We’ve all witnessed the incoherent rantings from some on social media whenever a cycle path is mentioned. Cyclists are out to destroy civilisation, and worse than that, use the bit of road I want to be on.
I pay my Road Tax so I’m allowed on the road. They don’t so they should fuck off.
This is always the number 1 comment. Don’t bother pointing out that Road Tax was abolished in the UK in 1937 because the person typing this is a thick twat. It’s a vehicle duty currently based on carbon emissions.
They all ignore red lights.
Really? Every single cyclist every single time? That is when you know the fuel fumes have rotted their brains. So it would be impossible to find a photo of a cyclist waiting at a red light?
They should have insurance
Given that up to 40% of cyclists are children (under 16), the notion that all cyclists shoudl have insurance is ridiculous. No insurance company would issue a policy with a child. It would also act as a finanacial disincentive for people to take up a healthy activity.
They knock wing mirrors off.
Have you ever tried pulling a wing mirror off a car? Because they are hinged to move if knocked it is quite difficult. You would need the vehicle to remain stationary and put a lot of force into it. Of course a cyclist could hit it with their body at speed, but that would be silly as they would hurt themselves. Of course that might happen on rare occasions, but in the addled haze of a road-raged driver, rare occurrences that might have happened to another driver once gets translates as happening all the time.
The easiest way for a cyclist to knock a wing mirror off is for them to be hit with them at speed. This seems to be a hobby with some drivers.
There is an infamous video of a cyclist being harassed by the occupants of a van which appears to end with her pulling of the wing mirror of the van. This was a staged video distributed by Jungle Creations.
There are some genuine incidents of cyclists smashing wing mirrors and car windows. These usually happen after a car has nudged or bashed into a cyclist. Tip for car drivers, if you keep at least a metre away from cyclists then it’s difficult for these subversives to reach your wing mirror.
They should use cycle lanes
They should cycle any where except where I am because I own the bit of road I am on, and any bits that I plan to occupy in the next few minutes.
Not everywhere has cycle lanes (Council introduces Dudley residents to cycling), not all cycle lanes are in good condition, not all cycle lanes go in a sensible direction and not all cycle lanes have the capacity for lots of bikes. Importantly, there is no requirement for cyclists to use them.
There is a very good programme about motorists being imbeciles. Road Rage: Cars v Bikes