- This topic has 39 replies, 29 voices, and was last updated 8 years ago by molgrips.
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Should I have said something?
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Kryton57Full Member
I was road riding today. As the the lights in front of me changed to red, I slowed and prepared to stop, only to have another ride casually rider past me 30 seconds later – not even immediately – straight through the red light. The car driver next to me, looks as me and shakes his head. I shrug in quiet bemusement.
So the lights go free and we carry on. I’m slowly catching said rider when the next set of lights about 200yrds in front of him turn red. As before, he casually rides up to them, straight through across a crossroads and carrys on. I stop.
Later on along a long stretch of road there he is. I’m catching him, and it occurs to be to pull alongside him and berate him for his actions, helping to give cyclist a bad name. I avoided confrontation, and didn’t, but now I’m thinking I should have.
?
tomdFree MemberI pointed that a fellow rider was a RLJ douche bag a few months back. Normally I wouldn’t bother but he startled a pedestrian crossing the green man. It ended up in a shouting match and him threatening me. Luckily he was a hipster wearing his sister’s jeans so there was no actual danger involved. Still, worth bearing in mind that it’s unlikelt to end well and it probably wont make your day better.
bearnecessitiesFull MemberYou should have taken off a glove, thwacked him around the chops with it and duelled to the death.
Anyhow, I thought you were getting pissed and watching the F1 today, which reading your post, I’m more inclined to believe. 🙂
Kryton57Full MemberWell. With 2 kids there’s a level of pissed to be observed for appropriateness, until they go to bed and the red wine makes an appearance. Saying that I had to adjust the spelin in my op several times.
It does annoy me. He was just a Altura dressed normally sized (not even cyclist sized) man tbh. But that kind of action rubs off on us all.
Doesn’t offering him out to a duel with fingerless gloves come across a bit camp?
badnewzFree MemberSounds like you were fitter and faster than him, so you could have called him a moron as you sped past…until the next red light that is!
Kryton57Full MemberNo, but as a cyclist in a community of cyclists I prefer not to be tarred with the same brush as morons.
Present company accepted of course 😆
bearnecessitiesFull MemberDoesn’t offering him out to a duel with fingerless gloves come across a bit camp?
You’re the one that let a stranger rub off on you.
taxi25Free MemberDid the rider look that it was safe before going through the red light ? I’m on the road all the time and see people doing whatever everyday. I’d carry on and enjoy my ride and leave him to his.
captainsasquatchFree Memberhelping to give cyclist a bad name
Was he a cyclist or just a bloke on a bike?
Probably not worth saying anything as they’ve already got the justification worked out in their own head. Assuming that he hasn’t yet been run over, I think it’s fair to say that no harm has been done. So no point in worrying about it.njee20Free MemberLife is too short. He knows he’s doing it, so what possible good will come from telling him he’s doing it? He’s not gonna suddenly change his ways.
burtonFree Memberyeah but that cyclist will be the first to moan bitch when he gets hit by a car or truck…
very big sigh
IanMunroFree MemberI just do a punishment pass. They don’t listen to reason, so you might as well terrorise them instead.
tthewFull MemberI can never resist telling them off for getting all cyclists a bad name when I occasionally see it in Chester. It tends to be middle age blokes on BSO’s wobbling through without looking. Never had a positive response yet.
In the case that they get taken out by a car or truck, I’d feel massively sorry for the driver.
bikebouyFree MemberI would have just rode on and not bothered to say anything. TBH anyone who doesn’t GaS about other road users I don’t care about.
😛Kryton57Full MemberLife is too short. He knows he’s doing it, so what possible good will come from telling him he’s doing it? He’s not gonna suddenly change his ways.
That’s what I did, with slightly less thought. It’s part of my mindfulness practise which I’ve been failing on a fair bit.
cynic-alFree MemberI expect it’s rare to change the views of someone like this.
Less likely by berating him too IMO
jimmyFull MemberNo, but as a cyclist in a community of cyclists I prefer not to be tarred with the same brush as morons.
Think the motorist got that bit.
prettygreenparrotFull MemberJust leave it. His choice. Irrespective of the group association.
molgripsFree Memberso what possible good will come from telling him he’s doing it?
Well, research shows that most people look to other people to justify their behaviour. This is how bad behaviour becomes normalised – good behaviour too. This chap might be under the impression that most cyclists do it, it’s normal therefore he can grab a few extra seconds by doing it. Odds on he doesn’t do the same thing in a car, because it’s definitely not normalised behaviour.
By commenting (non-confrontationally, as above) you make him aware that not all cyclists do it, which might ‘prick his conscience’ so to speak.
thecaptainFree MemberWell, if you’re the sort of busybody who routinely criticises the behaviour of random strangers, then go for it. I can imagine you must make a lot of friends in the supermarket queue: “oh, I wouldn’t put the eggs in with the potatoes if I were you, and as for the tomatoes and tinned soup”.
Alternatively you could just get on with your life and not waste your time worrying about what someone else is doing that doesn’t affect you in any way whatsoever.
molgripsFree Memberoh, I wouldn’t put the eggs in with the potatoes if I were you, and as for the tomatoes and tinned soup
Not the same thing. Someone else’s shopping basket has nothing to do with you. RLJer’s actions do.
1) It’s a public safety issue – any of us could be the driver, cyclist or ped whose path the RLJer rides into and
2) As mentioned above, RLJer’s give us all a bad name as it’s one of the main sticks with which anti-cyclist drivers beat us.
iamtheresurrectionFull MemberWhen I drive to work, I’d say half of all motorists break the speed limit. When I cycle in, it seems like one in four is on a mobile phone (this has got a LOT worse in the last two years, at least in my experience) or having a fag/drinking early morning coffee.
I really couldn’t give a rats what the average motorist thinks of us. I know what I think of them…
molgripsFree MemberI really couldn’t give a rats what the average motorist thinks of us.
You should. For many of them it affects their behaviour towards us.
How many times have we heard how well treated cyclsits are on French roads? It’s not because they are all concentrating more. It’s cos they generally don’t think we’re contemptible scum like some drivers here seem to think.
iamtheresurrectionFull MemberI cycled through Paris once, they were far from patient and understanding…
Around Burgundy and the Massif Central they were awesome. I would wonder if the level of understanding is directly related to the level of traffic, and French/Spanish roads are generally much quieter.
I really don’t see how the average motorist has any right to judge the average person on a bike. I’m not going to add to the judgement.
molgripsFree MemberHardly a moral judgement is it? He blatantly broke the rules that we all have to abide by. No judgement required.
iamtheresurrectionFull MemberI’m not looking for an argument, I’m just saying that people break the rules on the road every day. When I’m in the car, I don’t chase down every speeding motorist to tell them what I think, any more than I would a RLJ.
Ironically doing one and not the other, I would suggest, is a moral judgement. It’s just my opinion, I’m not trying to win anybody over.
christhetallFree MemberNo, but as a cyclist in a community of cyclists I prefer not to be tarred with the same brush as morons.
We are being conditioned to believe that, as “cyclists” we are responsible for every misdemeanour by anyone on two wheels, and thereby culpable if we end up in accident.
When did you ever hear calls for the motoring community to take action over the 1000s of deaths “they” are responsible for.? And would you consider taking it into your own hands to enforce the speed limit on a motorway ?
thecaptainFree MemberI agree that cyclists abroad (in many countries) are not treated like scum. I don’t see any link to the behaviour of cyclists. In Japan (where i have several years of experience) cyclists routinely ride holding umbrellas, on the wrong side of the road, giving backies to their mates (explicitly against the law in Japan), riding on pavement etc. They are not treated like scum. The way they are treated has nothing to do with how well they behave, it is how cyclists are viewed societally. In Japan it is normal to be a cyclist, it is likely that your parent or child rides a bike.
butcherFull MemberI think this goes way deeper than this. The problem I see is that motorists put cyclists in the same group as themselves. But they just don’t fit there. Go to any city centre and your average pedestrian is an absolute menace: to motorists, cyclists, and other pedestrians. They walk where they like, when they like. But there is no hate directed towards them. The occasional moment of frustration, and maybe even the odd blip on the horn. And then it’s forgotten about.
Cyclists are pedestrians on wheels, yet they are put into this group that must abide 100% to a bunch of rules that were created mainly for motorised vehicles and the dangers they present. And whilst yes, some law and order is always a good thing (and don’t get me wrong, I see some stupid cycling), I think the rigid black and white thinking on this is the bigger threat to cyclists. And I believe it is strongly re-enforced by cyclists chastising cyclists.
The perception of cyclists is not created by them jumping a few red lights. It’s something much more complex. An intricate identity. One that comes with expectations. And it’s that identity that needs to be addressed, because at the moment, it just isn’t right. Yet we, ourselves are just as much to blame for creating it.
MrSmithFree MemberNo, but as a cyclist in a community of cyclists I prefer not to be tarred with the same brush as morons.
What community of cyclists?
brooessFree MemberCyclists are pedestrians on wheels, yet they are put into this group that must abide 100% to a bunch of rules that were created mainly for motorised vehicles and the dangers they present.
That’s a really interesting perspective. The criticism of the general public of the apparent lawlessness of everyone who rides a bike is rank hypocrisy and seems to be present in even the most intelligent and thoughtful of my friends…
It’d be interesting to get a social psychologist’s view on why ‘cyclists’ are ‘expected’ to adhere to the rules of the road to a much higher standard than non-cyclists and why so many people take it upon themselves to punish anything less than 100% adherence.
Although the answer may be just simple bullying of a vulnerable minority who represent change… just finding excuses to justify their desire to be bullies.
cookeaaFull MemberThere’s No point getting into an altercation with anyone who doesn’t think the rules apply to them, odds are they’ll think it’s fine to start some fisticuffs with the busybody who dares to point out their faults… Save your self the agro as you won’t improve his attitude.
In other news I saw a Range rover blast through the red light I had just stopped for, exiting the M4 at J11, into the world’s worst designed four Lane interchange…
So long as there’s people driving their ego wagons like that, I’ll be stopping at reds whatever my mode of transport. Some people are just “braver” than others I guess.
molgripsFree MemberIronically doing one and not the other, I would suggest, is a moral judgement
Well the OP found himself alongside the RLJer within earshot so not really the same thing as chasing someone down and getting out of your car.
But anyway – I don’t chastise RLJers for the reasons stated above. If I were in a position to make some kind of light hearted non confrontational comment I probably would, but that never happens.
As to why we are disliked by some motorists, that is indeed a complex question that won’t be solved by stopping rljing. But it will help. I am constantly on a charm offensive when riding on and off road. Eye contact, waves of thanks (for things that they are required to do anyway), letting motorists pass on narrow roads etc. Seems to help…
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