Are drivers becoming more intolerant?

Can’t say I’ve noticed any

Can’t say I’ve noticed any tangible difference on London roads but there is more traffic (bikes, white vans, private hires), so people may be more wound-up. Intolerant coverage of cycling/cyclists does seem to be more widespread too. 

Conversely, there’s also more cyclists and headcam footage about too – it may be that we’re just seeing more of others’ bad experiences and assuming its more widespread than it is.

vonhelmet wrote:

how stupid do you have to be to not look for another route

Given the number of prats who lean out of the window to hurl abuse at cyclists on Pitfield Street (the only road I can think of where cycle traffic genuinely does slow down motor vehicles at peak times – by dint of being a Cycle Superhighway – clue’s in the name), the stupidity required is relatively common.

Strikes me that the above

Strikes me that the above srchar quote just about somes it up.  We only hold people up for at best a few minutes, are these people always in such a hurry to get where they need to be!

I don’t think it’s an anti

I don’t think it’s an anti-cyclist thing. Drivers who have poor attitudes behave like that towards all road users.  We currently have temporary 4-way traffic lights outside our flat, due to some roadworks on the mini roundabout.  Some of the driving is a sight to behold. Overtaking the queue and trying to force their car in near the front, stupid overtakes when the lights change, RLJ followed by forcing traffic on green to stop and even reverse.  Horns leaned on every minute.  Shouting matches.

I think what you’re picking up is that selfishness, impatience and aggression is prevalent in modern society.  Many people seem to live their entire lives on a hair trigger, just waiting to explode at the least significant provocation.  Such people’s fragile egos can’t cope with being “beaten” by a bicycle making more progress than them, someone being in front of them in a queue, even someone just looking like they’re having a nicer time than they are.

It’s certainly nothing to do with a single tweet, but I do think it’s due to technological advances.  Amazon deliver your purchases within hours.  Deliveroo brings lunch round fifteen minutes after you tapped a button in an app.  Your hifi plays whatever music you like and your TV plays any show or movie you can think of, instantly.  Emails, texts, iMessages – all instant.  So, when people find themselves stuck in traffic, they can’t cope.  They have no patience for even the smallest delay.

Meanwhile, social media and has given people a lot more stuff to be jealous of.  Not just bloody cyclists who don’t pay any tax, who always seem to be slim, who always seem to be smiling.  But also other road users.  Audi drivers, because they’re richer than you.  Convertible drivers, because they’re having more fun than you.  Any road user who’s in front of you.  Social media also allows you to find thousands, or millions of people, who agree with your extreme view of, say, cyclists, justifying your shitty behaviour towards them.

All of that, plus a government that’s more interested in “dangerous cycling” than dangerous driving, a police force that’s more interested in fining cyclists than drivers, and a justice system that lets off murdering drivers with a slap on the wrists.  Is it any wonder that the losers we encounter on a daily basis behave so badly towards us?

Re: “I’m plumping for

Re: “I’m plumping for confirmation bias as you only tend to remember the poor drivers and don’t remember the majority of well-behaved cars.”

Sadly crap & ‘just good enough’ are so common that it’s the ones that do what one would hope that I remember. 

Cycling in the midlands, I’m

Cycling in the midlands, I’m noticing more and more people out riding bikes generally.. with more people riding it could naturally mean more frustration for some motorists (as well as more acceptance).

I have no stats to back this up it’s purely anecdotal.