Highway Code could be changed to protect cyclists...

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PTR said:
I really dislike cyclists on the roads.
They just get in the way far too often, through no fault of their own.

Having to slow from 60 to 15mph until its safe to pass is a pain in the arse.

City centres is a another thing altogether mind, that's fine.
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I was forced to a standstill today for ages on my way in and then when we did get moving it was a slow painful trundle. It was the first time I have used my car in a while, I'm usually on the off-road cycle track flying along. There was a low loader with a crane one a rode that really was not suitable for it. Add in 2 double decker busses and everyone was doing around 15 mph with traffic building up.

At least when I encounter a cyclist, I can wait until safe and pass in a minute or less. Half an hour I was stuck behind these 3 diesel monsters.

It is not just cyclists who slow the roads down.

bobpc30 said:
I have that on the news.
I have seen cyclists do what some drivers would get pelters for.
Some (minority)Cyclists seem to think that they are above such things, some do anyway. Just like some motorists.
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Corrected it for you
 
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Morse said:
Yes, I agree it was too far from the kerb. The point remains, though. I’m looking at the bigger picture, the issue of that collision simply made me wonder why a passenger should be responsible for a cyclist flying past in the gutter close to a ‘parked’ car in other cases. It’s almost encouraging cyclists to ride too close to cars. As an aside, If the cyclist takes paint or a mirror off a car when passing too close, is he or she going to cough up for repairs, or is the motorist expected to take the hit? Is the motorist going to be assumed to be at fault? I can guess the answer.

If I were on my bike, yes I own bikes :lol: - Kona Lanai’i and a Mongoose (both very dusty and flat tyred now...), and I saw a car pull towards the kerb and stop, I wouldn’t be inclined to attempt to pass it on the inside, my common sense would tell me that he may be dropping someone off who’s about to open the door. At the very least you’d surely pass with great caution.
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It wasn't a parked car, it hadn't pulled over towards the kerb, it was in a line of traffic. The cyclist was filtering past as it's perfectly legal to do so.
 
steve30000 said:
Everyone who wants to use the road should be made to pay tax and insurance.

Its only fair imo.
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The department of transport looked into the logistics of taxing bikes and found that the implementation and administration costs far outweighed what it would actually raise in taxes, based on charging what they thought was a comparable amount to cars. I think it was in the region of £15-£20. The only way to achieve it would be to make the costs much higher, but then a bike starts costing the same as a small car. While clearly a bike does not cost the same for infrastructure, emit as many pollutants or cause anywhere near the same amount of wear and tear on a road, this was thought to be unfair. In order to tax bikes and make the system seem fair, the feeling was that road tax for cars would have to drastically increase so you have that sliding scale.

That was not deemed in the benefit of anybody, so the idea was shelved. That is also why no other country in the world has introduced this.

If you apply your argument to all road users, then you have to tax pedestrians too.
 
steve30000 said:
Do cyclists have to pay for insurance and tax?
Do they get points for violating traffic laws?

They want to share the same road space, but are not subject to the same laws or have to pay the same amount in monetary value.

You can understand why, regardless of your flippant response
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They are subject to paying the same rate as vehicles to use the roads though. Currently zero emissions vehicles pay zero VED, a bike is zero emissions therefore pays zero.
 
duff_man said:
They are subject to paying the same rate as vehicles to use the roads though. Currently zero emissions vehicles pay zero VED, a bike is zero emissions therefore pays zero.
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But cyclists are the devil on the road...INSURACE, TAX, RED LIGHTS!!!........I'll get started on the thousands of motorists who speed, drink/drug drive, avoid insurance, use phones when driving...I could go on!

A novel idea would be for everyone to take a bit more social responsibility when driving / cycling......simple really.
 
Captain Slackbladder said:
But cyclists are the devil on the road...INSURACE, TAX, RED LIGHTS!!!........I'll get started on the thousands of motorists who speed, drink/drug drive, avoid insurance, use phones when driving...I could go on!

A novel idea would be for everyone to take a bit more social responsibility when driving / cycling......simple really.
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The first rule of the highway code should be you must not act like a dick on any highway.
 
PinzaC55 said:
The police could start enforcing the spot fine for cyclists cycling on the pavement. That would help protect pedestrians from cyclists.
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Good luck on finding a copper.
Pedestrians are a bigger hazard to cyclists than cyclists are to pedestrians. Its staggering the number of fuckwit pedestrians that just step out onto the road without even a glance, because they can't hear a vehicle.

box2box said:
It’s a free for all in city centres alright : pedestrians, cyclists, cars. only exception in Manchester is the tram which is not to be messed with.

Surprised there’s not more accidents, need more dedicated cycle lanes o reckon

Odd seeing the ocassional scaly cyclists holding on to the back of a tram :D
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Fish people disquised as cyclists mate.

pavarotti1980 said:
Why offer more protection to ar5eholes like this when they dont bother to acknowledge simple things like lines of traffic stopped at a red light (especially carrying a very small child on the back)
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The rule change is not for fuckwits like him. Its for cyclist. He sounds like an idiot, but also a rarity. You seem to be suggesting that all cyclists behave like this.
I've just been out for a ride and seen a white van man blast through a red just as i was crossing a road. Not starting a thread about it though because its commonplace.
 
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ivanthereasonable said:
Good luck on finding a copper.
Pedestrians are a bigger hazard to cyclists than cyclists are to pedestrians. Its staggering the number of fuckwit pedestrians that just step out onto the road without even a glance, because they can't hear a vehicle.
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That's a predictable response. I neither drive nor cycle, just walk and I agree that many pedestrians are fuckwits. The difference is that when a fuckwitted pedestrian comes into contact with a fuckwitted cyclist or fuckwitted motorist, the pedestrian generally comes off worst due to the other fuckwits being wholly or partially encased in metal and moving fast.
The other difference I have noticed is that I feel no sense of "brotherhood" with pedestrians whereas cyclists seem to regard themselves as a "race" and therefore any criticism of one cyclist is perceived as an attack on all of them - a sort of "racism".

 
PinzaC55 said:
That's a predictable response. I neither drive nor cycle, just walk and I agree that many pedestrians are fuckwits. The difference is that when a fuckwitted pedestrian comes into contact with a fuckwitted cyclist or fuckwitted motorist, the pedestrian generally comes off worst due to the other fuckwits being wholly or partially encased in metal and moving fast.
The other difference I have noticed is that I feel no sense of "brotherhood" with pedestrians whereas cyclists seem to regard themselves as a "race" and therefore any criticism of one cyclist is perceived as an attack on all of them - a sort of "racism".

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Theres some truth in that. But the fact that you have lumped all cyclists together would suggest that its not just (some) cyclists who see themselves as a "Race". You seem to be doing that too.
 
ivanthereasonable said:
Theres some truth in that. But the fact that you have lumped all cyclists together would suggest that its not just (some) cyclists who see themselves as a "Race". You seem to be doing that too.
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I know marra. You did the same with pedestrians earlier . But I can't be bothered to have a long and probably boring debate about a deadly boring subject either. Life is full of paradoxes like this.
 
DaveH said:
I was forced to a standstill today for ages on my way in and then when we did get moving it was a slow painful trundle. It was the first time I have used my car in a while, I'm usually on the off-road cycle track flying along. There was a low loader with a crane one a rode that really was not suitable for it. Add in 2 double decker busses and everyone was doing around 15 mph with traffic building up.

At least when I encounter a cyclist, I can wait until safe and pass in a minute or less. Half an hour I was stuck behind these 3 diesel monsters.

It is not just cyclists who slow the roads down.


Corrected it for you
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Take that bag of macCains off you shoulder.
 
PinzaC55 said:
The police could start enforcing the spot fine for cyclists cycling on the pavement. That would help protect pedestrians from cyclists.
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Half of the pavements around my way are cycle lanes as well now.

Car drivers moan when we're on the roads, pedestrians moan when we're on pavements. Cant win.
 
Marko said:
Half of the pavements around my way are cycle lanes as well now.

Car drivers moan when we're on the roads, pedestrians moan when we're on pavements. Cant win.
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Don’t cycle then. Problem solved.
 
PinzaC55 said:
Where is your way ?
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Stockton. Some stretches of road have cycle lanes down the side of roads, which then cease and begin again on the pavement, some just stop altogether with no alternative but to carry on up the road. The council have made a right mess of it.

When I get the opportunity I use cycle paths, and when ever I do that you get f***ing pedestrians and dogs walking right down the middle of the pavement/cycle paths. They aren't too fat to fit in their lane but oh f***ing no, they walk right down the middle.

I think you'll find whether your in a car, on a cycle track, walking, you're always going to come up against some fucker that'll piss you off.
 
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