"Dave Newt" newtonline{at}gmail.com wrote in message
t.net...

That's not what I've heard! :-)

Relurk, Newtie - or else! ;-)

Ian

"Danny Colyer" wrote in message
...

This chap *has* to be posting from utl.

Well, I'm hardly going to be posting from urc, now, am I? :-)

I've read that POB's[1] tend to
do that sort of thing a lot in London.

[1] People On Bikes, as opposed to Real Cyclists.

If you tell me there's a difference, I'll believe you!

Ian

in message , Ian F.
') wrote:

"Tom Anderson" wrote in message
...

Sadly, this also seems to apply at red lights. I've lost count of how
many times i've cycled up alongside a line of traffic at some lights
and come to rest a little way ahead of the stop line (i'm a sinner, i
know), only for the car next to me to rev up and move forward all of
six inches to draw level ...

I downright refuse to stop before that green bit at the front of the
lights that meant for cyclists - I always stop on it! Why should the
miserable, pavement-pedallers have any more of the road than they
already have? They've got one lane, now they want two extra! When they
pay road tax like we do, then I might consider it!

There's been no road tax in this country for more than fifty years. I
don't know who you're paying it to, but you're being conned.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Want to know what SCO stands for?
;; http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20030605

I wrote:
I've read that POB's[1] tend to
do that sort of thing a lot in London.

[1] People On Bikes, as opposed to Real Cyclists.

and Ian F. responded:
If you tell me there's a difference, I'll believe you!

There certainly is. We Real Cyclists tend to really, really dislike
POB's, mostly because we all get tarred with the same brush. But also
because they endanger us directly.

A while ago, a regular on urc was injured when a POB rode off a pavement
into him without looking. I have had to slam the brakes on on occasion
to avoid POB's doing the same thing.

In The Great Helmet Debate, those who would like to remove our freedom
to choose whether to wear a lid (in spite of all the evidence that
removal of such freedom would be a bad thing) have taken to citing the
case of a young POB who was killed after riding a bike with faulty
brakes off the pavement and into the path of a car. As if wearing a
PFDB[1] would have been more effective at saving his life than adequate
cycle training and maintenance.

There have been other stories of Real Cyclists being hit by POB's
sailing through red lights.

POB's tend to be relatively slow cyclists (except for those couriers
that I've read about). So a POB will sail past a Real Cyclist at a red
light, then get in the way when the Real Cyclist catches up after the
lights change. Repeatedly, when there are as many traffic lights as in
London.

I could go on (I had other things in mind to mention when I started
typing this), but I'm bored now so I'll stop.

[1] Polystyrene Foam Deflector Beanie. It's OK to wear a helmet, as
long as you remember that it's made of meringue covered in eggshell and
ride accordingly.

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

On Thu, 9 Sep 2004 19:34:08 +0100, "Ian F."
wrote in message :

I'm not claiming it *is* clever. It's just my daft little protest against
people using our roads who don't pay for them! ;-)

Ah, so you haven't heard that cyclists have above-average income, are
more likely to own a house, a car and any other measure of material
wealth except a satellite dish (and that's probably changed now the
Tour is on ITV2). In other words, cyclists probably pay more tax than
you do. And then leave the car at home - smart people!

I do drive my vehicle correctly. And I'm not tense, or stressed, or prone to
flagellatory flights of fancy. I just hate cyclists and the way they
(present company excepted) reckon they own the road - riding on the
pavement, jumping red lights, yelling abuse at elderly people and so on.

Ah, so you are going to break your word and drive incorrectly (i.e.
illegally) based on the behaviour of a small group of cyclists who,
incidentally, are every bit as unpopular with us cyclists as they are
with cagers.

What's your view on that bloke who slashed car tyres based on the
behaviour of a subset of cagers?

Do you not think that the best way to make the roads a better place is
to set a good example, rather than try and out-idiot the idiots?

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

Ian F. wrote:

I do drive my vehicle correctly. And I'm not tense, or stressed, or prone to
flagellatory flights of fancy. I just hate cyclists and the way they
(present company excepted) reckon they own the road - riding on the
pavement, jumping red lights, yelling abuse at elderly people and so on.

.... damaging your bumpers, getting under your wheels. I know the type.
*******s!

Daniele
--
Apple Juice Ltd
Chapter Arts Centre
Market Road www.apple-juice.co.uk
Cardiff CF5 1QE 029 2019 0140

"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote in message
...

Do you not think that the best way to make the roads a better place is
to set a good example, rather than try and out-idiot the idiots?

I've learned, today, the difference between Real Cyclists and People On
Bikes. I knew nothing about that before. Thanks.

Ian

On Thu, 09 Sep 2004 20:32:17 +0100, "Just zis Guy, you know?"
wrote:

Ah, so you haven't heard that cyclists have above-average income, are
more likely to own a house, a car and any other measure of material
wealth except a satellite dish (and that's probably changed now the
Tour is on ITV2).

Nonsense. The discerning cyclist gets ITV2 on Freeview.

--
Dave...

Get a bicycle. You will not regret it. If you live. - Mark Twain

"Danny Colyer" wrote in message
...

There certainly is. We Real Cyclists tend to really, really dislike
POB's, mostly because we all get tarred with the same brush. But also
because they endanger us directly.

snip interesting stuff

Just proves you're never too old to learn. I shall now take great pleasure
in watching out for Real Cyclists as opposed to POBs!

Isn't there anything you cyclists can do, as a group, to stop these idiots
cycling on pavements, running red lights and so on? Isn't there a pressure
organisation or something? How can we (pedestrians) help?

Ian

Ian F. wrote:
Isn't there anything you cyclists can do, as a group, to stop these idiots
cycling on pavements, running red lights and so on? Isn't there a pressure
organisation or something? How can we (pedestrians) help?

If only! It needs an effective public education campaign to encourage
new/returning cyclists to take training courses, ready availability of
such courses (they *are* available, if you know where to look) and ready
availability of Cycling Proficiency courses at all primary and secondary
schools.

It's starting to happen. Standard training courses have been developed
by CTC, among others, and seem to be effective (hopefully JohnB will be
along any minute to tell you all about them). But I'm sure it'll be
years before we notice any significant improvement.

Other than that, we could always adapt Spike Bike's techniques and
direct them towards the POB's :-)
URL:http://members.aol.com/clubnbc/spike_1.htm

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine