It's not just at traffic lights though, is it. It's riding 8 abreast through central London during rush hour, it's weaving suddenly in between moving cars, riding straight through pedestrians on a crossing, the list is pretty much endless. And every little thing that each cyclist does slows every bugger down. They are not the solution, they're a giant pain in the arse.
why can't we queue like everybody else? Should filtering be banned too? The cyclist thing is a safety issue, nothing more, nothing less. Saying that I'll filter into the box at the front from time to time.....bad Matthew :-(
Motorbikes aren't a problem, they're away as soon as the lights change and rarely hold up the traffic. Unfortunately if you give London cyclists a 10-second head start they'll be all over the road 20-abreast by the time you reach them. Cos they're cnuts like that.
Never said we were the problem...at current traffic levels, we are the solution. Maybe it's because I rarely ride during rush hour, but I don't think they'll be taking up the whole road if they were aloud a quick head start. Just my opinion thou.
I don't know where you ride Fig. When I commuted from Kennington to Oxford St, there barely were any cycles. Huge swathes of London are devoid of them, or there are just a few in the bus lanes. In the rush hour from Battersea, there would be quite a lot, but we were all in the bus lane, unless overtaking the bus. The end of Chelsea Bridge was a bit of a free for all, but after that, everyone was strung out in dribs and drabs, and once again, in the bus lane. I have never seen cyclists in a swarm 20 abreast backing up the traffic - but no doubt you will tell me where they are. You can still get a lot of cyclists in the space taken up by a few cars. Supposing they were all in tin boxes - what would congestion look like then? I also dispute your idea that all bicycles are slow away from the lights. I was a lot faster than many cars who would then get in my way. On a motorbike, of course, you are faster than everything. But most people aren't on bikes. Maybe you ought to get yourself on a bicycle - see how the others live.
Until they get knocked off. Then they'd give owt for a bit of meat on their bones Be lucky if bits 160 Andy far less than that 748r tagged bike of yours ;-)
Times have changed, Glidd, the buggers are everywhere now. There's a huge cycle superhighway along Embankment where you can ride three abreast easily, but you'll still have another three out on the road trying to overtake each other. Vauxhall Bridge is a bloody nightmare both sides (how loads of cyclists don't get killed on a daily basis south side is beyond me). Every single junction in London is swarming with them in rush hour. And now the Boris bikes are everywhere you have to battle with fuckwit foreigners weaving all over the roads all day too.
I've got to agree, there are a lot of very stupid, selfish cyclists on the road, but there are a lot of stupid, selfish car drivers and pedestrians too. It's not just a cyclist issue.
Nah, they're selfish people who just slow down the traffic for everybody else. I'd imagine far more CO2 is created by jams caused by cyclists than is prevented by them being on bikes.
he is in a cycle lane. He is entitled to move up ahead of the car and across the front. if the police were there, the Audi driver would have been nicked for moving beyond a solid white line at lights and into the safe area for the cycles. I have seen them do this to motorbike couriers. I don't think they would have been too impressed with the rate of acceleration away from the lights at such a busy junction and being so close the the cyclist. I cycled in London for a year. I shouted at quite a few people and thumped a view van sides before they had a chance to knock me off. london is full of wanker drivers. A few months ago, a guy overtook me at a junction, then slammed on his brakes to avoid going through a red light at a pedestrian crossing just beyond. I hit the horn, gave him the wanker gesture. It didn't make me feel any better. What brought a smile to my face was seeing one of Londons finest run over and tell him to pull over. Half hour later, I am parked up and going to the shop for some beer and he still has him there, chatting a away down his radio.....pissed myself laughing.
So you're walking down the road, someone suddenly stops and you bump into them. Do you walk up to their face, give the signal and scream WANKER to their face? What reaction would you get, smack in the chops maybe? If not, what makes it acceptable in a car? If they had got out and smacked you, you would deserve it.
