Infirmary Road Tesco - are drivers targeting cyclists?

[No User Name]

This thread has gone so far off its original point, I am surprised its still open.

[barleycorn]

It's a minority of drivers though, most drivers have no animosity towards cyclists and many drivers are also cyclists.

And whichever way you look at it, running a red light is likely to make that animosity worse. And despite what you say, you aren't omniscient, you will misjudge it one day and probably get hurt.

You forget, OWD is super rational, super logical and super observant, at least in comparison to us mere 'normals'.

 

jb

[Cyclone]

Perhaps he really runs red lights because it's quite difficult to stop and start a unicycle smoothly.

[onewheeldave]

It's a minority of drivers though, most drivers have no animosity towards cyclists and many drivers are also cyclists.

And whichever way you look at it, running a red light is likely to make that animosity worse. And despite what you say, you aren't omniscient, you will misjudge it one day and probably get hurt.

 

'Minority' is convenient, but, in this context, meaningless- it could be anything from 1%- 49%. Perhaps you could quantify it?

 

Any experienced cyclist knows that whatever size it is, it's big enough to manifest on a regular basis in terms of abuse and being put in unecessary danger.

[hyper]

This thread has gone so far off its original point, I am surprised its still open.

Nay, cyclist baiting threads run on and on till everyone falls to sleep.

 

Refreshingly though, the motorists are quiet, leaving us cyclists to argue amongst ourselves. There are 2 camps - those who reckon riding within the law is best for a whole manor of reasons, and those who reckon they know better and can act above the law.

[Cyclone]

'Minority' is convenient, but, in this context, meaningless- it could be anything from 1%- 49%. Perhaps you could quantify it?

 

Any experienced cyclist knows that whatever size it is, it's big enough to manifest on a regular basis in terms of abuse and being put in unecessary danger.

 

Technically 49% would be a minority, but I doubt the word is often used to mean that apart from in politics.

 

I can't give you anything other than a subjective judgement of course, but I'd say it's a fraction of a percent at the highest.

 

Perhaps you see more manifest abuse specifically because you refuse to conform to the rules of the road... You don't cycle any more than I do. Yet in the last 3 years of commuting I've exchanged words with 2 drivers, shaken my fist at a dozen who have done something dangerous to me and shouted threats of imminent death at one other who luckily for them I didn't catch.

I find pedestrians to be more of a daily risk than cars to be honest. And the tram tracks to be a bigger risk than that!

There are countless thousands of vehicles that have passed me and that I have passed which has caused no concern for either party.

[RootsBooster]

If there is, I'll see them. And, in the unlikely event I'm either careless or unobservant enough to not spot them, then I'll get hit.

 

But, if I'm going to get hit, I'd prefer it to be due to my mistake, rather than be run over from behind by an idiot driver, or, wiped out by a left turner who can't be bothered to look before they go.

 

A "hasty" driver (with the right of way), by definition, may easily come into view faster than you can react.

[truman]

I'm not a cyclist so I thought I'd ask...why do cyclists pull up on the lhs of cars indicating to turn left at traffic lights? Surely, as an act of self-preservation, you'd wait for the car to make it's turn before advancing...?

[Cyclone]

They shouldn't, it's asking to be hurt.

 

What I often find happens though is that I pull up (generally just in front of a car if I can), and a few seconds later the indicator goes on.

At which point there's not much I can do. I can't read minds before the indicator is on, and once there I can't reasonably go backwards, so they have to wait until I clear the junction.

 

If a car at the front is indicating, I stay behind it. If several in a row are indicating, I stay behind them all. It's rare that they (all) indicate whilst stationary at a junction though, because they don't think about the possibility of a filtering cyclist, instead thinking that no one needs to see their intention.

[RootsBooster]

I cycle about once or twice a week. I can't remember the last time I came across an aggressive driver while cycling (that's not to say they don't exist, they do).

 

Maybe it's to do with my approach/attitude to cycling;

-When driving a car, I'm considerate to cyclists and other road users.

-When riding a bike, I'm considerate to cars and other road users.