Pelotons

[nev]

I always give cyclists room, unless they are taking up more room than I deem necessary; two abreast plus and I don't give them any extra room. They like that, probably, they're always waving at me.

Sometimes they won't get any room at all, when they appear from nowhere around a single track lane, don't stop in time and are forced into a ditch - true story.

Do you get angry at other wide slow moving vehicles like tractors or have you just got a weird thing about cyclists?

A tractor cannot make itself thinner with a twitch of the bars or simple manoeuvre and free up the road to allow the ever longer queue of other road users to be on their way. :roll: simple politeness really.

As an example I have just come back from a short motorbike ride with the missus as pillion. This was her first time on a bike so i had to go slow so as not to frighten her :shock: anyway, along the way seeing vehicles approaching in my mirrors, me doing 50mph them doing 60, single carriageway, I indicated and moved to the left, waving them past. Everyone happy. I could have of course just made myself as wide as possible sat in the middle or outside of the lane and caused a tailback, after all I have every right to be there :roll:

 

[stuartpaul]

I've been cycling all my life and I've never seen anyone cycling four abreast (except in the tour de france etc). Just somebody having a moan about cyclists as usual. If you don't like sharing the road with cyclists then you should use public transport and/or motorways only.

I don't like the arrogance that some have when they don't make any contribution to road upkeep. They demand rights but don't appear to have any responsibilities!

 

[Jacob]

I've been cycling all my life and I've never seen anyone cycling four abreast (except in the tour de france etc). Just somebody having a moan about cyclists as usual. If you don't like sharing the road with cyclists then you should use public transport and/or motorways only.

I don't like the arrogance that some have when they don't make any contribution to road upkeep. They demand rights but don't appear to have any responsibilities!

We pay taxes just the same as you. We have the same rights and responsibilities as you. We actually cause little damage in terms of upkeep, close to zero.
If you don't like sharing the road with cyclists then just keep off the road. Simple enough - you have a choice. Public transport, motorways are there for people like you.
NB Most of us pay Vehicle tax too - this doesn't pay for the roads - "road tax" is a misnomer. The roads are paid for from the general taxation and cost more than is raised by vehicle tax anyway. So non drivers are subsidising you.

I have only ever seen a cyclist stop to allow traffic past once in all the years that I have been driving they are just ignorant of all other road users, even horse riders and pedestrians (when there is no footpath) get off the road when they can to let cars and tractors pass them.

Total nonsense. We stop regularly to let vehicles past. There is a problem however - particularly on hilly or busy roads, in that if you stop to let people past you may not easily get going again - so you just have to slog on until there is enough room for them to pass. Most drivers understand this. HGV are the best - you hear air brakes huffing and puffing behind you but they always wait and give you a wide berth.

 

[Wuffles]

I always give cyclists room, unless they are taking up more room than I deem necessary; two abreast plus and I don't give them any extra room. They like that, probably, they're always waving at me.

Sometimes they won't get any room at all, when they appear from nowhere around a single track lane, don't stop in time and are forced into a ditch - true story.

Do you get angry at other wide slow moving vehicles like tractors or have you just got a weird thing about cyclists?

Which bit didn't you understand?

"I always give cyclists room, unless they are taking up more room than I deem necessary" - they get no extra room from me when they are taking the mickey, same amount of room as when I overtake a large static caravan on a trailer or a farmer in a tractor. I'm not trying to hit anyone, why would I, but my generous safe distance is eaten up by anything more than should be there.

Get off your high horse, we've clearly hit a nerve, this is an immensely difficult subject but like it or not, some cyclists do take the mickey.

An example. When there is some kind of competitive "race" underway on the the A38 (an arterial road for which they will never get exclusive access to), in the heat of the moment of course they ride more than two abreast.

I used to ride sports bikes, but that doesn't mean I am in favour of lunatics attacking that same stretch of road at speeds over 80mph on a Sunday afternoon.

 

[Jacob]

unless they are taking up more room than I deem necessary

It's not for you to deem what is necessary

like it or not, some cyclists do take the mickey.

Of course they don't. But some drivers certainly need a bit of extra training!

 

[Wuffles]

unless they are taking up more room than I deem necessary

It's not for you to deem what is necessary

like it or not, some cyclists do take the mickey.

Of course they don't. But some drivers certainly need a bit of extra training!

Ah, I get it now.

 

[RogerP]

Races as such are illegal. Time trials are legal (but permission has to be obtained) but they set off at minute intervals and are not allowed to tail each other, even less to form a peloton.
What you saw (if you saw anything at all) would be a touring group - possibly a CTC club ride or an Audax event.

Races on UK roads can be legal if properly authorised and usually with a rolling road closure arrangement supervised by the police. The Tour de Yorkshire is a good example.

 

[Jacob]

Interestingly it was lobbying from cyclists more than anything which induced local authorities to improve roads and road surfaces. Cycling was a prime mode of transport for a long time, before the infernal combustion engine came along. It still is primo in various parts of the world including Europe.

 

[Logger]

[/quote]Total nonsense. We stop regularly to let vehicles past. There is a problem however - particularly on hilly or busy roads, in that if you stop to let people past you may not easily get going again - so you just have to slog on until there is enough room for them to pass. Most drivers understand this. HGV are the best - you hear air brakes huffing and puffing behind you but they always wait and give you a wide berth.[/quote]

When i took my daughter to pre school last week, i go down a single track lane for 2 miles. An old man cycling slowly made me follow him the entire way. I meet people on horses often who will move over when safe.

You make a sweeping statement to say cyclists are always victims. I don't think most contributers on here are cyclist haters.

 

[Jacob]

... An old man cycling slowly made me follow him the entire way.

If the road was busy or hilly he could end up getting on and off dozens of times and blocking the road even more. It can be a bit of a problem. Or he might have been deaf! Anyway it's good for people to drive really slowly.

 

[NazNomad]

Awww, leave 'em be. After all, they pay the same road tax and insurance as the rest of us road users. ;-)

 

[stuartpaul]

I have decided that from this point onwards when someone is talking out of their rear waste disposal orifice they shall be deemed to be 'talking Jacobs'.

Just about sums it up!

 

[bugbear]

"Club rides" (groups of keen cyclists out training) often look a lot like a race; they're a large group of cyclist going rather fast; and may very well be 4 (or more) abreast.

If they're going fast enough they tend to form into single file - for aerodynamic reasons, not for the convenience of motorists!

If Jacob has never seen this, perhaps he hasn't been as much of a cyclist as he claims.

He does make a lot of claims.

BugBear

 

[Max Power]

Never argue with a fool , they will always drag you down to their level and beat you with experience :roll:

 

[Logger]

As my wife says "You can't argue with stupid"

Nick

 

[Phil Pascoe]

No justification, they're just inconsiderant. Any cyclists that aren't in single file/overtaking as just being arrogant in my eyes.

I think you'll find there is a law against them riding in single file.

Care to share a link? First time I've heard that one, highway code actually advises you to ride single file!

You din't detect a note of sarcasm there, then?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I've been cycling all my life and I've never seen anyone cycling four abreast (except in the tour de france etc). Just somebody having a moan about cyclists as usual. If you don't like sharing the road with cyclists then you should use public transport and/or motorways only.

Bummer around here - the trains don't exist and the buses are held up by cyclists.

 

[Jacob]

Awww, leave 'em be. After all, they pay the same road tax and insurance as the rest of us road users. ;-)

There is no such thing as road tax.
Roads are paid for by all taxpayers, whether or not they use them.
I think this little misunderstanding leads some drivers to imagine that they are paying for the privilege and are thus have more entitlement.
They are wrong.
The nearest you get to "road tax" in UK is in the occasional toll on road, bridge, ferry etc. Some of these are barred to cyclists. Some are free!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

"HGV are the best - you hear air brakes huffing and puffing behind you but they always wait and give you a wide berth."
That's because they end up in court at the drop of hat. Guilty until proven innocent.

You don't pay "road tax"? You don't pay it unless you have a vehicle on the road that liable to "vehicle excise duty".
A duty is a tax. It's mere pedantry to call it any other.

 

[Jacob]

"HGV are the best - you hear air brakes huffing and puffing behind you but they always wait and give you a wide berth."
That's because they end up in court at the drop of hat. Guilty until proven innocent.

You don't pay "road tax"? You don't pay it unless you have a vehicle on the road that liable to "vehicle excise duty".
A duty is a tax. It's mere pedantry to call it any other.

You aren't taxed for using the road. You are taxed for using certain vehicles on the road. Hence it's called "vehicle tax". To call it "road tax" is simply to misunderstand it.
Pedestrians aren't taxed but they can use the roads and the pavements too! It's not fair!