On 18 Jul 2018 at 8:45am ivabiggan wrote:
road hoggers, no respect for cars, when the road is narrow get on the path so the flow of traffic can continue between Lewes and cooksbridge
On 18 Jul 2018 at 9:14am Biker wrote:
Treat bikes as cars and you'll have no problems. There is no minimum speed limit.
On 18 Jul 2018 at 9:28am Cyclist, driver, pilot, wrote:
Consideration for others is a fundamental building block of a successful civilisation.
All road users should consider the safety and convenience of others, especially pedestrians, children and the infirm. Cyclist could safely use the footpath when it is clear and especially in rush hours when driver tempers are lamentably short. Drivers should remember that it is not others fault if they have not allowed sufficient time for their journey... be grateful you can afford a car!
On 18 Jul 2018 at 9:48am Earl of Lewess wrote:
I've nothing against "cycle bikes" (or bicycles, as we used to call them), but when you get several together riding two abreast, that should be a traffic offence if it creates a situation where overtaking becomes dangerous. In the long term, it would be good if we could have more cycle tracks like the Cuckoo Trail, then this would be less of a problem for everyone.
On 18 Jul 2018 at 10:31am Ross wrote:
Speed addiction and expecting everything to be perfect is a big problem. If you are behind a cyclist for 2 minutes then is that really such a catastrophe. Chances are you'll just get to another traffic light or queue a bit quicker and the cyclist will ride past you then anyway. Chill out, your frustration is just a mental weakness that doesn't really matter that much to anyone else.
SMIDSY is an symptom of distracted, unhealthy, isolated drivers who have constructed a lifestyle where they are dependent on speed and wasteful excess to feel happy.
On 18 Jul 2018 at 10:37am Claud Butler wrote:
You can imagine the OP walking on a pavement and being hit by a bike then complaining that they should be on the road.
On 18 Jul 2018 at 10:47am Guy wrote:
To the OP, the Lewes-Offham-Cooksbridge stretch is a nasty piece of road, but as for cycling the pathway is in terrible condition and in parts has a dangerous drop to the side with no fencing in places, or kerbs with only an inch or so clearing from the road.
Cycling on the road is equally no fun with frustrated cars and buses right up your behind. It's not ideal either way for either cars or bikes so let's be a little tolerant. If you haven't left enough time for your journey that's your issue not mine...
On 18 Jul 2018 at 11:00am Beryl Burton Fan Club wrote:
How ironic given the previous thread about "Chaos in Lewes"! The Offham Road is dangerous for cyclists because of bad tempered and thoughtless motorists, and I'm absolutely sure that cyclists would prefer not to be on the road. But the footpath is narrow and dangerous too, besides the fact that cycling on the path is theoretically illegal.
There is a desperate need for a dual use path like the Ringmer to Lewes cycle path. Please write to the council, or your local councillor, if you feel strongly about it.
On 18 Jul 2018 at 11:37am Local wrote:
It's illegal to cycle on the pavement. Tax is based on emissions, I don't pay tax on my car. If you really get that het up about a 30s delay you maybe don't have the composure to drive a motor vehicle. Oh and FYI local roads are maintained via the council. We all pay council tax. A cycle path between Lewes and Cooksbridge would be useful though.
On 18 Jul 2018 at 11:46am Just Saying wrote:
@Biker, don't kid yourself, drive everywhere at 5mph in a car and see how long it takes before you're in court for careless driving (you want links?)
@Cyclist, driver, pilot, motorists do allow for cyclists which is why 100 don't die on the roads each day, it's just a shame cyclists generally don't have the same courtesy (single on the wrong side of the road to skip a queue, going through red lights, cycling on pavements, no lights at night, etc)
@EOL, Busy roads, narrow roads or corners cyclists need to be in single file, do what I do and shout at them (it doesn't help but you feel better)
@Ross, it's rarely a 2 minute delay behind a cyclist though is it, multiply that by the number of cars in the queue and you start to get a scale of why people are frustrated by a single cyclist holding up 100 cars
@Guy it's not about not allowing enough time for your journey if you have an extra 10 minute delay due to 1 cyclist (enough time +10 minutes would be needed)
On 18 Jul 2018 at 11:57am Cuckoo Trail wrote:
Runs through Hailsham. LOL. The old Uckfield line had too many bridges to be any use, much like a lot of Lewes.
On 18 Jul 2018 at 12:01pm @justsaying wrote:
Yes I want links of car drivers slowing down for bikes and getting done for careless driving.
On 18 Jul 2018 at 1:26pm Earl of Lewess wrote:
It should be give and take. As a driver, I give cyclists plenty of room when I overtake. When cycling, I pull over if I'm creating a queue of slow-moving traffic.
On 18 Jul 2018 at 1:37pm Ross wrote:
The whole bikes versus cars thing is just binary thinking,just like our stupid political system. Plenty of careless cyclists,plenty of bad drivers,plenty of clueless pedestrians engrossed in their phones.
Paying attention is a skill that needs to be taught.
On 18 Jul 2018 at 1:58pm ivabiggan wrote:
Thank you for your constructive replies, but No one has given a view on whether bikes should pay a sort of tax for road use which is a fair comment
On 18 Jul 2018 at 2:06pm tax wrote:
Where would you draw the line? What about prams and pushchairs crossing roads or postman's trolleys? If bikes were taxed what difference would it make? Insurance might be an idea but I see no benefit in a tax.
On 18 Jul 2018 at 2:20pm Mario wrote:
Flip sake, does it really matter if you are held back for a few minutes by a bike rider? It's just a few minutes, not a few hours! Chill, and play some lovely music as you drive along, and overtake when you can.
On 18 Jul 2018 at 2:31pm Just Saying wrote:
@Iva, no of course they shouldn't be, cycling literally causes zero wear on tarmac, but they should pay some form of one time registration to cycle on the road, I would say similar to a car (around £85 I believe) they could then be issued with a bike number plate, lets see how many of them improve their driving skills once they can be identified.
Basically that's the main issue with cycling, they think they're above the law because with no reg number on the bike they are.
On 18 Jul 2018 at 2:33pm Ross wrote:
There could be more severe penalties for dangerous cycling.I would support that.
Drivers expect to be penalized for bad driving, some cyclists seem to think they are saintly just for getting on a bike unfortunately.
I'm cheap so I have a very uncool motor and a snazzy bike.....guess that is annoying too....
On 18 Jul 2018 at 2:57pm @Mario wrote:
On certain roads near Lewes (B2116 springs to mind) it's not a few minutes, packs of 10+ riders going up and down most weekends (it can easily turn a 10 minute drive into 20). Most people don't mind cyclists but when a club rides in a pack blocking the entire road it can be impossible to pass them for miles.
When they no consideration for other road users, why shouldn't the attitude be the same in return (when they undertake at the traffic light with 6" to spare, why do they moan if not given 6' when overtaken)?
On 18 Jul 2018 at 3:06pm JillG wrote:
@Justsaying, I agree that one-off registration for ID might potentially make sense (though there are plenty of reasons against, not least the issue of enforcement), unlike taxing. There hasn’t been a 'road tax' since 1936: drivers pay Vehicle Excise Duty which goes directly into the general Exchequer; it’s now based on carbon emissions so cycles would all be zero-rated.
A tiny minority of bicyclists (as ditto with car-drivers) are arrogant idiots, smearing in the mud the reputation of all us courteous, law-abiding bicyclists. We hate them as much as you do. And we don't want to be on busy roads, but we're not allowed to bike on pavements.
I've seen rants from drivers about cyclists two abreast (which is legal, but bicyclists should adjust courteously), and recently on another Lewes forum about cyclists NOT two abreast (the driver in question stopped her car and halted a string of single-line cyclists on the C7 to complain to them that they should have been two abreast so that the process of overtaking them would be less long). Bicyclists don't want to hold up cars; I'm always amazed that more car-drivers don't campaign/ sign petitions for cycle lanes, as on the C7 and on that difficult stretch between Lewes and Cooksbridge. Please do!
The majority of bicyclists also drive cars; bicycling is taking cars off the road. Courtesy all round would make a huge difference.
On 18 Jul 2018 at 3:53pm Just saying wrote:
Cycling two abreast is legal apart from on busy roads, narrows roads or corners. Either way the issue is when they ride as a pack.
No motorist will call for more cycle paths, they’re a waste of money as some ignorant cyclists refuse to use them making them pointless, “I can ride on the road so I will”.
On 18 Jul 2018 at 4:17pm Tony wrote:
Female cyclist, blond hair, hi viz vest, early 30s this morning nearly wiped me and my dog out as I crossed the road at the bottleneck this morning. Obviously the red light and the line of cars / vans waiting didn't mean anything to her as she overtook them all on the outside.
On 18 Jul 2018 at 4:25pm Ross wrote:
Am I the only cyclist who stops at red lights? I don't know when the idea we can go through them became ubiquitous?
On 18 Jul 2018 at 7:11pm JillG wrote:
@Ross, you're by no means the only bicyclist who stops at red lights. Very unfortunately it's only a minority of idiots who jump the red lights, and it's they who get noticed, and again they give a bad reputation to the law-abiding rest of us.
On 18 Jul 2018 at 7:25pm Burt wrote:
They tax everything else why not bikes I say !!
On 18 Jul 2018 at 9:02pm the people wrote:
all road users should be subject to rules and regulations, including bikes & horses. They all represent rider risks and should have to have insurance as mandatory. Car/Vans/Lorries/Buses all regulated. For Bike and Horse riders to use the facilities tax payers fund i.e. roads they should be subject to a tax. Note that when these riders have accidents someone has to pick up the costs often involving the NHS, but they provide nothing into the public purse.
On 18 Jul 2018 at 9:21pm Ross wrote:
Are you saying I have to pay cycle tax as well as road fund for my car? I already have a million quid worth of insurance from ctc.
On 18 Jul 2018 at 9:36pm smashedcrabface wrote:
Some very polarized views on here regarding cyclists. I both drive a car and enjoy a bike ride ... but I don't enjoy riding a bike on any roads as I feel a like a pest. I know it's technically against the law, but I ride on pavements as much as possible to avoid gammon faced car drivers.
Going downhill through the bottle neck on a bike I generally reach 20mph, so why are all the car drivers so desperate to get past me when they all have to slow down to let a bus pass and then have to stop at the fisher street traffic lights.
Anyhoo ... should cyclists have to pay road tax? Of course not! they don't tear up the tarmac or emit green house gasses except for the occasional fart (which we all do whether on a bike or in a car or in a lift)
But, cyclist should be registered, as there are too many lycra clad tossers who think they can do what ever they like on the road cos the highway code says they can. They;re the ones who get on everyones tits
On 18 Jul 2018 at 9:52pm The people wrote:
Ross, Yes you should be paying the tax I proposed........
On 18 Jul 2018 at 10:49pm BBFC wrote:
What a load of tosh! As if making cyclists pay a tax, or take out insurance, and have a number plate would make them suddenly behave differently, get out of the way more often etc! Motorists do all of those things but they still break the law and behave like arseholes almost every time they get behind the wheel.
On 19 Jul 2018 at 7:00am The people wrote:
Bbfc, why should cyclists and horse riders get away without any payment other road uses have to pay. Once again minority groups treated better than the majority.
On 19 Jul 2018 at 8:41am Rods Tiger wrote:
@The people no-one pays to use the road, we all pay general taxes which are used for road maintenance. If you are referring to Vehicle Excise Duty, which goes into general taxes, I pay mine for my car. When I am on my bike I am not using my car and therefore doing much less damage to the road. You want me to pay VED for my bike too ?
If the same rules for VED as for cars are applied then I pay zero rate for my bike as it has zero emissions. You just create a costly administrative function that bribgs in no revenue.
On 19 Jul 2018 at 10:02am CactusBadger wrote:
Third party insurance helps protects a person from having to pay a large sums of money when an accident occurs that proves to be their fault. If you can prove the actions of a third party caused damage to your person or property, you a entitled to appoint a solicitor and take them to small claims to recover costs. You don't need insurance to ride a bike, but like any road user (including pedestrians), not having third party liability insurance means that causing and accident may end up with you paying out of your own pocket.
On 19 Jul 2018 at 10:07am the people wrote:
RODS TIBER; petrol and vehicle license contribute to the tax pot and some goes into the road system. Thus if ALL road users were subject to some form of tax or license fee, there would be more money in the general tax pot for road maintenance etc. As I made clear this is just another example of minority groups getting special treatment.
On 19 Jul 2018 at 10:17am Ross wrote:
There are more cyclists than car owners in the country. Car owners are the minority.
On 19 Jul 2018 at 10:28am CactusBadger wrote:
Pedestrians are also road users with many road features designed to keep them safe (pavements, crossings and barriers). There is no call for a pedestrian tax. Since 1937, road maintenance is funded from general taxation, of which VED is a part. See link.
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