Parents who cycle with their children to a school in Exeter have spoken of the abuse – at times physical – they suffer at the hand of motorists, leaving some too scared to continue to do the school run by bike.
In a report on Devon Live, some described how they had been targeted by vehicle occupants throwing objects at them, with one mother adding that a friend who was preganant had been punched as she rode to Steiner Academy.
The school, whose students are aged from four to 16 years, is located on the busy Cowley Bridge Road which was singled out in the report as particularly problematic for cyclists due to the number of motorists using it.
One parent, Arabella Greatorex, said: “Mums and dads just feel scared.
“There are so many people who have been scared off the road that had abuse thrown at them, they had been hit, people that have been knocked off their bikes.
“We do have some real issues with driver behaviour around here and a lot of people who would like to cycle to school are too scared to cycle to school,” she continued.
“Frequently we get doored on the road so people opening their car doors without looking behind.”
She added that a passenger in a white van had slapped her on her bottom as she rode along the city’s New North Road on her way to a work meeting.
“He obviously thought it was a joke but I went flying over the handlebars,” she said.
Other parents revealed that they had been deterred from undertaking the school run by bike because of the behaviour of some drivers and used other means instead.
Beacon Heath resident Laura Casey revealed that she made the trip by bus, from which she could see the danger cyclists were exposed to.
“Me and my friend come on the bus and normally there are cyclists in front and cars are getting so frustrated they are beeping, almost nudging into them,” she explained.
“You can see the riders are looking back really frustrated and scared so obviously that’s put me off.”
Another mother, Jane Rae, said: “We have had an experience with a tanker behind me, beeping for just being on the road and I have got a four-year-old on the back
“I have seen it from all perspectives, being a driver, a pedestrian and a cyclist. Cyclists are not an alien species. We are just like anyone else trying to get our kids to school.”
The school’s office and systems manager Alice Knight, whose biography on its website reveals that she studied planning and urban design, said it wanted to encourage parents and their children to cycle but acknowledged the problem.
“Obviously we have a big problem because Cowley Bridge Road is so busy,” she said.
“Cyclists have a lot of issues with car and van drivers feeling they are holding them up. As a school we really want to encourage them, we have got cycle parking and we are in discussions with the cyclists to improve conditions as much as we can but our hands are tied with Cowley Bridge Road,” she added.
Do you accompany your children to school by bike, and if so, what is your experience? Let us know in the comments below.
55 thoughts on “Exeter school run parents talk of the abuse they receive from motorists while cycling”
I would say that road sees a
I would say that road sees a lot of frsutrated drivers every day. If they are heading out or coming back from Crediton, then drivers will already be well and truly fed up with queuing behind slower moving traffic… its a horrible piece of town to negotiate.
Jimmy Ray Will wrote:
Maybe so, still no excuse though
Morgoth985 wrote:
More accurately, there is no excuse.
ChrisB200SX wrote:
Maybe so, still no excuse though
— Morgoth985More accurately, there is no excuse.
[/quote]
Isn’t that what I said? I think we can safely assume that we’re in agreement on this one.
Morgoth985 wrote:
Yeah, sorry, I thought I was adding to your comment rather than disagreeing with it.
I was assaulted by a chimp in a Porsche last week, after I said he needs to give more room when overtaking (twice, on blind bends) he deliberately drove his car into me, then got out and tried to wrestle my bike off me to damage it, making loads of threats while trying to push me over.
And the 10 minutes of vitriolic abuse, swearing and namecalling I received from a nutjob in a Mini on Sunday morning after I dared to be in the right hand lane, in traffic. Appararently he’s a cyclist and has got a more expensive bike than mine so he knows that cyclists must stay on the left (even if they are turning right??).
I’m really starting to feel that anti-cyclist hatred is at an all-time high after the media’s “reporting” of the Alliston trial 🙁
Jimmy Ray Will wrote:
What a shame. I’d hope the police would make them even more frustrated by arresting them. But hey, evil fixie riders.
Jimmy Ray Will wrote:
I remember having to drive two hours for 42 miles (each way) when i was sojounred to one of our contracts in Wimbledon (from n.herts), so A1/A41/A406/Kew Br/S.circular/A306
Didn’t mean by the time I got back home after working with a load of numpties all day and 2 hours in gridlock through much of London I could vent my anger/frustration out on anyone along the final part of my journey in my local area (or anywhere for that matter). That you even give some ‘out’ for these people is a tad worrying.
Simple solution is to make the road one way only and to give up the whole of one side of the carriageway for people on bikes, actually make the whol road system like that in towns and cities, that’ll fuck the vast majority up and those doing 3 miles or less will virtually be forced to use a bike or walk.
Jimmy Ray Will wrote:
Maybe if they all got on a bus or a bike they wouldn’t be so fuckign fed up!
The number of single occupancy cars on that stretch is insane all to park in the overcrowding car parks so they can all moan about the number of parking tickets they get, and complain about motorists being victimised by exeter parking wardens!
There seem to be a lot of
There seem to be a lot of horrible people about these days.
Maybe the parents should organise for one day/one week to drop their kids off by car. See how much havoc that causes.
SteppenHerring wrote:
And drive REALLY slowly
I’ve done it a handful of
I’ve done it a handful of times, both with him riding on his own and now on a tagalong.
School is in a residential dead-end road with narrow pavements. Whole area is 30mph limit.
We’ve got two right turns to make on the journey which is less than a mile. Parked cars everywhere, dreadful sight lines, narrow roads.
School Head is constantly sending out letters/emails regarding near misses and there’s a voluntary code not to drive within 300 yards of the gates which everyone ignores because there are a handful of disabled kids who get dropped off at the gate. The usual “well if they can do it so can I” attitude.
Driving standards are appalling. Speeding, driving on pavements, dooring etc. And then once out of the immediate area and on to narrow rural roads I feel completely unsafe – moreso than when mixing with HGVs on my work commute.
Last time son rode on his own bike with me he was heading downhill on a potholed country lane with a blind right-hand bend at the bottom and this cockwomble close-passed him in his chelsea tractor only to have to haul on the brakes because something came round the corner. My son shot up the inside of him (nowhere else to go) and the kid in the front seat of the 4×4 I’m pretty sure learnt a whole bunch of new words from me. Jumped out of his skin when I thumped the window. And yep – he’d just been picked up from the same school.
Thing was the bloke had plenty of room but was choosing to keep his 4×4 away from potholes and hedges. General gist was “Its a lease car, if I scratch it I have to pay for the damage” (whereas if he’d killed my son he’d have probably got away with it)
On the walk to school I see drivers tailgating CHILD cyclists and boxing them in so they can’t filter and when I drive if I drive at 20mph I’ll get tailgated and beeped. Its like some insanity descends upon them – I think they’re actually worse than WVM and boy racers. I know its a stressful time getting kids to school and then yourself to work but it’s a complete recipe for disaster. Distracted harrassed drivers mixed with infant and junior school kids on scooters on narrow pavements with limited street lighting.
Oh and for a rural area I would estimate maybe 5% of junior school kids are cycling to school based on the size of the bike shed. Most of the catchment area would be within 20 mins walk so maybe not worthwhile cycling but I think part of it is also that the parents don’t cycle. When I pick him up on a Friday I think I’ve seen at most two other parents on bikes out of a school of 240 kids. Concerted effort required to get more of them cycling so they can accompany their kids but its a Catch-22 due to safety fears.
kil0ran wrote:
3 of you? Or 12 (x2 including parents) if 5%, and that’s the cause of all the grief? What a bunch of twats the locals must be.
Jitensha Oni wrote:
Older kids (Years 5 and up) can ride on their own to school. Plus it’s the New Forest, the haters are plentiful
kil0ran wrote:
Now that is how to encapsulate the problems. Beautifully written.
dog_film wrote:
Sadly it resulted in him not riding his own bike. Admittedly perhaps we started riding on the road too young (age 7) but his road sense and positioning was good and these are (outside school run times) quiet roads with a lot of kids out on bikes and scooters. We’ve got a great skate park on the edge of town that encourages kids to ride.
The solution has been to go back to the tagalong and it is noticeable that drivers are giving us a wider berth and less aggressive passes at speed. Being a tourist destination I think subconsciously it triggers a “tourist, might not know where they’re going” response.
When he was riding independently I got several comments about being an irresponsible parent for putting him at risk. Cognitive dissonance of the chelsea tractor brigade is epic
kil0ran wrote:
That’s become an increasingly common thing, and I hadn’t previously considered that as the reason.
There’s a lane, just an access way from a ‘real’ road to a car park and a couple of houses, that’s on my way home, and if I meet a car coming along there they really don’t want to move up closer to the hedge and seem to expect me to.
Previously, I’d just got angry that they thought my t-shirt provided better protection from brambles than their tonne of metal box, but now I wonder if you’re right and it’s that they dare not get a scratch on their precious…
brooksby wrote:
I live in the New Forest so there are plenty of 4x4s and narrow potholed lanes. Makes me laugh how frequently drivers don’t make use of their off road ability, you’d think their 20″ wheels were made of delicate china
kil0ran wrote:
So for those who say the parents should drive to create havoc, there’s the answer. A couple of cyclists less, and a corresponding couple of cars more, would not be noticed in this car mad country.
My girl is the only one in her school (London zone 1) who cycles. It would be lovely to say the others walk because it is a central London school with a small catchment area but no they are delivered by Range Rover. This country has gone mad.
To add balance to my comments
To add balance to my comments its worth pointing out its a Steiner school with parents called Arabella. Bunch of weirdy-beardy hippy vegan green party voters in crochet cardigans if ever there was 😀
(Which is why they’re cycling 😀
kil0ran wrote:
No it isn’t.
It is worth pointing out that all children are children and that everyone has a right to safely use the public highway in accordance with the law.
shay cycles wrote:
Well it sort of is.
It illustrates how conditions for cycling are so hostile that only the most culturally or ideologically committed even attempt it. And how far we are from a situation where ‘normal’ people consider it an option.
And the more that said ‘normals’ are deterred from even thinking about it, the more the likes of Dave Hill can bash cyclists and cycle-infrastructure as ‘elitist’. It’s a a nice little vicious circle.
Ban cars. Obvious solution
Ban cars. Obvious solution given that it’s proved multiple times every single day that a considerable number of motorists are fcukwitted morons.
Christopher TR1 wrote:
Or, more directly, ban fcukwitted morons.
For all I’ve been commenting
For all I’ve been commenting that the idiot Alliston got the right sentence for wanton and furious cycling, stories like this are proof that most cyclists are more sinned against than sinning.
In Germany and many other
In Germany and many other countries, the speed limit is 30km/h to 40km/h (20mph-25mph) around schools and residential areas. Enforceable with hefty fines (and licences revoked for repeat offenders). But Britain is “different”, people don’t need policing, we’re told.
A2Bcyclist wrote:
UK schools are usually in 30 or 20mph limited zones and typically have speed cameras nearby. However cameras are only going to catch speeders, not the dangerous and aggressive driving as Mumsy needs to safely deliver little Tarquin and Shaznay to the gates, and she’s damn well going to use the off-road capability of her new RangeRover to drive over obstacles like cyclists, cars parked on zig-zags, that pesky idiot in the hi-vis with the lollipop…
…sorry, got a little side-tracked.
The school opposite where I used to live had to have a PCSO stationed to support the crossing lady for one term, who was getting death-threat abuse from certain parents. It’s a shame that Police presence was required, but proper policing is the only way to get through to some of those idiots
Exeter is growing with no
Exeter is growing with no easy way to add more arterial routes in, and I for one can’t wait until the city is properly broken as far as driving cars is concerned. It’s just a shame we’ve got to put up with this kind of shit while we wait for that unavoidable eventuality.
timb27 wrote:
And this, I fear, will be the only solution for towns and cities across the country. People are just too wedded to their cars. Not that I’m advocating giving up, you understand, and maybe it’s just a grey morning and I’m miserable or something, but I just can’t see any political momentum to fix this. It will only be when every city and town permanently chokes on congestion and pollution so nobody can even leave their driveways before the average driver would even vaguely think about any kind of alternative. And possibly not even then.
Surely all it takes is a
Surely all it takes is a couple of police officers on bikes to patrol the streets on the school run? Attitudes can only change through education.
a1white wrote:
Great news, looks like Devon and Cornwall Police have taken action: http://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/covert-cycle-cops-stop-motorists-500983
Nice work!
It sounds like an unsuitable
It sounds like an unsuitable place to ride a bike, let alone encourage a child to be there on one. Sometimes it’s wise to accept there are just bad roads for cycling and are best avoided.
Another David wrote:
schoolkids not obese and polluted enough already for you?
Here’s a radical idea: do something about the road so that it is a suitable place for children to cycle to school without their parents.
Another David wrote:
There’s no such thing as an unsuitable road to cycle on in this country, but there are plenty that are unsuitable to drive on.
Accepting bad driving is effectively condoning it, and I for one, will never do that.
Why aren’t you condemning the drivers for their failure to consider other road users and to drive to the conditions?
Another David wrote:
Bollocks!
Another David wrote:
No, this is the absolute worst solution, and your acceptance of it is both sad and worrying.
The solution is to remove the dangerous cars from the equation. Perhaps ban motorised traffic from the road between school hours. Perhaps have police patrol the road at busy times and look out for the more vulnerable road users, but of course the Police don’t give a shit about cyclists and would rather make sure they get locked up than protected.
kitsunegari wrote:
No, this is the absolute worst solution, and your acceptance of it is both sad and worrying.
The solution is to remove the dangerous cars from the equation. Perhaps ban motorised traffic from the road between school hours. Perhaps have police patrol the road at busy times and look out for the more vulnerable road users, but of course the Police don’t give a shit about cyclists and would rather make sure they get locked up than protected.— Another David
But until they do transplant wings onto a pig, just keep safe out there, read the road situations and judge the best safe course of action. If that means not cycling on certain roads, then so be it.
It’s a shame that in Exeter the general car driving public seem like knuckle draggers (the Exeter stereotype proves itself), personally I’d be tempted to fill up a household cleaning spray bottle up with brake fluid and any close passes or numpty drivers would get a squirt or two.
Another David wrote:
Why should we? The road is not bad (well the surface may be), its the attitude of the drivers that is bad.Its a slippery slope if you accept bad driving and intimidation – it normalises it and makes it worse for everyone.
“If this is the best of all
“If this is the best of all possible worlds, what are the others ?”
That is so sad and what the
That is so sad and what the numpties can’t picture is those folk scared of cycling become larger blocks which cant easily overtake (cars) and add to the congestion. If the numpties were fustrated before, they will become more fustrated :-/
Unfortunately in Britain
Unfortunately in Britain traffic laws are viewed as optional by most, and they view it as a human right to break the law. Just look at the attitude to speed cameras.
“When he was riding
“When he was riding independently I got several comments about being an irresponsible parent for putting him at risk”.
That’ll be from the ‘It’s not safe on the roads for my child to walk to school so I drive them’ brigade. Should be shot!
My favourites are those wahoo speed up to the yellow ‘school keep clear’ paint, literally boot child out and speed off again with barely a check, shoulder check et al. Yep, I don’t mind running anyone else’s child over so long as mine is within 3m of the gate.
Here’s some KARMA for you all
Here’s some KARMA for you all. Yesterday I was out riding and some numpty van driver was leaning across his seat spouting something that I couldn’t hear, but was obviously being a twat! HE HAD GIVEN ME SOME SPACE THOUGH (NOT 1.5M), I then noticed something ahead and slowed, he didn’t and promptly drove into the back of a car that had stopped to turn right.
I quickly came to stop, photgraphed the incident from behind, then from the side with him in view, as he was trying to reverse out and probably make a run for it. Then called 999 and police were there in 2mins, gave my statement as above and he was arrested on the spot…..RESULT!
I Have been told he will be prosecuted, as the driver he hit insisted on it!
KINGHORN wrote:
There is a god. And he rides a bike.
Exeter – what do you expect?
Exeter – what do you expect? Aren’t they all frustrated delboys, premiership footballers and wags in 4 wheel drives?
It’s about time schools did more to encourage a change of behavour. Start offering cycling profficiency again and incentives for the kids. Kids can often be the instigator for change in their parents behavour.
As the school is down a cul-de-sac I am sure the residents are frustrated with all the traffic so maybe the school could co-ordinate a campaign with them to restrict traffic to residents only at school start/end times? At one of my local primary schools they have a PCO/PC outside regularly moving on parents who try to drop off/collect their kids by car.
Alternatively, organise a slow ride to school one morning and really piss them off.
bikeman01 wrote:
Most schools where I live, Bristol, are extremely active in promoting cycling, and I can’t think of a reason why Exeter should be any different. Perhaps you need a public meeting to discuss the situation, inviting all the parents and ask them why they drive, which is almost certainly a fear of motor vehicles. Then you point out that this is a self-fulfilliing prophecy and that they are the problem. When they are feeling thoroughly ashamed and contrite, have a vote on improving cycle access, pointing out that more bikes is fewer cars.
burtthebike wrote:
agreed. Bottom line is theschool has a problem (with the safety of it’s pupils) and should be doing all it can to co-ordinate a change of behavour to get their pupils out of cars and walking/cycling.
You don’t need much school to
You don’t need much school to figure out on your own that it’s not ok to slap/poke at a a cyclist.
The commute through the urban zoo continues.
I know said woman…It
I know said woman…It probably doesn’t help that she also rides a 78kg Dutch Double seat extra wide converted Ice Cream cart.
The road is a bitch, it’s arterial and narrow and in a shit state of affairs, its a 30mph but the speed cameras are turned off so everyone including Tankers coming in from Crediton and Tiverton do 40mph down it.
The turning into steiner requires moving to the centre of the road…If you’re not confindent, riding in the gutter in fear or not riding at 20mph + average, you’re never going to make it as there will simply not be a gap in traffic.
it’s a clusterfuck, Exeter has possibly some of the THE WORST driving i’ve ever seen…I can’t pinpoint why, I cycled in Liverpool, London, Plymouth, Barcelona, Girona and countless other places but Exeter is just the fucking worst, the sense of entitlement on the roads is just incredible.
I’m loving the idea of filling up bottle with DOT 4 genius
Jeez this is bringing all the
Jeez this is bringing all the Exeter riders out of the woodwork! The road in question is certainly bad BUT it has just been resurfaced to an uncharacteristically good standard rather than the usual chipseal crap we get.
barbarus wrote:
Resurfaced…you say, maybe I’ll dice with death and do some Stoke Hill reps
SingleSpeed wrote:
No, Stoke hill is still shite. Cowley bridge road is what’s been resurfaced. Are you planning to do the hill climb?
Yeah I guessed that bit but
Yeah I guessed that bit but was using it as an excuse to get out on lunch and see the resurfaced bit,
I guess they have done a better job that just taking the top layer off like they did on mamhead, sketchy coming down that one!
I hadn’t thought about doing the hill climb, until now… maybe I change the ratio on one of my plastic MTB’s and see how many places up from bottom I can be 🙂
**cant see the date for it on the Wheelers Website, when is it?
SingleSpeed wrote:
It’s tomorrow, I don’t think they accept entries on the day. Good event though!
barbarus wrote:
— barbarus It’s tomorrow, I don’t think they accept entries on the day. Good event though!— SingleSpeed
Tried to blag an entry but apprently not… Might pop up, I’ll be on the Orange Singlespeed “Holdsworth”
SingleSpeed wrote:
I can’t make it this year. Have fun if you go!