Cycling Bell-ends

[Boopop]

I'm a software developer, I play video games, I listen to BBC 6 Music, I like to cycle, I have a cat, I like to cook. Whenever I go out in to the big wide world, I'm not ambassador for any of these activities.

GROUP RESPONSIBILITY IS NOT REAL.

 

[Andy_R]

The tensions between cyclists and motorists are not being helped by some of the complete bell-ends I see on my drive home at night. Dressed all in black and without any lights, but it would be the driver who was at fault if there was a collision.

This kind of behaviour makes life very difficult for the rest of us.

Not having read all the way through this thread, has anyone asked the pertinent point----they were dressed in black, but you still saw them...I'm confused. Did you see them or not? If you did then does it matter what colour they were wearing? Or do you just want them to be lit up like christmas trees on the way to a rave at nr10? (a rave that never happened)

 

[Alex321]

Not having read all the way through this thread, has anyone asked the pertinent point----they were dressed in black, but you still saw them...I'm confused. Did you see them or not? If you did then does it matter what colour they were wearing? Or do you just want them to be lit up like christmas trees on the way to a rave at nr10? (a rave that never happened)

I'm not sure what your point is in asking a "pertinent" (according to you) question to which the answer was clearly given in the opening post. SO for "pertinent" read "completely pointless".

You obviously wanted to make a point. You would have been better making it my not making yourself look stupid, and exaggeration to trivialise the issue doesn't help either.

 

[DaveReading]

There is only one possible response to a post that starts "Not having read all the way through this thread ..."

 

[Scotty55]

There is only one possible response to a post that starts "Not having read all the way through this thread ..."

I really hadn’t expected this thread to degenerate so much…. It was really just an observation that some cyclists don’t do us any favours by not being visible to other road users.

 

[Tribansman]

You're right, was a fair point, but maybe terms like ninjas not helpful in keeping it measured!

Agree that riders with no lights or reflectives don't do themselves any favours, but I think we need to be careful about encouraging or facilitating victim blaming, when the main factor that determines (or should) whether there are collisions or not is the attentiveness and competence of drivers.

 

[alex_cycles]

Indeed all people in black clothing are getting tarred with this brush.

That will make them even darker (and smelly)

 

[Illaveago]

One concession I have made recently is buying yellow eye shades to tone down the w*nkpanzer and other new cars retina burning lights. Also some cyclists have no clue how to position the front light either.

I was wondering if the new automatically dipping lights may be the cause. Mind you there are also some people who will fit illegal bulbs . 65w being the maximum for road use. I came across fitting 80 w and 100 w bulbs when I worked in Halfords . I also met a taxi driver who wasn't prepared to pay for 2 new headlight bulbs and was going to drive up a motorway on main beam .

 

[Badger_Boom]

I have ridden for over 40 years in cities, countryside, foreign countries and it has not once occurred to me to dress in day glo or wear a helmet. I wear dark colours most of the time but have front light, back light and obey the rules of the road. I have never been killed, hit, run over.

My bold: there’s a whole branch of health and safety in industry that look at why that can be a very dangerous way to look at risk.

 

[simongt]

So you were aware of other road users in front of you?

Yup. It was the pairs of oncoming bright headlights that made me aware of them - !

 

[Ming the Merciless]

. It was really just an observation that some cyclists don’t do us any favours by not being visible to other road users.

if they are not visible then they wouldn’t be a topic of conversation.

The only thing a driver will use a tale of a cyclist without lights for , is to excuse their extremely poor driving. The cyclist without lights didn’t cause their poor driving. If it wasn’t a tale about no lights, it’d be pavement cycling, red light jumping etc. It makes no difference, it’s just an attempt to deflect from the perpetrator’s misdemeanour, which has lead to you having a conversation with them, in the first place.

 

[winjim]

An observation from driving the other day. Dark and pouring rain so poor visibility, city driving so lots of dazzling lights. Crossed a junction ahead of a cyclist who then turned in behind me. Had on a high vis jacket but only had a helmet mounted front light. As he came closer to me, his head went out of the field of view of my mirrors so his light disappeared. A bar or fork mounted light would have remained visible. As it was it became really quite difficult to keep an eye on where he was while also concentrating on the myriad other distractions and not missing my turning. I did wonder if I should say something to him but it would probably have made me come across as a prick rather than as an attempt to be helpful.

Just something to bear in mind if you're of the helmet mounted light persuasion. The closer you get, the less apparent your presence may become.

 

[DRM]

An observation from driving the other day. Dark and pouring rain so poor visibility, city driving so lots of dazzling lights. Crossed a junction ahead of a cyclist who then turned in behind me. Had on a high vis jacket but only had a helmet mounted front light. As he came closer to me, his head went out of the field of view of my mirrors so his light disappeared. A bar or fork mounted light would have remained visible. As it was it became really quite difficult to keep an eye on where he was while also concentrating on the myriad other distractions and not missing my turning. I did wonder if I should say something to him but it would probably have made me come across as a prick rather than as an attempt to be helpful.

Just something to bear in mind if you're of the helmet mounted light persuasion. The closer you get, the less apparent your presence may become.

Quite a good point, also when driving in a city environment it’s very easy to miss something when trying to negotiate our increasingly difficult to navigate in cities, with lots to take in, especially if you aren’t a local, as nobody on ANY form of transport seems to have any patience whatsoever

 

[Alex321]

Just something to bear in mind if you're of the helmet mounted light persuasion. The closer you get, the less apparent your presence may become.

It is also actually illegal to have only a helmet mounted light. There must be front and rear lights attached to the bicycle. Any lights attached to the person of the cyclist must be additional lights to those required by the regulations.

 

[Sniper68]

When I go through the internet it just appears that there are an awful lot of angry people in the UK. If its not bikes and cars its people scrapping on trains and tubes because someone is not wearing a mask. It is obviously not about being infected because those complaining are actually wearing masks. I think they think the masked ones are annoyed because they are obeying the rules and wearing masks. In Denmark the masked people would move a couple of seats away from the person not wearing the mask and that would be it. No accusations, screaming or shouting or fighting. As for cars and bikes. The car drivers here know that the cyclists have the upper hand. If you knock a cyclist over in Denmark you have a problem. But we all seem to get along very well. But our football supporters are called "Roligans". Maybe its that attitude which makes life so easy here.

Roligan is a nickname for a supporter of the Danish national football team. Roligans are noted for being the opposite of hooligans, i.e. calm, quiet, well-mannered supporters of their team who shun unsportsmanlike behavior or violence.

That wouldn't work here at all.
The UK is full of miserable,angry,on edge folk who need something or anything to bitch and moan about Said types just wouldn't be happy any other way
Everyone is offended by the slightest thing and their natural reaction is to vent their frustrations the only way they know how
It seems there are those outhere who will be offended if they can't find something to be offended by