On 17 Sep 2012 at 9:15am Rookie wrote:
There is Proper Idiot cyclist who races at full pelt down St Annes Hill, overtaking everything, and never ever slows down, let alone stop, for the red light in the bottle neck. He does this every weekday morning at 6am. A few loud choice words from me have had no effect.
If it's YOU get up earlier you idiot!
On 17 Sep 2012 at 10:32am Pete wrote:
Tell our boys (and girls) in blue......
On 17 Sep 2012 at 12:08pm The Original Interested wrote:
I was waiting for a bus last week outside Lewes Law Courts and 2 skateboarders sped by closely followed by a speeding cyclist.All on the pavement.And there were pedestrians walking by too.Unbelievable......
On 17 Sep 2012 at 5:58pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
I saw 2 kids skateboarding along the main road by the hospital the other day. Are they mad or what?
On 17 Sep 2012 at 11:47pm Bloke 2 wrote:
I love it when you drive along a 60mph winding country lane and bump into cyclists riding two, sometimes three abreast, chatting away to each other. I'm all for sharing the road and always give them plenty of room but why do some of them then ride on the pavement, sometimes even pushing the button on crossings, slowing traffic down and riding across a pedestrian crossing back onto a pavement. Road = cycle, pavement = walk, simples
On 18 Sep 2012 at 7:43am Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
I'm not sure what's more annoying - the 2-3 abreast riding or the way they form a crocodile of 10 riders or more so that you need a mile of straight roadbefore you can overtake them.
There seems to be no consistency among the cycling population, either. At the Denton roundabout on A259, there is a section of cycle track that takes them away from the road, but they seem to prefer taking their chances with the cars and buses. Then they get into Lewes and ride on the pavements.
Still, at least we don't have that cyclists only bit at traffic lights like they do in a lot of towns, that forces everyone to dawdle along behind the cyclists until they've spread out enough to overtake. My OH rides a motorbike in London and he is very vocal about this. He reckons every set of lights is like Peking in the 70's.
Another observation: I am in Seaford at least once a week and have never seen a cyclist on the pavement there. Why the difference in attitude, I wonder?
On 18 Sep 2012 at 8:28am Sussex Jim wrote:
Probably because there is no-one young enough in Seaford to cycle
On 18 Sep 2012 at 3:23pm I don't live in lewes... wrote:
ACT Only nice people like me live in Seaford. No problems here...well bar the odd shooting.
PhilX
On 18 Sep 2012 at 8:45pm someone else wrote:
Oh, ACT, I'm so sorry - you're OH seems to be an imbecile. It's been proven that the ASL ('cyclists only bit' as you call it) increases the average speed of traffic. Think about it - I regularly see 25 cyclists together at the lights in London. If they were all spread out along the line of cars, any car wanting to turn left is delayed by them, delaying all the cars behind. It works much better if all cyclists clear the junction before the rest of the cars move. Besides which, most motorcyclists use the ASL anyway and cyclists don't mind - I've no idea what's holding your OH up.
And if cyclists weren't on bikes they'd be in more cars, causing more delays, and the traffic would be moving at half the speed.
But what really annoys about your post is that ASLs save lives, by reducing the number of left-turn deaths particularly. Motorcyclists are another group of vulnerable road users and cyclists / motorcyclists ought to stick together. That your OH prefers an 'I'm alright Jack, sod everyone else' attitude makes me sick, to be honest. You didn't strike me as sympathising with that kind of Thatcherite mentality.
On 19 Sep 2012 at 11:15am JPj wrote:
I don't know who is more of an idiot, the OP or the cyclist!
Cyclists are always demonised versus motorists so all the OP will do is open up another conduit for all the haters!
On 19 Sep 2012 at 5:42pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
SE, my OH is far from an imbecile and has been riding motorbikes for 35 years, 13 of them of them despatch riding in London, and hasn't had an accident since an idiot in a Capri knocked him off his RD350 in 1979.
At traffic lights, the cyclists go straight to the front and are often 3 rows deep across the width of the road. There is often insufficient space for motorcyclists to get in front of the cyclists, so they have to dawdle along behind them until they have spread out enough for the bikers to get through.
Motorcyclists are rarely victims of left-turn accidents as they have sufficient acceleration to pass on the inside of turning lorries and generally the wit and road sense not to overtake on the inside of a vehicle near a junction if they haven't got time to get past before the turn.
While both are vulnerable, especially to "SMIDSY" accidents, motorcyclists are trained and have to pass a test. They rarely show the cavalier disregard for the rules of the road shown by cyclists (with the possible exception of speed limits). They are far from natural allies and in any group of bikers, cyclists seem to come second only to black cab drivers in the most hated stakes.
It's not a question of of a "sod everyone else" attitude, that's the province of the significant minority of cyclists who ride on pavements and down twittens, the wrong way down one-way streets, jump red lights, ride without lights, two abreast on narrow roads and pull out without looking or giving signals. I have witnessed all of the above in the last week alone.
And I've yet to see a motorcyclist spray snot over his shoulder while riding along!
On 19 Sep 2012 at 7:39pm JP wrote:
ACT - in the last week I have seen a lot of cyclists and, as I live out of town, a lot of them have been on the country roads. Almost all of them had very good lighting, used hand signals, were highly observant and so on.
It is also highly likely that they drive a vehicle as well and I know in one case that is a train and in my case a large van - as well as a car. I have not seen a single cyclist on the pavement even on the shared route from The Cliffe to Tesco!
The anti-cyclist mob have to get it out of their head that it is ALL cyclists that are guilty of bad behaviour. As I said, in an earlier discussion in the Argus on this same subject, every day I see dozens of vehicle drivers AND m/c riders driving with TOTAL disregard for the safety of ALL other road users.
It is down to ALL users of the road to be more attentive, courteous and responsible.
So stop having a go at the cyclist - who is physically very vulnerable anyway.
If you see one without adequate safety devices drive past them more carefully, they may have a valid reason to have been 'caught out' after dark.
And don't get your knickers in a twist about it as EVERY ONE of us make errors of judgement from time to time.
On 19 Sep 2012 at 7:46pm Sussex Jim wrote:
Proper idiot of the day title goes to the driver of the van from Power Networks. Big van with red/yellow stripes covering the rear, with one stop light not working; noticeable ,as he was constantly briefly braking.
I followed him from Lower Dicker to when he turned off into the electricity distribution complex between Ringmer and Lewes ( where the farcical cycle lane ends). From my sensible position of 50 metres or more back I watched him drive the whole journey one car's length from the car in front at speeds up to 50mph.
I went past his destination only seconds later; relaxed and listening to California Dreaming...
On 19 Sep 2012 at 10:20pm Mme B wrote:
And another thing - why do cyclists not think it necessary to bave a bell on their bikes nowadays, so that they could do the decent thing and warn unsuspecting pedestrians of their (usually) silent approach? Yes, cyclists are vulnerable, and I admire them for the effort they make rather than sitting in a car, but many of them do persist in taking liberties that annoy the rest of us. And if one of us pedestrians should happen to be injured by one of them, do they carry insurance? I'd be surprised if they do. So, cyclists, why not stop taking offence for a while and give some thought to WHY the comments in this thread are so often made.
On 19 Sep 2012 at 10:38pm JP wrote:
I'll report back late tomorrow because I am doing a trip to Aylesford and I guarantee I will see at least four complete and utter idiots TEXTING as they drive at 70+mph on the motorway, I see it every time!
Let alone a host of completely homicidal driving!
Last week it was a motorcyclist riding at a ridiculous speed between cars in the 2nd and 3rd lane of the M23.
On 19 Sep 2012 at 11:45pm Bloke 2 wrote:
I saw a guy texting at the wheel as I tear arsed past in my car, I was doin' my usual trick. I wear sunglasses whilst driving and look in my rearview mirror and try to follow the road in the reflection of my glasses. It takes a lot of perfecting but really take the boredom out of long drives in the countryside
On 20 Sep 2012 at 5:18pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
Lol, Bloke 2, I'm sure I've driven behind you at least once in recent weeks!
I assumed you were texting when I saw you veering across the road.
On 22 Sep 2012 at 12:15am Bloke 2 wrote:
The veering across the road may also have been my other hobby, trying to get a good look of nice looking ladies in the cars that travel behind me. I assume you are a nice looking lady? I think I remember you as well actually, you have real 'horrorshow groodies!' x