[Closed] Friends with anti-cyclist bigotry

You wouldn't have to deal with anyone if you treated all road users with common courtesy. Not riding two abreast like a cock for instance. 🙂

Evidence suggest I get drunk at their parties and punch out the bigots.

I think there might still be bigots and idiots in the world even if I didnt ride two abreast. I doubt you would dissappear in a puff of smoke if I didnt.

It's often easier to overtake two-abreast cyclists than if they're strung out in front of each other. Takes less time to pass.

Challenge and inform.
Don't be a dick about it.
If that doesn't work, move on.
There's a lot of decent people out there.

Most in our mountaineering/outdoor club ride some sort of bike offroad.
I work with loads of people who bike to work because of transport costs and lack of early/late buses.

Family is different.
😐
My cousin and her husband are terrified by the idea of road cycling.
Because of this overprotective attitude, her eldest daughter is now a fanatical cyclist.
🙂

In laws are hardcore fell runners and climbers with 'that' old school attitude toward MTB'ers.

We've given up, tbh.

Just back from a week in Brittany.
Everyone rides a bike, it's the accepted way to travel.
Speed limits and local driving are geared to everyone's safety.
Remarkable.

On local social media a town councillor was recently telling all how she had her husband pull up especially close to some cyclist riding two abreast and shouted at them to get over.

The same councillor and her husband overtook me ( across solid lines and then chevrons) as I pulled to the middle on an actual filter to turn right and gestured at me.

In the face of that kind of embeded ignorance writing words on the internet is never going to achieve much, worth doing still but it'll be a slow process without public information films targeting the stupid.

As I get older I sometimes think humanities biggist problem will be it can only move at the speed of its slowest ships.

I cannot think of a single reason why 2 abreast is acceptable, unless its in a cycle lane.

Me neither TBH I never get any aggro when two abreast on the old MTB , roadies on the other hand just seem to be trouble magnets.

It's because we like to have a chat and one or two abreast doesnt make any difference to good drivers.

I can only think that two abreast on a cycles path is the choice of muppets, especially when passing oncoming traffic by mere centimetres. 🙄

oldtalent - Member
I cannot think of a single reason why 2 abreast is acceptable, unless its in a cycle lane.

Should there have been a smilie with that? Is it trolling?

I cannot think of a single reason why 2 abreast is acceptable

Umm, when there are no cars coming?

I ride two abreast when I ride with a friend, for the social. We will always go single file when a car comes past though (unless there's loads of room and no other cars) even though legally we don't have to. Cos we are nice like that.

I dont suppose this is one your "ex friends"
[img] [/img]

Lovely lady that blames you for her running you over and killing you and making her a murderer!

Doesn't like people taking pictures of her personal belongings and has a slight tendency for aggravated harassment.

[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-37223235 ]Likes to annoy people with cameras[/url]

I wear this t-shirt when I know a certain "friend" will be out with the "mates in the pub" group.

[IMG] [/IMG]

I generally let him build himself up into good froth, then let him spoil his own evening. Because I listened to some sound advice from my Grandad. "Don't argue with idiots, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience"

I cannot think of a single reason why 2 abreast is acceptable

You must be very very hard of thinking.

Already have that t-shirt 😀

I have an Uncle who likes to bait me on "idiot"cyclists. It used to wind me up.
Now I just ignore it. If it was a friend - they wouldn't be a friend very long.
Same as if they spouted some kind of racist/homophobic/sexist claptrap....

[i]I cannot think of a single reason why 2 abreast is acceptable, unless its in a cycle lane. [/i]

Do you also think it's unacceptable for any vehicle on the road to go slower than you?

Two abreast in a cycle lane? Is that a new style game of 'chicken'?

Back to the OP - tbh bigots usually lack certain empathic skills yet somehow specialise in both ignorance and projection bias. It's an often lethal cocktail of entitlement/wilful ignorance/intransigence/ anger issues. They assume everyone thinks like them (ie 'cyclists' are 'selfish, aggressive and entitled') - hence such a person feels quite legitimately entitled even to the extent where they directly imperil/threaten someone's life (ie 'punishment pass') and even encourage others to do likewise via social media ('nudge them into the ditch LMAO!!')

"causing 98% of pedestrian death and injury in the UK"
Really?
Serious question and most definitely not getting at you. I am with you. Where is this figure from?
Was discussing the car/ped kill rate recently and I came to the conclusion that most pedestrians killed by cars must have been as a result of their actions ie stepping out or crossing incorrectly rather than the vehicles driving onto pavements etc. I had no figures to back myself up and I genuinely wonder if this aspect has been proven one way or the other.
Nowt to do with cyclists and stupid drivers of course.

The other good one, is if they have a dog, blame them personally for all the dog eggs left on the floor, or hanging in little bags from the trees......

Hardly bigotry - maybe some people are just easier to wind up than others ...

Amazed at the number on here who don't understand why it's sometimes safer to cycle 2 abreast.

I can only hope they are being very deliberately ducking stupid & are trolling....

Amazed at the number on here who don't understand

Not here long have you been. Much to learn have you.

Since I've started dropping friends who read the reactionary right wing and/or intellectually bereft newspapers, I've found that I don't enter into these discussions very often anymore.

Case in point. Banging my head against the brick wall of a Facebook friend just this morning.

Don't argue with idiots, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience"

Very wise words

To paraphrase one of those monumentally ignorant FB comments: '6 abreast won't save them being skitlted by an articulated lorry...'

Holy crap! Having once been 'skittled' (dragged) in the gutter by a flat bed on a roundabout I do actually think my chances would have been improved by even one fellow cyclist 'abreast'

This attitude that cyclists are 'in the way' is surely peaking now?

With the OP here - my mother and father in law hate cyclists, have the 'they hold us up' mentality and will not listen to my arguments about sharing roads with all users nor understand how vulnerable a cyclist is on a road when being subjected to inconsiderate their driving.

And a friend is a business owner (of a bus company) and often posts on Facebook about his hate of cyclists and reposts some pretty nasty stuff about it. Not surprisingly, around our way it is his company's buses that show no respect for cyclists whereas others generally do.

colournoise - Member

Case in point. Banging my head against the brick wall of a Facebook friend just this morning.

Small world - I'm 95% sure that Tony Elton bloke has popped up on other Facebook groups in the area (I think I recognise him from a Deepings Free Discussion page on Facebook) ranting about cyclists I the past....

I like the ironic mention of having done an advanced driver course a if this in some way makes him more qualified to moan about cyclists.

stumpy01 - Member
Small world - I'm 95% sure that Tony Elton bloke has popped up on other Facebook groups in the area (I think I recognise him from a Deepings Free Discussion page on Facebook) ranting about cyclists I the past....

The benefits of more people using bikes and understanding their needs is confined to the cycling fraternity bubble. We neen to reach into average Jo and Joanna's media bubble.
Public information films in the coronation street ad break would improve knowledge immediately.

I'm pretty certain it doesnt happen because the transport industry and car manufacturers, financiers and insurers etc all pay our politicians to keep the status quo.

Pic an arbatory characteristic or pastime of theirs. Reciprocate.

"You know who I hate, ****ing hate? Anglers, bastards, they don't pay road tax, jump red light you know, I've seen them"

Is it even possible to fit bikes 4 abreast on the vaaaast majority of roads?

The majority of sportivistas ride so far apart there's probably enough space to get 4 abreast in the gap between what they consider 2 abreast.......

Until they randomly swerve across the road of course.

ghostlymachine - Member
Biggest anti cycling bigot i know had an epiphany about 3 years ago, now rides a 10 thousand euro super record equipped bianchi everywhere. Has lost about 4 stone and posts endless inane cycling shit all over his facebook page.

So i've stopped following him and rarely speak to him anymore.

This made me LOL

Deepings Free Discussion

Is this Deepings as in South Lincs?

Yup.

It's a [s]flat[/s] small world.

That Facebook page - yep, almost word for word the rants ive had said to my face. Along with demanding that I agree that cyclists should be forced to use cycle lanes where they exist*

Its the mental gymnastics required to think that the cyclist you are ranting at will at any point agree with them that their views are rational that baffles me.

*I agreed, by pointing out all lanes are already cycle lanes 😆

MoreCashThanDash - Member
It's a flat small world.

Some people that I once worked with once said 'aren't you supposed to grow out of that'?

And 'aren't you abit old to be still riding a bike'?

Ive also heard 'cyclists are such angry people'.

The sort of people that say that aren't worth challenging. So I just smile. Life's for living not being sedatory long before you've got no choice.

Every time I read one of these I keep expecting MV to show up.

One of the lines in the Facebook responses is solid gold:

"Let us pass, we have dogs in the car"

Surely this is a never ending argument, car drivers think cyclists are only there to hold them up and cyclists think car drivers are aggressive.

We've all seen things that boil our piss from either side whether it be the driver leaving a fag paper gap or the Sunday middle management peloton taking up an entire road. I think we just need to all agree that people are dicks and let them get on with it

Colournoise - I left Deeping in 95 after 20 years in the flatlands. Happy memories of growing up there though.