NHS worker makes DIY cycling top to highlight to drivers that he's on duty after receiving abuse and aggression

Cyclist's lives matter.

It makes not one jot of difference to the level of respect you deserve on your bike if you're on-duty cycling to see a patient in the community, same, but on your commute, or cycling to the betting shop or to your job as chief publicist of the Audi Owners' Club. 

As a nurse, who has worked through the whole pandemic, I would refuse to wear anything to say I am NHS staff while riding - because why should I?!?!

I have commuted for the past 8years and during the pandemic, I have been told that I should be at home and not out on my bike by a driver along side me at a set of lights, as cycled home post 12 hour shift.
I have been told to get the way by a roofer in a van, because I was holding him up as he was an 'essential worker'.
I have had passive aggressive comments made as I cycle down a shared route, which forms part of the national cycle network, by pedestrians, who ignored my polite shouts / bell ringing as they refused to share the path.
Regardless, I won't wear a badge saying NHS until drivers start to display their jobs on the backs of the car - such as Derrick - Avon Sales or Barbra - Builder etc.

As a nurse, who has worked through the whole pandemic, I would refuse to wear anything to say I am NHS staff while riding - because why should I?!?!

I have commuted for the past 8years and during the pandemic, I have been told that I should be at home and not out on my bike by a driver along side me at a set of lights, as cycled home post 12 hour shift.
I have been told to get the way by a roofer in a van, because I was holding him up as he was an 'essential worker'.
I have had passive aggressive comments made as I cycle down a shared route, which forms part of the national cycle network, by pedestrians, who ignored my polite shouts / bell ringing as they refused to share the path.
Regardless, I won't wear a badge saying NHS until drivers start to display their jobs on the backs of the car - such as Derrick - Avon Sales or Barbra - Builder etc.

Nice try, but it probably won't do shit.  In my fire brigade days we had so many incidents with unsafe motorists at road scenes. You just have to be there to believe it.

I have seen this attitude in the USA, in Mexico, in Israel, and in the UK (OK, we have only been in Scotland). Even in Canada. After my last visit to Canada I am convinced that "sorry" is Canadian speak for "get the f### out of my way."

But not in the "rude" nation of France when we toured Burgandy for three weeks. I was told that if a driver there hits a cyclist they will loose their license unless they can prove that the cyclist was at fault.

My experience here in the USA is that the police either don't care or they feel that even with a video recording the courts will do nothing. I am not sure which.

Automobilists mostly believe that I should not be on the road, even if I can go the posted speed limit.  People cut you off and excuse themselves with the convenient lie that they misjudged my speed when the truth is that they believe that my life is worth lesss than the 3 seconds that they may be delayed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e9hvdNF0tk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ILd1tqC8t8

i got shouted at twice in half an hour today.

#cyclistslivesmatter

Who throws objects at anyone? What is wrong with these people?

Thankfully I have never witnessed this, probably because I don't live in the UK.

Pactimo sell an NHS logo'd shirt:

https://www.pactimo.co.uk/products/nhs-jersey-mens

Wearing it did nothing though: 10 close passes in a one hour ride and shouted at to 'go home' once.

Whilst I understand his problem, I'm not too happy with the direction his solution takes us. It has parallels with medics wearing the red cross on the battlefield, to distinguish themselves from combatants, fair enough.

However in the urban streetscene an NHS worker on a bike is a cyclist like any other. The suggestion that riding under the NHS flag should protect them from motorists' aggression implies that but for that they would be legitimate targets on account of being a cyclist.

What peculiar times we live in.  When people praise the NHS, clap for them, call them heroes, but then show contempt for those same people when they ride a bike.

If he'd like to start a crowd-funding page to produce these jerseys, I'd be happy to bung in a few quid, or maybe the government could use whatever is left of the £250m since they ended lockdown early.