Sorry cyclists but it has to be said (From Watford Observer)

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Sorry cyclists but it has to be said

2:12pm Tuesday 11th November 2008

By Claire Musk »

This is where I know I am likely to offend many people.

The cyclist, it’s a Marmite thing; you either love them or hate them.

Sadly as much as I am fond of tasty toast my feelings for the cyclist are not the same.

I originally started to despise them on a recent car journey. One which almost caused a major accident, as two teenage boys shot out in front of me. Luckily I was only in third gear going up a hill, if not; it would have had a different ending.

Firstly, I was able to do an emergency stop. If there had of been a car close behind I would have got hit, putting my two children as risk.

Then there is all the damage done to my car, I would be unable to claim as cyclists do not require insurance and finally; as there is no law stating you have to ride a bike with a helmet, I could have killed them.

Now, I am not only getting at youngsters. Adults do not wear helmets; Adults shoot out in front of you, Adults can ride up a hill smack bang in the middle of the road at approx 5 miles an hour.

Not realising what traffic jam they are causing as they are too busy listening to their IPods.

Now I apologise and Fair play to those who wear helmets can keep up with the flow of traffic; know how to keep to the left, but to everyone else, Walk get a bus or drive Sorry, it’s for the best

Comments(4)

John Howard Norfolk says...
1:47pm Wed 12 Nov 08

Thank you for sharing your prejudice about cycling.

May I ask - when did you last pedal a bike?

If it was many years, then you may well agree with my idea which is that all cyclists should need to pass a "Cycling Proficiency Test" and then receive a "licence" until a re-test at a later date.
What do you think of this?

By the way, perhaps you shouldn't let Roy Stockdill know about this as he will have strong views on "freedom to roam (on two wheels)"

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Claire Musk says...
10:03am Thu 13 Nov 08

I went on a bike a couple of months ago, We took the kids around the new forest. Nice little paths no cars. But yes i think thats a good idea, I also feel that way with cars but I wont get started on that today.

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Roy Stockdill says...
1:51pm Thu 13 Nov 08

As a lifelong cyclist - more than 50 years - I have always believed that cyclists should have to pass a test before being allowed to ride on public roads, pay a proportion of the tax that motorists pay and also be made to have compulsory insurance. That, at a single stroke, would remove the argument that drivers constantly bring up against cyclists. In return, cyclists would expect motorists to show more tolerance and understanding towards them.

The most common mistake of motorists, I have found in my long experience of cycling, is a total failure to comprehend how fast a cyclist may be travelling. I do not, of course, do any racing these days (perish the thought!) but in my younger and fitter days I could very often be riding at 30-40 mph when out training. However, one constantly had to be wary of car drivers who would pull out from a side road straight in front of you when you were only a few yards away from them; also, some drivers overtake a cyclist and seem to assume that he has disappeared into thin air, so immediately turn straight in front of him, forgetting that the cyclist is still coming on at a speed. I was almost taken out several times by that kind of thing.

I agree with Claire that there are some pretty lousy cyclists on the road. But, then, there are some horrendously bad drivers as well!

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Paradise Watford says...
3:41pm Thu 13 Nov 08

I find myself agreeing with Roy Stockdill (or at least the last paragraph of his comments) for the second time in almost the same amount of days, a rare thing I must say.

As both a cyclist and car user I have to say we must not tar all cyclist and all car drivers with the same brush. Some cyclist are irresponsible when on the road (or even worse, footpath) and some drivers careless.

Being both a driver and cyclist I try and be a bit more aware but I remember an incident about 5 years ago when I was at a junction one night. Seeing a gap in traffic I pulled out only at the last moment seeing the two cyclist who were not wearing any form of high vis clothing nor did they have lights. I must have been only inches away from hitting the 1st cyclist and felt mortified, but you just couldn't see them.

On the other hand, only last year myself and three friends were cycling along in single file down a fairly busy road. I was at the back of the group when a van shot past me and the rider in front and immediately turned left accross our path into a road. Contact was made, with both of us able to slam our fists against the side of the van to express our anger, but the driver just kept going - couldn't care less. My friend who was second in the line said he could only have been missed by inches. This was an example of drivers at their very worse, not careless but willfully endangering cyclists

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