Slow, wobbly cyclists!

Blakey, I'm 100% behind you on this, and those like Magnawankerfruitbat who think they are insured on their house contents..Only the bike is AGAINST IT BEING NICKED, not if they wallop into someone whilst riding like a prat. You should see it in cities like York and even worse in Cambridge...Jesus wept...

Many a time when I have been driving in Leeds, I have had to put all anchors on cos some lycra clad arse has run a red light!

I'm sorry, but I have zero respect for cyclists, and this person in Manchester wont after driving for a while either. Wet behind the ears, and has a lot to learn, and I would say needs to do some driving in central London..That'll wake them up, or make then never drive again.

Bristol LH wrote:even worse in Cambridge...Jesus wept...

Im Cambridge I've come across cyclists who thought it was acceptable to go the wrong way round a roundabout, down a narrow (literally 1 car width) one way street the wrong way, and get all arsey when they couldn't squeeze past, and of course the one who turned right out of a sidestreet about 6 foot in front of me on a 40mph road!! At least the lycra would have contained some of the mess in a bag for easy transport, if I hadn't been so quick on the brakes.

When I was there the other week, I wanted to have an articulated lorry, and a set of industrial bolt cutters. They ruin the city, as every bit of railing or lamp post has a 2 wheeled menace chained to it..

They should put a £50 fine for chaining them to railings etc..

I appreciate the advice guys, i can see a really strong hatred of cyclists here but the worrying thing is, yes a lot (not all) of cyclists ride like idiots and a lot of cars & taxis are the same. The main difference is the vulnerability of a cyclist, A small scrape with a car etc could mean death to a cyclist so unfortunately no matter how annoying they are we are providing a public service and as such need to protect them not abuse them, i would say just try riding in a big city for a few days, see how many people put your life in danger everyday and you will learn a little about how hard it is to be a cyclist in a city

bossdriver wrote:I appreciate the advice guys, i can see a really strong hatred of cyclists here but the worrying thing is, yes a lot (not all) of cyclists ride like idiots and a lot of cars & taxis are the same. The main difference is the vulnerability of a cyclist, A small scrape with a car etc could mean death to a cyclist so unfortunately no matter how annoying they are we are providing a public service and as such need to protect them not abuse them, i would say just try riding in a big city for a few days, see how many people put your life in danger everyday and you will learn a little about how hard it is to be a cyclist in a city

I'm sorry to harp on but cyclist seem quite happy to put their own lives in danger with the stupid things they do.

Personally, I give cyclists room, keep out of cycle lanes (where the width of the carriageway allows). However, if cyclists jump a red light, go the wrong way down a one way street, try and come up my inside while I'm indicating to turn left, overtake me while I'm indicating to pull away from a bus stop, jump off the pavement in front of me while I'm doing 30+ without looking and expect me to slam on, risking injury to my passengers, they are very much mistaken.

The Highway Code has specific rules pertaining to cyclist. Cyclist should read them, inwardly digest and obey them. End of story.

Boss driver, you clearly do not live in something called 'the real world', and many moons ago I used to be a cyclist, and would often cycle up to 100 miles a day, via main 60 mph A roads and inner cities & towns, and I wouldn't dream of doing what 99.99% of inner city cyclists do, because I'm not an arrogant tosspot, like they are.

Stop defending these idiots in condoms, as quite frankly they are a bloody menace and need to be stopped.

It is time that laws were passed making all cycles have to pass a yearly MOT type test, ther rider to pass a test, have insurance, the bike have to be taxed and display numberplates, then when they are caught on CCTV being a grade one tosser, a court summons lands on their mat, and a police van comes round to their house, confiscates their bike, and they take it to be crushed.

That will make them cycle more responsibly

i guess what im trying to say is, cyclists can be stupid, if you are not then its in everyone's best interest to give them room and consideration to stop an accident regardless of how they ride, you are better than that and can clearly judge the situation. Use your knowledge of traffic and roads (and idiots on bikes) to help others instead of getting angry and ranting about it.

The best way to treat cyclists in Cambridge is to act like they are all trying to throw themselves under your wheels.

Just about anything in Cambridge thats fixed to the floor has a bike chained to it. I remember when they repaved a section of the city centre, the workers used bolt cutters to remove about 50 bikes along one street and threw em all in the back of a lorry to be made into tins and razor blades

Hang on a minute though, you were the one who started flinging insults about 'bus boss', and you were very lucky not to be removed and banned. Sadly 99% of city centre cyclists haven't a clue about road sense, and even if you give them 150 yards clearance, you are still 'invading their space'. I've seen too many of these morons deliberately move out as you try to pass them. Also the number of 'Magnawankefruitbat' clones is on the increase, and these are the ones who are the worst, and in reality are a danger to everyone on the road, including themselves, and need removing from the road by the police before they do something stupid and mow someone down on a footpath or pedestrian crossing.

Palatine 2 wrote:The best way to treat cyclists in Cambridge is to act like they are all trying to throw themselves under your wheels.

Just about anything in Cambridge thats fixed to the floor has a bike chained to it. I remember when they repaved a section of the city centre, the workers used bolt cutters to remove about 50 bikes along one street and threw em all in the back of a lorry to be made into tins and razor blades

I've seen a few of these bikes in Cambridge, and some really do look like they have been dragged out of the river...Bald tyres, more rust on than a 1970's Morris Marina fresh out of the factory...And these are being ridden about....Death traps!

bossdriver wrote:i guess what im trying to say is, cyclists can be stupid, if you are not then its in everyone's best interest to give them room and consideration to stop an accident regardless of how they ride, you are better than that and can clearly judge the situation. Use your knowledge of traffic and roads (and idiots on bikes) to help others instead of getting angry and ranting about it.

The idea of the Grumble Room is to rant about things that have pissed you off during your shift!! For other calmer subjects why not try the Table Talk section. There you will funny stories etc!!

Thank god we don't have as many cyclists as you do in big cities etc, only time I usually see one is occasionally on 60mph A roads and B roads seemingly more for leisure than transport. Can be a bugger to get around them though

There are lots of cyclists in and around the Ipswich area. 95% of them usually use their common sense and ride sensibly. Alas there are those, who I have ranted about, who do give the rest a bad image. They jump red lights, wobble all over the road, ride inconsiderately and put themselves and others at risk.
Despite what some may think I'm actually very courteous to cyclists. I'll happily give way if obstructions are on my side and it would give the cyclist too narrow a gap if I continued. I will delay overtakes until it's safe, so that I'm not squeezing them off the road, and I will happily flash a cyclist waiting to turn right to let them know I am hanging back so they can go. People choose to cycle for a number of reasons, and they have a right to do so. Live and let live like.