Just been reading CycleHatred’s twitter feed:

https://twitter.com/CycleHatred (be warned: lots of swearing)

This guy (a cyclist) has taken it upon himself to ReTweet every hateful message about cyclists he can find to highlight “peoples messed up, ill informed, and frankly terrifying, view of cyclists”.

The result is very uncomfortable reading with people wishing death or bodily harm to cyclists, and even bragging about side-swiping or forcing us off the road 😯

Can anyone explain WHY folk get so upset at cyclists using the road?

I have no useful contribution to make!

I give it three pages.

Anyway, coffee, anyone?

Because it makes them feel superior to do so. Nothing else.

Basically there are lots of dicks about and some of them own cars and some of them own bikes and some of them have access to the internet

everyone hates something. i tend to not worry about haters, or even dislikers.
and i used to be the worst kind of hater. no any more. 😀

Mainly because the Internet is full of twunts.

Look at YouTube comments (for anything) and you will never need to wonder about this sort of thing again.

I think I need to block that site from my PC I will only upset myself, read a dozen, already depressed 🙁

everyone hates something

flaming/abuse I can put up with, all the death stuff (when it’s a distinct possibility) is not on.

Unfortunately, the world is populated by a worryingly large percentage of people who, at best, can only be described as utter and complete ****s!!!

Just avoid them as best you can

I think that guy needs to find something useful to do with his life rather than worrying that a few people on twitter dislike cyclists.

I can’t imagine hating anyone enough that I’d think it was funny to risk killing them with my car:

Driving close & fast past cyclist causes them to wobble 🙂 if they’re cycling side by side (lane hogging) they both wobble. What fun!

Just elbowed an elderly cyclist into a wet hedge.

Wonder how many cyclist poop them self this morning after I nearly knocked them off hahaahaha

graham I think a lot of those are idiots who can’t see the consequences of their actions, they see falling off/getting knocked off as an inconvenience (for the cyclist) not the KSI possibilities. Which is still dangerous but is (massive) ignorance rather than homicidal tendencies

…possibly

I don’t know. It’s not as simple as saying that they’re all just idiots. It’s an acceptable form of hatred for some. I know a few otherwise reasonable people who turn into utter hate-filled **** when the subject of cyclists is raised (usually by them). They don’t batter on about all the shit driving they doubtless see all the time, but should they see someone on two wheels commit some minor indiscretion then by god they’re going to twist your ear off about it for days.

I’ve just taken to avoiding these people as far as possible, I don’t have time or energy enough to deal with them appropriately. And I’m not sure where I’d hide the bodies…

I think that guy needs to find something useful to do with his life rather than worrying that a few people on twitter dislike cyclists.

I think it is a pretty useful approach: people are challenged and held to account for their public tweets, in front of their friends and family. Some of them are reminded that “cyclists” are people too, some even apologise.

It’s also a pretty good barometer for public feeling: e.g. lots of them are complaining about cyclists taking primary position, which shows more education is needed there.

these people feel emboldened by relative anonymity and are also encouraged by clarkson type rants. I would hope that some would be done for incitement, because we know that some do kill–

Rob Gregory?@FJR_ROB

**** cyclists!!!!!!!!!

This guy has a poppy and least we forget as his avatar.

anyways, from what we have seen in the news about people “hate” tweeting anyone fancy making a police complaint?

My last visit to the barbers was interesting. Me sat in a chair with shop owner cutting my hair. Some bloke in the next chair, one of the girls cutting his hair:

Bloke: Bloody cyclists are a menace, I saw one riding on the road today!
Me: Eyebrows raised
Bloke: They’re always in the way. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t want to hurt one but if they insist on riding out from the kerb I’m bound to come by close.
Girl: Yeah, I usually just run them off the road, blimmin nuisance, titter titter.
Shop owner: There should be a rule against them using the road, it’s not like they pay road tax
Me: Trying hard not to laugh at their stupidity and then rant long and hard.
Bloke: It’s quite good fun to see how close you can get to them.
Girl: Yeah, titter, and run them off the road.
Bloke: There’s always some idiot in a car that insists on waiting for ages to pass them too. I’m like, what’s your problem mate, just squeeze by, they’ll be fine.

At which point I can take no more and point out that I’m a cyclist, commute over 100 miles a week, and find myself in dangerous situations at least once a day because of people like him. I regale them with hilarious tales of almost being run off the road by impatient morons who insist on trying to squeeze by because some other considerate soul ‘took too long to pass’ only to find themselves with the uncomfortable (but quite easy) choice of (in order of preference) a) run the cyclist onto the grass verge, b) hit the approaching traffic head on, or c) hit the brakes and admit their stupidity.

Queue tumbleweeds and a very prompt haircut.

It gives meaning to thier pointless little lives, hating someone percieved as a lower status than themselves.
If we had a charismatic hatefilled political leader, handing uniforms out to members, they’d be first in line.

I know a few otherwise reasonable people who turn into utter hate-filled **** when the subject of cyclists is raised (usually by them).

Indeed. And some otherwise reasonable people turn into twunts when they get behind the wheel of a car.

They’re probably nice people really, just misunderstood.

Does anyone else remember that bit from Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back where they get a list of people who made derogatory comments on the internet and, erm, pay them a visit?

e.g. lots of them are complaining about cyclists taking primary position, which shows more education is needed there.

Indeed. The sooner that cyclists get educated that pootling down the middle of a road at 5mph is not a wise course the better 😀

I like that there are several people responding to a lot of them too

http://bamboobadger.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/thinking-out-loud-are-cyclists-new.html

Surprised how many “hate tweeters”are women.

I like that there are several people responding to a lot of them too

If I could be arsed signing up to twatter I would too.

The sooner that cyclists get educated that pootling down the middle of a road at 5mph is not a wise course the better

Like this poor guy:

https://twitter.com/CharlieeSimpson/status/262952828966932480

No idea what exactly he is doing so wrong that the driver thought he’d get his phone out and take a photo rather than, say, concentrate on driving!

He should get right into the car door death zone – surely everyone likes a bit of russian Roulette

Drac – Moderator
They’re probably nice people really, just misunderstood.

😆

That photo is taking from the left side of the car though. Not sure why he’s angry though.

It’s because cyclists are a minority, and the minority always becomes a convenient scapegoat for the fears and insecurities of the majority, giving them a common opponent against whom they can identify (see also Black people, immigrants, travellers, etc, etc)
Get more people cycling, and that prejudice disappears, because cyclists are no longer “the other” (seeThe Netherlands )

http://bamboobadger.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/thinking-out-loud-are-cyclists-new.html

Yeah I like Ian Walker a lot. He has written a lot of good stuff about the psychology of treating cyclists as an “out group”

As a bit of a side issue: I don’t bother with Twitter myself, but has anyone on there ever tweeted anything that isn’t utterly moronic?

Its not just the bile-filled crap spewing forth on there. It just seems that its a platform for brainless self-obsessed narcissists, with premiership footballers being a prime example, to talk complete shite, and normally get themselves in all manner of trouble while doing so.

Mintimperial the new body disposal technique is to dissolve the bodies and flush down the drains. It’s an alternative to cremation.

(Not that I’ve given this any thought, oh no!)

That photo is taking from the left side of the car though.

Could be – though that presumably means he is driving along the hatchings straight at the traffic island while he takes a photo with his left hand 😕

Could be – though that presumably means he is driving along the hatchings straight at the traffic island while he takes a photo with his left hand

Or he was the passenger.

I just took a look at that link and three things struck me:

1) Most of the remarks appear to be flippant and/or typical of the kind of ignorance that comes from last riding a bike aged 10.
2) Those that aren’t flippant are made by the sort of people that wouldn’t dare say anything to your face, but would equally not have the slightest clue about the consequences of their actions behind the wheel.
3) Twitter is a bit weird.

As a bit of a side issue: I don’t bother with Twitter myself, but has anyone on there ever tweeted anything that isn’t utterly moronic?

Its not just the bile-filled crap spewing forth on there. It just seems that its a platform for brainless self-obsessed narcissists, with premiership footballers being a prime example, to talk complete shite, and normally get themselves in all manner of trouble while doing so. Couldn’t agree more.

but has anyone on there ever tweeted anything that isn’t utterly moronic?

But Jordan is on twitter what more do you need?

I find the internet just allows some folk to let thier inner self out

Saddly their inner self is a despicable hate filled cretin who should rightly be oppressed by the rules and norms of society.
Or they are so dull in real lif ethey just crave attention

Or he was the passenger.

That’s a doubt I’m not prepared to give him the benefit of. 😀

http://bamboobadger.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/thinking-out-loud-are-cyclists-new.html

That’s a very interesting read, that is. This in particular is something I’ve suggested many a time to people trying the RLJ argument with me, and sometimes it actually sinks in –

So a person doesn’t really notice 25 cyclists stopping at a red light and 50 riding on the road, but spots the one who cuts the light and the one who rides on the pavement because these are what they expect to see.

It’ll always be an issue; no matter what cyclists do. The thing I find most effective to alleviate the problem is to either “flip the bird” and shout abuse, or motion the international sign language for “w****r” and wait for the come back. Guess what, most of the time they drive off, because they know they have done wrong.

I relish the day they do stop though and my retort is quick and effective:

“I’ve noted your registration number down and I will be reporting you to the police for dangerous driving”.

If however the driver is built like a brick s**t house, I’ll bunny hop onto the pavement and peg it in the other direction.