Turning people against us.

ThisRegard

average_runner wrote: »

Saw a funny one this morning, hope the cyclists is on the forum.

I was running down the Greenhills road and a car pulled out of Smyths DIY shop, blocked a bit of the cycle lane.

Cyclist came along went around the car and shouted at the driver which he was entitled to do it, as motorists was in the wrong.

Cyclist then goes thru a red light at speed where people were crossing!!!

He was afraid the person he just shouted at would catch him if he stopped!

AlreadyHome

irishrover99 wrote: »

I do it all the time, and acknowledge a driver for not trying to take a turn before me even though they would be in the wrong.

I hope then my good karma will be passed onto the next cyclist that driver sees

This!

I started the same approach a couple of years ago after reading an article on mental health "Acknowledge the positives, rather than the negatives etc" and must say I arrive a lot happier when commuting as a result.

Made my day last week when cycling two abreast across the featherbeds, saw a (white!) van approaching from behind so went single file. As he passed he flashed his hazards in thanks.

(Just re-read that - maybe I've gone too far. I sound like a hippy...)

average_runner

ThisRegard wrote: »

He was afraid the person he just shouted at would catch him if he stopped!

The driver is probably still stuck in the traffic:D

Seanachai

AlreadyHome wrote: »

This!

I started the same approach a couple of years ago after reading an article on mental health "Acknowledge the positives, rather than the negatives etc" and must say I arrive a lot happier when commuting as a result.

Made my day last week when cycling two abreast across the featherbeds, saw a (white!) van approaching from behind so went single file. As he passed he flashed his hazards in thanks.

(Just re-read that - maybe I've gone too far. I sound like a hippy...)

Fair play, some cyclists seem to be completely averse to the concept of single file, you come around a corner on a narrow country road outside Roundwood and there's two guys having a chat two-abreast. Then they turn and give you the evils as if you're somehow in the wrong!

Chuchote

I find it weird that while drivers usually acknowledge my wave of "gwan ahead" or "thanks", cyclists very very very rarely, if ever, acknowledge my nod or little-finger-wiggle of greeting and acknowledgement that we're carefully passing each other on a cycle lane.

De Bhál

Smalltom wrote: »

I witnessed an interesting thing around 07.30hrs this morning. I'm not sure of the geography so bear with me. Just past Inchcore heading towards city a cyclist went straight through a red light beside a Garda car. The cop (rightly) pulled up beside her and told her to pull in. She stayed cycling and went down the one way street towards kilmainham jail and obviously the cop couldn't follow her. This was highly embarrassing and disrespectful to the Gardai and shows the public that some cyclists behave like they're above the law. That's the Garda in the car and the surrounding public that witnessed this turned into cyclist haters. Just found this very maddening. Rant over.

How do you know what he said to her?

oflahero

I'm going to head over to the Motors forum now and bleat on about how a driver was on her phone earlier and nearly took me out of it coming out of a side road. Think I'll round it off with, "What do you all think of that now." That should do it. Wonder how long it will take the regulars to each post a regretful, handwringing post with a rallying call about how something must be done.

Oh wait, it doesn't work like that, does it, because we live in the real world.

Thanks for reminding everyone, though, that the natural order of things is that people only cycle on the roads thanks to the munificence of the motoring community, and had better watch their step. Ignore the fact that most of us drive too.

Smalltom

I don't hate all cyclists or id hate most of my friends. My point is that we don't help our selves with some of the stupid acts that we carry out and then jump all over motorists when they don't respect us. Obviously lots of cyclists are bang on and I saw lots of them this morning too. The only one I distinctly remember is that idiot though. As for the special branch......genius lol.

ThisRegard

Smalltom wrote: »

My point is that we don't help our selves with some of the stupid acts that we carry out and then jump all over motorists when they don't respect us.

Chuchote

Smalltom wrote: »

I don't hate all cyclists or id hate most of my friends. My point is that we don't help our selves with some of the stupid acts that we carry out and then jump all over motorists when they don't respect us. Obviously lots of cyclists are bang on and I saw lots of them this morning too. The only one I distinctly remember is that idiot though. As for the special branch......genius lol.

Who's this "we", Paleface?

Edit: snap!

Smalltom

Smalltom wrote: »

I don't hate all cyclists or id hate most of my friends. My point is that we don't help our selves with some of the stupid acts that we carry out and then jump all over motorists when they don't respect us. Obviously lots of cyclists are bang on and I saw lots of them this morning too. The only one I distinctly remember is that idiot though. As for the special branch......genius lol.

Ah the self hating cyclist :rolleyes:

Smalltom

Ha ha fe*k off. I AM a cyclist but I had the car this morning. I said it a few posts ago......chancers.

oflahero

ronoc wrote: »

Ah the self hating cyclist :rolleyes:

Uncle (Small) Tom

boardbeer

Chuchote wrote: »

I find it weird that while drivers usually acknowledge my wave of "gwan ahead" or "thanks", cyclists very very very rarely, if ever, acknowledge my nod or little-finger-wiggle of greeting and acknowledgement that we're carefully passing each other on a cycle lane.

Roadies. I think they have strict rules about not acknowledging other cyclists if they have the wrong coloured sock, stem not slammed, tyres not aligned with valve, etc.

dub_skav

AlreadyHome wrote: »

This!

I started the same approach a couple of years ago after reading an article on mental health "Acknowledge the positives, rather than the negatives etc" and must say I arrive a lot happier when commuting as a result.

I'm not as far down this road as you (pardon the pun), but I've been trying to be more positive.
In the car, on the bike or running, I try not to get annoyed and adopt the approach that people can be self-entitled or do stupid things, but if I see it coming and nobody is hurt, then why get annoyed or upset, just let them go on their oblivious way.

Also, I am trying to acknowledge / thank people that do things they are supposed to. I have always given a wave when people let me out or something, but never gave a wave to people doing what they were supposed to, e.g. yielding at a junction or a zebra crossing.

Now I am trying to positively acknowledge people letting me out or yielding when they are meant to and ignoring people not doing what they are supposed to. It does seem to make me feel better than the alternative of ignoring legal positive behaviour and seething at selfish behaviour.

mrcheez

Smalltom wrote: »

I witnessed an interesting thing around 07.30hrs this morning. I'm not sure of the geography so bear with me. Just past Inchcore heading towards city a cyclist went straight through a red light beside a Garda car. The cop (rightly) pulled up beside her and told her to pull in. She stayed cycling and went down the one way street towards kilmainham jail and obviously the cop couldn't follow her. This was highly embarrassing and disrespectful to the Gardai and shows the public that some cyclists behave like they're above the law. That's the Garda in the car and the surrounding public that witnessed this turned into cyclist haters. Just found this very maddening. Rant over.

*yawn*

steamengine

oflahero wrote: »

I'm going to head over to the Motors forum now and bleat on about how a driver was on her phone earlier and nearly took me out of it coming out of a side road. Think I'll round it off with, "What do you all think of that now." That should do it. Wonder how long it will take the regulars to each post a regretful, handwringing post with a rallying call about how something must be done.

Oh wait, it doesn't work like that, does it, because we live in the real world.

Thanks for reminding everyone, though, that the natural order of things is that people only cycle on the roads thanks to the munificence of the motoring community, and had better watch their step. Ignore the fact that most of us drive too.

Your post raises a question - why would the average cyclist who regularly runs red lights not run them when driving his/her car ? What is the difference ?

Why the change of behaviour between modes ? If it's ok to do it on a bike, sure why not do it in car too ?

What is, in the case of car driver/cyclists, the reason for their behavioural change between modes ?

I'm curious because I drive and cycle too. I largely obey reds when cycling unless there's no one about, but without a doubt I'm in a minority.

AlreadyHome

dub_skav wrote: »

I'm not as far down this road as you (pardon the pun), but I've been trying to be more positive.
In the car, on the bike or running, I try not to get annoyed and adopt the approach that people can be self-entitled or do stupid things, but if I see it coming and nobody is hurt, then why get annoyed or upset, just let them go on their oblivious way.

Also, I am trying to acknowledge / thank people that do things they are supposed to. I have always given a wave when people let me out or something, but never gave a wave to people doing what they were supposed to, e.g. yielding at a junction or a zebra crossing.

Now I am trying to positively acknowledge people letting me out or yielding when they are meant to and ignoring people not doing what they are supposed to. It does seem to make me feel better than the alternative of ignoring legal positive behaviour and seething at selfish behaviour.

Fair play, some cyclists seem to be completely averse to the concept of single file, you come around a corner on a narrow country road outside Roundwood and there's two guys having a chat two-abreast. Then they turn and give you the evils as if you're somehow in the wrong!

It's not necessarily acknowledging things they have to do, more acknowledging the fact that somebody's thought about your safety/convenience before proceeding - eg: having a car slow down when you glance over your shoulder before proceeding around someone parked on a bike lane.

When driving I've had cyclists acknowledge efforts, such as when I've pulled over the bike lane to sight around a blind corner and reversed back off it when a cyclist approaches.

Hunting that warm fuzzy high, man. Feels so good...

Firedance

steamengine wrote: »

Your post raises a question - why would the average cyclist who regularly runs red lights not run them when driving his/her car ? What is the difference ?

Why the change of behaviour between modes ? If it's ok to do it on a bike, sure why not do it in car too ?

What is, in the case of car driver/cyclists, the reason for their behavioural change between modes ?

I'm curious because I drive and cycle too. I largely obey reds when cycling unless there's no one about, but without a doubt I'm in a minority.

Is there though? I see plenty of cars running red lights, perhaps they're also cyclists.....! I drive too and don't break red lights while driving or cycling, I sometimes cross the road as a pedestrian on the red but only if there's absolutely nothing coming where as I witness pedestrians walking out in front of cars/buses/cyclists all the time.

I would imagine that those cyclists that go through red lights also break rules of the road when they drive or walk too.

Chuchote

steamengine wrote: »

Your post raises a question - why would the average cyclist who regularly runs red lights not run them when driving his/her car ? What is the difference ?

Why the change of behaviour between modes ? If it's ok to do it on a bike, sure why not do it in car too ?

What is, in the case of car driver/cyclists, the reason for their behavioural change between modes ?

I'm curious because I drive and cycle too. I largely obey reds when cycling unless there's no one about, but without a doubt I'm in a minority.

a) The average cyclist does not do so. Your science is skewed.
b) What change of behaviour? I see many drivers breaking red lights.

Chips Lovell

People need opportunity. If you're in a car, your opportunity for breaking the lights is really only going through after they've turned red. If someone stops ahead of you, your opportunity is gone (unless you're a complete psycho and go around stopped cars - and there are a few of those). If you're on a bike, there could be 20 cars stopped at a light and you could still break the lights if you wanted to.

dub_skav

AlreadyHome wrote: »

It's not necessarily acknowledging things they have to do, more acknowledging the fact that somebody's thought about your safety/convenience before proceeding - eg: having a car slow down when you glance over your shoulder before proceeding around someone parked on a bike lane.

When driving I've had cyclists acknowledge efforts, such as when I've pulled over the bike lane to sight around a blind corner and reversed back off it when a cyclist approaches.

Hunting that warm fuzzy high, man. Feels so good...

I absolutely agree. My very badly made point was that I always acknowledged them giving me extra space or slowing when they suspected I might be about to maneuver, but I have extended that to acknowledging all positive behaviour (or should actually say all non-negative behaviour), even just not amber gambling when I am waiting to cross for example.

So I've gone from cursing negative behaviour and only acknowledging positive behaviour to ignoring negative behaviour and acknowledging all non-negative behaviour.
Endorphin high plus warm fuzzy feeling - double goodness

Carlos Orange

Chuchote wrote: »

a) The average cyclist does not do so. Your science is skewed.

Cyclists respecting red lights is pretty 50/50 whenever I put the effort into taking a count.

Chuchote

Jep Gambardella wrote: »

People need opportunity. If you're in a car, your opportunity for breaking the lights is really only going through after they've turned red. If someone stops ahead of you, your opportunity is gone (unless you're a complete psycho and go around stopped cars - and there are a few of those). If you're on a bike, there could be 20 cars stopped at a light and you could still break the lights if you wanted to.

Yes, I do see cyclists doing this, mostly young lads. But not most cyclists. And to be fair, 90% of the time when they're doing it, it's safe to go through - the road is clear.

In some sensible countries there is a cyclist exception for red lights, for instance going straight at a T junction, and pedestrian lights when no pedestrians are crossing or waiting.

Chips Lovell

Again, it's only a rare breed of psycho who does something illegal knowing that it's dangerous. Most people who break the rules, whether its speeding, using their phones, going through a red light, or whatever, do so because they think they aren't doing any harm.

steamengine

Firedance wrote: »

Is there though? I see plenty of cars running red lights, perhaps they're also cyclists.....! I drive too and don't break red lights while driving or cycling, I sometimes cross the road as a pedestrian on the red but only if there's absolutely nothing coming where as I witness pedestrians walking out in front of cars/buses/cyclists all the time.

I would imagine that those cyclists that go through red lights also break rules of the road when they drive or walk too.

I see plenty of cars running reds too, but not to the same extent as cyclists. In the former its a minority - the latter a majority. That's my observation and I suspect that of many other driver/cyclists as well if they wish to be truthful about it.

Chuchote

Jep Gambardella wrote: »

Again, it's only a rare bread of psycho who does something illegal knowing that it's dangerous. Most people who break the rules, whether its speeding, using their phones, going through a red light, or whatever, do so because they think they aren't doing any harm.

There are two ways of looking at this:

a) Safety
b) The Rules

Sometimes it's perfectly safe to break the rules.

I prefer to cycle on the road and stop and red lights and so on. But yesterday I brought a friend in her seventies on a cycle with me. I'd never noticed it before, but she's begun to have that problem with measuring distances that we all get when we're old; I calculated at various stages that it was safe to cycle across a road and I'd be well in advance of the arrival of a car that was driving towards me; she waited until the road was completely clear, unconsciously knowing that she can no longer reliably make this calculation. She tends to go through red lights; she cycles on pavements if the road is busy. I tend to wait at red lights and to cycle on the road at virtually all times, though I prefer to use cycleways when they're available, obviously. Two different styles of cycling, and both in the end equally safe for others.

steamengine

steamengine wrote: »

Your post raises a question - why would the average cyclist who regularly runs red lights not run them when driving his/her car ? What is the difference ?

About a tonne of metal and I would think.

carter10

Simple solution to the unending back and forth between cyclists and motorists..the city should build more smug high moral ground lanes for the cyclists, that way us drivers will never have to encounter them. Simples.

steamengine

ronoc wrote: »

About a tonne of metal and I would think.

More of a reason for cyclists to not run reds then perhaps ???