The wonderings, ponderings and other 'ings' of me. Lifestyle, review, news and opinion posts. Chic with a hint of sarcasm... hopefully!

Tuesday 13 December 2016

Drivers, Cyclists. A word if you will

CAN EVERYONE STOP BEING SUCH DICKS TO EACH OTHER?!

Being both a cyclist and a driver I am uniquely qualified to write this rant.  Here in Cambridge there was a population of *stops to google it* 123,900 in the 2011 consensus.  I can only imagine how much that number has grown in 6 years but safe to say a fair few of them are on the road between 7.30am – 8.45am of a weekday morning and I’ve noticed quite a bit of tension between two types of travellers. So I’m here to lay down the law.

Drivers
Cyclists have AS MUCH right to use the road as you do, especially as they aren’t causing any damage to it and don’t hurt the environment with their mode of transport.  
  • If there is an off road cycle path they can use it…. But they don’t have to! Usually I will but if, for example, the path is on the other side of the road and I can hear a driver coming at me pretty fast I’m not going to risk life and limb to get to said path.  This does not mean it's OK to burn past shouting obscenities. It just makes you look like King Douche and there are quite a few contenders around so that’s saying something! 
  • If a cyclist is out into the road it’s usually because they know there is a pot hole coming up or they are cycling a little defensively because someone has just cut them up.  The amount of space to leave going round a cyclist should be enough for them to fall sideways and not even hit your car.  Leaving just enough for them to feel squeezed off the road will result in more defensive cycling and the circle continues.
  • Bear in mind you have a ton of metal at your disposal, so the odds of you being OK in an accident are pretty high.  Which just means you’ll be fit and healthy enough to go to prison should you get convicted of a felony in an altercation.
Cyclists
Yes you can be douche bags as well
  • For the love of all that is good in this world GET SOME LIGHTS! It is pitch black in certain areas of this city and your refusal to be seen or see where you are going is Darwinian in its stupidity. 
  • While we are at it, the white one goes on the front and the red one on the back.  Basic common sense should tell you this but I have seen the opposite layout too many times to count and bothers me no end.
  • Also HELMET! Yes I know we all look like a complete mushroom headed pillocks but they protect the squishy goodness that is our brain matter should a driver aim for you.  You may be a wonderfully clever Cambridge student but you are going to need your brains very much inside your skull if you plan to make any sort of success of your life.
No matter if you choose 2 or 4 tyres to get to work/school or wherever it is you are going, its important we all find our chill and show a little compassion for our fellow travellers.  In a year of heinous news and a distinct lack of respect for anyone even remotely different to ourselves let’s try ending it with a bit of decorum.


Have you got any advice for either cyclists or drivers? Add it below.
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4 comments

TA Gilbert said...

Only time I ever got knocked off my bike was in Cambridge, going fast along Madingley Road from Churchill into town. I watched four cars cut across my path to turn right up Lady Margaret Road, and assumed the fifth would stop and wait as it was my right of way. It didn't, and i went up LMR too, on it's bonnet. (There are traffic lights there now...)

TmS said...

Jeez what is wrong with people! Glad you're OK.

T A Gilbert said...

I've recovered. It was in 1986, I think... ;-)

Unknown said...

Thanks!
I got quite frustrated last year, and wrote something as well:
http://www.oxgadgets.com/2016/03/cyclists-let-us-not-be-wankers.html

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