What is it with cyclists ?

[hifi_dave]

Just had a couple of pleasant days away in Great Yarmouth, taking the 8 year old Grandkids for a British beach holiday. Stepping out of the hotel, this morning, onto the pavement, we were nearly mown down by a Lycra wearing lad on a cycle, who shouted a load of abuse because we dared to be on the pavement.

I have almost been hit on a couple of occasions in Cambridge by cyclists going the wrong way and up a pedestrian only street. When did it become normal for cyclists to use pavements as they do roads and pay no attention to pedestrians ?

[Audio Al]

Easy answer , most are ers

[tapid]

Except me of course Al ?. No, lots of cycling behaviour is awful and thats coming from a cyclist, you see it all the time in London. Just today
2 cyclist s coming through camden market going the wrong way down a one way street, with about a million pedestrians passing close by
any of whom could step out at any moment and get mown down by these clowns, what can you do ?

[Audio Al]

Except me of course Al ?. No, lots of cycling behaviour is awful and thats coming from a cyclist, you see it all the time in London. Just today
2 cyclist s coming through camden market going the wrong way down a one way street, with about a million pedestrians passing close by
any of whom could step out at any moment and get mown down by these clowns, what can you do ?

As said " most "

[Barry]

Licence all push bikes and make them pay a nominal road tax.

[walpurgis]

Licence all push bikes and make them pay a nominal road tax.

That would be a shame. Cycling is one of the last unimpeded liberties we have.

[Barry]

That would be a shame. Cycling is one of the last unimpeded liberties we have.

I wasn't being entirely serious - but as a fellow road users, cyclists do not contribute anything to the cost of road maintenance, cycle lanes etc.

[walpurgis]

cyclists do not contribute anything to the cost of road maintenance

Nor do pedestrians and footways are larger and more expensive than cycle lanes.

[Barry]

Nor do pedestrians and footways are larger and more expensive than cycle lanes.

The only time I, as a pedestrian, am a road user is when I cross the road.

[montesquieu]

The arrogance of the Lycra brigade is breathtaking. Ordinary cyclists - mountain bikers or just people out for a ride - tend to be courteous road users. It's the road racers I can't stomach, the minute the Lycra goes on and they get the pedal clips attached they turn into compete tossers, in their heads is some nonsense about being in the TDF and they act like they are in a time trial, riding in packs that are impossible to safely pass even on a fast road, and refusing to slow down or stop where common sense and the Highway Code would demand it.

Riding on the pavements is only a tiny bit of it. It's not just in the city either I was walking with the family in Oxfordshire a while back, in a very quiet lane that's not much more than a car wide, heading towards some woodland after visiting an ancient church. Cars take it very slowly and carefully there and you can generally hear them, some yellow clad idiot emerged from nowhere yelling and screaming to get the f**** out of his way, making no attempt to brake and missing me by inches. A firing squad is too good for these prats I'm for slow poison myself.