h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The OP seems to assume that the cyclists are deliberately doing something to annoy the car drivers - is it the same cyclists day after day, or is it different people all behaving normally, ie keeping moving as much as possible and trying to avoid getting killed by the cars?

It also assumes that they lose nothing if they stay in place behind the car in front of them until the traffic starts to move again - but they might end up having to stop far more if they do that because depending on the traffic and the lights they might end up not getting through the junction before the lights change back again.

My most recent near-death experience was as a result of waiting in line, close to the kerb rather than pulling out to the middle of the road to wait, or carrying on on the pavement. I had my son on the back of the bike and was stopped on a hill in a line of traffic waiting to go around a parked car. I set off when it was my turn and the van behind me apparently thought I should stop behind the parked car and let him pass rather than carry on slowly pulling away up the hill when it was my turn. He demonstrated this belief by almost driving through us, then leaping out to shout obscenities at me. Needless to say, I didn't stop to discuss with him his lack of understanding of the highway code.

I do wish every road user, whatever their mode of transport, would be more curteous - we'd all be a lot happier and safer. For example if it is pissing down I let pedestrians cross even if I don't strictly need to, I do use the pavement on my bike when I have one or more kids with me (often if it is a fast, narrow road on a hill, I am slow on the tandem or pulling the trailer and cars take risks to overtake) but stop and give way to pedestrians. I'm sure I do things to annoy other road users but not to endanger them.

So, cyclists, pedestrians *and* motorists are all cretins then?

Sounds fair enough. A while back I was about to take a right turn on my back. It's quiet road, one car at the junction who could clearly see me. The decided to pull out when I was about 15ft away, then realised what he was doing and stopped, waving sheepishly.

About a week later, I almost walked into a cyclist going across the same junction. Totally my fault.

If I had a car, someone would be dead by now.

Yeah, it's probably people.

"So, cyclists, pedestrians *and* motorists are all cretins then?"

That's about the size of it, yes. Black people, white people, the Chinese, the Indians, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, atheists, Buddhists, fat people, skinny people, men, women, those of indeterminate gender, doctors, lawyers, accountants, politicians, journalists, nurses, policemen, traffic wardens, shopkeepers, publicans, blondes, brunettes, gingers, bald people, bearded people...

...cretins, the lot of them.

You mean you hadn't NOTICED???

How come you managed to get me with all of your last 3 suggestions?

Help, I'm being oppressed!

My funniest, and possibly, scariest was cycling down Balham High Road. At this time I was cycling about 20 miles per day commuting, and averaging 20 mph. I had a lightweight racing tourer with a fairly high gear ratio so, often, it was head down and get clear of traffic as quickly and safely as possible. I'd dispensed with a bell, as people in air-tight metal cocoons would be unable to hear such a feeble sound, so I had an old washing-up liquid bottle attached to my handle-bars with the top cut off, and an air-horn that fit snuggly inside.

I'm cheerfully whizzing down the road, keeping my eyes open for idiots, when a Rolls Royce pulled, sharply, out of a side road and cut straight across the traffic into the road opposite.

The only action I could take was to leap on the pedals and swerve in the same direction. How I missed hitting the scar, I do not know. There were a lot of very irate motorists sounding their horns as well, as a multiple pile-up was narrowly avoided.

However, there are a number of cars in London that have scratches in their paintwork through squeezing me against the kerb. Bicycle brake levers and car doors do not make for good bedfellows. Neither did my number 9's...

MMF

<<<However, there are a number of cars in London that have scratches in their paintwork through squeezing me against the kerb


Another urban warrior who has decided to damage someone's property becaused they percieved the other persons actions to be aimed at them?

Perhaps the person squeezing you against the kerb was actually closing a gap to STOP you sneaking up the inside? Perhaps a WARNING not to venture there?

Oddly, the motorists on here appear to be irked at the cyclists behaviour, but willing to see both sides. The urban warriors are comings over as slightly aggressive I think!!!!

>>Another urban warrior who has decided to damage someone's property becaused they percieved the other persons actions to be aimed at them?<<

?

They damaged their own vehicles by pushing this cyclist into a non-existent space.

And no, I am in no way an Urban Warrior. However, being a person who possesses a vehicle and so must use the road, all I ask is a simple 18" of space on the road.

I get just as annoyed at cyclists who swerve all over the road, do not use lights at night, use the pavement and, if they do indicate, think a flick of the wrist is going to be seen.

And pedestrians can also be a nuisance to both motorists and cyclists, walking straight into the road, with twigs in, while texting, unaware of what is around them and ignoring the pedestrian crossing 10 yards away.

It was one of those that knocked my Dad off his bike, buckling the front wheel, so he had to push it home, around a quarter of a mile. However, pushing it up his steep drive was too much and he collapsed. When he came around in the hospital, he had a broken hip and had to have a hip replacement.

So no, I am not castigating the motorist per se, or declaring war, just pointing out that they can be as aggressive and ignorant on the road, as they perceive the cyclist to be!

MMF

<<However, there are a number of cars in London that have scratches in their paintwork through squeezing me against the kerb. Bicycle brake levers and car doors do not make for good bedfellows. Neither did my number 9's...

Sorry, I must have misinterpreted your frst post. My mistake

Bickering at each others (as you rightly point out) does no party any good really. Drivers of cars, pedestrians amd cyclists are all put in a position where they feel threatened all irritated by the people they are forced to share the roadspace with.
But is there really any viable alternative?

We have a reasonably useful set of rules for using the road in a way that makes the best of a bad situation. The viable alternative would be to actually use them...

These rules you speak of; The ones laid down 50 years ago when the world was a much more ordered place?

Sorry Metheusela, but times have moved on, so that simplistic attitude isn't going to work.

The Highway Code was introduced 80 years ago and was most frequently revised in 2007. If you're going to insult people at least try to get the facts right.

And just how the hell is it simplistic and old fashioned to expect road users to abide by it?

No insult intended old chap

But as you point out, it is well outdated and a revision in 2007 is a sticking plaster on a large lesion. Some people, who are sticking rigidly to the rules and regs , will kill another road user.
The system can't work, even if we all act like Pollyanna, so what is the alternative?

Our entire legal system is hundreds of years old - should we just throw it out the window?

Seriously - the problems I see every day on the roads come from people just doing whatever they feel like, or not even knowing what the rules of the road are. It's rarely a problem that has arisen because the laws of the land were passed too long ago.

Age isn't the issue (although parts of the legal system need binning) It's the fact that these rules are no longer relevant. They deal with a time when there were 40 bikes for every car. When to own a car you were likely to be rich (so educated) and of mature years (so not quite so dangerous) and people respected laws and regulations

This is 2011/12. Cars are the metal majority, and are driven by 18 year old NEDS with no respect for anything, or reps with a tight schedule who are trying to use a phone, watch a sat-nav and eat an egg McMuffin while driving.

You shouldn't block a junction by sitting still in it in a car. That's still relevant, yet people do this all the time. You shouldn't get behind the wheel when you're pissed. *That* is still relevant, yet people do it all the time. You shouldn't park somewhere where you'll block the flow of traffic. Yet people do it all the time. I could go on...

The biggest problem isn't outdated or irrelevant laws. It's people disregarding them when they patently are still *blindingly* relevant, out of thoughtlessness, idiocy or selfishness.

You could rewrite the entire legal code and it wouldn't make a difference.

Oi!!! It's called multitasking

<<You shouldn't block a junction by sitting still in it in a car. That's still relevant, yet people do this all the time. You shouldn't get behind the wheel when you're pissed. *That* is still relevant, yet people do it all the time. You shouldn't park somewhere where you'll block the flow of traffic. Yet people do it all the time. I could go on...


Yes, I agree, but ina lot of instaces (not the DD) it's the pressure on the user because of congestion and poor road layout that cause these transgressions.

I can see the way this is headed though, and I don't want to see the man with the flag returning

In more instances, it's incompetent driving and not giving a toss how one's own action affect anyone else.

One thing all the complaints on this thread have in common is that they always blame the other road-users. But it's very likely that you're not as safe as you think:


" For driving skill, 93% of the US sample and 69% of the Swedish sample put themselves in the top 50% (above the median). For safety, 88% of the US group and 77% of the Swedish sample put themselves in the top 50%." "McCormick, Walkey and Green (1986) /../ found that almost 80% of participants had evaluated themselves as being above the average driver."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illusory_superiority