“No wonder we’re so quickly hated”: Cyclist says he’s “embarrassed” after witnessing fellow riders not stopping at pedestrian crossing; Dylan Groenewegen injured after collision with motorcyclist; Fast finish at the Vuelta + more on the live blog
"Embarrassed to be a cyclist"
Sometimes it seems infrastructure can only go so far. In a push for safer, protected infrastructure that separates drivers from cyclists, is it deconditioning cyclists to stop and be aware of their surroundings in the same way?
The hottest recent post on the r/londoncycling thread on Reddit seems to think so…
“Bike after bike after bike cycling over a zebra crossing where a group of pedestrians were waiting to cross. It made me livid.” BigMetalGuy writes.
“I stopped then shouted to any bike that could hear me to “fucking stop for pedestrians”. The pedestrians finally crossed, I said “I’m sorry for those twats”, a couple in their 70s thanked me.
“Never felt more embarrassed to be a cyclist. No wonder we’re so quickly hated.
“For anyone that keeps harping on about infrastructure being to blame. The crossing was for cyclists only, so no cars. And it was built on a giant speed ramp, so approaching it, you HAD to slow down / adjust your position. Therefore, every cyclist could not only see the crossing coming, but the pedestrians waiting to cross it”
These cycle lane pedestrian crossings are becoming a more common sight, particularly in London. They’re most often seen around ‘floating bus stops’, connecting the kerbed island to the rest of the pavement. They’ve also been strongly opposed by the National Federation for the Blind.
#CatchTheBusMonth not with floating bus stops in the way… pic.twitter.com/KXmQUyoQsK
— NFBUK (@NFBUK) September 2, 2026
It should be noted that though the video above was tweeted last week, it was actually first shared by the charity in May. It’s far from the first time either that the NFBUK have shared older footage of bike lanes, sometimes when they’ve not been open long. It creates a slightly misleading impression of the scale of the problem of cycle lane pedestrian crossings.
But based on BigMetalGuy’s post, it hardly seems like a problem that’s gone away. As you might expect, his thoughts have gathered a lot of reaction:
“People [saying] we should never take responsibility collectively, [and] be embarrassed about others behaviour sounds all well and good – except cyclists are broadly judged by all other road users as a collective not for our individual decisions and ability as cyclists.
“There’s also nothing wrong with calling out others behaviour like this in the hopes it will improve cycling standards! I don’t understand how these types of posts manage to offend so many people.”
“I shouted at a Lime cyclist who didn’t wait for me to cross when I was walking as a pedestrian. He stopped and earnestly said to me… What did I do wrong? While there are some who know the rules and break them intentionally, some have no idea.
“So we need London to do better to promote highway code / cycle safety so every cyclist on the road absolutely knows the highway code. As part of that we need Police to do better at enforcement. If funding is a problem, strongarm Lime into paying for it. They’ve got deep pockets, they’re on track to generate $1bn revenue this year. We should hold our politicians and councils to account to be hard on [Lime], they can afford it.”
There was also some constructive criticism, pointing to wider infrastructure and road responsibilities…
“Whilst not condoning the behaviour, are you suggesting that people who use bicycles bear some collective responsibility? When you swing your leg over the top tube are you auto enrolled into some worldwide brotherhood? I’m not responsible for the behaviour of every cyclists in the world nor they me.”
“Whilst I don’t disagree with you at all and I loathe all the cyclists that jump lights while pedestrians are there waiting to cross I’m still yearning for a post from someone saying: “Embarrassed to be a driver.””
“Speak for yourself. You won’t find drivers taking the blame for someone else’s actions. This is the sort of thinking that perpetuates tribalism and the “them and us” nonsense we see on the roads.”
“I once had a private hire driver punch me in the face for asking him to get his car out of a mandatory bike lane. I once had a driver try to run me off the road because I wasn’t cycling in on a shared path, but was instead on the road.
“I’ve seen drivers on their phones. I’ve seen drivers speed. None of these instances made [me] “embarrassed to be a driver” (I do also drive as well as cycle).
“Running a zebra crossing on a bike is a bad thing, but this collective responsibility thing can get in the bin. The expectation is that all cyclists need to be absolutely without fault or else car brained idiots will take cycling infrastructure away. Sorry I have no interest in acknowledging that view at all.
“I’m aware that’s not your intention but … no collective guilt is just not something I will entertain.”
Indeed collective guilt/responsibility is the phrase that kept cropping up, although when the cyclists who use a cycle lane are about as disparate as any group of drivers on a motorway, it’s hard to argue that cyclists deserve scrutiny and shared labelling more than the drivers who cause the most frequent and dangerous collisions. Not that that will stop certain sections of the media.
Food for thought.
Dangerous driving of the day
Contains some rather industrial language in a warm Edinburgh burr…
Cycling at rush hour, it always feels like some folk’d be willing to kill you to get back for their tea 5 minutes earlier. Yesterdays example involves some Anglo-Saxon, sorry.
— buachaille.bsky.social (@buachaille.bsky.social) 8 September 2026 at 09:35
A thing of beauty
In nicer news, this might be one of the best-looking cycle lanes I’ve seen.
Spotted in Glasgow! This lovely new segregated cycleway and footway on Cowcaddens Road.
Have you seen any inspiring cycle infrastructure in other cities recently?
— Camcycle (@camcycle.bsky.social) 8 September 2026 at 07:00
Kerbed, painted, two-way, separation between pedestrians AND cyclists AND drivers. As the research recommends. There’s even some shrubbery there on the side. Lovely stuff…
Help us to bring you the best cycling content
If you’ve enjoyed this article, then please consider subscribing to road.cc from as little as £2.49. Our mission is to bring you all the news that’s relevant to you as a cyclist, independent reviews, impartial buying advice and more. Your subscription will help us to do more.
5 Comments
Read more...
Read more...
Read more...
Latest Comments
“Bike after bike after bike cycling over a zebra crossing where a group of pedestrians were waiting to cross. It made me livid.” BigMetalGuy writes." ... “I stopped then shouted to any bike that could hear me to “fucking stop for pedestrians”. So, not just cars, but bikes are now self-driving (self-riding?) and have ears now? And 100% agree on cyclists not having collective responsibility/shame. My only suggestion is that all crossings, ie zebra on roads and these at floating bus stops, have the words "GIVE WAY" painted on them. So everyone (driver/cyclist etc) can't say they aren't aware.
The cyclists obviously don't know that they have to stop if pedestrians are waiting to cross or are crossing the road at the crossing.
This morning I was walking the dog. Waiting at a T junction to cross, the car turning in to the road stopped to let me go. I'm half way across the lane and a car looking to exit the junction completely ignored me and stopped in front of me. As a driver should I be embarrassed?
That's enough fines in a day to pay the wages of at least a couple of full time traffic police. I say go at it!
"No wonder we are so quickly hated", well yes, I can see how if somebody is determined to spend their life hating people that sort of behaviour (which I abhor, don't do myself and regularly call out) could set them off. The mystery is why none of those people hating what amounts to selfishness and bad manners don't also hate the group that kills 1700+ people and seriously injures 25,000 more every year. Odd.
An alternative would be the Sportful Hotpack 6 jacket which folds down to fit in a jersey pocket (and fills it) but really is waterproof and often available for around £70 in a variety of colours or black. A lifesaver for days when it rains and gets cold too.
As you will be aware the deep dive into that study has revealed it is skewed towards the emergence of elderly users of ebike sewing the data. What is undeniable is the Dutch system of transport offers a vastly higher quality of experience, with such a huge number of journeys by bike the rates of serious outcomes in the event of accident, once corrected for the anomaly ( above ) is incredibly low. Balance that against the number of deaths involving the use of a car in the UK. If it were anything else the huge death toll wouldn't be tolerated. As it is, as a population we have been sleep walked into just accepting it. What is clear is that 20mph limits make a massive difference ( Please see Welsh data ) even on the UK 's car centric networks. It is high speed heavy vehicles that represent an unmistakable disproportionate hazard to themselves and other road users. This is true irrespective of what the other road user is doing.... driving, riding a bike, walking, riding a horse .
Reasons for driving: 1) The car is right there outside my house at A. (This is where most thought probably stops, if it started. However...) 2) ... and because it is (and because cars in general) I've decided to go to B / my employers expect me to go to B / the nearest x is at B ... I'm considering going to B *despite* the fact that B is not on public transport (unreliable, doesn't run when i want, smells, obnoxious types use it) and/or despite B being an inconvenient distance to get to in say under 30 min by cycling or walking. (Getting to B is not convenient without a car because cars - so things are planned a certain distance from each other / centralised / optimised for driving to). 3) Actually it doesn't matter about the public transport / nearness because I've got someone to transport / my dog / my ferrets. And maybe a jacket and my laptop. Or I've got to bring back the shopping. 4) And it's raining / dark / hot / cold / windy / uphill. 5) And after I've done that journey I may want to do another. (So the car is still just there. Plus i need to get it back to A at some point...) 6) Perhaps my lifestyle requires unplanned trips of say 3 miles or more (maybe because caring responsibilities). Of course those distances are because (2)... 7) Perhaps I'm female and having a car to get into and get away seems safer. 8) I can't turn up some place on foot (and certainly not by bike). Other normal people drive. What will they think?
The people who ran this place are thieves ,taking deposits knowing you are in trouble is the lowest of the low. You can garentee they arnt out of pocket ,tgey ran their business with the customers deposits ,that is theft
@mitsky And herein lies the problem. The primary reason for using a car should be comfort/convenience and safety should be the priority. Quickly should not be a factor. The highway code tells us to leave plenty of time for our journeys for this very reason. I am convinced the "always in a hurry" aspect of using a car is the primary cause of the majority of collisions and near misses. Until getting from A to B as quickly as possible is looked on as smoking and drink driving are now our roads will continue to be unsafe for vulnerable road users.
5 thoughts on ““No wonder we’re so quickly hated”: Cyclist says he’s “embarrassed” after witnessing fellow riders not stopping at pedestrian crossing; Dylan Groenewegen injured after collision with motorcyclist; Fast finish at the Vuelta + more on the live blog”
“No wonder we are so quickly hated”, well yes, I can see how if somebody is determined to spend their life hating people that sort of behaviour (which I abhor, don’t do myself and regularly call out) could set them off. The mystery is why none of those people hating what amounts to selfishness and bad manners don’t also hate the group that kills 1700+ people and seriously injures 25,000 more every year. Odd.
This morning I was walking the dog. Waiting at a T junction to cross, the car turning in to the road stopped to let me go. I’m half way across the lane and a car looking to exit the junction completely ignored me and stopped in front of me. As a driver should I be embarrassed?
That’s enough fines in a day to pay the wages of at least a couple of full time traffic police. I say go at it!
The cyclists obviously don’t know that they have to stop if pedestrians are waiting to cross or are crossing the road at the crossing.
“Bike after bike after bike cycling over a zebra crossing where a group of pedestrians were waiting to cross. It made me livid.” BigMetalGuy writes.”
…
“I stopped then shouted to any bike that could hear me to “fucking stop for pedestrians”.
So, not just cars, but bikes are now self-driving (self-riding?) and have ears now?
And 100% agree on cyclists not having collective responsibility/shame.
My only suggestion is that all crossings, ie zebra on roads and these at floating bus stops, have the words “GIVE WAY” painted on them.
So everyone (driver/cyclist etc) can’t say they aren’t aware.