Are cyclists a pest on the road?

[The SMG]

I've been meaning to post up a poll on this for a while. Every morning during my commute to the office, without fail, i'm forced to either serve, stop or take drastic action to avoid either killing a cyclist or crashing my car.

Cyclists are, in my honest opinion, an absolute pest on the road. Most of the b@stards ride in tandem with their mates and proceed to have a little 'chat' in the middle of the road whilst causing all manner of traffic queues behind them. The worst are the old men who think it's still ok to dress in tight blue lycra yet cycle ten times slower than every other b@gger on the road.

I say ban cyclists from our roads. Or at least between the hours of 6 - 10am, and then again between 4-7pm. They're a total pain in the @rse. Forget all that environmentally friendly cr@p, it's about time someone spoke up and forced these cretins off our roads.....permanently.

G

[Seb Maley]

Originally Posted by The SMG

I say ban cyclists from our roads. Or at least between the hours of 6 - 10am, and then again between 4-7pm. They're a total pain in the @rse. Forget all that environmentally friendly cr@p, it's about time someone spoke up and forced these cretins off our roads.....permanently.

G

I agree with this and I'd extend the rules to horses, tractors and Nissan Micra drivers.

[BrilloPad]

As a car driver I feel cyclists deserve some leeway to drive badly. But as a pedestrian a certain minority really annoy me. I think cyclists should be able to use the pavement if they give way to pedestrians.

I believe some refer to cyclists as "lycra louts". That is probably unfair most of the time - but sometimes very accurate.

[Howzat]

I hate to say it but the SMG has got a point. My wife is one of those eco-warriors so she'd kill me for saying this but i'm also in favour of banning cyclists from the roads!

Sorry love

[BrilloPad]

Originally Posted by Howzat

I hate to say it but the SMG has got a point. My wife is one of those eco-warriors so she'd kill me for saying this but i'm also in favour of banning cyclists from the roads!

Sorry love

Presumably your wife does not read freelancesupermarket?

I bet when your wife asks you say cyclists are wonderful. Well - it is what I would say.

[BrilloPad]

Very interesting article here :-

BBC News - How super? What cyclists make of superhighways

Sample comment :-

I am a regular cycle commuter along the CS7 route and have watched as the road has gradually turned blue along the length of the 'super-highway'. In many ways cyclists create some of their own problems, with a lack of respect for the rules of the road and other road users. My daily commute (28 miles total) is generally OK - if you show respect to others you usually get it back - most of my problems are from pedestrians just stepping out in the road (or 'lemmings' as we call them around here!) and other cyclists who seem to be unaware of all other road users. The vast majority of car drivers, taxis, even lorries and buses seem to be willing to give me space. Yes it is dangerous and I wouldn't advise just anyone to commute but the road belongs to all of us - we just have to share and show respect to others.

Raymondo, London

=======

sums it up

[The SMG]

Bang on the money Raymondo, London, bang on the money

G

[BatesW]

The are a massive pest, don't pay to be there or even have insurance. However, the trend is for more cyclists, it'll look like Bangkok by the time the olympics gets here!

[bez]

I think you're all overreacting. Sure there's some bad cyclists out there, but just how many bad car drivers do you think are on the road?

Fact is, if you come around a bend and are surprised by a cyclist, you're going too fast and you need to work on your driving awareness.

Before you criticise all cyclists, see what it's like to be on the bike:

The Cycling Lawyer: "What's that camera doing on your head?"

Originally Posted by BatesW

The are a massive pest, don't pay to be there or even have insurance. However, the trend is for more cyclists, it'll look like Bangkok by the time the olympics gets here!

I think you need to read up on what vehicle excise duty is for. It is NOT to pay for roads, and hasn't been since 1937.

[curleyted]

Hm, learn something new everyday bez