Just received this from my club secretary;
Hi everyone,

***** police have received a formal complaint about cyclists pedalling through **** village in “peloton style, at both great speed, volume and with a degree of arrogance”. They have also had informal complaints and comments from motorists about the difficulty of trying to pass large volumes of cyclists between *** and the A*** via ******* and *********, many riding two or three abreast.

Sadly, we can’t do anything about non-***** ****** ****** Club riders or those passing through **** following the Walney to Wear and LEJOG routes, but can we please ensure that **** ****** riders always consider other road users, including overtaking motorists (just single out), and are courteous to pedestrians, horse-riders and drivers alike.

Thank you,

Secretary

First thoughts are to go back asking why the police haven’t been told to go and poke it.

Wrote a response but deleted it because I have enough hassle in my life with out this nonsense. FYI Strava tells me that one 1 rider out 1,800+ riders has averaged over 30mph through the village (30.9mph).

What do you reckon? Let it go? Tell them to jog on?

As you live in the village find out who complained and eliminate them.

Coppers got whinged at, coppers approached local club secs, club secs send email, coppers tell whingebag. Job done. Carry on with your life

Ask the club secretary to tell the police when you’ll next be cycling through said village.

The entitled generation will be along shortly to tell you carry on as before and don’t give a toss about what other road users think. The more grown up will suggest that perhaps pulling into single file in heavy traffic is probably a good idea.
YMMV

Include that village in the club run for the next six months?

Three abreast strictly speaking isn’t so good, even though two abreast is fine.

Depends on the size of the group, I guess. A competent driver shouldn’t have any trouble passing a well-organised and compact group. It’s much harder to pass a much longer line of singled-out riders.

If the police find you have actually committed any offences, they can take it up with you on the roadside, I guess.

IMO the lane in question is too narrow for the majority of the time to make idly safe for a car to overtake a cyclist. Whilst I always try and ride in a responsible manner it’s not always safer to let the motorist try and over take.

Also it seems to be a bit off to complain the bikes are going to fast and that it’s difficult to overtake?? Which is it? Too fast or too slow?!

So, some cyclists have been reported to be riding in an inconsiderate way, the Police have been notified, the Police have contacted local clubs about it and the club appear to be asking their members to make sure it isn’t them when wearing club kit

.

That seems utterly reasonable to me. I would go so far as to suggest that anyone who feels that this is in any way out of order needs to go and get over themselves, frankly.

Though I’m very pissed off that suddenly went into a quote function and I can’t edit to get it right again!

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/chris-boardman-explains-why-cyclists-ride-two-abreast-in-new-safety-video-187215

Stop riding like cocks?

FYI Strava tells me that one 1 rider out 1,800+ riders has averaged over 30mph through the village (30.9mph).

Maybe the speeding cyclists don’t use Strava.

Riding two abreast is perfectly good cycling.

“In an arrogant way” is just a standard complaint that means “I have an entitlement to drive as fast as I like and these lycra-clad perverts refuse to get out of my way.”

“At great speed” is another subjective and dubious allegation.

I would raise with the secretary the unreasonable “single out” request.

Amazing how one crank complaining to the police can have such an effect.

write to local police and ask if aa and rac have ben cointacted about their members speeding, and not obeying road laws.Theyre aclub for motorists arent they…………..

Cyclists riding too fast to be overtaken in 30 zone? Gutted.

suggest that the police send a speed camera van to the village in question on a couple of Sundays and report their findings both to the village busybodies parish council and the cycling club

THIS
x 10000

Then agree to meet the police to explain why you do it and then get the highway code a out about save passing ansd then ask them if they think it’s safe to pass etc

Its always hard to tell as some cyclists are not considerate but nor are some car drivers

When they two meet we are always the ones to be blamed and that is what I object to the most.

out of interest, is it actually possible to make a formal complaint about this sort of thing ? (trivial matter, anonymous “perpetrators”)

out of interest, is it actually possible to make a formal complaint about this sort of thing ? (trivial matter, anonymous “perpetrators”)

Of course it is. I’ve done it about cars when I’ve not had a full registration.

I’m sure you’re in my neck of the woods. Which village is it?

Personally, I’ve given up caring about motorists. They can just **** wait their turn. Nearly got killed tonight by some **** in a Peugeot doing a five car over take near Askam.

MoreCashThanDash – Member
Of course it is. I’ve done it about cars when I’ve not had a full registration

a “formal” complaint ?
What’s the meaning of the term then ? Are the police obliged to follow it up, even when there’s no actual evidence of wrongdoing and zero chance of a convivtion of any sort ?
If so I’ll be making loads in the future. Presumably you just tell them that you want to make a formal complaint and the process magically starts ?

It’ll be a councillor, or someone has moaned loudly at a councillor

I was out walking with the sig other on Saturday. On a section of rural road, we waited at a corner to let a peleton pass. The last rider bellowed ‘Walkers!’ when she saw us. Must admit I burst out laughing – she was at the back of the line, who did she think she was warning? But more seriously, there were definite connotations of superiority/arrogance/whatever you want to call it.

Roadie peleton = mob mentality cocks. Makes me embarrassed to call myself a cyclist sometimes.

Interesting. Last time I reported a lorry driver who would have wiped me out with his trailer had I not hopped onto the grass verge, I was told that if there was no accident, there’s nothing they can do.

Surely that also applies here. Slightly worry that the police service appears to be cherry picking which complaints they listen to and which they shrug off.

I think that often the police try to “keep the peace” rather than worry too much about upholding the law.

The problem with this is that people (in this case cyclists) will be considered unreasonable even if they are riding lawfully.

If I was Club Secretary, I would assure the police that the riding on the club runs is legal and reasonable, and that if they have evidence of a crime then the club will be happy to support the police in the prosecution of such crime.

Just been pointed out to me by a club mate that another local clubs club run goes through this village twice every Saturday.

Roadie peleton = mob mentality cocks.

Oh, bore off. Honestly.

Just been pointed out to me by a club mate that another local clubs club run goes through this village twice every Saturday.

So? Cyclists have an inalienable right to pedal their cycles on the queens highway, mororists are merely licensed and this privilege can be revoked by the state at any time.

So pedal on I say, not even the queen can deny you that right.

Cartmel? Grange?

But more seriously, there were definite connotations of superiority/arrogance/whatever you want to call it

What led you to think this? They were almost certainly people just like you riding bikes with their mates.

Unless they were shouting “we are superior to you!” as they went past then it’s your interpretation that’s been shaped by your experiences.

Sedgwick

And the ref to the other club was to try and draw attention that the accusation is against all cyclists rather than one club in specific

Sedgwick

😀 near enough the same thing.

Same demographic 😀

+1 to the speed camera request above, and/or a blitz on dangerous driving in general. plus, tell the pigs to **** off.

plus, tell the pigs to **** off.

Oh the ironing!

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/8203-Stop-hogging-lanes-cyclists-Cambridge-area/story-28986775-detail/story.html

also bottom of page, drug dealing, 2 major crashes one dead and a chap killed by a nweighbour, and the police waste time and effort making themselves look foolish writing to cycling clubs. While ignoring real life things.

Do you think the police officers that had to tell the dead peoples families were ignoring it? Get a grip.

…informal complaints and comments from motorists…

Should the police be wasting their time following up “informal complaints”?

Also

…with a degree of arrogance…

I am not sure how one cycles with “a degree of arrogance” which particular road traffic law it breaches or how it’s actually measured (do they have special handheld unit for this, is there a whole dedicated van?), but really the police shouldn’t be dealing with such “complaints” unless they’re actually reporting some law having been broken, or public safety put at risk…

Ultimately WGAF, the complainant(s) (be they old Biddies or entitled, road hogging Mondeo men) will be dead soon enough, either due to just being old, or crashing into something inanimate… Allow nature to run its course…

Time to **** up their village! Do this, skip to 1.54 but on bikes obvs
[video]https://youtu.be/EVas6D7ldtw[/video]

Loads of arrogant drivers about who think the roads are solely for their use, unfortunately this attitude does seem to have led to packs of arrogant cyclists who also act selfish on the road

Sharing’s caring :0)

Loads of arrogant drivers about who think the roads are solely for their use, unfortunately this attitude does seem to have led to packs of arrogant cyclists keyboard warriors who also act selfish on the road internet, and seem to think that riding bikes makes it ok

a degree of arrogance

Faster than me, not even panting and then giving a cheery hello as you leave me in your wake…arrogant bastards the lot of them 😉

These threads are aload of bollocks

Every road user group has poor road users.Locally, simply due to the fact 99% of road users are in vehicles, going faster, weight more and kill more, the real issue is motor vehicles.

Where cyclists are a problem it tends to be folk on BSO on the footpath rather a “lycra clad warrior” IME

No group is universally brilliant but the real problem, on our roads, is not gangs of feral roadies endangering everyones lives

Everyone knows this even internet trolls.