Victim of bike rage?

Frankly never understood why people on bikes use the canal at peak 'rush' hour. Too crowded to go any faster than just over walking pace, and it's just frustrating for everyone.

Clearly, getting pushed into the water is messed up. It's still cold enough that shock could have caused a drowning fatality.

Did you report this to the police, as you seem quite certain he pushed you in?

If you were already under the bridge this idiot should have had the common sense to wait for you. Not only did he put your life in danger but that of the child. IMO the parent is an utter moron for both these reasons.

How many times will they do this to other cyclists before they injure someone or worse? I know full well if it was one of my children they decided to shove I would be wanting them flogged in public for such actions (as I imagine would your own parents). The effin low life scum!!!

@ Colin Peyresourde

Hi Colin,

I think in Psychle's post re right or wrong he was responding to AJ101's post at 24th April 2015 - 13:54.

Best wishes

Jim

People like bells. I think it reminds them of a quaint old time that never really existed but they like to think it did. Sort of like the Hovis advert.

This may not be popular but also put yourself in the position of a pedestrian trying to walk along the canal pushing a pushchair. With bloody bikes whizzing past every minute or so. Not saying it's right or wrong but when I'm out walking I'm aware how it can feel from the other side of the fence. Even though there's no fence on the canal path...

My bell is effectively my secret weapon against the random pedestrian. I watch them all like a hawk and if they get near the kerb they get a ding. But issues of oblivious pedestrians is the same as oblivious cyclists. I too dislike the pricks who feel they have to pull forward of me at the box junctions. I also deplore the fact that signalling appears to be a bygone habit.....but there you go. One planet and you have to share it.

I travel on that section of the canal a lot and the to-ing and fro-ing in the tunnels can be a bit fraught. More so since the sun has come out and every man, his dog and sainted wife have taken to walking on it at rush hour.

I have often wondered if other cyclists have been assaulted on that stretch purely because at rush hour people do not realise what a commuter artery it is for cyclists. When it is cold, gloomy or wet the place is a perfect place to cycle. Bring out the sun and it becomes a battleground for cyclists and pedestrians. I think the sunshine at Easter (when a lot of people took a week off made that all worse)....and I don't know what to do about that, except be wary, considerate, polite and defensive.

The one other thing I would suggest is a bell. Letting people know you are coming into, and out of the tunnel will allow them to react accordingly.....but to put your situation in perspective a) if that's the worse that could happen you have survived it and how bad was it really? (Unpleasant, but no hospital trips and hopefully no serious loss); and b) it is an anomaly because thousands of cyclists do that route every single day and you never really hear of it happening. So unlucky in some ways, but the chances of it happening to you again are very remote (unless you decide to piss of pedestrians - I think in the case you mention it may have been another cyclist or cyclists as a collective that had annoyed him).

I saw an amsusing one the other day:

I was at the lights on the south side of southwark bridge in london. It's on of the new cycle superhighways with a massive blue cycle forward area. There's always loads of cyclists gathered round there during the morning rush hour, following the route over the bridge. On this occasion, I pulled up behind a motorbike who was also occupying the space right at the front of the blue box - not an uncommon occurance, really.

However, a plucky commuter on his fold up bike weaved through the other cyclists and planted his bike right in front of the motorcyclist... who through his hands up and started looking round at the rest of us as if we should all be outraged... at which point every other cyclist turned on him and told him that he shouldn't be in the blue box and the plucky commuter was well in his rights to pull in front of him! The motorcyclist was clearly annoyed and when the lights changed, he accelerated off in shame. Marvellously entertaining.

I know this is an old topic, but I have been feeling a lot of rage towards other commuters lately. Its great that people want to get on there bikes but I wish they knew how to ride them first or relised that we have road rules that need to be followed..... Oh and why do you feel the need to pull in front of me at the lights when you are so so SLOW.... and put a helmut on before you get killed because one day jumping that red light isn't going to end in a faster trip to work. All the best and happy biking to you all....

There was a cracking story in the local rag here a few months ago about a woman who walked straight out into the road in front of a cyclist, who knocked her down. He stopped, and made sure she was okay. Her proposed solution? Ban bikes from the city centre...

Nasty one TR, yeah I'd be a bit edgy too after that.

voiplondon - yeah I'm always amazed at the number of people who see you and carry on walking (believe me though Jon, getting hit by a car IS going to hurt much more than being hit by a bike). I have noticed that a lot of them seem to be plugged in to iPods and the like… they are a menace, even worse when they can't see you as well

On my commute past Waterloo Station there are hundreds of people trying to cross the road at any given time regardless of the colour of the lights at the crossing. I try to slow down a bit but there are also 3 or 4 bus stops so I tend to worry more about being hit by a bus than hitting a pedestrian if they step in front of me. I generally slow down to make sure it is safer. Most weeks I have someone jump in front of me and need to swerve, get shouted at, etc. Thus far I have been lucky and avoided any collisions.

Just the occassional pedestrian who thinks "oh its a bike and not a car so if I walk out in front of it I wont get hurt". Getting hit by a bike at 30mph has got to hurt as much as a car, surely? Bikes arent smooth, dont have bonnets to roll over etc.

Then when you suggest looking or at least waiting for a bike to pass you get abuse and cans of stella thrown at you...

So was there a child in the pushchair? Man or woman pushing it - maybe they didn't know you were in there before they entered…

That sucks. The other day I had a go at a teenager who buzzed across a pedestrian crossing at about 20mph and nearly took out a mum and child on the way to school. he was wearing one of those gym bags with the string straps so i grabbed them at the lights and gave him an earful. I reckon that's road wrath, not road rage...