Is it worth calling out other cyclists bad habits?

jds_1981
jds_1981 Posts: 1,858
edited July 2011 in Commuting chat
Or is it not worth the hassle?

Got to a T junction on my way in where we join a main road (liverpool road, joining upper street.) Motorbike was there first, at the stop line (no ASL), so I stop behind him. Car pulls up well behind leaving about a cars worth of space. Eventually a cyclist I overtook a long time back rocks up, goes over the stop line & stops in front of me & the motorcyclist.
I get his attention & politely explain that if he arrives after other people he might want to wait behind them as he's technically run a red light & he was going to get in our way was he was slow. He takes offense & I get a bit of abuse.
He gets to the next lights first (it is usually a filter down to here.) and once again goes over the line. He then calls back to me in the asl box and asks why I don't come forwards like him, to which I explain that I'd then be jumping a red light & would likely have more people come in front even then. (People at this junction will often go as far forwards as the centre of the road where they're 'protected' by a traffic island on the left.
Next lights I get there first, he stops reaaally close to me and says 'by your logic, you're in my way now', to which I explain I'm not as we're both stopped at a red light.
Next question from him is why I don't just go around him when he's in front to which I explain I'd then be swerving into other people. I've been called a d*ck several times by this point while I'd only been polite.

I don't currently intend to stop calling other people out, but does the forum think it is worth it? Or should I just be British & ignore other peoples behaviour?
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Comments

  • dhope
    dhope Posts: 6,699
    Wouldn't bother personally. Maybe if they were dangerous habits - darting up the inside of a left turning bendy bus or similar, but bad habits, meh.
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  • hfidgen
    hfidgen Posts: 340
    As my old gran used to tell me "push him so he wobbles under a lorry".

    Bless her.

    Whether you keep correcting people is entirely up to you. It's a good thing imo and shows that you have some sense of politeness and social norms.

    Whether you continue to do so will be dictated by how much abuse and occasional physical violence you can take, as some people will take the same actions to be those of a massive pain in the arse.

    Good luck :)
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  • Wallace1492
    Wallace1492 Posts: 3,707
    I would not bother, let him get his comeuppance at some point.
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  • clarkey cat
    clarkey cat Posts: 3,641
    another point is what you consider to be bad habits may be good habits to someone else... and your good habits might seem to be bad habits to someone else.

    He sounds like a dick though
  • Rich158
    Rich158 Posts: 2,348
    I only ever point out peoples mistakes if they endanger me. Two in particular come to mind. One was at the bottom of Greenwich Park just after you leave the park. Unusually there was very little traffic and a cyclist up ahead, he swerved into the middle of the road, I assumed to miss a pothole or something, went to pass him when he swerved into the middle of the road again nearly hitting me. i dropped back a bit and attempted a pass again only for the same thing to happen, and then it dawned on me that he was in his own little world weaving all over the road just for the fun of it. I pointed out that he might like to have a look over his shoulder in future as he'd nearly hit me twice only to receive a string of abuse and the laughable excuse that he'd recently had a heart attack and that he does that to relax. He didn't seem too amused when i pointed out that if her carried on he definately wouldn't live long enough to die of another heart attack.

    The second was earlier this week, a numpty on a Brompton tried the push to the front of the queue trick just as the light was turning green and nearly took me out as I was pulling away. On pointing out his mistake and suggesting he be more patient in future I just got a string of abuse.

    I won't stop pointing out peoples mistakes in a polite manner, and I suspect I'll continue to get abuse but hey, isn't everbody right all the time anyway?
    pain is temporary, the glory of beating your mates to the top of the hill lasts forever.....................

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  • Gussio
    Gussio Posts: 2,452
    Put a stick in their the front wheel...
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    What makes you think antone is going to change their ways because you tell them?

    They are already breaking laws so ignoring a little advice isn't going to faze them.
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • jds_1981
    jds_1981 Posts: 1,858
    Potentially it's the first time they've had any peer pressure & feedback that they are doing something annoying or dangerous. I've no evidence but am sure it will at least put the niggle of doubt in the back of their mind when they do it next time.
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  • MrChuck
    MrChuck Posts: 1,663
    The best you can expect is indifference, more likely you'll get told where to put it. Nobody responds well to strangers approaching them and pointing out what they're doing wrong. Whether they are actually in the wrong or not doesn't come into it.

    So by all means call them out on it if you want to get it off your chest, but don't expect them to take a blind bit of notice (apart from when they tell you to Eff off of course).
  • Stick at it, one of them might take notice one day.

    It did make me chuckle the other day when whilst I was sat at the ASL waiting for a red to change, a car pulls up alongside edging up to the ASL. Bloke on a bike coasts to the crossing and has a real rant at the car in the ASL, only to then immediately proceed to run the red light. I shouted after him and offered some advice about red lights but I fear it fell on deaf ears. All too willing to dish out the advice but not very good at taking it I guess!
  • raymondo60
    raymondo60 Posts: 735
    If I 'pulled up' every cyclist I saw committing an offence or breaking the rules of etiquette we seem to get by on, I'd never get to work in the morning! If it's a genuinely dangerous manouvre then fair enough, and I have tried giving 'advice' in the past (recently told a guy that if he kept riding without holding the bars he'd be off; next junction, he was off!). However, the reality for me at least is - look after yourself. Try to be an example (of sorts) and make sure you get wherever you're going in one piece. As a sometimes car driver, I wouldn't contemplate getting out of my car to remonstrate with another driver over their behaviour...........
    Raymondo

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  • jds_1981
    jds_1981 Posts: 1,858
    Raymondo60 wrote:
    As a sometimes car driver, I wouldn't contemplate getting out of my car to remonstrate with another driver over their behaviour...........

    Many car drivers would use their horn though, which is nominally a lot more aggressive than giving 'advice' to another cyclist?
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  • raymondo60
    raymondo60 Posts: 735
    You're right jds - it's not a good comparison. However, I still maintain that personally, I wouldn't have the time or inclination to approach cyclists for the reasons suggested by the OP, unless I thought there was a chance I might save their life. Or mine!
    Raymondo

    "Let's just all be really careful out there folks!"
  • jds_1981
    jds_1981 Posts: 1,858
    Think it is our culture, how many people would just tut if someone pushed into a queue right in front of them? :evil:
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  • spasypaddy
    spasypaddy Posts: 5,180
    i had a go at a mate of mine when he ran a red light when i was clearly stopping (Im also the much much much more experienced cyclist). the car driver who i was standing next to when i stopped thanked me for having a go at my mate for running the red light.

    my mates reasoning for running the red light
    "i dont like unclipping as i cant clip back in very quickly"
  • Rich158
    Rich158 Posts: 2,348
    Raymondo60 wrote:
    If I 'pulled up' every cyclist I saw committing an offence or breaking the rules of etiquette we seem to get by on, I'd never get to work in the morning! If it's a genuinely dangerous manouvre then fair enough, and I have tried giving 'advice' in the past (recently told a guy that if he kept riding without holding the bars he'd be off; next junction, he was off!). However, the reality for me at least is - look after yourself. Try to be an example (of sorts) and make sure you get wherever you're going in one piece. As a sometimes car driver, I wouldn't contemplate getting out of my car to remonstrate with another driver over their behaviour...........

    That reminds me of an incident a few weeks back, an idiot cut everyone up in Greenwich park nearly taking out 3 or 4 of us. I decided i was going to give him a piece of my mind and gave chase only to give up in Greenwich as he was just too dangerous to follow. Then just on the run up to Surrey Quays the same idiot is picking himself up after a collision with a taxi. Another cyclist who'd stopped expressed his amazement that whilst everybody had held back as the taxi was signalling right for some time and had started to move right this idiot was still flying down the outside of the traffic and wondered why he got hit. I guess every idiot gets what they deserve in the end
    pain is temporary, the glory of beating your mates to the top of the hill lasts forever.....................

    Revised FCN - 2
  • jds_1981
    jds_1981 Posts: 1,858
    At the same lights I've previously asked someone why they didn't stop before the stop line, their reply was "my brakes are really bad so I have difficulty stopping"... :shock:
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  • We call out RLJ ers as a matter of course with club. It just gives us a bad name when the pond life does stuff like that.

    I've also had a mouthful back when politely enquiring post event whether someone's colour blind.
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  • Koncordski
    Koncordski Posts: 1,009
    I don't bother shouting after RLJ lunatics bit will make a point of overtaking them with ease on the next stretch. I find the best thing to do when you see them coming towards you at a junction (when they've obviously jumped) is a slow hand clap as they go past. Gets a laugh from other stopped riders and because you haven't said anything they rarely have a come back.

    As above, best thing is to set an example and stop. You'll never stop 100% of offenders but it will become more and more unacceptable. 90% of RLJ'ing i see is becuase one person does it and then 3 or 4 follow in succession even if they were previously stopped. :roll:

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  • dcurzon
    dcurzon Posts: 290
    Koncordski wrote:
    I don't bother shouting after RLJ lunatics bit will make a point of overtaking them with ease on the next stretch. I find the best thing to do when you see them coming towards you at a junction (when they've obviously jumped) is a slow hand clap as they go past. Gets a laugh from other stopped riders and because you haven't said anything they rarely have a come back.

    As above, best thing is to set an example and stop. You'll never stop 100% of offenders but it will become more and more unacceptable. 90% of RLJ'ing i see is becuase one person does it and then 3 or 4 follow in succession even if they were previously stopped. :roll:

    The hand clap is really gay. Had someone do that to me when I went through an empty crossing, smarmy fukker, I was going to turn back and punch his lights out.
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