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Club run abuse

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  • January 12, 2012 at 8:56 pm #14792
    TheHatter

    Pretty much every outing now with my local club run seems to involve at least one instance of abuse shouted from a car, often accompanied by some threatening driving.
    The groups we ride in are usually less than 10 and pretty well disciplined (though sometimes a little slower to ‘single out’ than I’d like).
    So is this typical of other club runs?

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  • January 14, 2012 at 9:00 pm #661237
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    trikeman

    Hi All,
    I cycled for a few
    Hi All,
    I cycled for a few days when working just outside Amsterdam in my spare time – Phew, what a difference… I couldnt believe car drivers give way on junctions for cyclists and you have your own lanes – proper. I have never ridden with such courtious drivers. I think we have a lot to learn from our European brothers (and sisters). Having said that, there were some strange bikes there and the one I hired was right ‘Miss Marples’ but a great time had.

    Regards

    Trikeman. šŸ˜‰

    January 14, 2012 at 8:48 pm #661235
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    big mick

    If you ever cycle in Spain
    If you ever cycle in Spain its an eye opener.If a cyclist is in an accident the law says the motorist is at fault.What happens is the drivers give way to cyclist and never come close when overtaking.You feel very safe the only time any cars get close is british drivers in hire cars or ex pats,its like car gets close o look english reg plates.The answer in Briton is to bring in the same law.Some chance!

    January 14, 2012 at 12:48 pm #661233
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    KirinChris

    hairyairey wrote:Goodness me

    hairyairey wrote:
    Goodness me someone can’t do their maths. VED does not pay for the roads! Including the cost of road accidents, the amount of money spent repairing and building roads exceeds VED and fuel tax income and has done for years.

    The road budget is around 10 billion and the amount raised from fuel taxes is 27 billion plus 5 billion from VED.

    It’s spurious to include health care costs, unless you also attributed a benefit against it for the fact that people needing healthcare don’t have to be carried on stretchers or horseback. In any event I doubt car crashes cost 20 billion in doctors bills.

    Keeping it simple – and to the point of my comment – it is quite easy for motorists, journalists and the motoring lobby to say that they vastly overpay for the road network, which (pardon the pun) fuels their resentment.

    And may I just point out the irony of responding with a personal insult in a thread about abuse of cyclists. I trust you’ll get some karma when you’re next on your bike.

    January 14, 2012 at 12:05 pm #661231
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    HarveyMorcombe

    I was once over-taken one
    I was once over-taken one sunday evening by a large 4×4 car, firstly it was literally inches away from my handel bars, also about 15 more mater up the road it stoped and pulled in to park by the roadside. :O

    January 14, 2012 at 7:55 am #661229
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    Bikeylikey

    In my humble opinon it mainly
    In my humble opinon it mainly arises from the unexamined knee jerk assumption that cyclists don’t have much, if any, right to use the roads. When they see cyclists in a group there is a multiplication of the ‘you’ve no right to be here’ response: ‘Bloody hell, there’s more and more of them, how dare you get in my way, you don’t even have the right to be here on my roads which I pay for and you don’t…’
    So often there’s the assumption that cyclists are mere irritants to proper decent people with rights (i.e. motorists). As in the TV programme about Britain, the one with the lovely Julia Bradbury and that DIY geezer, where one of the top things that annoyed people in a vote was ‘cyclists’. This assumes that the majority who have all the say are not cyclists, who have no voice. Who makes this dumb judgment? What about those who perceive that motorists are among the most annoying things in Britain?
    What really gets to me is that they can’t seem to see, and probably don’t care about, how vulnerable you are on a bike compared to sat in the middle of your ton of metal. Driven by a big engine, hurtling by an inch away from your elbow, cutting into you. Then they complain that cyclists are a nuisance, or even scare them (is this what ‘passive aggressive’ means?).

    January 14, 2012 at 3:00 am #661227
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    davecochrane

    Where I live in NZ we get
    Where I live in NZ we get regular and dangerous close drive by type harassment, and I know that on at least one occasion a shotgun has been pointed out of a car window at the bunch ride….a side effect of allowing 15 year old kids to drive Subaru Imprezas without insurance.

    January 14, 2012 at 12:32 am #661225
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    hairyairey

    Goodness me someone can’t do
    Goodness me someone can’t do their maths. VED does not pay for the roads! Including the cost of road accidents, the amount of money spent repairing and building roads exceeds VED and fuel tax income and has done for years.

    However, I would always try to react cheerfully to drivers being abusive even giving them a friendly wave.

    Going by my past experience it’s only a matter of time until a serious accident occurs during a cycling event and it would not surprise me if cyclists get the blame for driver’s stupidity.

    January 13, 2012 at 10:38 pm #661223
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    giff77

    I think it makes little
    I think it makes little difference where you are. Though admittedly rural areas tend to be better than urban areas. It’s only when the ‘townies’ venture beyond their domain that it becomes hairy. In general I have seen driving skills and courtesy get worse over the years fuelled by the resentment of a perceived ‘war on the motorist’. I’ve even had situations where I’ve been cut up and the driver then slow down to a snails pace as if to illustrate a point of “see how it feels like to be held up”. Others make a point of racing their engines while passing. I blame driving instructors for not teaching about vulnerable road users and the test for not marking the drivers response to peds and cyclists.

    January 13, 2012 at 9:39 pm #661221
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    OllyC

    I’ve not been out for a few
    I’ve not been out for a few months :”> but I’ve never really had any problems out in Essex. The occasional bit of bad driving but next to no anti-cyclist anger/abuse. Perhaps I’ve been fortunate, but that said the group rides were usually on very quiet roads. Thought I should relay this as a positive experience!

    January 13, 2012 at 8:35 pm #661219
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    barogerl

    Havingmoved into Eaast Anglia
    Havingmoved into Eaast Anglia from South London, I find motorists a lot more understanding, though inthe summer months when we get hordes of visitors the situatiion deteriorates. I have been honked at , sworn at told to ride in single file, when out solo on my trike- says a lot for their eyesigjht !!

    January 13, 2012 at 8:26 pm #661217
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    Raleigh

    the liverpool flyer

    the liverpool flyer wrote:
    here in liverpool When you complain about this with hand gestures they pull over and want a fight thats were a good bike torch /tactical strobe light will pay for its self (

    Don’t know about in Liverpool, but the same kind of drivers in London are the ones who tend to carry axes in the side pocket of their car.

    Best place to be is behind them, not under them

    January 13, 2012 at 8:24 pm #661215
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    Raleigh

    MikeWall wrote:Ridiculous

    MikeWall wrote:
    Ridiculous post? Of course I want to be respected as a road user. As someone who just before Christmas was run off the road by an inattentive driver, breaking a collarbone, I’ve got recent first hand experience of bad driving.

    No, no, I’m not angry with you, just with poor drivers. Perhaps I worded it wrong, sorry if you got furiously worked up or something.

    I think that there are a few cyclists who bait motorists, but I’m sure that none of us are they.

    I still maintain the claim that cyclists don’t get annoyed when faced with 10 cars.

    Why don’t drivers get annoyed at motorbikers or mopedists, they are of similar shape and size. It just goes to show that the ‘hate’ directed towards us is completely random. :&

    January 13, 2012 at 7:39 pm #661213
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    youngoldbloke

    Impatient Sunday morning
    Impatient Sunday morning drivers? – late for church, maybe? šŸ˜‰

    January 13, 2012 at 5:11 pm #661211
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    TheHatter

    My main point on this is that
    My main point on this is that club runs are normally on quiet country roads/lanes and only on Sunday mornings yet there is still so much impatience and anger.
    Interesting I am in Herts in the SE and I agree that maybe what I’m experiencing is the London attittudes gradually creeping outwards from the capital.

    It definitely doesn’t seem so bad when I ride the same lanes on my own. Abuse then seems to be only from the usual suspects – youngsters in hot hatches, BMW’s etc whereas club runs get abuse from all quarters including a little old lady on this last Sunday.

    I can only think the distinction with a club run where we’re typically two abreast is seen as illegal and arrogant behaviour when the truth is neither. As has been said above its normally much easier to overtake 8 riders two abreast than if they were singled out.

    All in all a bit depressing – not sure theres any option other than maybe a move to France. šŸ™

    January 13, 2012 at 2:45 pm #661209
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    the liverpool flyer

    here in liverpool there are a
    here in liverpool there are a lot of asshole drivers were on average i get cut up or pulled out on atleast 5 times a day just going to and from work when you complain about this with hand gestures they pull over and want a fight thats were a good bike torch /tactical strobe light will pay for its self and a heavey steel frame comes in handy why should we be the victim X(

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