Anti cycling petition

leeefm
leeefm Posts: 260
edited January 2014 in Commuting chat
I know this has been around for a while now, and most of you guys have heard of it, but I just took a look at the comments beneath the main petition statement. http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/surrey-county-council-stop-surrey-being-turned-into-a-cycle-track

Are we that bad? Personally I don't know anyone who does these kinds of things that are being described. Am I naive to think that this kind of thing is just down to prejudice? I must be, looking at these comments...
Shand Skinnymalinky
Argon 18 Radon

Comments

  • Traffic violations are common and it is only a matter of time before there is a major accident with the possibility of the loss of life. It will of course be the motorists fault..

    Might he have phrased this

    Traffic violations are common and it is only a matter of time before there is a major accident with the possibility of the loss of life. It will of course be the cyclist that dies....
    Nobody told me we had a communication problem
  • gingaman
    gingaman Posts: 576
    What is clear is they are behaving in exactly the same fashion as the massed gangs of rioters who appeared on the streets last year.
    Erm, what? When was the last time you saw somebody in lycra and cleats smash a shop window and cycle off with a flat screen telly?
  • notsoblue
    notsoblue Posts: 5,756
    If you filter out all the nutters, and the people upset that they occasionally need to take care to overtake cyclists, theres a few genuine grievances about littering and anti-social behaviour.
  • owenlars
    owenlars Posts: 719
    Certainly two abreast and in 'long strings' is pretty common. We just need to be aware of what is around us. Just because two abreast is legal doesn't mean it is necessarily smart. Also ten or twelve cyclists in a bunch are very hard to overtake on a single carriage road. I don't, however, buy the whinging about the annual event, I live in Wimbledon and I think that last summer's Surrey 100 event was great despite the fact it sanitised large swathes of the town all day.
    As cyclists though we should always be aware of the impact we have on others and behave accordingly, so we could help by singling up and limiting the size of bunches.
  • gingaman
    gingaman Posts: 576
    Nutters like this guy:
    while a schematic of road closures is made available, there are no indications of what roads are open.
    I don't think he realises that every road that isn't closed will be open
  • notsoblue wrote:
    theres a few genuine grievances about littering and anti-social behaviour.

    I'm sure you are right, just like there are genuine grievances about fans attending football matches or countless other activities from dog walking to protesting. Should people petition against these taking place too?
    Nobody told me we had a communication problem
  • notsoblue
    notsoblue Posts: 5,756
    notsoblue wrote:
    theres a few genuine grievances about littering and anti-social behaviour.

    I'm sure you are right, just like there are genuine grievances about fans attending football matches or countless other activities from dog walking to protesting. Should people petition against these taking place too?
    Nah. You're quite right. Theres no real point in this petition or any potential others like it. Its a complete overreaction. I just think that its easier for people to upgrade a minor annoyance to hysterical county wide call to arms if they sprinkle a little truth over their fabricated grievances.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,598
    notsoblue wrote:
    theres a few genuine grievances about littering and anti-social behaviour.

    I'm sure you are right, just like there are genuine grievances about fans attending football matches or countless other activities from dog walking to protesting. Should people petition against these taking place too?
    Are we to petition against protests?
    Or protest against petitions?
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • PBlakeney wrote:
    Are we to petition against protests?
    Or protest against petitions?
    I don't know. Which one results in the most nudity? I vote for that one.
    Nobody told me we had a communication problem
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,252
    PBlakeney wrote:
    Are we to petition against protests?
    Or protest against petitions?
    I don't know. Which one results in the most nudity? I vote for that one.
    Any excuse for you to get your kit off eh. :roll: :shock:
  • On_What
    On_What Posts: 516
    I saw a woman attempt to drive through the road block to get back to her house last year. She was going crazy and on the verge of doing something downright dangerous.

    Most of these people moaning are the clowns that clutter up supermarkets every weekend, despite having nothing to do in the week. Some of the comments are ridiculous and come across as nothing other than a good whinge because the shaking the surrey countryside for gas debate has died down temporarily! I don't write petitions when all these people that need to get out the house at the weekend go clogging up my road to get to a poxy garden centre! :lol:

    Too much time on their hands.....
  • There was a bit on a recent edition of BBC's Inside Out where they interviewed the people who were against these events and some cyclists. It was quite amusing to see the attitude of the anti-brigade compared to the cyclists.
    Fat lads take longer to stop.
  • I heard one of the organisers of this petition on Radio 5 a few months back. What amazed me was that she ran a café. I mean, who runs a café and hates cyclists? She must have really shite cake.
  • I heard one of the organisers of this petition on Radio 5 a few months back. What amazed me was that she ran a café. I mean, who runs a café and hates cyclists? She must have really shite cake.

    I think it's the cafe on Newlands corner but not the national trust one, with good views etc. so roadies and mtbers and motor crossers and folks with nice old cars go to the national trust one, hers does have a roof as a plus but that's about it!
  • I was in New Malden to watch the 100. A woman who tried to drive through the road block at the top of Traps Lane was being carted off for Drink Drive!
    Bianchi Nirone C2C FCN4
  • Then nutters are almost 1000 behind the pro petition, amusingly the ejit who organised the whole thing, only lives in esher, so hardly rural surrey. The sun will out again soon and the Nimby numpties will realise they're an ever decreasing bitter minority.

    Google his failed applications for planning permission and you can write to him directly or even give him a call.
    If I know you, and I like you, you can borrow my bike box for £30 a week. PM for details.