Shoaling

Danbo!

I'd consider myself a fairly calm cyclist, at least compared to what I used to be years ago, but am I wrong to get incredibly annoyed with Shoaling?

From what I've read online, shoaling is just passing anyone at a red light and sitting at the front of the queue, no matter if you think or know you're gonna be faster. I've done this plenty of times passing Dublin Bikes as I know I'll be quicker, so maybe I'm a hypocrite, but on Friday I had a guy pass me at a red light on baggot street/canal junction and wait beyond the ped crossing. Light goes green, he ambles off slowly, I overtake, repeat at Leeson street. And again, and again, and again at every bloody junction and ped crossing until he turned off at Terenure village in another direction. It slowed me down a little yes, but more the fact that I had to find gaps to overtake into traffic after every single junction

Should you say something in this situation? I wasnt sure what to say without coming off as a complete d*ck. Or should I just calm down? I should probably calm down.

seamus

It's a pain in the hole, but if someone is that situationally unaware, I don't think saying anything is going to do much. And then you have to keep encountering him at every junction anyway.

Just watch the lights to try and get the jump on him when they change, or position yourself in front of the traffic so you can overtake him immediately. Outside of that I think saying something or getting annoyed will just be a waste of your energy.

Cee-Jay-Cee

I can understand your annoyance with his antics however if what you say is true then you are gaining nothing by cycling any faster. He will look at it the same way. You pass him and yet you both end up stopped at the same lights, so why don't you just slow down and stay behind him.

I personally would tell him he's being a prick jumping the queue and then cycling slow like an old woman forcing everyone else to have to pass him out several times on they're journey.

Fian

Yes, it can be irritating.

Yes - you should probably just calm down despite that. :P

Sometimes it is ignorance, sometimes thoughtlessness, sometimes nervousness and a desire to be well out in front of the traffic when the lights turn. And sometimes it is just someone who doesn't give a toss about other road users or who is offended by being overtaken.

It's like those drivers who stick in the middle or even rightmost lane on the motorway, with empty lanes to their left. Irritating - but no purpose is served by letting it irritate you.

I always find reminding myself how much more frustrating it would be to be in a car stuck in the traffic helps me calm down a bit.

robyntmorton

Yes, it's annoying, and no it shouldn't be done, but it is probably not worth getting your bibs in a twist over it.

That said, it should be considered good etiquette by all that unless you are absolutely certain you are going to drop them all, and be clear through the green light at the next junction, you should just join the queue like a normal person.

Seaswimmer

Danbo! wrote: »

I'd consider myself a fairly calm cyclist, at least compared to what I used to be years ago, but am I wrong to get incredibly annoyed with Shoaling?

From what I've read online, shoaling is just passing anyone at a red light and sitting at the front of the queue, no matter if you think or know you're gonna be faster. I've done this plenty of times passing Dublin Bikes as I know I'll be quicker, so maybe I'm a hypocrite, but on Friday I had a guy pass me at a red light on baggot street/canal junction and wait beyond the ped crossing. Light goes green, he ambles off slowly, I overtake, repeat at Leeson street. And again, and again, and again at every bloody junction and ped crossing until he turned off at Terenure village in another direction. It slowed me down a little yes, but more the fact that I had to find gaps to overtake into traffic after every single junction

Should you say something in this situation? I wasnt sure what to say without coming off as a complete d*ck. Or should I just calm down? I should probably calm down.

^^^^^

This .............and enjoy your cycling.

onmebike

I'm of the same opinion as OP - I can find it irritating when somebody does this. Then I think of it from their point of view and they're probably wondering why you keep on passing them "like Sean Kelly" when you know they're going to stop in front of you at the next lights. :pac:

Danbo!

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

You pass him and yet you both end up stopped at the same lights, so why don't you just slow down and stay behind him.

I was at most lights for a minute or so before he dawdled past. I did stay behind him once on the rathgar road but he was one of these spin-the-peddles-twice-and-freewheel-for-a-bit kinda cyclists. Every other time I was dropping him. It was also a Friday evening, got stuck in work til 6 when I should have been done at 4, and I seemed to be hitting every red light, so it didnt help

Fian wrote: »

I always find reminding myself how much more frustrating it would be to be in a car stuck in the traffic helps me calm down a bit.

Yep, still home in 35 minutes in heavy Friday traffic, when driving would have taken >1hr

seamus wrote: »

...getting annoyed will just be a waste of your energy.

But I like being annoyed

magicbastarder

i saw a bunch of them when out this morning.

check_six

onmebike wrote: »

I'm of the same opinion as OP - I can find it irritating when somebody does this. Then I think of it from their point of view and they're probably wondering why you keep on passing them "like Sean Kelly" when you know they're going to stop in front of you at the next lights. :pac:

I'd say that the shoaler can't be sure that the person who has overtaken them will get stopped at the same lights as them. If they hit the right sequence they could be minutes up the road. I wouldn't be thinking about hanging around to follow behind the shoaler either. You know you can get down the road quicker, you don't know for sure if you will get caught at the lights.

I did take a moment to protest to a (sort of)shoaler one evening recently. I was waiting at the lights and had positioned myself a little bit out from the footpath and my foot down on that side. Normally this works a treat as shoalers don't have room to comfortably go up the inside and they are a bit wary of going all the way around on the right when it's a bit further to go. No problems initially, but as the lights are changing a late arriving shoaler decides to shoot up between me and the footpath where there is just not enough room, or so I thought. He made it with millimeters to spare as I raised my foot and was clipping into my pedal. If I'd nudged his front wheel with my rear wheel when I was out of the saddle he'd have ended up in a heap on the ground, maybe even me too. I told him that what he did was dangerous and he countered that I was too far right to go around! I did not hang around to argue that that was precisely the idea and spun off down the road.

robyntmorton

magicbastarder wrote: »

i saw a bunch of them when out this morning.

Yeah... I wouldn't argue with them.

check_six

magicbastarder wrote: »

i saw a bunch of them when out this morning.

What weapons are those monk lads brandishing there exactly?

Look a bit like like one of those id card holder things:


Those things'll take your eye out if you're not careful!

magicbastarder

check_six wrote: »

What weapons are those monk lads brandishing there exactly?

selfie sticks.

PukkaStukka

As an aside, Taxi's have been shoaling for years in the bus lanes. :pac:

smacl

check_six wrote: »

What weapons are those monk lads brandishing there exactly?

Look a bit like like one of those id card holder things:


Those things'll take your eye out if you're not careful!

Seven section whip, bonus points if you can use successfully while cycling, double bonus points if while doing so you could take a quick spin up by Foxes and take out those bitey b@astard terriers that went for me yet again this weekend

Wishbone Ash

I'm sure there are hundreds of motorists out there thinking the same thing about us -

"I keep passing that bloody cyclist and he always ends up in front of me at the next set of lights. Why can't he just stay behind me as he knows I'm going to be quicker".

check_six

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I'm sure there are hundreds of motorists out there thinking the same thing about us -

"I keep passing that bloody cyclist and he always ends up in front of me at the next set of lights. Why can't he just stay behind me as he knows I'm going to be quicker".

The motorist will end up stuck behind a queue of other similar vehicles and miss whole green light sequences. Not so much on the bike. That's kind of why you're much quicker around town on a bike.

at1withmyself

Danbo! wrote: »

I've done this plenty of times passing Dublin Bikes as I know I'll be quicker, so maybe I'm a hypocrit

So it's OK for you to do to others but when someone does it to you its not OK. Maybe I'm the person on the Dublin Bike this morning who had some twat do it to me.......

Weepsie

I've only once bothered saying anything. This was to a guy who for several days used to shoal along the footpath at the 5 Lamps going southbound towards IFSC. Everyday, he'd mount the path and emerge on someone's left where they shouldn't be expecting someone. He'd then proceed at his own pace which was generally fairly slow and p!ss a few off.

One of the days, I was first in the queue. He did it again and as the light was still red I pointed out the queue of people behind him, saying he'd been doing it daily, it's inconsiderate, possibly dangerous etc etc. He grumbled about it being none of my business or some sort, he set off, and ignored a car clearly mid turn ahead of him and very nearly got wiped out.

I don't wish to see any cyclist injured, or anyone in an accident, but he would have deserved it and it would have been entirely his own fault. I would gladly have been a witness for the driver had he slammed into the side of his car.

But I try my best to ignore it now. I just overtake when it's safe and go on my way.

magicbastarder

at1withmyself wrote: »

So it's OK for you to do to others but when someone does it to you its not OK. Maybe I'm the person on the Dublin Bike this morning who had some twat do it to me.......

i assumed it was only proper rolling shoaling if you passed someone sitting at lights, and proceeded to cycle away from the lights more slowly than they do.
at least with what the OP does, he removes the 'will i say something' element by not being caught again to offer the opportunity.

magicbastarder

i just wonder what sort of threads we'd have in the future if there was complete separated cycle infrastructure which may not offer the room to overtake such cyclists in the way roads do.

Wishbone Ash

magicbastarder wrote: »

i just wonder what sort of threads we'd have in the future if there was complete separated cycle infrastructure which may not offer the room to overtake such cyclists in the way roads do.

Totally agree and one of the reasons I'd be against the introduction of separate mandatory cycle tracks.

Korvanica

I tend to stop at an angle beside a car and the footpath if I encounter a shoaler. Stops them behind me. Where they usually belong.

"Buy why not just cycle behind them if you end up at the same lights as them blah blah blah..." - Everyone cycles at different speeds, i'm more comfortable at my speed, not at the speed of some slow dope on a 10 year old BSO with the saddle down low licking his knees as he pedals.

Danbo!

at1withmyself wrote: »

So it's OK for you to do to others but when someone does it to you its not OK. Maybe I'm the person on the Dublin Bike this morning who had some twat do it to me.......

Yeah I know, the exact definition of shoaling seems to be just passing cyclists irregardless of whether they're slow/fast/you dont know, hence me saying I'm probably a hypocrite. It was more that this dude was passing me at every set of lights and knew I was faster than him.

It could well have been me that passed you, but I've learnt from experience that being on a fairly decent road bike and covering 13km in ~30 mins, that it's very unlikely a Dublin Bike is going to catch up and pass me, as arrogant as that sounds.

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Totally agree and one of the reasons I'd be against the introduction of separate mandatory cycle tracks.

Yep, there are a couple of off-road-ish tracks on my commute (one which has recently moved back on-road, thankfully) that I'd usually ignore and use the main road. If you're moving at a decent pace you generally won't get any guff from motorists as you're keeping up with the traffic.

P_1

magicbastarder wrote: »

i just wonder what sort of threads we'd have in the future if there was complete separated cycle infrastructure which may not offer the room to overtake such cyclists in the way roads do.

Cycle rage could well become a new phenomenon. I know there are certain areas I'd avoid because of a traffic jam caused by a slow cyclist and I'm no Contador myself compared to others on here.

jon1981

We should all just take the lane at the junction and get along instead of resting along the kerb like a second class citizen ... example above is Dame st

crosstownk

jon1981 wrote: »

We should all just take the lane at the junction and get along instead of resting along the kerb like a second class citizen ... example above is Dame st

I can see the shoaler coming up the inside looking a bit wobbly.

They used to bother me but now I just let it go. One of the reasons I cycle instead of driving is for the stress free commute. I don't intend to replace the motoring stresses with cycling related stresses. Most shoalers will never learn so I just get on with it.

mrcheez

Danbo! wrote: »

...a guy pass me at a red light on baggot street/canal junction and wait beyond the ped crossing. Light goes green, he ambles off slowly, I overtake, repeat at Leeson street. And again, and again, and again at every bloody junction and ped crossing

after the 1st "again" I would have thought you'd just wait at the ped crossing not allowing him ahead?

Doc07

When you get home relax by listening to great 90's album by OCS 'the Mosley Shoals'
I'll get my coat...

Wishbone Ash

Shoaling taken to a whole new level this morning by a slow older gentleman. At each set of lights, he dismounted and walked along the footpath and then plonked himself at the front of the group where he mounted again to be ready to get in everyone's way (and repeated this over and over).

BoardsMember

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Shoaling taken to a whole new level this morning by a slow older gentleman. At each set of lights, he dismounted and walked along the footpath and then plonked himself at the front of the group where he mounted again to be ready to get in everyone's way (and repeated this over and over).

Must have been on Candid Camera or something, that's just priceless.

I'm getting more patient as I get older, though I only have a short-ish commute. I've decided it's just not worth getting annoyed at people shoaling, be thankful you have your health and are not stuck in a car in traffic.