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Why is there so much animosity towards cyclists in Sheffield?


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Very few. Ha. The city centre is full of bikes.

Anyone surprised to see a bike is probably a can short of a four pack.

 

If someone unexpectedly steps out in front of me then I'm likely to shout at them as well. I don't care if they're pretending to be some kind of retard who doesn't know about bikes, they've just endangered me through their ignorance.

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Very few. Ha. The city centre is full of bikes.

Anyone surprised to see a bike is probably a can short of a four pack.

 

If someone unexpectedly steps out in front of me then I'm likely to shout at them as well. I don't care if they're pretending to be some kind of retard who doesn't know about bikes, they've just endangered me through their ignorance.

 

There's a lot of people out there who are a can short of a four pack, or indeed who have drunk several four packs.

 

Shouting at them will just engender animosity towards cyclists.

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Yes you do have an attitude. A very sarcastic one for a start. And also a very dangerous one if you expect every other road user is going to obey all the rules all the time.

 

I don't have any such expectation. There's a crossroads I cycle across most days - it's a "stop and give way junction" for traffic approaching from my left, and yet I can guarantee that most drivers will not stop, and will stare very hard to their left, despite it being a one way road and so there being unlikely to be any traffic from that direction (although they are right to look), and if I'm lucky they will give a quick glance to their right. And so I brace myself and pull myself further to the right of the road to pre-emptively anticipate them pulling out into me.

 

So yes, I actually have a practical expectation that every other user won't obey the rules of the road all the time. That applies when I'm cycling, driving and walking. But I have a moral expectation that it is incumbent on every person who can reasonable be expected to be able to cross a road, or ride a bike, or drive a car, that they do so responsibly, and that means that they don't consider a feature of the road which is clearly advertised by multiple signs, by thick white lines, by a picture of a bicycle and arrows to be "unexpected". Surely if any attitude is dangerous, it is one which encourages people to think that this is in any way unexpected.

 

Very few people ride bikes, so it is surprising and unexpected, possibly even threatening for them when someone else does.

 

Really? I see hundreds of people every day on bikes. It's a small proportion, but it's a big population - that adds up to a lot of people, not "very few".

 

This cycle lane is well marked (to you or me as we're cyclists), but some people don't know or don't care what those funny signs and symbols mean.

 

In terms of the "don't knows", then it would seem we are seriously failing to educate people. As for the "don't cares", is that OK? I regularly see pedestrians step out onto the pavement without looking - I anticipate and avoid them, and generally avoid getting angry with them, but are you OK if they "don't care" what that funny kerb thing means?

 

Everyone has to try and share road and path space. A 'get out of my way, it's my cycle path!' attitude will not win you friends.

 

Agreed, it will not win you friends. And at no point have I either berated the person who was nearly hit by the cyclist, nor condoned the cyclists reaction. But if that cyclists response and attitude has the effect that the poster now does care what a contraflow cycle lane is, and if as a result they don't end up stepping into one when a cyclist doesn't have enough time to take evasive action then they should be extremely grateful to the moody cyclist.

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I just wanted to say that in 1 week I have seen 2 car drivers run a red light deliberately and 1 cyclist. Take from that what you will.

 

And I have seen two cyclists jump a red light today, it does't help our cause...I did stop as I always do and it was embarrassing

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Cycles sold since about 2004 have legally had to have had bells. I do not know how anyone does without one; people step out all the time as you can't hear a bike like you can a car.

 

Some people are partially sighted and cycles are particularly tricky to spot.

 

Why is there so much animosity towards cyclists? I wonder....

 

Point of law: The cycle has to have a bell at point of sale but it is not illegal to remove it. Only if you are incapable of making some other audible warning (your voice counts)

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You don't think the big arrows on the floor indicating direction would be a give away to anyone with eyes?

 

---------- Post added 01-05-2015 at 15:54 ----------

 

No, it's not.

You nearly caused an accident, I wouldn't be civil either.

Maybe next time she'll run into you because she'll be too close when you step out into the road without looking.

 

It's not difficult though is it. And if you had grasped it quicker then you presumably wouldn't have stepped out in front of her.

 

---------- Post added 01-05-2015 at 15:57 ----------

 

 

Bloody pedestrians, don't pay road tax, they should have to get insurance and pass a test to be on the public street. And they all need a license number to be clearly visible, otherwise they can just walk away with impunity!

 

---------- Post added 01-05-2015 at 15:59 ----------

 

 

Is it really likely that she would somehow cycle over you?

 

Or is it more likely that you would be hit by a bike and she would fall off? Perhaps you would also fall over, but either way it would be your fault.

 

Err yes it was a one way street.

 

---------- Post added 02-05-2015 at 00:40 ----------

 

Yes you do have an attitude. A very sarcastic one for a start. And also a very dangerous one if you expect every other road user is going to obey all the rules all the time.

 

When you're on a bike, you're smaller and quieter than other traffic. You can't be seen or heard as well as a motor vehicle. Very few people ride bikes, so it is surprising and unexpected, possibly even threatening for them when someone else does. Obviously, it's not surprising and unexpected for you.

 

Unfortunately the reality of the situation is that many people genuinely struggle to grasp the concept of a contraflow cycle lane, and so you have to make allowances for them.

 

This cycle lane is well marked (to you or me as we're cyclists), but some people don't know or don't care what those funny signs and symbols mean.

 

Everyone has to try and share road and path space. A 'get out of my way, it's my cycle path!' attitude will not win you friends.

 

A get out of my way its my cycle path attitude is exactly the attitude of some on this thread. Arrogant cyclists.

 

---------- Post added 02-05-2015 at 00:43 ----------

 

Very few. Ha. The city centre is full of bikes.

Anyone surprised to see a bike is probably a can short of a four pack.

 

If someone unexpectedly steps out in front of me then I'm likely to shout at them as well. I don't care if they're pretending to be some kind of retard who doesn't know about bikes, they've just endangered me through their ignorance.

 

If you shout at me and i catch up with you, see what you get. Then youll probably be on here moaning that you got chinned by an angry pedestrian...it would be of your doing of course because you should of kept your mouth shut tough guy.

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Err yes it was a one way street.

 

---------- Post added 02-05-2015 at 00:40 ----------

 

 

A get out of my way its my cycle path attitude is exactly the attitude of some on this thread. Arrogant cyclists.

 

---------- Post added 02-05-2015 at 00:43 ----------

 

 

If you shout at me and i catch up with you, see what you get. Then youll probably be on here moaning that you got chinned by an angry pedestrian...it would be of your doing of course because you should of kept your mouth shut tough guy.

 

Did you chin the woman on Barkers Pool?

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