BEING NICE! WTF?

byke68

Rode to work twice this week (yes I know!) and 3 times, yes, 3 times drivers have given way to me and each time it was THEIR right of way! Never happened to me before. Is anyone else experiencing nicer motorists?
And one of them was a white van man!

FishFish

Were you drunk?

Quins

I've had cars waiting patiently on the narrow rural roads with plenty of bends, passing with a generous amount of space too. Been giving them a thumbs up. Hope it lasts..

wolfsbane2k

Quins wrote:

I've had cars waiting patiently on the narrow rural roads with plenty of bends, passing with a generous amount of space too. Been giving them a thumbs up. Hope it lasts..

I try and do exactly that, even if the HWC suggests that is what they do . I'm recognising drivers more and more, and they me I think, so I'm not getting anywhere near as many as I used to.
However, a friend of mine who has changed routes to avoid the last pillock he had a run in with !(s59d. Finally) is getting loads of jip on his newer route.

Desperate hope it comes a case of respect and knowledge soon!

wolfsbane2k

Btw, here is my take from last year :-!
viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=13038823&start=40

Quins

Pretty much my take on it to. I'm riding through south east London to get back to Kent again today. There just isn't the same space on the roads , cyclists seem to ignore traffic lights, ( there's plenty of both) cycle lanes have cars parked in them...no wonder there's some anti feeling in both camps. I'm not experienced in cycle highways, or regular city commuting, I can imagine there's never a dull moment.

byke68

FishFish wrote:

Were you drunk?

Hic! drunk,mee, snooo, i don't, don't drinnnk and ride. Hey, you looking at my bike?

veronese68

Some cnut in a big truck redressed the balance this morning, overtook as the road was narrowing and there was a line of traffic coming the other way. I knew there was barely room for a truck let alone truck plus bike so hit the brakes hard. Passed him in a line of traffic 200 yards later letting him know in no uncertain terms what I thought of him.

adambruntlett

Since I was knocked off twice in a couple of weeks - both times when in a cycle lane, both times the driver didn't see me and knocked me off - I've been a bit nervous of repeats. Every time I pass a side road, have a car on my shoulder or see cars in a queue leaving space for oncoming traffic to cut through and right-hook me I take much greater care than in the past. I've also taken to putting my hand up to thank motorists for not pulling out on me at junctions/roundabouts. I know it's what they should be doing but I think it just engenders better relationships and might make them aware we exist!

The Rookie

adambruntlett wrote:

I know it's what they should be doing but I think it just engenders better relationships and might make them aware we exist!

Very much this....I do this a lot for vehicles who have to wait behind me until its properly safe to pass.

Noting that when in my car the other day coming back from the DIY store (can't carry 10 bags of premix on the bike!) I got a decent thanks under the same scenario.

wolfsbane2k

having read this, I'm not sure I want to say thanks any more.

http://beyondthekerb.org.uk/2016/09/23/the-lions-share/

Very interesting piece.

twist83

There are assholes everywhere in all walks of life. On bikes, in cars, on foot etc.

When on the bike I try to be as courteous as possible mainly to not enrage certain car drivers into dangerous moves. I also thank any car that has allowed me the space needed when they did not have to or if I made a blunder.

Generally I find cars around my route to be not too bad. Yes you get the idiot. But like above I have found numerous times recently vans, cars etc letting me go. Always give a thumbs up.

There is however one stretch of A road I cannot avoid at the moment due to a road on my normal route being closed. I feel like every morning I am taking my life in my hands. Numerous times I have had cars beeping and people shouting abuse out the window for no reason other than they had to slow down 10-20mph and wait 5 seconds to safely pass.

twist83

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

having read this, I'm not sure I want to say thanks any more.

http://beyondthekerb.org.uk/2016/09/23/the-lions-share/

Very interesting piece.

Great read that! Interesting and valid points.

onionmk

Yes! Motorists are becoming nicer! Being given way a lot more recently too. My theory is the rise in popularity of cycling/cyclists and as a result people generally have more empathy towards them nowadays? Heck a lot of those motorists are probably cyclists themselves on the weekend or whenever. I know I started to look out for cyclists a lot more while driving when I started cycling!

asprilla

onionmk wrote:

Yes! Motorists are becoming nicer! Being given way a lot more recently too. My theory is the rise in popularity of cycling/cyclists and as a result people generally have more empathy towards them nowadays? Heck a lot of those motorists are probably cyclists themselves on the weekend or whenever. I know I started to look out for cyclists a lot more while driving when I started cycling!

It's a plot, they are just luring you into a false sense of security.

wolfsbane2k

onionmk wrote:

Yes! Motorists are becoming nicer! Being given way a lot more recently too. My theory is the rise in popularity of cycling/cyclists and as a result people generally have more empathy towards them nowadays? Heck a lot of those motorists are probably cyclists themselves on the weekend or whenever. I know I started to look out for cyclists a lot more while driving when I started cycling!

I think it's that and the mixture of media about the west midlands police piece and the Jeremy vine incident.

kingstongraham

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

having read this, I'm not sure I want to say thanks any more.

http://beyondthekerb.org.uk/2016/09/23/the-lions-share/

Very interesting piece.

Good article. The only thing that will have an effect is dangerous driving that does not cause an accident being treated a lot more seriously. If a lot of people were risking bans from driving then behaviour would change. Address the cause, not the outcome.

mlgt

NIce drivers?

Doesn't always happen. I got called a Effing Jap and to go back to my country.

When I cycled past and it was an angry Asian man. I did shout back. I'm made in China.
He was on the wrong lane and wanted to weave back into the left lane.

Just couldn't be bothered for a confrontation as lifes too short for that.

prawny

There beven some very courteous answer friendly driving in a West Midlands area in the last few days, can't think why. But I had a friendly wave and a thumbs up from a van driver basically for giving way when I was supposed to, very strange.

seajays

I think what this post needs is some random quotes!

Arthur Schopenhauer wrote:

“It is a wise thing to be polite; consequently, it is a stupid thing to be rude. To make enemies by unnecessary and willful incivility, is just as insane a proceeding as to set your house on fire. For politeness is like a counter--an avowedly false coin, with which it is foolish to be stingy.”

Kahlil Gibran wrote:

“The real test of good manners is to be able to put up with bad manners pleasantly.”

Robert A. Heinlein wrote:

“A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot.”

Theodore Roosevelt wrote:

“Politeness [is] a sign of dignity, not subservience.”

wolfsbane2k

prawny wrote:

There beven some very courteous answer friendly driving in a West Midlands area in the last few days, can't think why. But I had a friendly wave and a thumbs up from a van driver basically for giving way when I was supposed to, very strange.

Nice to hear it's having an impact!

wolfsbane2k

Fighting the head wind this morning on single track so was holding up 3 cars behind. Pulled into a farm entrance to let them past, not one of them said thanks. Felt robbed.
Caught them 3 minutes later where they all queued behind a tractor that wasn't giving way, but let me through as the road was wide enough and I see him almost daily.
Laughed.

byke68

Oh well, that didn't last long! This morning, gonna turn right at roundabout ahead so need to move over so I can go into right-hand lane, look behind, plenty of space, stick my arm out, move over and BEEEP BEEEP! WTF?! Start pointing that I'm gonna turn right, BEEEP, BEEEP! A*sehole undertakes me and starts shouting that I pulled out in front of him! No way! Stops his little car and starts the verbal insults. After telling him he's just jealous and him calling me a w*nker, he revs his little 1.0 engine and potters off.

FishFish

I used to live in rural Essex and being horse country was used to have annoying encounters with horse people. On Sunday afternoons they were usually pissed driving back from the pub and found cyclists to be legitimate sport. Usually I met their fat annoying wives with collosal gussets and foghorn voices. One guy who I met fairly frequently on misty early morning rides was the guy taking the hunt's foxhounds out - a magnificent sight. Then I had a Muddy Fox (but my other car was a Porsche) and he thought that funny!

The dogs ripped me to pieces and ate me of course which had some disadvantages

hopkinb

Seajays wrote:

I think what this post needs is some random quotes!

Arthur Schopenhauer wrote:

“It is a wise thing to be polite; consequently, it is a stupid thing to be rude. To make enemies by unnecessary and willful incivility, is just as insane a proceeding as to set your house on fire. For politeness is like a counter--an avowedly false coin, with which it is foolish to be stingy.”

Kahlil Gibran wrote:

“The real test of good manners is to be able to put up with bad manners pleasantly.”

Robert A. Heinlein wrote:

“A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot.”

Theodore Roosevelt wrote:

“Politeness [is] a sign of dignity, not subservience.”

I come here for stories of imaginary low speed racing and people falling off their bikes, not a philosophical deconstruction of politeness! Damn your eyes man (or woman), I've learned something.