school kid escort walker in high vis jacket teaching kids to walk safely to school. With her back to me and without looking she suddenly jumps into the road [ to overtake some kids] and i hit her – did not even touch my brakes. Lying there with her completely in the road and my wheels in the road but me half on the road and half on the kerb. Her reaction was to start swearing at me in front of the kids for hitting her and mounting the pavement. Another escort person had to get her to stop and she would not listen to me …on the plus side i did get to say wont you think about the children

…on the plus side i did get to say wont you think about the children

😆

Gareth Williams, aka CycleGaz. He is an angry, confrontation loving cyclist who shouts a lots, reads number plates out loud and seems to be in permanent fear of his life.

Alternatively he is a pretty decent chap that uses YouTube to highlight poor driving and cycling in an attempt to improve conditions on the roads for all and maybe even save some lives.

His “Silly Cyclists” series and website is really good.

After watching that programme, I wanted to punch him!

Perhaps you shouldn’t judge him from a programme that was widely slated for being sensationalist bollocks, highly misleading and basically just looking to stir up trouble.

His “Silly Cyclists” series and website is really good.

I disagree. Didn’t realise that was him and now agree with those who think he’s a knob.
All “Silly Cyclists” is is fuel to those who hate us already. Doesn’t do any good whatsoever.

Alternatively he is a pretty decent chap that uses YouTube to highlight poor driving and cycling in an attempt to improve conditions on the roads for all and maybe even save some lives.

Oh, is THAT the idea.
Because he basically shouts out the plates of every vehicle he ever sees I assumed he was a car spotter.

shouts out the plates of every vehicle he ever sees

Sure about that?

All “Silly Cyclists” is is fuel to those who hate us already. Doesn’t do any good whatsoever.

??

You seem to be suggesting that we should never publicly criticise the road handling of our fellow cyclists, or point out common errors, because it might fuel hatred?

By that argument then this thread is just fuelling hatred of cyclists too.

I don’t think we should pretend that every cyclist is a saint and completely infallible.

Personally I quite enjoy “Silly Cyclists” as it provides good examples of what not to do and provides that criticism from the point of view of fellow cyclists, which is much harder to dismiss than some “raging cager”.

Because he basically shouts out the plates of every vehicle he ever sees I assumed he was a car spotter.

Err.. no.. the reason he (and most other helmet cammers) shout out numberplates is that the camera doesn’t always catch the plate and they want to remember it, so they can then either A) report them to Road Safe or B) name and shame them in the YouTube video

Yeah, I like the silly cyclists things too.
It shows there are just good road users and bad road users. How they get around is irrelevant.

Sometimes though he’s a bit harsh. The latest issue has got as far as I can tell, some chap who falls off when he slips on a grid or white line in the wet.

Sometimes there will be a group of people walking 2/3/4 abreast towards me. It’s a wide open area and they all watch me approach from a couple of hundred metres away. Only when I’m right on them and having to use the brakes to slow down to avoid imminent collision does my presence seem to register with them. Then they’re all surprised and jumping out of the way with an alarmed look on their face. I’ve even had one shout “where’s your bell?” at me

For the record, I do have a bell and try to use it, but it feels utterly daft ringing a bell to notify people who are in fact looking right at you of your presence.

Yup, Sustrans Route 4, along the K&A Canal, particularly around Bradford-on-Avon, and especially during holiday periods.
I’ve had the ‘use your bell’ when riding towards a group of people looking straight at me. 🙄
Then there was the daft bint with a phone glued to her ear who walked straight in front of me after I rang my bell behind her, while riding home; we both ended up on the ground, her phone in pieces. I actually said sorry, I rang my bell, she just picked up the bits of her phone and walked back the way she had been coming from without saying a word!

I dont shout out number plates….. But then my camera is of a quality where it shows reg plates clearly

I record incase somethin major happens . I rarely do anything with the footage though.

You seem to be suggesting that we should …

Nope, I’m not suggesting anyone should do anything. I’m suggesting the reason I don’t like “silly cyclists”. You can like it and I have no suggestion as to whether you are wrong or right to do so.

Sometimes though he’s a bit harsh. The latest issue has got as far as I can tell, some chap who falls off when he slips on a grid or white line in the wet.

Not “Silly” granted – but a good hazard to make other cyclists aware of that they may not have thought of.

The chap might actually be him – he has posted a couple of videos where he falls off suddenly in much the same circumstances.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ZtXgm5THNAQ[/video]

Nope, I’m not suggesting anyone should do anything. I’m suggesting the reason I don’t like “silly cyclists”. You can like it and I have no suggestion as to whether you are wrong or right to do so.

🙄 Okay – let me reword that:

“My understanding of your reason for not liking Silly Cyclists is that you believe it provides fuel to cycle hater. I wish to challenge your reasoning there by pointing out that this what many of us on this very thread are doing.

Furthermore I would offer my own reasoning for your consideration: that pretending all cyclists are perfect and never criticising them for any action is counter-productive and even “fuels hatred” itself by promoting the ‘smug cyclist’ stereotype.”

That better? 😉

Not really.
I think we should agree to disagree. I don’t try to change other people’s opinions, as there is no point. There’s certainly no point in you trying to change mine!
(This thread is unlikely to be read by many cyclist “haters”, btw)

I think we should agree to disagree. I don’t try to change other people’s opinions, as there is no point.

Okay. That must make debating very difficult for you, but carry on.

(This thread is unlikely to be read by many cyclist “haters”, btw)

Not sure many haters watch “Silly Cyclists” either – if they did then they might have a better understanding of primary position etc

Debating?? 😆

I simply don’t get why people take on Oxford Road, there are alternatives that aren’t the busiest bus route in Europe.

I also noted the police presence at the old BBC site. Think they were also stopping those without lights (it was a couple of months ago).

One mildly annoying behaviour is fair-weather cyclists pulling up to red lights and stopping in front of me others. Just means I they have to overtake them at some point in the very near future.

Debating??

en masse 😉

Think they were also stopping those without lights (it was a couple of months ago).

they were back a couple weeks ago. Sounds like it might be a regular-ish thing, which is fair enough, aswell as the amber gamblers and the more careful RLJers you do get a few complete tools who will slalom pedestrians crossing legitimatley

(This thread is unlikely to be read by many cyclist “haters”, btw)

iirc there’s a few people on here who don’t seem to like bikes on the roads.

samuri – Member

Yeah, I like the silly cyclists things too.

+1

A lot of these are on part of my own commute along CS7. I’m going to have to keep a look out for young Gaz and see if I can get onto one of his videos, er, doing something sensible… 😀

He usually does a “Savvy Cyclist” bit at the end to highlight some sensible riding 😀

“One mildly annoying behaviour is fair-weather cyclists pulling up to red lights and stopping in front of me others. Just means I they have to overtake them at some point in the very near future.”

Yes – this … its annoying ….

my bike is portly – it has a loaded carradice sack under the saddle most of the time…. i dress unassuming on the bike for the most part when commuting.

folks on fancy race bikes and pro kit all sparkling always MUST pull in infront of me at the lights – its the rules

I believe that phenomenon is called “shoaling” by people trendier than me:

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/indignity-of-commuting-by-bicycle.html

One mildly annoying behaviour is fair-weather cyclists pulling up to red lights and stopping in front of me others. Just means I they have to overtake them at some point in the very near future.

Annoys me as well that. People seem to take my cautious filtering (i.e. not going up the left hand side of a cement truck) as a sign of weakness, and park themselves directly in front of me at junctions.

Looks like CycleGaz has just helped secure a Careless Driving conviction (3 points, £200 fine) for this lovely piece of driving:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-ujuJXNq3w[/video]

Gaz reported it, submitted his footage to police and appeared in court as a witness (where he was then threatened by the driver).

Full story here: http://www.croydoncyclist.co.uk/rx11axp-result/

Like I said: pretty decent chap 😀

Cycling home last night, went past 2 police cars and an ambulance parked up on the left. There was a cyclist on the pavement nursing his leg (fortunately he was clearly mostly ok, sitting up and chatting to the paramedics). A few yards further on there was a 4×4 parked up on the pavement with the driver (I assume) talking to police.

It wasn’t even a particularly complex junction, just before Bayswater Road turns into Notting Hill Gate I think.

I’m not really sure what my point was, other than if I’d been a few minutes earlier it could have been me. Got to be careful out there.

On last nights commute I was alongside a copper who was trundling along in slow moving traffic, not looking where he was going, as he had his head down texting someone

GrahamS – Member

Looks like CycleGaz has just helped secure a Careless Driving conviction (3 points, £200 fine) for this lovely piece of driving:

That’s a really dodgy junction. I go that way every day. Last night just as I crossed it I heard, right behind me, a female voice go into total screaming overdrive and braked – I thought she was shrieking at me.

When I turned round, I could see that what had happened was a replication of this incident, this time involving a flash-looking peanut dick in a black Audi, who stopped to shout at the young lady that of course, it was all her fault.

He drove hastily off when the assembled Sons And Daughters Of The Chainring ganged up on him…

Good that the driver got points for it.

Its a horrible piece of road design though

Yep utterly stupid road design (as Gaz points out in the article) forces cyclists who want to go straight on to merge with motorists who want to turn left.

But the driver of that van could clearly see her in front of him, but he still overtook then turned left into her.

His defence was he thought she was turning left too – despite the facts that she wasn’t signalling and that the left-turning cyclists just stay in the bus lane there.

Of course, even if she was turning left, he shouldn’t be trying to overtake her on a corner.

So I think it was a genuine mistake – but for once Careless Driving seems like a fair verdict.

I remember that video, and pleased to see the result – one of the most abysmal pieces of driving I’ve seen captured.