Pinch points

"mileburner" wrote in
:

Mr. Benn wrote:
Simon Brooke wrote in
news:c5e64ae2-cb7b-4cad-a330-6fc983c8c392@
26g2000yqk.googlegroups.com:

On 15 Aug, 11:34, "Mr. Benn" %%@%%.% wrote:
"mileburner" wrote
:

NM wrote:
On 15 Aug, 10:44, "mileburner" wrote:

Car drivers are
important people you know! Cyclists are not...

Quite true in the majority of cases.

It would be futile to try to educate drivers that all road users
are equally important and that we all have an equal right to use
the roads whether we choose to use the Roller or the bicycle.

Why do you think that?

Possibly because we live in a democracy, don't you think? Or do you
think it should be 'one car, one vote'?


I was asking why he thinks it is futile to educate drivers. I didn't
make it clear, sorry.

If that is a generic question, the generic answer is because they are
(as a group):

a) Not very bright
b) Not willing to listen
c) Self-centred and have their heads up their arses

Perhaps if there was a government campaign that ran over several
years, highlighting such things as as cycle safety and the rights of
cyclists, the motoring public might eventually become better educated.

Otherwise trying to point out to a typical driver that they drive like
a **** is pointless, they just wont believe it :-(

You sound like a really open-minded, impartial person with no chip on
your shoulder.

"Mr. Benn" %%@%%.% wrote in message
...
"mileburner" wrote in


Perhaps if there was a government campaign that ran over several
years, highlighting such things as as cycle safety and the rights of
cyclists, the motoring public might eventually become better educated.

Otherwise trying to point out to a typical driver that they drive like
a **** is pointless, they just wont believe it :-(

You sound like a really open-minded, impartial person with no chip on
your shoulder.

Thank you! :-)

Please bear in mind that this is a cycling group and therefore opinions
expressed here are largely from a cyclists perspective.

"mileburner" wrote in news:h66kgo$c3f$1
@news.eternal-september.org:


"Mr. Benn" %%@%%.% wrote in message
...
"mileburner" wrote in


Perhaps if there was a government campaign that ran over several
years, highlighting such things as as cycle safety and the rights of
cyclists, the motoring public might eventually become better educated.

Otherwise trying to point out to a typical driver that they drive like
a **** is pointless, they just wont believe it :-(

You sound like a really open-minded, impartial person with no chip on
your shoulder.

Thank you! :-)

Please bear in mind that this is a cycling group and therefore opinions
expressed here are largely from a cyclists perspective.

Oh ok.

On 14 Aug, 20:22, Oaf wrote:
The ride back from station to home post-work involves a stretch of
road which has a number of pinch-points on it (i.e. the road narrows
to one lane). The direction of priority tends to alternate from one
direction to the other.

Ever since I've been cycling this route, I've been having problems
with cars coming the other way through some of the pinch points when
I've got priority. Either a) they don't seem to see me rapidly
approaching and drift onto my side of the road, or b) more commonly
think that because the person in front got through OK then they can
too.

Have tried all the obvious stuff (move into the centre of road to be
as visible as possible) but in a game of chicken to claim road space
between a ton of metal and me on my Wee Bike, I'm always going to back
down.

Verily, yesterday, I got called a "pillock" for making some poor chap
wait who was coming the other way as I went through one upon which I
had priority. Tsk!

Probably not a lot I can do apart from what I've tried and have a good
whinge about it and shrug. Anyone else experience the same problems?

Yes. At some point you must accept that cyclists are generally
regarded, by motorists and police, as second class road users and
treated as such. How you react to this is a matter of personal
preference and ingenuity.

--
UK Radical Campaigns
www.zing.icom43.net
'Those who must get around on their own power have been redefined as
underdeveloped outsiders'.
Illich

mileburner wrote:
"Mr. Benn" %%@%%.% wrote in message
...
"mileburner" wrote in


Perhaps if there was a government campaign that ran over several
years, highlighting such things as as cycle safety and the rights of
cyclists, the motoring public might eventually become better
educated. Otherwise trying to point out to a typical driver that they
drive
like a **** is pointless, they just wont believe it :-(

You sound like a really open-minded, impartial person with no chip on
your shoulder.

Thank you! :-)

Please bear in mind that this is a cycling group and therefore
opinions expressed here are largely from a cyclists perspective.

But is it really necessary to post like the cycling equivalent of Steve
Firth?

On 15 Aug, 13:15, "mileburner" wrote:
Mr. Benn wrote:
Simon Brooke wrote in
:

On 15 Aug, 11:34, "Mr. Benn" %%@%%.% wrote:
"mileburner" wrote
:

NM wrote:
On 15 Aug, 10:44, "mileburner" wrote:

Car drivers are
important people you know! Cyclists are not...

Quite true in the majority of cases.

It would be futile to try to educate drivers that all road users
are equally important and that we all have an equal right to use
the roads whether we choose to use the Roller or the bicycle.

Why do you think that?

Possibly because we live in a democracy, don't you think? Or do you
think it should be 'one car, one vote'?

I was asking why he thinks it is futile to educate drivers. I didn't
make it clear, sorry.

If that is a generic question, the generic answer is because they are (as a
group):

a) Not very bright
b) Not willing to listen
c) Self-centred and have their heads up their arses

Perhaps if there was a government campaign that ran over several years,
highlighting such things as as cycle safety and the rights of cyclists, the
motoring public might eventually become better educated.

Otherwise trying to point out to a typical driver that they drive like a
**** is pointless, they just wont believe it :-(

Your evidence that as a group they are not very bright?
Evidence of unwillingness to listen?

No evidence? thought not.

On 15 Aug, 13:15, "mileburner" wrote:


Otherwise trying to point out to a typical driver that they drive like a
**** is pointless, they just wont believe it :-(

Seems similar to cyclists driving like ****s, ie. jumping traffic
lights and riding on the pavement and across zebra crossings, they
don't belive in exactly the same way.

On 15 Aug, 17:49, Doug wrote:
On 14 Aug, 20:22, Oaf wrote:

The ride back from station to home post-work involves a stretch of
road which has a number of pinch-points on it (i.e. the road narrows
to one lane). The direction of priority tends to alternate from one
direction to the other.

Ever since I've been cycling this route, I've been having problems
with cars coming the other way through some of the pinch points when
I've got priority. Either a) they don't seem to see me rapidly
approaching and drift onto my side of the road, or b) more commonly
think that because the person in front got through OK then they can
too.

Have tried all the obvious stuff (move into the centre of road to be
as visible as possible) but in a game of chicken to claim road space
between a ton of metal and me on my Wee Bike, I'm always going to back
down.

Verily, yesterday, I got called a "pillock" for making some poor chap
wait who was coming the other way as I went through one upon which I
had priority. Tsk!

Probably not a lot I can do apart from what I've tried and have a good
whinge about it and shrug. Anyone else experience the same problems?

Yes. At some point you must accept that cyclists are generally
regarded, by motorists and police, as second class road users and
treated as such. How you react to this is a matter of personal
preference and ingenuity.

--
UK Radical Campaignswww.zing.icom43.net
'Those who must get around on their own power have been redefined as
underdeveloped outsiders'.
Illich

Second Class? you overrate yourself don't you?

On Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:22:37 +0100, Oaf wrote:

The ride back from station to home post-work involves a stretch of
road which has a number of pinch-points on it (i.e. the road narrows
to one lane). The direction of priority tends to alternate from one
direction to the other.

Have tried all the obvious stuff (move into the centre of road to be
as visible as possible) but in a game of chicken to claim road space
between a ton of metal and me on my Wee Bike, I'm always going to back
down.

This is key, even if it doesn't always work. Moving out is good, but how
early do you do it? The earlier the better, so that drivers the other way
see you as already there rather than moving into their way. And if you
have to move over because they haven't given way, do it late and with
initial countersteering. Your aim is to get them at least to slow down.

Verily, yesterday, I got called a "pillock" for making some poor chap
wait who was coming the other way as I went through one upon which I
had priority. Tsk!

You can safely ignore this. Or, less safely, try gentle education, if
opportunity arises.

Colin McKenzie

--
No-one has ever proved that cycle helmets make cycling any safer at the
population level, and anyway cycling is about as safe per mile as walking.
Make an informed choice - visit www.cyclehelmets.org.

On 15 Aug, 13:15, "mileburner" wrote:
Mr. Benn wrote:
I was asking why he thinks it is futile to educate drivers. I didn't
make it clear, sorry.

If that is a generic question, the generic answer is because they are (as a
group):

a) Not very bright
b) Not willing to listen
c) Self-centred and have their heads up their arses

Perhaps if there was a government campaign that ran over several years,
highlighting such things as as cycle safety and the rights of cyclists, the
motoring public might eventually become better educated.

Otherwise trying to point out to a typical driver that they drive like a
**** is pointless, they just wont believe it :-(

Better give up on the human race, then, because the majority of adults
in this country are drivers. Consequently, drivers are (more or less)
averagely bright, averagely self centred and have their heads an
average distance up their own arses.

I think drivers can and should be educated. However, that requires
either that we institute a new, much tougher driving test - with
periodic retesting - and, minimally, require anyone convicted of any
motoring offence to resit their test; or that we far more rigorously
enforce existing motoring law; or both. TV advertising campaigns are
not going to cut it.