact that we all want to get along on our way and depending on what we are using to do it or the circumastances of the journey our mind set can differ.

We just have to accept it.

freebs

I'm going to stop soon but we shouldn't have to accept abuse and dangerous behaviour. Sadly, as I have already stated I can't think of any ways to stop it! If it happened in the street the police would be called. If we did that the (usually unidentifiable) offender would be long gone.

StillGoing

freebs wrote:

I've now slept on it and I'm still livid. I think it's the fact that these people make a deliberate act to unsettle/abuse/intimidate. If I did it in the street I would be arrested.

It's a different debate I know but if someone pulls out on you you can be 99.99% certain they haven't seen you, they are not attempting to murder you (still shouldn't happen of course). People don't do it to horse riders (of course it's highly likely they would come off worse if they did!).

Some thing should be done, although for the life of me I can't think what. The likelyhood of getting a registration number and any independent witnesses and then the police to prosecute would be miniscule.

I will continue riding and I won't be swinging for any motorists should I ever catch them up but it shouldn't be happening.

I think you're you're being a tad over sensitive. In rush hour traffic drivers get pi55ed at each other let alone a cyclist going umpteen mph slower than they can. Trouble is they don't believe you're a threat to them whereas the unknown person in the car ahead may be a neanderthal enforcer for the local extortionist who will stick a knife in their throat at the next traffic light. Just smile and give them a girly wave; it'll wind them up even more.

zx6man

FECES wrote:

On one occasion some nutcase in a yellow sportscar pointed what looked like a handgun out of the window as he drove passed me. Absolutely crapped myself tbh. Not a clue what his actual intentions were as the driver didnt try to cut me up or blast his horn, probably trying to intimidate me the AH!.

I had that once, reported it to police who sent out the armed response. The gun in fact was a gun shaped lighter. It was however treated as a proper firearm and the lad got 2 yrs inside...

Mikey23

You guys should all come and live in cornwall. I don't think I've ever had an 'impatient blast'. A few short toots to say I'm behind you and I'm about to overtake you which is slightly different. I'm always concentrating 100% on what other road users are doing and have adopted a perhaps overly courteous and exaggerated attitude to motorists. After all these are folks I have to live with in the local community. Have tried angry confrontation and it didn't work for me...

Have you considered that if three motorists have felt the need to blast you with their horns in the space of a 25 mile commute then ok they might just be rissoles but you might having been doing something wrong? Like your rear light was out of juice or summat? Not criticizing, just saying

freebs

Smiling and waving is all well and good but it is difficult to do from a hospital bed or mortuary. That is the point I'm making.

It seems that we are in an almost unique position that we are doing something which is legal and we are perfectly entitled to do. It is good for us and the environment and causes little damage to the roads yet we still get abused and intimidated because of it.

I will continue riding, put up with it and am unlikely to punch a car driver at the lights. I accept there is nothing that can be done but it doesn't mean it is right.

Thanks for listening!!

kajjal

Urban cyclists ride in often very testing conditions. Rural cyclists who cause queues of traffic is a different matter. Just pull over and let people come past, this is what I do if there are no obvious passing places and all I get is thanks. To date I have not been beeped, shouted at or abused by drivers in rural area's. Did get attacked by a duck though

freebs

Mikey23 wrote:

You guys should all come and live in cornwall. I don't think I've ever had an 'impatient blast'. A few short toots to say I'm behind you and I'm about to overtake you which is slightly different. I'm always concentrating 100% on what other road users are doing and have adopted a perhaps overly courteous and exaggerated attitude to motorists. After all these are folks I have to live with in the local community. Have tried angry confrontation and it didn't work for me...

Have you considered that if three motorists have felt the need to blast you with their horns in the space of a 25 mile commute then ok they might just be rissoles but you might having been doing something wrong? Like your rear light was out of juice or summat? Not criticizing, just saying

Mikey i'd love to come and live in Cornwall! Both my rear lights were working when I got home!! May be it was my fault.

rjh299

Cornwall's drivers are dream to share the road with compared with where I've just moved to. It may be sunny but Auckland's drivers are the worst I've ever seen, just bad f***ing drivers whether I'm driving or cycling.

Guanajuato

cmhill79 wrote:

I find this happens more lower socio-economic areas.

I find this happens more with drivers of Audis, Mercs and Range Rovers. :roll:

Toe knee

Mikey23

@ freebs... I remember I did get a blast a few weeks ago from a local company van while going under the motorway bridge on my normal route. Nowt else around so obviously aimed at me in order to intimidate or for a bit of a larf... I just went straight to the company offices and spoke to the boss who sorted it.

Perhaps there is a bit of a trend amongst the ignorant and lame brained to scare cyclists in this way...

NITR8s

I find just having a bike and wearing cyclist gear will make people angry.

The other week my wife was working half a day on the weekend so I decided to go with her to her work park the car up and go for a 3 hour ride. I dropped her off and turned up a close to park my car off the main road. I park up and start preparing and can see this guy standing hands on hip staring at me through his living room window. I ignore him and carry on and get my bike out of my car.

The next sec I see him pulling out his driveway and pull alongside me and say

Angry idiot "Are you going to be there all day?

Politely Me "Just a few hours, till about midday"

Angry Idiot "Do you live around here?"

Politely Me "My wife works down the road and I am going for a ride while she works. I dont see what this has got to do with you?"

Angry Idiot "I don’t want to look at your car, that’s why?

Politely Me (shaking head) "I am sorry I didn’t realise you owned this road?"

Angry Idiot "Don’t you shake your head at me!, who do you think you are?"

Politely Me (Continued shaking head) "Laughed and smiled at him"

Angry Idiot (drove off in a huff).

Now I believe none of this would have happened if I wasn’t wearing cycling gear and got my bike out of my car.

ic.

I think the comparison to horses on the road is valid. I've NEVER witnessed a car beeping a horse for being "in the way" on a rural road, but I've seen cyclists beeped and been subject to it myself several times.

So, why ok to show aggression to cyclists, but not to horses and riders who must surely cause far more disruption to a journey, given the need to creep past giving as much space as possible?

Bottom line, we all need to give each other as much respect as possible on the road, no matter what the form of transport. No hurry is great enough to risk the life of another, nor does any one person have any greater right over road space than another. I'm not saying I'm a perfect example and do this every time, because I know I get frustrated by the typical Sunday Driver for example

shmo

It's probably because cycling still has the hangover of being a plebeian activity while horse riders are clearly landed gentry on their way to hobnob with the local aristocracy.