Cyclists - let's kill them all

[Philly Q]

As a pedestrian in the UK, you're 250 times more likely to be killed by a car than by a cyclist (government stats). It's weird that there are a huge number of anti-cyclist threads in internet forums (and daily mail, telegraph etc - maybe Jeremy Clarkson fans?) but no one ever starts discussions like "kill all motorists".

Not that this excuses this cyclist's behaviour, of course

Yeah, but that's a different issue really.

Motorists very rarely drive through red lights - at least if they do, you can bloody well see that they're going to!

Cyclists, on the other hand, do it all the time.

No-one's worried about being killed by these cyclists - at the worst it'd be a minor injury.  It's just $%&#ing irritating, that's the point.

[Telerocker]

I don't support any killing, even of cyclists. Here in Holland it would ask serious dedication, since there are more cyclists than flies. Btw, they're protected very well by the law. If you as a cardriver hit one, no matter the situation, it's always mainly your fault, even in the dark when they bike without any light.

[MrBump]

It's quite bad in Canary Wharf.  In fact, most parts of London I've worked in have these tacit, unwritten cyclist rules of the road.  The rules seem to be:

• Traffic lights don't apply as long as you don't hit anyone
• One was systems are purely advisory
• All bets are off if you're a courier

I know that we're generalising about "cyclists" as if they are a single entity, but I've worked in London for more than a decade, and this is what I see.  Drivers are @rseholes too, although my experience is that they're less of a danger to me than cyclists.  Pedestrians are also a pain.  We cross roads where we shouldn't, and generally clog up the system.

I guess cyclists have a certain amount of power, in that they can go relatively quick for London, but they have fewer controls or sanctions that can be placed on them - you can't take a cyclists licence away if he or she persistently jumps lights.

I'm pro cycling, by the way.  But I've stepped out into a clear one way street only to be narrowly missed by a cyclist more times than is reasonable.

[Philly Q]

But I've stepped out into a clear one way street only to be narrowly missed by a cyclist more times than is reasonable.

I once very nearly got hit by a cyclist on Oxford Street.  Crossed to an island in the middle of the road, looked left, started crossing..... and this tosser came charging in from my right, on the wrong side of the road!

I had the same thing happen with a motorbike once.  Now that really is out of order.

[keith]

Now then Richard sorry you had an unpleasant experience but please dont target all cyclists. I myself have been cycling for years granted not so much now weekends only but never had any experiences regarding pedestrians and I am aware fully of what goes on around me I make sure of that..................the same could be said of car drivers though there have been quite a few occasions I have been nearly wiped out by feckin ignorant car drivers but I wouldnt want to kill all drivers,....................just the barstewards who nearly nailed me, :x .......after all I am a driver myself, but I would like to think of myself as being considerate and careful as I see it from both sides.  :D

[38thBeatle]

Typically I am going to be on the fence-I have been a cyclist over the years and have had many a car pull out in front of me and I have to swerve to avoid them. But I also obey the traffic lights and I try to act in a responsible way by having lights on after dusk and I never ride on pavements.
I have encountered idiot cyclists as a driver and I give them ample room and allow for their irregular behavior. Most are good responsible people but the infuriating morons who ride at night, in dark clothing, without lights on whatever side of the road or pavement they feel like and at high speed only have themselves to blame if they get injured. A few years ago, for example, on a dark and rainy night. I was about to pull out onto the road outside my house and did all the normal things you'd do, check to see if it was clear to do so. I didn't expect an unlit cyclist to come diagonally across the road from the pavement opposite to come by. Luckily a mere glimpse of movement caused me to to stay where I was but it could have been so different. Last year my car was hit by a cyclist at a mini roundabout.He came off his bike and we had police and ambulances there. I felt terrible though looking back it wasn't my fault ( as I had a few witnesses to back this yup, the police were very helpful). Fortunately the cyclist wasn't badly hurt and he and I had a amenable chat and ended up shaking hands and going on our various ways- but I felt awful for ages after and after reading Telerocker's comment, can only be glad that we don't have the same thing here....yet ( I feel and EU directive on its way!).

[gwEm]

i'm a keen cyclist, and you want to kill me?

fu_k off you prick!

most of us ride safely, but it doesn't stop daily attempts on my life from car drivers who can't be bothered to look properly.

[Sancho]

I used to live in a university town. Cyclists just do as they please, basically. When they're alone, they ride the sidewalk. When there's a bunch, they block the road. Right of way, traffic lights? Doesn't apply to them.

Yes, it's a sweeping generalisation. But it's the bad apples one notices...

[Sancho]

Better traffic infrastructure would be a first step towards improving matters, not just concerning cyclists but concerning all road users. That, and a little less entitlement by all...

[Tellboy]

I think you can find bad examples of all types of road users if you look around. My particular hate is "white van man". A couple of years ago one hit the back of my wife's car and wrote it off while she was waiting at a roundabout to join the traffic - he was using his mobile phone at the time. I have seen many more examples of bad driving from white vans than cyclists.

[Elliot]

Part of the problem is that motorists, and people like Clarkson who speak for motorists, are often tw@ts to cyclists and as a result cycling has become a politicised activity for some people (witness Reclaim the Streets, etc).  Trouble is, a few cyclists (but a large enough number to be noticed by those of us that prefer to go by foot) seem to think that they can act a) against the highway code with impunity and then blame it on car drivers or pedestrians and b) that they can behave like motorists behave to them.

Even if the pedestrian is at fault, it is a fact of life that a pedestrian will misjudge the road, or not see what is coming clearly (because a car, bus, whatever, is in the way).  A bike is a vehicle, like a car or a bus or a motorbike - as such the cyclist needs to be in control of that vehicle and that means NOT SPEEDING UP or SHOUTING ABUSE when a pedestrian has misjudged the road or hasn't seen you.  

No - cyclists should not be killed - but (it being a Sunday) we should all treat each other as we want to be treated ourselves.

Added to that a few arrests and prosecutions for dangerous driving or whatever may weed out the tossers from the rest.

[FernandoDuarte]

I've a BIG problem with brazilians lorry-drivers... Imagine you get a four track road with lorry on all four track.... Imagine now that it's a track to go over a montain and they are 30km/h all and you're 100km/h...

And they don't look at the mirror before changing tracks... countless time that I almost entered in a lorry's back...

[richard]

Taxi drivers can be terrible as well. I've seen more than a few stare up at the roof of their car as they shoot through red lights as if to pretend that they didn't see the lights had changed. Brilliant tactic - doubles the chance of killing a pedestrian or two.

[Tellboy]

I've a BIG problem with brazilians lorry-drivers... Imagine you get a four track road with lorry on all four track.... Imagine now that it's a track to go over a montain and they are 30km/h all and you're 100km/h...

And they don't look at the mirror before changing tracks... countless time that I almost entered in a lorry's back...

+1 Completely agree with you there Fernando - that is probably my second biggest hate!

[Madsakre]

Here in Denmark, the same rule applies to cyclists as to car drivers. The police is just quite bad to uphold them. Copenhagen's a $%&#ing dystopia to drive around in a car. The cyclists are extremely respectless. no wonder that alot of them die to right turning trucks