What happens when a cyclist breaks the speed limit?

[Boopop]

That's exactly what happens on Cyclechat!!!

You want to look at all the threads that castigate BMW drivers, Audi drivers etc? Cyclechat posters treat drivers of specific brands of cars as a big homogenous group

I'm not talking about a specific brand of car, I said *all* drivers. Also cycle chat does not represent society at large. If you see a smart car go through a red, do you throw your hands in the air and lament "ugh, drivers"? I doubt it.

I really don't understand why anyone would change their behaviour based on a perceived stereotype. Some cyclists go through red lights. I do not. What does their behaviour have to do with me? I'm not an ambassador for everyone who rides bikes and it's asinine to expect me to be. By claiming that I am, you're implying that you agree we're all one big group with a shared culture. We're not. How much do you think I, a 31 y/o male have in common with this woman cycling on her town bike?

Hint - not a lot, or at least not so much that her actions should reflect upon me, or vice versa. Do you apply the same logic to pedestrians? No, because everyone's a pedestrian. Perhaps I should start telling pedestrians not to commit crimes as it gives all us pedestrians a bad name

 

[mjr]

That's exactly what happens on Cyclechat!!!

Well, we could say that it is simply revenge for the comments made on forums dominated by motorists that generalise about all cyclists, except...

You want to look at all the threads that castigate BMW drivers, Audi drivers etc? Cyclechat posters treat drivers of specific brands of cars as a big homogenous group

...I did some searches and it's actually usually qualified:

Its no worse that many a clueless BMW driver has done to a country lane in the snow.

a close passing Audi driver.

or it's people reporting that most of their problem motorists drive BMWs/Audis, not that all BMW/Audi drivers are problematic:

Nearly got swiped by a woman in a BMW who was checking herself in the rear view mirror whilst overtaking me.

It's still the same vehicle types that I nearly always have issues with though - Audi, BMW or 4x4 - 95%+ of the time.

Looking at search results, I think there are more BMW owners or ex-owners posting on here (the search results have quite a lot of discussion of particular vehicles people have used) than people who tar all BMW drivers in the way you suggest. It seems like even the old joke/fake-abbreviation of AUDI hasn't been posted here since 2014 and even then it was by someone complaining about cyclechatters being mean to Audi drivers, based on rather thin evidence but at least they offered some, unlike this thread.

There are two posters who popped up repeatedly making comments about all BMW drivers, but recently, the numbers of all of the above are dwarfed by posts whining that cyclechatters are being beastly to all BMW/Audi/... owners!

So I fact-checked "Cyclechat posters treat drivers of specific brands of cars as a big homogenous group" and it seems to be false, at least recently.

 

[nickyboy]

I'm not talking about a specific brand of car, I said *all* drivers. Also cycle chat does not represent society at large. If you see a smart car go through a red, do you throw your hands in the air and lament "ugh, drivers"? I doubt it.

I really don't understand why anyone would change their behaviour based on a perceived stereotype. Some cyclists go through red lights. I do not. What does their behaviour have to do with me? I'm not an ambassador for everyone who rides bikes and it's asinine to expect me to be. By claiming that I am, you're implying that you agree we're all one big group with a shared culture. We're not. How much do you think I, a 31 y/o male have in common with this woman cycling on her town bike?

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Hint - not a lot, or at least not so much that her actions should reflect upon me, or vice versa. Do you apply the same logic to pedestrians? No, because everyone's a pedestrian. Perhaps I should start telling pedestrians not to commit crimes as it gives all us pedestrians a bad name

If you want to nit pick down to the minutae of whether we are talking about car drivers as a group or bmw drivers as a group we are at the ad absurdium point of the discussion

I'll leave it with one thought...I do indeed regard my actions as a cyclist having an impact on other cyclists on the road as a common member of a minority group which car drivers do indeed regard with homogeneity. So I do what I can to be polite, friendly and considerate to all other road users because (a) I'm a friendly, polite and considerate person (b) I hope that if I can be like this, some car drivers will adopt a more considerate approach with all cyclists

 

[winjim]

You don't have to not ride or drive like a nobber out of some sense of collective responsibility. You can also choose to not ride or drive like a nobber just so you are not individually being a nobber.

 

[Boopop]

I hope that if I can be like this, some car drivers will adopt a more considerate approach with all cyclists

Then I'm sorry but I think you're naive. Drivers should be considerate regardless of the actions of other road users. Those that are inconsiderate are very unlikley to think "Oh well @nickyboy behaved well five minutes ago when I passed him, so I won't run this cyclist off the road today".

If I wear my local club's jersey, I've made a conscious decision to represent the club on the road. I have not made any such decision to represent "all cyclists" by merely riding a bike.

 

[winjim]

Then I'm sorry but I think you're naive. Drivers should be considerate regardless of the actions of other road users. Those that are inconsiderate are very unlikley to think "Oh well @nickyboy behaved well five minutes ago when I passed him, so I won't run this cyclist off the road today".

Do we have any behavioural psychologists on the forum? I for one think it perfectly plausible that a frustrated driver could take their frustrations out on the next cyclist they see.

Remember that a lot of cyclists are to an extent dehumanised. Funny clothes, helmets, sunglasses. We kind of look like robots. It's similar to the way we might anthropomorphise a car rather than acknowledge the actions of the driver.

 

[Pale Rider]

It was always a good game on the Friday Night Ride to the Coast rides to Brighton. With a fair motley few trying to set off the speed signs on the drop into town.

As a newbie, I was encouraged to do that on the day ride to Brighton we did.

The thinking was a big lumpy ebike might have more chance of tripping the camera.

Too many parked cars, moving cars, junctions, pedestrians etc for my liking.

I might have had a dig if it was the early hours of the morning.

 

[Milkfloat]

As a BMW driver and a cyclist I must cause a rift in the space-time continuum. I just simply try and live by my life long rule 'try not to be a nobber'.

 

[Boopop]

plausible that a frustrated driver could take their frustrations out on the next cyclist they see.

Oh it's certainly plausible, however if some psychopath decides to make judgements like that, that's on them, not me. Telling someone their behaviour while riding a bike is responsible for how other road users treat other cyclists is ridiculous. Again, such responsibilities aren't placed upon drivers, pedestrians, bus users and so on.

 

[winjim]

Oh it's certainly plausible, however if some psychopath decides to make judgements like that, that's on them, not me. Telling someone their behaviour while riding a bike is responsible for how other road users treat other cyclists is ridiculous. Again, such responsibilities aren't placed upon drivers, pedestrians, bus users and so on.

I'm trying not to suggest that anybody does or does not have responsibility as such, but your post seemed to suggest that you didn't even think it plausible.

If we're talking in terms of psychology, which I kind of think we ought to be although I am no expert, then I think that 'psychopath' has a very specific meaning...

 

[HMS_Dave]

I wonder if motorists would see me as a good ambassador for the cycling community if I display a HUGE tax disc and have a flag on the back with my Insurance certificate waving and wear a helmet with my printed MOT certificate on it?

 

[Boopop]

I'm trying not to suggest that anybody does or does not have responsibility as such, but your post seemed to suggest that you didn't even think it plausible.

Fair enough. I think what I was trying to get at was good behaviour isn't going to make a bad driver drive better. Bad behaviour may make them drive worse, sure...but like I say, that's on the driver rather than the person riding the bike.

 

[Dogtrousers]

In Australia ...

Bicycle riders must obey the same speed limits as drivers of motor vehicles. https://www.mylicence.sa.gov.au/road-rules/the-drivers-handbook/road-rules-for-cyclists

 

[matticus]

As a BMW driver and a cyclist I must cause a rift in the space-time continuum. I just simply try and live by my life long rule 'try not to be a nobber'.

So why did you buy a BMW??

 

[matticus]

That's exactly what happens on Cyclechat!!!

You want to look at all the threads that castigate BMW drivers, Audi drivers etc? Cyclechat posters treat drivers of specific brands of cars as a big homogenous group

It doesnt take long on social media to see something like this:
- "Flipping idiot ran me off the road this morning! "
- "There was a young girl killed last month, cycling on the High Street. Driver didn't even stop "
- "Well if they didn't always jump lights they might get more respect. And why don't they have number plates? Insurance?"

Show me the equivalent against BMW/Audi drivers; show me a justification of violence against a group by referring to misdeeds by other members of that group.
Show me threats to their lives.
https://road.cc/content/news/3069-w...ed”-matthew-parris-gets-most-press-complaints