# Crazed cyclist jumping red lights,giving aggressive gestures



## Accy cyclist (6 Nov 2017)

I didn't post about this yesterday as i've been analysing it since it happened,wondering if it was worth mentioning on here. I've decided to share my experience,probably in the hope that mentioning it to fellow cyclists will let me get it off my chest. Yesterday as me and a friend i were leaving a small retail park in Accrington we had an altercation with a cyclist. My friend was driving while i was a passenger in the front seat. We were second in line at the traffic lights.so we went through the green for go light roughly 4 to 5 seconds after they'd changed. All of a sudden a female cyclist came at our car from the left. My friend asked if she was seeing things,meaning was she really seeing a bike jump the lights and cycle towards her. I said yes,as i watched this cyclist ride in front of us obviously shouting something and giving what could be described as aggressive gestures. I made eye contact with the cyclist who glared at me and continued with the aggressive stance,so i wound down the passenger window asking what her problem was."Get a move on you f..k..g idiots" was her reply. We were both shocked. This woman had actually jumped a red light and not only that but also expected us to "get a move on" so we'd be out of her way. The red mist came down,as they say,and i shouted to her that she was an idiot and totally in the wrong. She then banged on the top of our car as we passed. We were then held up in a traffic queue as we watched her speed by towards the next set of lights which she also jumped. I'd like to add that she wasn't alone. She had a male cyclist with her,but to be fair to him he seemed sheepish about this and kept a low profile. We could hear the beeping of car horns up ahead as she was obviously giving other motorists stick as they slowed to let her go on her way. Further along the road you come to a hilly bit, so i again wound down the window as she and her fellow cyclist were climbing this hill and pointed out to her that i was a "roadie" and was shocked to see her actions. I thought this might've subdued her a little but no she kept on with the insults till her and her partner turned off on the left'
So that's it. I'd say that i now see how such cyclists give us cyclists a bad name. My thoughts were that she'll have upset some motorist so bad that that motorist will take the frustrations out on another cyclist somewhere along the line. I spent quite a bit of last night thinking why she was acting in such a manner. Maybe they were on a time trial,maybe she had anger issues,maybe she thought she was in the TdF,maybe she was just a nutter? I know i've done some daft things while cycling in pursuit of getting somewhere to beat my record or whatever,but to actually jump a red light and become aggressive with those who've questioned her actions leaves me dumbfounded. If she'd(they'd)been what i'd call chavs on bikes i'd expect it,but she looked what some would call a serious cyclist. 
Thanks for reading this it's given me the chance to share my(our experience),even if it was a bad one.


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## John the Monkey (6 Nov 2017)

Thank your lucky stars they weren't in that sort of mood behind the wheel of a car.


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## Accy cyclist (6 Nov 2017)

User13710 said:


> Have you moved into your new flat yet, Accy?


Yes,i've been here a week now,


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## Gary E (6 Nov 2017)

Darwinism will catch up with her at some point! Hopefully before she gets the opportunity to alienate car drivers any further.


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## Welsh wheels (6 Nov 2017)

You get angry, unreasonable people everywhere. This one just happened to be riding a bike unfortunately.


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## Phaeton (6 Nov 2017)

Accy cyclist said:


> She then banged on the top of our car as we passed.


Your friend was too close, otherwise she would not have been able to bang on the roof.


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## Welsh wheels (6 Nov 2017)

User said:


> Sounds like the angry unreasonable person was in the car...


 Not my understanding of the situation...


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## Accy cyclist (6 Nov 2017)

Phaeton said:


> Your friend was too close, otherwise she would not have been able to bang on the roof.


Too close? My friend turned right,the cyclist came at us from the left. The cyclist approached us. It wasn't a case of us encroaching on the cyclists space.


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## Accy cyclist (6 Nov 2017)

User13710 said:


> Are you glad you moved?


I'd say yes more than no.


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## MontyVeda (6 Nov 2017)

User said:


> Sounds like the angry unreasonable person was in the car...


oh c'mon Reg.... you think someone jumping red lights and shouting at motorists who seem to obeying the rules of the road isn't angry or unreasonable?
I think you're trolling.


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## albion (6 Nov 2017)

Sounds like ADHD or similar.

Maybe the male friend will wizen up and stop cycling with her.
She was certainly manic.


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## albion (6 Nov 2017)

Then again, I do not know the local culture.


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## Accy cyclist (6 Nov 2017)

Ok,seeing as some are blindly taking the side of a fellow cyclist,i'd also like to add that this woman and her partner were]]


albion said:


> Sounds like ADHD or similar.
> 
> Maybe the male friend will wizen up and stop cycling with her.
> She was certainly manic.


He didn't jump the red light like she did. I noticed that as they approached the next set of lights further down the road,she moved from being behind him to then ride two abreast for a few seconds before moving into the right lane without indicating. This must've been the incident that set the motorists off beeping their car horns at her. The male seemed to be wobbling a little like he was knackered. Maybe he'd been trying all day to keep up with her and this wasn't their first cyclist v motorist encounter of the day? He was probably thinking "Oh no for god's sake not again!"


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## Phaeton (6 Nov 2017)

Accy cyclist said:


> Too close? My friend turned right,the cyclist came at us from the left. The cyclist approached us. It wasn't a case of encroaching on the cyclists space.


Yes, both you & your 'friend' were aware of the cyclist yet she chose to continue on her way & squeeze the cyclist to the extent that she was able to bang on the roof. Yes the cyclist may have been in the wrong, but why did your 'friend' either stop, slow to allow the cyclist room to pass, or move slightly to the right to allow the cyclist free space. Sorry 2 wrongs do not give your friend the right to put the cyclist life in danger, even if she was prepared to do that herself.


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## Accy cyclist (6 Nov 2017)

On a lighter note,the woman looked a bit like "Sophie Wessex".






Seriously for a split second i thought it was her.,though the woman in question was slimmer and more athletic looking than her. I'm now wondering if she's some kind of semi pro' on a training ride? Maybe she was and the adrenalin was pumping, My friend has what some would call a "pensioner/postman Pat" type car. The cyclist could've been thinking "Sh!t,get these old dodderers out of my way!" If that was the case she shouldn't be riding through quite a busy area that has four sets of lights.


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## Accy cyclist (6 Nov 2017)

Phaeton said:


> Yes, both you & your 'friend' were aware of the cyclist yet she chose to continue on her way & squeeze the cyclist to the extent that she was able to bang on the roof. Yes the cyclist may have been in the wrong, but why did your 'friend' either stop, slow to allow the cyclist room to pass, or move slightly to the right to allow the cyclist free space. Sorry 2 wrongs do not give your friend the right to put the cyclist life in danger, even if she was prepared to do that herself.


My friend's a bit of a nervy driver. She probably thought she'd do best by carrying on turning rather than stopping,which would then cause the cars behind to beep at her. So you're suggesting that she should've just backed down and let this idiot go on her way? I'm all for cyclists rights,on and off the road but this woman didn't have the right to do what she did. To jump a red light then expect the approaching motorist to either "Get a f..k..g move on",or stop to let her go on her merry way is just not right!


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## PK99 (6 Nov 2017)

MontyVeda said:


> oh c'mon Reg.... you think someone jumping red lights and shouting at motorists who seem to obeying the rules of the road isn't angry or unreasonable?
> I think you're trolling.



it's just Reg being Reg and letting fly with a smug one liner put down.

sadly that is too often his modus operandi .


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## Phaeton (6 Nov 2017)

Accy cyclist said:


> So you're suggesting that she should've just backed down and let this idiot go on her way?


Yes, what harm would it have done, hold you up for 5-10 seconds? Instead you chose to get aggressive towards her, I'm not condoning what she did, I would probably have sworn at her myself, but either under my breath or just inside the car, I would not of engaged. But your friend knowingly put her in danger, which cannot be acceptable.


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## glasgowcyclist (6 Nov 2017)

Dogtrousers said:


> It's been done before I know but ...
> 
> Alarming Accy
> And you're to blame
> ...




Thanks, that's me stuck with this earworm:







Which one's Accy?


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## Accy cyclist (6 Nov 2017)

Phaeton said:


> But your friend knowingly put her in danger, which cannot be acceptable.


My friend was driving at roughy 10 -15 mph. She drove right,away from the cyclist. She(friend) was about 4 feet from the kerb on the left. The cyclist got herself into that 4 feet of space. My friend created a 4 foot space which the cyclist chose to get into so that she could give verbal abuse and bang on the car roof. She put herself in danger,not the other way round.


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## vickster (6 Nov 2017)

So this happened yesterday? It's over...move on


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## Accy cyclist (6 Nov 2017)

vickster said:


> So this happened yesterday? It's over...move on


I bet it was you on the bike. Go on admit it!


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## vickster (6 Nov 2017)

Accy cyclist said:


> I bet it was you on the bike. Go on admit it!


Not if she was slim and blonde it wasn't


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## Welsh wheels (6 Nov 2017)

I hear Ronnie's Pickering's younger sister cycles...


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## mjr (6 Nov 2017)

Accy cyclist said:


> My friend was driving at roughy 10 -15 mph. She drove right,away from the cyclist. She(friend) was about 4 feet from the kerb on the left. The cyclist got herself into that 4 feet of space. My friend created a 4 foot space which the cyclist chose to get into so that she could give verbal abuse and bang on the car roof. She put herself in danger,not the other way round.


"She put herself in danger", like says every motoring supremacist, negligent factory operator, date-rapist... 

Surely if a slow vehicle jumps a red light (and you usually can't be sure, what with how modern traffic lights are shielded so you're not often able to see theirs) and puts themselves in your path, then you stop and handle the overtake as if they were in your path normally. What they did was probably wrong, but that wouldn't justify your wrong.

What would your friend have done if a blue-light vehicle had jumped the red? Even slowing, they'd probably be going at least as fast as the cyclist.

So 4 foot from the kerb? So if the bike's clear of the drains, that's less than 1 foot from the end of the handlebars? Yeah - that ain't enough space, no matter how they got there.


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## smutchin (6 Nov 2017)

Accy cyclist said:


> worth mentioning on here



Not really.



Phaeton said:


> Yes, what harm would it have done, hold you up for 5-10 seconds?



"We were then held up in a traffic queue as we watched her speed by"


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## Drago (6 Nov 2017)

Funnynyou mention this. I was out for a ride wearing a dress because it's so, er, comfortable, and the sun in my eyes meant I didn't see the red light. Then some myopic fool dithered in the junction, and their passenger was giving me a really weird deadly stare...


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## classic33 (6 Nov 2017)

Drago said:


> Funnynyou mention this. I was out for a ride wearing a dress because it's so, er, comfortable, and the sun in my eyes meant I didn't see the red light. Then some myopic fool dithered in the junction, and their passenger was giving me a really weird deadly stare...


That'd be because of the dress.


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## classic33 (6 Nov 2017)

mjr said:


> "She put herself in danger", like says every motoring supremacist, negligent factory operator, date-rapist...
> 
> Surely if a slow vehicle jumps a red light (and you usually can't be sure, what with how modern traffic lights are shielded so you're not often able to see theirs) and puts themselves in your path, then you stop and handle the overtake as if they were in your path normally. What they did was probably wrong, but that wouldn't justify your wrong.
> 
> ...


There's at least a 10 second period when all the lights are at red. Given that traffic was turning right, it'd mean there had to be a fault in the timing system, that allowed some of the traffic to cross.


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## Levo-Lon (6 Nov 2017)

You got a new squeeze Accy ?


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## Drago (6 Nov 2017)

[QUOTE 5029048, member: 45"]I put my porridge in the microwave this morning for 90 seconds.

When the microwave pinged it wasn't quite cooked, so had to heat it for a bit longer.[/QUOTE]

A clear case of operator error.


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## mjr (6 Nov 2017)

User said:


> Says who? I can think of numberous sets of traffic lights (including several I go through on a daily basis) where this is clearly not the case.


For the all-red time to be 10 seconds, the "distance travelled to the probable collision points by vehicles losing right-of-way compared with those gaining right-of-way" would have to be well over 73 metres and probably with those losing right-of-way being large vehicles climbing a steep incline, according to Traffic Advisory Leaflet 1/06 Part 4 (to get a 15 second intergreen, assuming a typical 3 second amber before green and 2 second red+amber). Are many junctions that large?


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## Welsh wheels (6 Nov 2017)

[QUOTE 5029048, member: 45"]I put my porridge in the microwave this morning for 90 seconds.

When the microwave pinged it wasn't quite cooked, so had to heat it for a bit longer.

Can we argue about for a few pages now?[/QUOTE]
What you haven't mentioned is the angry cyclist that banged on your door after you put it in for a bit longer. Hence you were distracted, and then burnt your porridge.


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## Nigel-YZ1 (6 Nov 2017)

I bet you're regretting getting it off your chest now.


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## berty bassett (6 Nov 2017)

I have just sat here and read all these comments 
The OP gives one persons account of what happened and it seems plausible that it could happen , but I am really struggling to understand how people who were not there and haven't heard the other side of the story are willing to side with the cyclist no matter what is said 
I don't know whether you are all use to each other and this is just friendly banter but as an outsider looking in it don't half look like there are some blinkered people out there


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## mjr (6 Nov 2017)

berty bassett said:


> IThe OP gives one persons account of what happened and it seems plausible that it could happen , but I am really struggling to understand how people who were not there and haven't heard the other side of the story are willing to side with the cyclist no matter what is said


Who's siding with the cyclist? I think most are saying that it sounds like both cyclist (jumping red) and motorist (skimming cyclist) acted nobbishly.


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## Crackle (6 Nov 2017)

Someone skinned a cyclist, hells bells!


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## Levo-Lon (6 Nov 2017)

Crackle said:


> Someone skinned a cyclist, hells bells!




Lol you couldn't make it up..be in the Mail tomorrow


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## FishFright (6 Nov 2017)

User said:


> I take a lot of the content of the OP with a very large pinch of salt... sounds like a lot of _ex post facto_ rationalisation and embroidery.



For yours and accy's sake wouldn't be a good idea not to come into his threads just to wind him up and make a fool of yourself?

I did misjudge you based solely based on your responses to Accy's threads and would prefer to think of you in the way you behave in the other parts of this forum.


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## oldfatfool (6 Nov 2017)

God I hope the same idiots that frequent here dont move over to the new forum.


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## classic33 (6 Nov 2017)

mjr said:


> Who's siding with the cyclist? I think most are saying that it sounds like both cyclist (jumping red) and motorist (skimming cyclist) acted nobbishly.


Speak only for yourself.


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## Mugshot (6 Nov 2017)

oldfatfool said:


> new forum


?


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## classic33 (6 Nov 2017)

Mugshot said:


> ?


Shouldn't have been mentioned.


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## Mugshot (6 Nov 2017)

classic33 said:


> Shouldn't have been mentioned.


I'm guessing not.


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## classic33 (6 Nov 2017)

Mugshot said:


> I'm guessing not.


Josue Daniel Alfaro aka Danny Alfaro


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## Crackle (6 Nov 2017)

It's not a cycling forum before anyone gets excited and I'm sure Shaun will announce it when it's ready for mass participation from those who may be interested.


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## Globalti (6 Nov 2017)

There are plenty of rude, aggressive cyclists like the one Accy saw, it's the reason why I don't often go out in big groups, they embarrass me.


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## mjr (6 Nov 2017)

Globalti said:


> There are plenty of rude, aggressive cyclists like the one Accy saw, it's the reason why I don't often go out in big groups, they embarrass me.


Big group of two cyclists that Accy saw... 

Plenty of rude, aggressive people. Some of them happen to be on bikes.


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## mustang1 (6 Nov 2017)

Gary E said:


> Darwinism will catch up with her at some point! Hopefully before she gets the opportunity to alienate car drivers any further.


I don't think it will. If Darwinism really worked in the way we might think, then we wouldn't have got to this state in the first place.


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## Accy cyclist (6 Nov 2017)

Nigel-YZ1 said:


> I bet you're regretting getting it off your chest now.


No,i'm glad i did. To share this with non cyclists,say down the pub or the next door neighbour would get a "who gives a toss" or a "fecking cyclists don't pay road tax" rant.


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## Lonestar (6 Nov 2017)

I'd have blasted the horn (@Accy cyclist) and told her to get off and milk it...I'd also shout at her...pay some bloody road tax.

Plus a Nescafe hand shake would not have been out of place.


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## vickster (6 Nov 2017)

Accy cyclist said:


> cyclists
> And dressed totally in black
> 
> .


What's wrong with wearing black on the bike?


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## Drago (6 Nov 2017)

Crackle said:


> It's not a cycling forum before anyone gets excited and I'm sure Shaun will announce it when it's ready for mass participation from those who may be interested.



Kayaking? Vintage Yamahas?


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## johnnyb47 (7 Nov 2017)

You get good and bad in all walks of life. Motorists and cyclists are not immune from it . Unfortunately for the bad cyclist though ,they will always come off worse if they use the roads as a battle ground to vent there anger. I just hope this aggressive rider doesn't learn the hard way, by bouncing off a car one day and seriously injuring herself. She's only got to meet a like minded driver or someone who,s not paying attention for it to end in tears


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## EasyPeez (9 Nov 2017)

Accy cyclist said:


> pointed out to her that i was a "roadie" and was shocked to see her actions. I thought this might've subdued her a little



That's weird. I'm always walking into heated situations and announcing that I'm a 'roadie'; never does it fail to make people instantly quiet and submissive. I might even move on to trying it on other species. I reckon if I were caught out by a truculent bull in the outback I could bypass the Mick Dundee hand waggling and just calm the beast with a nonchalant flash of my road cleats. 

Maybe she misunderstood and thought you meant that you spend your life lugging around speakers and plugging guitars in.


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