Daisy Abela apologises

mrmo wrote:

sim1515 wrote:

Also, on the pointless overtake, I often point this out to drivers if I think it's the case. My view is that if they overtake when they can see queuing traffic or a red light and I can catch them up in the queue, it's pointless.

Agreed, but if your approaching a green light and overtake, but the light turns to red before you get there, was it a pointless overtake? I have ridden the 10miles between Cheltenham and Gloucester and taken just as long as a car to drive. I went faster in town and slower between towns. if the car had stuck behind me the whole way i would have gotten a tad paranoid!

I'm not really sure of your point, I stated that I think it's pointless if they can see the light is red or the traffic in front is queuing, so no, I don't expect cars to sit behind if lights are green on front and there is no queuing traffic, if the light changes, it's not their fault and the overtake would be valid in my opinion.

I also think the overtake just before turning off, whether it be onto a right hand side road or the really dangerous left hand side road is pointless too by the way, especially the need to stop to turn right, forcing me to stop too or if turning left into my path and cutting me off. These are just my opinions on pointless overtakes though, some people may believe that they're justified in taking risks with cyclists' lives for what I perceive as very little or no gain.

Totally agree MrMo.

Critical Mass doesn't speak for me (or more accurately in a way I would like to represented), and the increased partisan actions by the likes of them are giving cyclists a bad name.

This aggressive action, on twitter or on the streets only alienates other road users. As you point out, the responses by many on the Daily Mail website are fairly typical of a wider public opinion. I spoke to a policeman (he was giving a useful, yet undersubscribed presentation about lorry blind spots) and he mentioned the unhelpful militant action of certain groups, throwing fuel onto the fire. There will be plenty that read Ms Abela's story and think 'cyclist scum'.

Personally if there was a more politically organised pressure group, and cyclists could show themselves as organised, peaceful and reasonable (as opposed to an anarchic rabble) people might start taking the political points more seriously.....even if that means cycling in a well organised phalanx on Whitehall...but this is what all political groups have had to do - show
that they work within society and with society to get better recognition.

Audi A4, perhaps?.... http://carleasingmadesimple.com/business-car-leasing/audi/a4/gross-vehic...

Modern cars are stupidly heavy. It's an arms race. There's a VW Golf now that weighs over 1.6 tonnes, more than double the weight of the mark 1 Golf.

That's what you get on self selecting forums where posting the most ridiculous comment you can think of gains popularity. It seeks the world is becoming an American high school cheer leader film and that's depressing.

But I wonder why ".... the Metropolitan Police says it is unable to confirm the incident was reported to them." (Mail on line) as "This was investigated by the Metropolitan Police and has been resolved." (her Tweet)

zanf][quote=Michael Healey wrote:

A small minority are giving us all a bad name.

Seriously, fuck off with that collective responsibility bullshit. Its ignorant and does nothing to assert individual responsibility.

WOW! My second post on the forum and i get told to Fuck Off!

Of course we can only be responsible for our on actions and not those of others,
however you can't escape the fact that unfortunately we all get tarred by the same
brush.

I think one of her tweets went something like "I hate bloody cyclists", she's not alone in having this kind of attitude

"Cyclists" that's you and me Zanf, already hated because of an incident involving
another cyclist. Like it or not for a lot of motorists we are seen as a collective.

mattbibbings wrote:

There was a brief collision
Priceless

It is the prolonged collisions you've got to watch out for I suppose.

joeegg wrote:

I was in an organised ride on Sunday riding along with a friend.No big groups,3 abreast,etc.
We had a horn sounded at us twice,and a passenger shouting out of a window.
All 3 vehicles overtook us easily on the quiet country roads but it seemed like the drivers wanted to make some kind of statement.
Obviously none of them stopped so we could discuss it further.
The amount of angry people on the road seems to be increasing.

You shouldn't be 3-abreast. See the Highway Code.

https://www.gov.uk/rules-for-cyclists-59-to-82/overview-59-to-71

alun wrote:

pepita1 wrote:

Once again, another idiot behind the wheel of "two tons of steel". If she wanted to apologise she should've stopped at “I would like to start off firstly by apologising for any offence I may have caused other cyclists with my tweets on Saturday.

“I did not intend to upset anybody."

The statements that follow only negate the apology.

"two tons of steel" Crikey, what sort of car was she driving?

Current average European cars weigh between 1.1 and 1.5 tonnes (according to internet guesstimates) I was going by US avg.

ct wrote:

Lets be clear here, we are supposed to get apoplectic with rage, Icouldadoid and all that...but really...

Rubbish driver, rather dull too...

Quality of road usage by all people be they cyclist, professional drivers, normal drivers or walkers is a shambles...

+1

Too many people on here can't see all sides.