Stuff that makes you disproportionately cross

People who stand in front of train doors to get on, leaving no room for the queue of people to get off first.

This is true, but you already have the high ground, so you can just walk off the train and barge through them.. I love doing this.. they look so shocked and offended!

Normaly people waiting to get on, will leave a channel for people disembarking, so you get a bunched up group of people directly to the left and right of the doors, then you get the free for all of people trying to get on!

This is true, but you already have the high ground, so you can just walk off the train and barge through them.. I love doing this.. they look so shocked and offended!

I enjoy this game – my train to work carries on to another town with a grammar school, so you arrive to a platform full of school kids who, to be fair, know to stand aside and let us off first, but this week there seems to be a lot of adults who don’t seem to understand the system – one of them wasn’t happy that I prevented him getting on the train as I led the people disembarking this morning. One of the school kids explained it to him, which didn’t seem to help his mood.

People who stand in front of train doors to get on, leaving no room for the queue of people to get off first.

More generally, people who stand in doorways.  It absolutely baffles me how many people there are for whom “going outside” comes as a complete shock.

See also blocking escalators for no reason… if you want to stand still on the escalator, fine, but allow a gap beside you for people trying to catch an onward connection or whatever.

And ticket barriers… get your ticket out before you get to the barrier.

And ticket barriers… get your ticket out before you get to the barrier.

I’ve surely posted this before but,

People appearing shocked that they have to pay for something, then eventually after a successful archeological dig to find their purse/wallet several strata down they insist on paying in exact change.  Which they invariably then don’t have so either a) pay with a £20 note anyway or b) pay with a £20 but also hand over the right amount of coppers to make up the pence figure, confusing the absolute piss out of the 16-year old on the till.  Writing a sodding cheque would be faster.

I think I need to get “just take your shit and **** off” printed onto a tee-shirt.

And, and,

It’s never at 10am on a Thursday, is it.  No, it’s always Your Store Is About To Close O’Clock on a Sunday afternoon when all I want is a pint of milk and I’m stuck behind some country & western who’s decided that this is an ideal time to get their annual shop in.  I expect that these are the same sociopathic bastards who casually get a week’s worth of shopping from a petrol station whilst their car is languishing at pump #1 for half an hour.

Cross over post to the Wales 20mph frothing some members have contributed previously… I live in a quiet place with a narrow A road passing through. Garnant. Between Garnant and Glanamman, the next village down there’s a lot of on street parking which inevitably narrows the road to effectively a single lane. Since the introduction of 20 mph road speeds have dropped noticeably and traffic flows more smoothly. Oncoming traffic looks ahead and anticipates, pulls in, drives on, whatever. It’s almost balletic sometimes. A finger lifted from the steering wheel in acknowledgement is universally utilised as the acknowledgement of the other drivers’ good actions.

Except for one or two self entitled cacas who breeze on through, oblivious to everyone else. Looking at you B3KSO or whatever your ridiculously convoluted vanity plate is. On a rust box of a Range Rover with pink trim. Bet she’s pushing for that section of road to return to 30mph.

Politeness costs nothing. Grrrrr.

And the person who went away, their intruder alarm goes off. I call the police at gone midnight. When occupant finally comes back days later with the alarm still going she’s well put out that we’d called the cops.

And the person who went away, their intruder alarm goes off. I call the police at gone midnight. When occupant finally comes back days later with the alarm still going she’s well put out that we’d called the cops.

Oh man… yeah there’s someone within a street or two of me who’s alarm goes off on a regular basis… I’m not sure if it’s a house alarm or a car alarm, and it’s super loud, and it’s the same one every time.

I’ve not figured out exactly where it is yet…  it’s really annoying.

I can understand false alarms, or if the alarm has not been set up correctly… but when it becomes a repeating pattern over several months….

I keep experiencing something that makes me disproportionately cross, and I think, “I must add it here”. Then I forget. Forgetting things that make me DC is making me DC.

Also, this anecdote is shit.

Also, this anecdote is shit.

Don’t feel bad… or even disproportionately cross about it, you’re eleventy-first person to post something similar on this thread.

Don’t feel bad… or even disproportionately cross about it, you’re eleventy-first person to post something similar on this thread.

If it’s not on this page, I may have forgotten I read it. I probably posted the same thing 60 pages ago!

I keep experiencing something that makes me disproportionately cross, and I think, “I must add it here”. Then I forget.

I keep thinking this, then not posting about it because I’m not sure whether I’ve already posted it or not.

TBH I’m not entirely sure whether I’ve posted this before, either.

Giving way when you don’t have to.

Exhibit A. If you’re waiting to turn across oncoming traffic, if there’s a massive trail behind me then I’ll ease off and flash you out to turn in front of me. So why in the name of all that is holy are you looking in any direction other than straight ahead? OK fine, stay there then.

Exhibit B. The other way around, I’m at a T-junction waiting to turn right, a car approaches from the left wanting to turn into the road I’m exiting… they decide to let me out which is lovely and all, but give absolutely no indication whatsoever as to their intention other than slowing to a crawl. Throw me a bone here, either flash/wave or just **** off round the corner that you have priority on anyway, it’d be faster all round.

(Yes yes, I know THC rules on flashing, don’t start.)

Giving way when you don’t have to.

People who re-write the highway code on the hoof, expecting other drivers and cyclists to telepathically know what the ‘new’ temporary rules are and respond within a nano second to a wave of the hand behind a reflective windscreen or a flash of the lights for a moment.

I refuse to let others make my decision over when it’s safe or appropriate to move on…

I keep thinking this, then not posting about it because I’m not sure whether I’ve already posted it or not.

TBH I’m not entirely sure whether I’ve posted this before, either.

Getting old sucks! I suspect a big part of this was my mental wobble a few years ago. It seems to have impacted my short-term memory, which is both good and bad.

People who flash and gesture to try and get  me to pull out in front of them when it’s their priority… Maybe you are you letting me know your brakes have failed and I need to get out the way?

Crikey. Who’d have thought people get so wound up when you try to be nice to them… :-/

I pretty much never turn right across someone waiting without offering them the chance to pull out should they want to. It’s nice to be let out when you’re struggling for a break in the traffic. Or at least, I think it is. Didn’t realise what a monster I was being ;-)

I refuse to let others make my decision over when it’s safe or appropriate to move on…

Of course.  It was the inattention I was whining about.  Like, in a supermarket queue at the self-service tills I’ll be watching for a till to become available; invariably I’ll wind up stood behind someone who’s taken a forensic interest in the roof.

I pretty much never turn right across someone waiting without offering them the chance to pull out should they want to. It’s nice to be let out when you’re struggling for a break in the traffic. Or at least, I think it is. Didn’t realise what a monster I was being ;-)

Which is great, so long as you attempt to communicate your intentions in some manner rather than just dribbling to a halt in the middle of the carriageway for no immediately discernible reason.

People who flash and gesture to try and get  me to pull out in front of them when it’s their priority… Maybe you are you letting me know your brakes have failed and I need to get out the way?

Drivers who flash and gesture to other people to go against priority across the cycle way that I’m currently cycling along, and the drivers who obey them and pull their stupid manoeuvres without checking for themselves whether it’s even appropriate or safe for them to do so.

I’ve seen it suggested that it’s also a known cash-for-crash ploy to encourage people to go against priority and then crash into them so that they’re undeniably in the wrong when insurance gets involved.

Online popups and menus that don’t give me the NO option. Instead I have YES and MAYBE LATER or NOT TODAY.  Just a no option please.

Car salespeople.

After riding a section of the West Highland Way yesterday near Fort William, I have the below:

• Overly chirpy and enthusiastically Americans (applauding me and telling me how great I was for riding up a tame bit of trail)
• Miserable and grumpy English (cheer up FFS, you’re walking amongst some of the finest scenery in the UK in glorious sunshine)
• Me for allowing the above to annoy me (it didn’t really annoy me that much, I was too busy doing something I love doing).

People who say colourway when they mean colour.

I think “colourway” is maybe forgivable if used to mean a colour scheme or combination of colours. One colour? No.

Online popups and menus that don’t give me the NO option. Instead I have YES and MAYBE LATER or NOT TODAY.  Just a no option please.

Both still (slightly) more forgivable than when you have the choice of “Yes” and “I’ll do it later”.

NO I **** WON’T

I think it was Microsoft’s website once, I got a pop-up asking me if I’d be willing to take a one-question survey [yes|no].  Didn’t give me much of an option there lads, did you.

I’ll counter a post above. Flash me out at a junction and I’ll stay until the cows come home. I have to assume that the flash is to let me know you are there and no more. After all isn’t that what the Highway Code says? As I can see you I have to question your sanity and feel best that pulling out is not a wise move. I’ll let you get away to wherever you want to go first. If you want to cut the corner a bit you can get stuffed.

Can I add groups of walkers who seem to think that any country road without a white line is actually a path for them to spread right across and that when moving aside go to both sides at once.

In fact can I add dimwitted drivers of wide, posh, new cars who seem to think that they don’t have to pull over on to the verge and up against the hedge. Don’t fancy it? Stay in the city as my dad would say. In fact he once kindly pulled his Land Rover up onto the bank on his side ensuring that he only used half the tarmac. If the BMW driver had done the same he could have got passed. As he jst sat and waited my dad locked up and went to feed his sheep.

Wow…

Drivers who flash and gesture to other people to go against priority across the cycle way that I’m currently cycling along, and the drivers who obey them and pull their stupid manoeuvres without checking for themselves whether it’s even appropriate or safe for them to do so.

Same on the bike. I ignore, or shake head when they offer me the right of way at junctions or turning, especially when theres a lot of traffic. I’ll go when I think it is safe to go, and not rely on someone who maybe being inside a car hasnt as wide a viewing angle as i have, or isnt reading the traffic conditions right.

You can fail a driving test for going when flashed by a car. If only more drivers could remember what they learnt to get their license….

I may have done this before but “gift” as a verb.

Football people. I’m not sure why they annoy me so much.

There’s a whole load of things that get my back up but the latest is the way my kids’ school are continually ramming football down the kids throats. They’ve got some company coming in with an inflatable goal where the kids take shots and the speed of the ball is measured. OK, fine BUT we have to get sponsorship for them to do this. I mean WTF? My daughters couldn’t care less about football, yet its mandatory to take part…now we have to go round getting sponsors so this company get paid and the school gets what’s left. The incentive is a load of landfill with this companies name all over it. If we’re getting sponsors I’d rather it be for something that’s a challenge not this BS.

Don’t get me started about the football lot that use the pitches across at the gym I go to…

Pointless discussion really because as mentioned above somewhere, you can’t just invent rules and expect others to know what they are BUT, flashing someone isn’t (to me at least, or anyone with any sense) saying that it’s safe to pull out. No way.

The final onus of whether it is safe or not is ALWAYS with the person waiting to pull out. But by flashing someone (again, to me at least) you are basically taking one element of the bunch of elements that you consider when pulling out, out of the equation for them . You’re saying, I’m going to allow you to make your decision without having to worry about this part of what’s happening.

I think we can all agree that flashing never means it is safe for you to pull out because I’ve flashed at you. It’s just a courtesy. A paying forward. Being nice. Giving someone an opportunity that they can either take or not take.

It’s like waiting a few moments holding a door open because you can see someone approaching carrying a load of boxes. Doesn’t cost me anything. Greases the wheels of humanity.

I’d be very happy to leave you miserable, highway code-obssesive, angst-bags sitting in a junction all day if it makes you happy. Explains a lot about why the roads are such horrible, stressy places to be sometimes.

I’ll carry on being nice to people. I enjoy the thumbs ups, the waves and the thanks.

See Ogmios.

A webinar entitled “How to support inclusion in 5 minutes”

Runs 12.00 to 12.15.

I think we can all agree that flashing never means it is safe for you to pull out because I’ve flashed at you. It’s just a courtesy. A paying forward. Being nice. Giving someone an opportunity that they can either take or not take.

I think you’re severely over estimating the ability of the average motorist. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if a large minority, if not majority will take a flash as a green light to go, and will then attempt to pin the blame on you if they get it wrong.

I don’t flash anyone, I’ll leave a space if possible, it’s there for you to make a decision, if you’re paying attention. I’m not your mum, I’m not holding your hand for you.

I don’t flash anyone, I’ll leave a space if possible, it’s there for you to make a decision,

I guess that goes back to Cougar’s point about not giving someone any indication of anything. How are they supposed to know you’re aware of them? A flash is at least giving you a fleeting connection of sorts. About all you can do on the road in separated metal boxes.

I’d be very happy to leave you miserable, highway code-obssesive, angst-bags sitting in a junction all day if it makes you happy. Explains a lot about why the roads are such horrible, stressy places to be sometimes.

I’ll carry on being nice to people. I enjoy the thumbs ups, the waves and the thanks.

It’s got nothing to do with being happy, we’re all following the same set of rules, when someone changes the rules without telling anyone else it causes confusion in some instances, with everyone sat there looking at each other and noone moving.

I get it regularly when pulling into my drive, 20 limit, long straight road and I want to reverse on, if there’s something coming that other way I’ll wait with my indicator on until they’ve passed, at least once a week someone will stop in the middle of the road and flash me (not like that) so I can pull onto the drive, unfortunately they always stop where I’m going to pull up to before I reverse in, so they’re now in the way and a ridiculous game of charades starts as they insist I go.

The horrible  positioning of ‘Street Furniture’ that messes with my attempts at photography.

I guess that goes back to Cougar’s point about not giving someone any indication of anything. How are they supposed to know you’re aware of them? A flash is at least giving you a fleeting connection of sorts. About all you can do on the road in separated metal boxes.

I’m looking at the driver where possible and I’ll go if I’m comfortable, whether they’ve flashed or not.