Multi Grooves of LFGSS writes:Just had a read of the latest rider down and it's made me start this thread. We've all seen it and continue to see it all day, everyday. Without question it's something that sadly casts all of us in a bad light** and surely undoes all of the good that we do and possibly puts off those thinking of making the switch as they sit frustrated in traffic.Then there is the knock on effect if they have children asking to ride to school having had a good standard of cycle training, will never allow them on the basis their kids will behave in the same way they perceive many cyclists to ride:
stupid, selfish and dangerous.
** I'm not perfect and have done daft/bad/stupid things so this could lead to the biggest case of double standards and is the biggest barrier for me.
Many women have spoken about feeling persecuted on the road as it is without having further grief coming their way from those on 2 wheels as well as those inadequate idiots on 4 wheels. I can't escape an immense feeling of stupendous arrogance in this proposed action but you know that feeling when you see folk doing things mentioned here and here? Is this just going to escalate tensions on the road unnecessarily? Or do I need just check myself and grow up?
Is it time to start calling out bad cyclists?
If we're thinking of the women and children, as even the XY childless amongst us do from time to time, perhaps as a thought experiment as well as acknowledgement of the 6500+ replies which have already been made to your plaintive query by a jury of your peers, we might change venue and entertain this ballad of dissatisfaction [to purloin a choice bit of dialogue from
Mad Men] at the Mumsnet site; specifically in the jurisdiction of the
Am I Being Unreasonable board. YANBU to feel the urge to call out bad cyclists. The court of public opinion may also suggest leniency for casting the first stone at yourself even as it chucks more your way.
Non-cyclists or at least those who do not identify as being cyclists except when writing letters to the editor complaining about cyclists but quickly adding "I ride a bike too…" have difficulty recognising the concept of
diplomatic immunity. While a sense of proportionality is
a posteriori sadly lacking when comparing the sins of motorists to those of cyclists, as we mostly hurt ourselves by "bad" behaviour (however that may be defined), a little self help goes a long way. It's the citizen's arrest which is problematic.
Imagine yourself spinning along happily no-handed, as Agony Guy is wont to do when the spirit decrees. Next imagine – or rather kindly accept as eyewitness testimony – a motorist passing by, taking note of what she perceives to be riding in a dangerous or careless manner as proscribed by The Highway Code. The motorist looks pointedly at Agony Guy and makes a show of grabbing her steering wheel. As there are children in the back seat, perhaps she is thinking of them as she attempts to maintain control of her vehicle and temper.
The effect of her police work was indeed indelible. To this day Agony Guy often thinks of her 10 and 2 devotion as he goes down that stretch of road and smiles even as he lets his hips do the driving. All of which is to say, clearly you have your work cut out.
