I normally don't even go near the comments section of any cycling post on Facebook but for some reason today I just started engaging with anyone and everyone over a safe passing campaign post (the 1.5m guidance).
Not sure how I feel about it. A particular low light was explaining to a bloody driving instructor why someone filtering on a bicycle did not need to reciprocate with a 1.5m gap given his car would be STATIONARY. He (and others) could genuinely not fathom the difference between buzzing someone on a bike at speed and filtering. The human race is doomed.
Ask them to walk down the road whilst you drive past them at 60mph and leave 50cm space. Then do the same at 150cm. Then ask them to walk past your car at 50cm. Do they feel safe walking past your stationary car leaving 50cm? Do they feel safe when you drove past at 60mph only 50cm from them....
I learnt petty much back in the late 90's on the 'net that you are more likely to win the lottery jackpot than change a single opinion online.
I very, very rarely get involved in virtual arguments anymore. Utterly pointless and soul destroying.
I do feel your pain!
It's a fruitless exercise, you're engaging with people who aren't really interested in the topic, and taking the piss out of you is really just a bit of anonymous interweb ****tery to help them pass the time till they get to sit in a tin box again...
Satisfy yourself with the knowledge that once all the cars are driving themselves you will probably be safer cycling on the roads and "expert motorists" like your driving instructor friend will be largely redundant...
You should stick to STW for online debate - better quality of response, more likely that contributors will have some understanding of the subject, less likely to become truly vitriolic and much more likely to go off on tangents which then take on a life of their own 😆
You should stick to STW for online debate - better quality of response, more likely that contributors will have some understanding of the subject, less likely to become truly vitriolic and much more likely to go off on tangents which then take on a life of their own
Yes, but what about the children sewing your shoes in China? eh? What about [b][i]that[/i][/b] you arsehole?
😛
frankconway
and much more likely to go off on tangents which then take on a life of their own
Haha! Very true.
Sarcasm is a true art form on stw. Some of the genuinely funniest and intelligent humour I read is on stw!
I think cached pages of here will be studied with the reverence currently afforded to Shakespeare in the decades to come! 😀
Yes, but what about the children sewing your shoes in China? eh? What about that you arsehole?
That makes my point exactly!!! 😀 😀
Some of the genuinely funniest and intelligent humour I read is on stw!
.... and then, in complete contrast, there's me.
Don't put yourself down mate.
I can only say ditto here. 😉
Jim - you say the sweetest things............. 😆
TBF they're all echo boxes FB, Twitter, any given forum (including this one) the Internet isn't really the place to find much of a proper balanced debate on any topic...
And it's certainly not the place to try and affect changes in attitudes...
Haha, aye I really should know better and just stick to STW! I often burst out laughing (a "lol"?) reading threads on here. My wife calls you lot my "little bike friends" 🙂
"Little bike friends"
Utter class! 😀
^^^ 😀
No you haven't! 😉
Little bikes friends??? She must still ride a 26er....
Ha! I still ride a 26er.. (have 2 of them) but she doesn't ride anyth..
It can be explained to people in the right circumstances, Facebook is difficult.
There was a bit of a rant by someone at a work meeting the other day about cyclists.. After meeting banter if you will.
Some guy who had to drive over from somewhere was moaning about held up by a cyclist 'blocking his way'.
I stuck my neck out a bit, and explained about taking the lane when comming to pinch points, traffic islands, especially when there's parked cars either side of the island.. You just ride straight down the center of the available space.
I was about to get shouted down, but it turned out there were a few motorcyclists in the group who immediately chipped in and defended me with a rather more harsh, but accurate examples.
I think it's just lack of awareness in general regarding how people should behave on the road.
The idea that ones 'progress' should never be compromised by anything ever seems to be a prevelent mentality.
I can't find it just now but I did have a photo of a railway platform with the yellow line clearly marked on it and the caption was about passing close to cyclists.
Not sure it has completely changed opinion, but showing this to a few friends (when I had it on old phone) certainly made them think about things for a minute or two, as did asking them how they'd feel if it was me or a family member that was the one who'd got ****ted
[i]"I think cached pages of here will be studied with the reverence currently afforded to Shakespeare in the decades to come!"[/i]
[url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/stw-topic-in-exam-question-shocker ]It's already started[/url] 😯 and [url= http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/sample-papers-and-mark-schemes/2016/june/AQA-77011-TR-MQP18A4-JUN16.PDF ]here's[/url] the exam paper!
The idea that ones 'progress' should never be compromised by anything ever seems to be a prevelent mentality.
I agree. I ended up in a fruitless argument about cyclists and motorists last week on our village FB group, with some motorists who had a misplaced sense of priority and entitlement
Esme - Member
"I think cached pages of here will be studied with the reverence currently afforded to Shakespeare in the decades to come!"
It's already started and here's the exam paper!
Wow! Your right too!
A true STW claim to fame! 😀