Complete the sentence... Car drivers

jgsi

do not like you cycling on the road because:

( It's just puzzling because i get tooted regularly at for being on 300 metres of urban road where there are dual lanes for traffic. making progress quicker for drivers from 1 pinpoint to another pinchpoint.)
Strangely enough the local council deemed it unnecessary 25 years ago to think about sustainable means of transport.

hopkinb

JGSI wrote:

i get tooted regularly at

Maybe your bibs have worn through?

The Nodder

… they are afraid your mistakes will cause them to have an accident (nb cyclist’s attitudes to pedestrians on this forum)
… any vulnerable road users make them feel nervous because of the possible consequences if there is an accident
… they think you are breaking the law/highway code and are frustrated at the unfairness of it (nb our attitudes on this forum towards RLJs)
… they think cyclists are the enemy because chatboards/media often present a black and white world where drivers are in opposition to cyclists and each belongs to an entirely separate tribe
… they are having a bad day and the first person they can abuse with impunity will be abused
… they are self-entitled ignorant fools lacking in empathy and humanity
… you are an unsafe cyclist and fully deserve the tooting

rhodrich

....because they mistakenly believe that you're not allowed to use that section of road.

I was doing some organising at home the other day, and came across an old (1987) copy of the highway code. It specifically tells cyclists that if there is a cycle lane, then they should use it. A lot of folks passed their test during the days when the whole attitude was that roads were for cars and other motor vehicles, and bikes should get out of their way. This was backed up by cycle training at the time, where the cycling proficiency test (which many people took in school) basically taught you to ride in the gutter. For example - the recommended way to pass a parked car was to cycle in the gutter up to the rear of the parked car, then wait for a gap in the traffic, before putting your arm out and overtaking it (rather than riding in primary with the rest of the traffic).

These sorts of attitudes persist in the general population, so that when motorists see you 'taking the lane' or see you on a dual carriageway, they cannot believe that you are actually allowed there. On the way home (cycling westwards) I use the main road in the Blackfriars tunnel and underpass, as to use the cycle lane would require me to cross the road twice (as it's on the wrong side of the road from where my office is), and be encumbered by an extra junction that's not there if you use the road. There's also a slight downhill in the tunnel, so it's easy to do a similar speed to the rest of the traffic. Even so, I regularly get hooted at in there, as drivers believe that cyclists couldn't possibly be allowed to use the road there.

The vast majority of accidents are caused by SMIDSYs. I see a hoot as a very positive thing, as it means that someone's seen you. And if they've seen you, they're less likely to hit you. I've got every right to be using the road (in fact I've got more right than any motorist, as they're only allowed to used the road with a licence, whereas I don't need one). Just ignore it. Or, if you're feeling in a bad mood, you can always slow down, and look confused. On a single carriageway one way road, where someone has hooted at me to 'get out of their way', I've been known to move to the centre of the road, and slow to a complete halt, before getting off my bike, and looking at it as if there's a problem with it, then looking at them, and telling them that it all looks OK to me! After all, they must have been hooting to warn me of a danger, as that's what the horn's for, isn't it?

slowbike

Rhodrich wrote:

I was doing some organising at home the other day, and came across an old (1987) copy of the highway code. It specifically tells cyclists that if there is a cycle lane, then they should use it. A lot of folks passed their test during the days when the whole attitude was that roads were for cars and other motor vehicles, and bikes should get out of their way. This was backed up by cycle training at the time, where the cycling proficiency test (which many people took in school) basically taught you to ride in the gutter. For example - the recommended way to pass a parked car was to cycle in the gutter up to the rear of the parked car, then wait for a gap in the traffic, before putting your arm out and overtaking it (rather than riding in primary with the rest of the traffic).

These sorts of attitudes persist in the general population,

Interesting - because I would've done my cycling proficiency test a bit before then - not that I recall much of it (too long ago) - I passed my driving test shortly after your copy of the Highway code - ok, granted, I didn't use my bike for anything other than transport, but I pretty much always rode assertively - I also used back roads & paths to avoid the worst of the traffic - but even as a non-cyclist cyclist & driver I never (well - can't remember that I) had the view that the cyclist was inferior.

But the attitude still exists - there's a report of a driver in Portsmouth who forced a cyclist into the curb - breaking his elbow - 9 points, a bit of community service and a fine - the defense tried to drop the points down to 6 otherwise the driver would lose his job - as a driving instructor !! Fortunately, the courts gave out the 9 points - so he cannot now be a driving instructor for a few years - but FFS - someone who is (was) teaching others how to drive basically gets away with aggression on the road. If he'd whacked someone with a bat he'd be inside ...

DrLex

Rhodrich wrote:

....

I see a hoot as a very positive thing, as it means that someone's seen you.
[…]After all, they must have been hooting to warn me of a danger, as that's what the horn's for, isn't it?

I like to see it as their appreciation of how fabulous I am, so I give a gracious wave in reply, and if I’m feeling naughty, blow a little kiss. #whatwouldrupauldo

gbsahne001

my cycling proficiency test was undertaken in 1978 (I think), my only recollection of this, is that we got a good sized badge (approx 50mm/2" diameter) that you could fit to the handlebars

wolfsbane2k

DrLex wrote:

Rhodrich wrote:

....

I see a hoot as a very positive thing, as it means that someone's seen you.
[…]After all, they must have been hooting to warn me of a danger, as that's what the horn's for, isn't it?

I like to see it as their appreciation of how fabulous I am, so I give a gracious wave in reply, and if I’m feeling naughty, blow a little kiss. #whatwouldrupauldo

http://bikeyface.com/2012/12/05/middle-of-the-road/

cooldad

...are awesome.

FFS how many people here don't have a car? Except for hipster London types who have a scooter.

jgsi

cooldad wrote:

...are awesome.

FFS how many people here don't have a car? Except for hipster London types who have a scooter.

Whats your point?
Hopefully cycling car drivers know how to share the roadspace and not be like a 2 year old toddler behind the wheel.

My tweet to Cheshire Police confirmed that the 4 lane road is actually 30 mph, not that they'll do anything about it being used as a drag strip.

Do Londoners all have cars?

Wheelspinner

JGSI wrote:

cooldad wrote:

...are awesome.

FFS how many people here don't have a car? Except for hipster London types who have a scooter.

Whats your point?
Hopefully cycling car drivers know how to share the roadspace and not be like a 2 year old toddler behind the wheel.

My tweet to Cheshire Police confirmed that the 4 lane road is actually 30 mph, not that they'll do anything about it being used as a drag strip.

Do Londoners all have cars?

Well, in 40+ years of riding on and off roads, I've had a few close calls, but only one actual accident involving another person on the road. I got taken out by another cyclist. On a designated cycling lane. At considerable speed, enough to leave both of us in hospital with fractured necks, and him with the added fun of collarbone and 4 ribs cracked as well. He owns two cars, and several bikes.

What's your point?

wolfsbane2k

cooldad wrote:

...are awesome.

FFS how many people here don't have a car? Except for hipster London types who have a scooter.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonrei ... nds-study/

I think is the message that JGSI is trying to get across.

cooldad

I have no argument with the article, I rode bikes and motorcycles long before I got a car, and it certainly made me a more wary and observant driver, but the that's not the point made in the OP.