Near Miss of the Day 875: Red-light jumping driver almost hits cyclist, responds with denial and abuse

You only need one motorist to stop and the other motorists behind, who would have driven through the red light without a care in the world, grudgingly have to stop too.

That's the only difference.

You only need one motorist to stop and the other motorists behind, who would have driven through the red light without a care in the world, grudgingly have to stop too.

That's the only difference.

Ever seen a car parked on the pavement and wondered how it got there?

funny that our pavements are full of cars parked on them, but they don't drive on pavements? how did that get there? do that drop from the sky?

I thought that too - I'm beginning to wonder if it's graduation time from troll school.

brooksby wrote:

OT, but it does seem that we've had a lot of one post wonders today...

It would be interesting if Road.cc mods can see the IP addresses being posted from and compare. Maybe a certain PBU or maybe should that be SBBAU, (Should Be Banned Again User) might have gotten his new NordVPN deal and switching to a different country every few minutes.

Although this also happens when one of Road.cc's tweets gets pushed into the time lines of certain people, especially if mentioning Vine or Mikey. 

If there is a traffic light alone in a forest and there isn't a cyclist to run it, is it a red light?

Bullshit, troll.

Osram wrote:

Strange, last week spoke to a lycra clad cyclist after running a red light, asked him if he was going to do the same at the next set, reply was, that's only for you lot, then proceeds to cycle slowly in front of me, last night, lycra clad man thinks the rules don't apply to him either, when I,m turning right at a roundabout, he thinks it ok to keep on going and enters on the left, nearly colliding into the side of my car. Unfortunately, it's these idiots who give cyclists a bad image, because the selfish individuals who have no regards for roads safety and pedestrians.

A bad image? Is that like how all the speeding drivers give ALL drivers a bad image?

Isn't it strange that if you specify a group of people to be an out-group, that you can them blame them all for the actions of some of them? I saw an angry, red-headed, jeans clad BMW driver the other day who didn't indicate when turning and then used a rude gesture at me as I was trying to cross the road (as a ped). It's people like that who give all red-heads a bad name.

A squirrel once yelled obscentities at me, and someone told me a very violent one was trapped people in their houses once.  Can't trust any of 'em.

chrisonatrike wrote:

A squirrel once yelled obscentities at me, and someone told me a very violent one was trapped people in their houses once.  Can't trust any of 'em.

It's the jeans-clad squirrels you really need to be careful of.

hawkinspeter wrote:

chrisonatrike wrote:

A squirrel once yelled obscentities at me, and someone told me a very violent one was trapped people in their houses once.  Can't trust any of 'em.

It's the jeans-clad squirrels you really need to be careful of.

Or should that be the red-head squirrels?

Great first post?

HoarseMann wrote:

Great first post?

And hopefully last.

Thanks for shining a light on that, Osram.

Not disputing the existence of eejits on bikes - or even selfish eejits who answer back and think the rules don't apply to them.  Or nearly hit you.  And in some places (London, people tell me) this is definitely very salient eg. running red lights.  (Perhaps a bit more policing would help there?)  Luckily they're very low risk to you in your car (or even to pedestrians) - especially because they cycle slowly (relative to cars).  Better than them being in a car, which they almost certainly drive (and likely badly).  Even those out on a jolly in their lyrca would be otherwise doing something - and probably drive to it - wouldn't they?

That's another reason why I would like more places in the UK to look like this - it makes it safer AND more convenient for everyone - including those driving, honestly!  Also it relies less on exhortations to humans to improve their natures, or the hope of "police it better".

Unfortunately the several "bad cyclist" stereotypes are out there already.  Given the tiny number of cyclists and the fact that only a few of us come to the committee meetings us other cyclists* lack the resources to fix them.  Any more that you'll be sorting all the red-light running / drunk / unlicenced / speeding / pavement drivers.

* But perhaps we all look the same to those not cycling?

Thanks for shining a light on that, Osram.

Indeed, truly an illuminating post.

Bingo-cards out everyone!

First off – you’ve mentioned Lycra twice. Why? Cycling (at speed) is a physical activity, and some form of active wear is objectively the correct kit for the job. If I did my commute in jeans, I’d need skin grafts by the time I got to work. I bet you don’t give the gym-goers at your local gym shit for wearing active wear, or shout at the kids on your local five-a-side for wearing football kit. Using “Lycra” as a pejorative just makes it sound like you’ve got an axe to grind and undermines any argument you might have.

Secondly – this whole “giving other cyclists a bad name” nonsense. Not only is collective responsibility total rubbish, it apparently only applies to cyclists. The average driver behaves worse and more dangerously than the average cyclist by every metric we have access to – KSI fault, speed compliance, rule breaking, etc. How come they aren’t giving you a bad name, but RLJ-ing cyclists are apparently giving me a bad name? If we held drivers to anything like the same standard that drivers think cyclists should be held to, we’d have banned cars years ago.

Clearly, the two cyclists you mention are dickheads, but that’s not due to their wardrobe choice, and it’s nothing to do with me.

You lost your argument the moment you said "lycra clad cyclist"...

Why did you run a red light to speak to a cyclist? 

As you seem to imply you were in a car (cycle slowly in front of me), do you go and chase down other drivers who run red lights as well and ask them whether they will do it again?

Also can you explain the roundabout story better. It seems you were on the right of the island as you are turning right, surely if he was coming from the left (onto the island), there would be plenty of room for both of you? I might also point you to UK Dashcam on youtube. Normally a third of all videos are cars entering a roundabout and either colliding or almost colliding with other vehicles. Unfortunately it is these idiots who give drivers a bad image, because the selfish individuals who have no regards for roads safety and pedestrians (and cyclists).

There's more than enough selfish, narcissistic sociopaths out there who endanger and take the lives of cyclists and pedestrians while driving. There's plenty of us on this forum who have the scars to show as a result of self entitled, aggressive behaviours demonstrated daily by motorists.  The numbers affected by shoddy cycle craft pale into insignificance when compared to those affected by shoddy road craft. 

The fact he is wearing lycra is neither her or there. What fat people in cars do not understand is that I do you are cycling more than 5 miles then wearing lycra makes a big difference in the effort you need when you pedal.

Been a while since I had the brompton out to cycle from Charing Cross to Chiswick. I had forgotten how appalling the behaviour of a large number of cyclists is in London is.

File under "man with questionable shoe and trouser pairing turns out to be an arrogant bully"?

Interesting though - I've not noticed the shirt cycling demographic so much.  (Probably a bad idea to start trying to group demographics based on clothing, but...) I'm the wrong side of the (tram) tracks most of the time though!

Don't know London but do you think that policing would improve behaviour (and how much would be needed), or that the infra design contributes, or it's just because this is a relatively new thing (provision for cycling), or "bloody Londoners", or some other reason?

Why does what the guy is wearing come into it? That is no different to someone bemoaning "lycra clad" cyclists. Was it equally questionable that I was wearing jeans?

Policing would likely have limited impact in the same way as roads policing in general. Though if it were carried out more it would likely have a positive effect on pedestrian safety if regular cyclists (assuming this guy commutes here a lot) know they may get stopped/fined.

Other than that I would say it is a general arrogance. The infra is much improved, from Charing Cross to Chiswick probably 80% of the 6.8 miles is on cycle ways and it is now even possible to bypass Hammersmith roundabout, which is a godsend. I would say arrogance becuase probably 50% or more of cyclists using this route blatantly ignore traffic signals, including those specific to the cycle ways. Like it or not, this does reflect on the opinion people have as cyclists in general, much the same as many on road.cc seem inclined to with motorists.

(The reason for the clothes mention is "why would what he's riding / using to travel with come into it"?  On which questions below.)

Adam Sutton wrote:

Other than that I would say it is a general arrogance. The infra is much improved, from Charing Cross to Chiswick probably 80% of the 6.8 miles is on cycle ways and it is now even possible to bypass Hammersmith roundabout, which is a godsend. I would say arrogance becuase probably 50% or more of cyclists using this route blatantly ignore traffic signals, including those specific to the cycle ways. Like it or not, this does reflect on the opinion people have as cyclists in general, much the same as many on road.cc seem inclined to with motorists.

Thanks!  Again, I don't know London but the stories suggest that the new cycling provision has (somewhat...) increased cycling - so people who maybe didn't before are now doing so.

So would you say this arrogance is just that Londoners are more arrogant in general (more of them on bikes, more arrogant cyclists), or that the arrogant preferentially take up cycling, or that getting on a bike makes you more arrogant?

As to ignoring red lights - would this be something that they might do as pedestrians also?  Maybe they still feel it's the same kind of activity PLUS they now have a chance of getting across bigger junctions which would not have felt safe when on foot?

Serious question - I think that getting in a car will change how you feel with respect to others so I imagine it's possible getting on a bike could.  Perhaps a perceived lack of feedback from the law as you mention?  That of course also applies to motorists (illegal driving is under-policed) but there will likely be less policing of cyclists (albeit there are fewer rules).

EDIT - I bet that "human laziness, carelessness, selfishness and arrogance" applies most places.  I agree that due to our street / road environment the demographics of those cycling will be skewed - but that should be becoming less so in London I'd have thought?

Also I think conflict is likely to be heightened in places "in transition" e.g. London.  Where there really are tons of cyclists somehow this doesn't seem to be a major public issue though.

Maybe that's because where cycling is normal we don't specially notice bad behaviour by "cyclists" - they're just more normal "people being selfish" occurrences?  Perhaps cyclists in NL are less likely to be stressed / have their "war face" on (as they might be in the UK)?  Of course in NL it could be simply that cyclists have also become the bullies (like motorists here) but I've read NL is rated as a very good place to walk in.