Nick Cooper wrote:
Please justify use of phrase "pet hate".

Your comments were an irrelevant tangent to the discussion.

d.

Nick Cooper opined the
following...
I don't recall putting the sort of cyclist I was complaining about
into any particular age bracket. In fact, my own observations tell me
that the most "serious"-looking of cyclists are - if anything - worse.

Define "serious"-looking! The ones I see tend to be yoofs on cheap full-
sus MTBs, and cycle couriers (Who are basically trying to shorten their
lifespan!).

So that excuses crap cyclists, does it?

No. But it does make for an interesting comparison. A crap cyclist is
liable to end up dead and probably scratch someone's paintwork. A crap
car driver is liable to end up killing someone. A crap bus driver (Or
driver of similarly sized vehicle) is liable to kill a great many people
and cause vast amounts of damage.

It's all about proportion.

Jon

Monkey Hanger wrote:
(Nick Cooper) wrote in
:

snip

Alternatively, who can I complain to about all the ****s on bikes
who think that red lights - particularly those at pedestrian
crossing - somehow don't count for them?

You could try the police?

Especially annoying are the ones who think they're entitled to
shout
abuse at the pedestrians they have to swerve round them because
they're already half way across the road. Funny, that, isn't it?
Pedestrians having the temerity to cross a road when the lights
are in their favour, just because to knobend-in-lycra is too
impatient to obey the red and
wait a few seconds.

You seem to be labouring under the misapprehension that
uk.rec.cycling exists to defend these idiots. It doesn't. Most
cyclists on this group deplore that kind of behaviour.

Maybe some of the denizens of uk.transport.london could comment on
whether or not they think this behaviour is defensible?

One point that came out of the previous discussion on this thread (which
I thought had quietly died) was the distinction between real cyclists
and the Persons on Bikes (POBs) who give cycling a bad name. I found it
encouraging that uk.rec.cycling denizens made that distinction. I think
most people on u.t.l would agree that the crass behaviour that Nick
Cooper described is not defensible.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

On Sun, 10 Oct 2004 22:49:16 +0100, Jon Senior
jon_AT_restlesslemon_DOTco_DOT_uk wrote:

Nick Cooper opined the
following...
I don't recall putting the sort of cyclist I was complaining about
into any particular age bracket. In fact, my own observations tell me
that the most "serious"-looking of cyclists are - if anything - worse.

Define "serious"-looking! The ones I see tend to be yoofs on cheap full-
sus MTBs, and cycle couriers (Who are basically trying to shorten their
lifespan!).

So that excuses crap cyclists, does it?

No. But it does make for an interesting comparison. A crap cyclist is
liable to end up dead and probably scratch someone's paintwork. A crap
car driver is liable to end up killing someone. A crap bus driver (Or
driver of similarly sized vehicle) is liable to kill a great many people
and cause vast amounts of damage.

Yeah, well having seen speeding cyclists jumping reds at crossings and
coming within a hair's bredth of sending OAPs flying, I'll reserve
judgement on that one.

It's all about proportion.

Indeed. Whinging cyclists should be aware that not all of their
bretheren are white-clad angels-on-wheels.
--
Nick Cooper

[Carefully remove the detonators from my e-mail address to reply!]

The London Underground at War:
http://www.cwgcuser.org.uk/personal/...ra/lu/tuaw.htm
625-Online - classic British television:
http://www.625.org.uk
'Things to Come' - An Incomplete Classic:
http://www.thingstocome.org.uk

"Nick Cooper" wrote in
message ...

Alternatively, who can I complain to about all the ****s on bikes who
think that red lights - particularly those at pedestrian crossing -
somehow don't count for them? Especially annoying are the ones who
think they're entitled to shout abuse at the pedestrians they have to
swerve round them because they're already half way across the road.
Funny, that, isn't it? Pedestrians having the temerity to cross a
road when the lights are in their favour, just because to
knobend-in-lycra is too impatient to obey the red and wait a few
seconds.

A few months ago I saw what this can lead to. A lycra clad cyclist went
flying around the roundabout at Trafalgar Square at a good 30mph, and turned
down Whitehall going straight through the red light, and straight into a
woman crossing the road.

"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 10 Oct 2004 15:41:27 GMT,
Alternatively you could consider to what extent the relative
seriousness of your pet hate and the homicidal bus driver might be

"Homicidal bus driver"???? All he did was block a cycle lane!

Nick Cooper wrote:

Yeah, well having seen speeding cyclists jumping reds at crossings and
coming within a hair's bredth of sending OAPs flying, I'll reserve
judgement on that one.


As has been said here before, very few here would condone that sort of
behaviour irrespective of the fact that your over dramatic description
seems to lead to very very few accidents and injuries every year


Indeed. Whinging cyclists should be aware that not all of their
bretheren are white-clad angels-on-wheels.


Were you making a point or just wanting an excuse for an attack?

Tony

Spicknspan wrote:

A few months ago I saw what this can lead to. A lycra clad cyclist went
flying around the roundabout at Trafalgar Square at a good 30mph, and turned
down Whitehall going straight through the red light, and straight into a
woman crossing the road.


It doesn't excuse bad behaviour like that but its interesting you have
to delve back several months to come up with an example, which, knowing
the complex junction to turn into Whitehall from Trafalgar Sq is rather
improbable. I am sure the London cycling contingent can give you daily
examples of cyclists becoming the victims of bad driving and pedestrians
stepping out without looking.

FWIW 30mph seems to be the norm for all traffic round other parts of
Trafalgar square when it gets the opportunity.

Tony

Spicknspan opined the following...
A few months ago I saw what this can lead to. A lycra clad cyclist went
flying around the roundabout at Trafalgar Square at a good 30mph, and turned
down Whitehall going straight through the red light, and straight into a
woman crossing the road.

And presumably both people survived. I'm not condoning the behaviour of
any cyclist who ignores the rules of the road, but a driver doing the
same thing (And they do) would have left the woman severly injured or
dead!

Jon

On 11/10/04 12:12 am, in article , "Nick
Cooper" wrote:


Indeed. Whinging cyclists should be aware that not all of their
bretheren are white-clad angels-on-wheels.

They are no more my brethren than they are yours. In the same way that
uk.r.c regard most bus drivers as good, well trained and competent
professionals who it is a pleasure to share the road with. There are always
a significant number of idiots in any form of transport who you don't want
to be associated with.

...d