Sunday Herald Today – Joanna Blythman Article – Cylist Rant

Can't find a link to this – Anyone else read it?

Sounds like she had a run in with a cyclist on a canal towpath and (in a truly professional journalistic spirit) has decided to take it out on all cyclists in her article.

Tried to remain objective but ended up feeling rather aggrieved as cyclist who has always been courteous and given way to pedestrians as a rule. Most aggression saved for on the road!

All the usual claptrap about lycra clad maniacs etc.

God I hate this woman – even her wee photgraph next to the article is annoying 👿

Link.

Standard 'I've got nothing better to write about' sub Daily Mail non story – 'Human behaves badly – exclusive'.

Sadly, I reckon we'll see loads more of this rubbish as cycling increases in popularity. She doesn't really care, she's just a poor journalist searching for a quick story so she doesn't actually have to think about anything.

Ta for the link.

Its a constant source of frustration to me living and cycling in the city that there seems to be an underlying anger towards cyclists. What this journalist fails to disclose is the probable ding ding of bell, and the polite excuse me as the guy came up behind her. This happens to me constantly and is amazing at how seemingly normal people outright refuse to take one step aside and let me pass. I had thought it was due to the low intelligence not allowing their feet to get commanded by their brain quickly enough, but Ive since came to the conclusion that they just hate us!
On the other hand the guy may have been a dick, but in my experience he was probably polite up till the point where he lost it. You can tell by the way she talks about him screaming up behind her, that she just got started and then reacted badly.
I for one will be writing to the Herald, and if any of the editorial staff on here fancy drafting a response article, perhaps we can pressure the Herald to allow a submission to balance this issue up?

I think pedestrians have an absolute right to walk anywhere they want, in as large a group as possible, strung out all over a public right of way, talking so loudly that they don't hear any one else approaching (on foot, or by bike).

Similarly in towns, they should be allowed to walk straight off the kerb and into the road without stopping or looking.

+1 Scottyjohn – the rider probably did ring his bell and/or call out politely at first but she is too far up her own ar5e to hear him.

Some of that may be true, Scottyjohn, I mean, how fast could he of been going if he had two wains in tow?, but there is a core of a point to some of that lazy article.
Much of the union canal has been designated part of the national cycle network (f***ing sustrans again?) and thats bound to give some choobs the idea that peds should 'get out their right of way'
She goes and spoils her argument though with all the usual crap straight out the Daily Mail so I've not much sympathy.
Surprised to read this in The 'Weegie' though, its usually a good paper.

The cyclist sounds a right tube – swearing in front of his kids at a stranger.

I think she makes some pretty good points really. When I go out walking with the kids and/or dog along the river you do quite often get dicks on bikes that treat someone in their way as a nuisance. It's the same attitude that you get from some drivers when on the road.

Looks like the whole article is based on one encounter with one person. Ho hum.

The union canal towpath and WOL path both suffer from badly behaved walkers and cyclists. I've seen walkers on there who deliberately make it difficult to get past (and clearly are looking for an excuse to get pissed off) but equally I've seen mountain bikers and other cyclists who seem to think it's a racetrack and won't slow down for anybody, including other bikes.

Surprised to read this in The 'Weegie' though, its usually a good paper.

The Gherald probably had to fill additional column inches as they'll have to scrap all the expected jubilation about their beloved Celtic…

Well some cyclists are cocks and some non-cyclists are cocks, and at times these folk will meet, usually resulting in a fuss about nothing, like this.

“Darth Vaders on wheels” – this surely the funniest thing anyone has ever referred to a cyclist as???

?

😆

She seems to make some reasonable points really.

Sounds to me like the cyclist was a total @rsehole and many of the points she makes are valid. Why are some people jumping to the defence of someone who appears to be in the wrong purely because they ride a bike?

Reasonably well balanced article eg.

I know that there are lots of jolly polite and responsible cyclists who don’t behave this way. Apparently, I live with one.

The trouble with cyclists is that they feel (legitimately) like an aggrieved minority

Have none of you had this "There you are, strolling along thinking, “isn’t this nice”, when all of a sudden there’s a pinging bell (if you’re lucky), a whizzing and changing of gears and then a sweaty bloke in Tour de France-meets-Batman gear goes scything by you."- I have, frequently, and obviously I am VERY tolerant of cyclists but it still pissed me off big style so I'm not really surprised by the tone of her article.

It annoyed me as well. For some reason she also thinks that it's just a male thing as well. I bet she wouldn't write an article stating that it's only female drivers that can be annoying.

Weaving through stationery traffic – classic case of someone peed off that the cyclist can get to the front at the lights (for their own safety)

she's heading the way that I deal with the Muriel Grey articles – completely ignore them.

I think you'll find that not all of us were defending the cyclist,
but, the bit about 'Tour de France' 'Batman'/' Spiderman'/ 'Darth Vader' and, above all else, the 'lycra lout' type s**te that newspapers trot out is all part of lazy journalism intended to show the decent reader how abnormal and marginal 'cyclists' are, an attempt at reinforcement of stereotypes.
She ran into an arrogant d**kheid, who, I'm guessing, was not actually dressed as the above, and who happened to be on a bike.
It's arrogant d**heids that are the problem.

Agree with most of what you say re stereotyping WK. Problem is that when you have things like THIS (final 30 seconds particularly) which is brilliant entertainment BTW, is it any wonder you have articles like this.

I live near some canals, and use them regularly to get about. Very convenient. Problem is, loads of other people have the same idea, so it can get a bit congested. There's a section of the Regent's Canal that comes up from near Canary Wharf, and during 'rush hour', there's invariable loads of cyclists along there. Sadly, some of them are total knobs, and tear along with little consideration for others. I've seen a fair bit of 'towpath rage' along there, and have had do's with picks who go too fast past people, don't give people room, don't use bells and are generally arseholes. I then get flak off people who see all cyclists as the Antichrist.

Thing is, if these people were in cars, they'd be knobs in cars. They just happen to be on bikes. Sadly, there seems to be a growing number of selfish **** who think everyone should get out of their way, and that their journey is more important than others.

And as this woman points out; it's very often not the 'Chavs' who are the worst offenders, but smart, 'respectable' Middle Class types on nice bikes. Selfishness has no class boundaries, it seems.

Well, woody, that clip features LONDON, which seems to be a magnet for 'arrogant d**kheids' (not all of 'em from London BTW!) and CYCLE COURIERS who are often 'arrogant d**kheids' as well, so I'm not sure how representative it should be considered. 😉

The pricks in that clip Woody links to should all get a slap. Their behaviour is selfish, stupid, illegal and dangerous. They probably all high-five each other at how 'rad' and 'crazy' they are. Utter c-'s.

WK – probably an extreme example I agree but I have encountered it frequently in Durham which is also a magnet for arrogant d**heids, otherwise commonly known as students.

<note before flaming>sweeping generalisation above re students in Durham, most of whom are hardworking, studious types + I also used to work for a bike courier company in London<end note> 😉

Oh aye, dinnie get me started on f***in' students and all! 🙂

Am I the only person on here brave enough to admit that I thought the messenger race looked like a bit of a laugh [apart from the bit at the end where the guy started throwing beer around…

If you enjoy it, no one gets hurt and you don't get caught by the cops then why wouldn't you?

and yes i do drive in London A LOT.

I was willing one of the messengers to get taken out by a bus

If you enjoy it, no one gets hurt and you don't get caught by the cops then why wouldn't you?

TBH, it's bloody sheer luck no-one was injured in that stupidity. Several people had to take evasive action against the pricks, and several drivers were forced to make sudden stops. Just utterly irresponsible. If I saw someone behaving like that, well, I'd write a strongly worded letter to my MP, I tell you! *

I was a courier many years ago, and I was no angel, but I never endangered anyone else's safety with my actions. It's tough enough as it is, out there on the streets, without cockmonkeys like those **** it up for everyone else.

*Yeah, right…

The trouble with cyclists is that they feel (legitimately) like an aggrieved minority, what with all those dust-ups with motorists, and see themselves as virtuous citizens (again legitimately) because they use a greener form of transport. But this breeds a particular type of belligerence on two wheels that finds its fullest expression when directed at those of us who use the greenest transport of all – our own two legs.

Spot on observation imo

If you enjoy it, no one gets hurt and you don't get caught by the cops then why wouldn't you?

I think you'll find, if you do some research, that cycle couriers and pedestrians have a very high incidence of 'getting hurt'.

The thing that bothers me the most about the article is that she attempts to link me with bellends like this bloke simply because we are sometimes both seen on a bike.

Samuri – my point too. This guy (according to her) sounded like a complete tossw*nk but it's her failure to be objective about most cyclists – quite the opposite (even dragging her other half into it) that's annoying.

The bit that Nick quotes about 'cyclists feeling righteous about using a greener form of transport' is s***e as well.
I dont know a single cyclist who cycles for enviromental reasons. Frankly as someone who lives a greener than most lifestyle, I couldn't care less whether my tyres were made of baby minke whales spleens, or whether my bikes used more energy to manufacture than a Saturn rocket takeoff- I cycle cos it makes sense, and I enjoy it.
Howzabout you?