Cyclists

[alfabianchi]

Lots of bollocks being spouted in this thread.

The roads are for everyone. Bikes, people, tractors, horses and cars.

If you drive around thinking you are more important than anyone else, you are a bell-end.

I once read a good slogan on a poster in town. It said, "You're not stuck in traffic. YOU ARE THE TRAFFIC."

If you cannot handle sharing the roads with other people, you shouldn't be on them.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

I do both. In fact I also ride a motorbike.


Is this wrong?



It's simple. I wouldn't ride two abreast, I don't jump red lights, I stick to as close to the curb as safely possible...


And still you get idiots saying I should pay another road tax or get a licence.

Zero emission so cyclists would be zero rated. Do they want a different arrangement for two wheels?<br /><br />-- Mon Mar 24, 2014 3:58 pm --<br /><br />

Lots of bollocks being spouted in this thread.

The roads are for everyone. Bikes, people, tractors, horses and cars.

If you drive around thinking you are more important than anyone else, you are a bell-end.

I once read a good slogan on a poster in town. It said, "You're not stuck in traffic. YOU ARE THE TRAFFIC."

If you cannot handle sharing the roads with other people, you shouldn't be on them.

There's always bollocks spouted when cyclists get a thread. I like yer user name, AB!

 

[Pokes28]

I always find this topic interesting and I can tell you that it isn't just in England that the discussions occur. Here in the US there are a few cities/regions that embrace cycling, but on the whole it is not. Here, cyclists are subject to the same rules as motorized vehicles. So if the road has a posted minimum speed such as turnpikes, then you won't find cyclists on them. Most states have a red light law that allows a cyclist to stop at a red light and then make a judgement call based on traffic on if he/she can cross. This is critical because a large percentage of the traffic lights are sensored and won't turn green for a bicycle. The thing that really floors most people that I hear bitching about cyclists is that they believe they should be on the sidewalks. Problem is that it is illegal to ride your bicycle on the sidewalk and even if we could, it is very dangerous to do so.

I'm fortunate enough to live in an area that has a big cycling community. Our Thursday night rides range from 20 to 40 miles mostly on country roads and will normally have 40-60 people participating. We ride the same routes all the time which gets boring but it does improve safety as drivers are used to seeing us on the roads.

As for the lycra, I'd dare say that most people don't enjoy wearing tight cycling shorts. However, if you don't wear them, the chafing is horrible so it is the lesser of two evils. I don't know a single cyclist that doesn't drive and pay taxes that fund the same roads. So it isn't a question of road ownership.

To me, it is just the realization that we all have to share the road. A very near and dear friend of mine lost his life while riding his bike and another spent a few weeks in the hospital when he was hit. It can be a dangerous activity. But those of us that ride need to be smart about where and when we take our bicycles. There are some dangerous roads and right now there are times of the day that the sun will blind a driver to a cyclist being in the lane. So we just have to do our best to minimize obvious risks and work with the community and educate drivers and riders alike to prevent unnecessary accidents and loss of life.

Over the last 4 years I've ridden over 8500 miles without an incident. Heck I'm so fortunate I've never even gotten a flat tire. But like everything else, that is a result of being smart, riding with good riders that understand the rules of the road, and a good deal of luck.

 

[Bluemanc100]

This may differ in the cities but where I live there are lots of narrow rural roads with no cycle paths and a national speed limit, but this doesn't stop cyclists from doing their thing. I have seen numerous incidents where they have nearly caused a nasty collision, mainly on an uphill stretch where they're going slow and a car pulls out to overtake, only for another car to come racing down the hill in the other direction. I don't know the stats but I imagine lots of accidents are caused this way.

My question is this - should cyclists be allowed on the roads or are they too much of a hazard to motorists and themselves?

I love cycling but I would never do it on the open road, only ever on cycle paths which are sadly lacking round here.

If the car cant see that its safe to overtake going uphill, then he shouldnt overtake, simple as. What if it were a horse or a pedestrian, all of whom have an equal right to be there?

https://www.gov.uk/using-the-road-159-to-203/overtaking-162-to-169

^^ This

I ride a fixie for light training, I've lost count of the number of people who overtake me with insufficient room for the manoeuvre.. How do I know? because the fuckers cut me up to get back in the left hand lane.......

If they don't have enough room they should damn well bloody wait!! They never do however, they somehow think that cycles have no rights or shouldn't be on the road with them

-- Mon Mar 24, 2014 5:13 pm --

cyclist don't have a license so not subject to road laws, its an assumed contract that can be contested and thrown out in a court under common law

you cannot fine a cyclist, of course the ignorant will pay fines because the police give em,, NEVER DO SO !!

its like Asda giving you a parking ticket

So I can't be prosecuted for running a red light on a treader? Are you sure? (I did my cycling proficiency in the 70's BTW)

In Germany points given on a pushbike carry over to a driving licence, they should here also

 

[Mustard Dave]

cyclist don't have a license so not subject to road laws, its an assumed contract that can be contested and thrown out in a court under common law

you cannot fine a cyclist, of course the ignorant will pay fines because the police give em,, NEVER DO SO !!

its like Asda giving you a parking ticket

A quick look in the Highway Code tells me cyclists are bound by the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, the Highway Act 1835, the Road Traffic Act 1988, the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002, and the Pedal Cycles (Construction & Use) Regulations 1983, to name but a few.

Police do not issue fines - they issue fixed penalty notices. Only a court can fine you. A fixed penalty notice, be it for speeding in a motorised vehicle, cycling without lights or pissing in the street is a means of disposing of an offence. If you get a fixed penalty offer for speeding, you do not have to accept it. You can choose to contest it in court if you wish, however, with modern speed cameras, you stand little chance of getting away with it and will end up being fined a greater amount, paying court costs and the Victim's Surcharge.

If you are given a ticket for a cycling offence, you would generally have to have been seen by a copper and have acted like a massive twat for them to bother. However, if you did not pay the fixed penalty, they would probably not bother as the prosecution would not be worth the bother, it would probably not be in the public interest and it would be difficult to prove in court.

There are several nutters who proclaim to be a 'freeman of the land'. Their belief is only common law (judge made law) is applicable and they cannot be bound by statutory law (written legislation). They are, of course, talking bollocks.

 

[DelToro]

We have this thread every 3 months or so.

Have de niro or Urmston vented their spleens yet?

 

[dronefromsector7g]

We have this thread every 3 months or so.

Have de niro or Urmston vented their spleens yet?

The thread is being recycled then?

 

[DelToro]

We have this thread every 3 months or so.

Have de niro or Urmston vented their spleens yet?

The thread is being recycled then?

I spoke too soon.

 

[Pokes28]

We have this thread every 3 months or so.

Have de niro or Urmston vented their spleens yet?

Not yet, but I'm looking forward to it. Though I can really understand frustration in metropolitan areas.<br /><br />-- Mon Mar 24, 2014 1:26 pm --<br /><br />Oh and since I'm also a runner, I can say I've had a LOT more close calls than as a cyclist. The only saving grace on that is that I see the idiots coming from the front and can literally dive out of the way.

 

[Patientman63]

We have this thread every 3 months or so.

Have de niro or Urmston vented their spleens yet?

The thread is being recycled then?

Same people pedalling the same arguments