Instant Karma

There are a lot of things that are illegal but we still do them crun

I eat mince pies on Christmas Day which is illegal in England

The A120 west of Marks Tey in Essex is an interesting case. It's a busy trunk route that carries a lot of freight to and from the docks at Harwich, but it is also a narrow single carriageway. There is enough room for cars to pass (just), but not for HGVs.

With a vehicle every 3.3 seconds on average, anyone cycling will collect a long tailback within a few moments. If they pull off to let the traffic pass there will be another queue forming as soon as the bike goes back onto the road, before they have even had time to start pedalling again.

The alternative to being 'inconsiderate' is to ride on the pavement, but that's illegal.

I wonder why cyclists think it is OK to take to the pavement because they feel unsafe on the road? It is still illegal to ride a bike on a footpath and they can and do present a problem for pedestrians. Is this perhaps an example of "occupying the moral high ground"? That is they think all facilities are there for them to use, if and when they choose.

That all sounds like a serious commitment to cycling Eloethan

I don't know where you live but there are some lovely cycle ways if you find you want to go down this path.

Thank you Anya. You're very courageous. I am such a wimp, I'm sure if I was knocked off a bike even once I'd be nervous to get on one again.

Both the bikes are in the back room at the moment awaiting a new secure "home" in the front garden (our house is terraced and my husband didn't want us trailing through the hall and kitchen to put them in the back garden. So, he's asked a builder who's done work for us before to construct some sort of bike shelter in the front. It requires digging out a couple of small trees. This bike project is becoming more complex and expensive!

Eloetha I took up cycling again in 2003 and did the Whitehaven to Sunderland Coast to Coast. I was 56 but hadn't cycled since I was 13-14 when I was knocked off my bike and broke a wrist.

I've kept it up, but avoid busy roads and try to use cycle paths where possible. I do occasionally take to the pavement if the traffic is heavy, and the pavement wide and uninhabited by pedestrians, but only because I've been knocked over twice in the last few years by motorists. The first time my bike was a write off.

I won a bike on GN and love to cycle to the allotment about 2-3 miles away and have found a route which is almost traffic free. I too despair of the odd cyclists (usually boys and young men) who disregard the rules of the road and terrorise pedestrians. They give us a bad name.

Best of luck.

Thanks for the encouragement Jane - I hope you're right.

Eloethan I started cycling again last year when I was 64. We hired bikes in Florida and cycled along cycling/pedestrian lanes there. I was extremely anxious about it, but managed fine.
It is expected that the cyclists are considerate of the pedestrians - you are supposed to shout out 'coming on your left' to warn them of your approach.

I've just got a bike here for my birthday. I love it. I'm a bit nervous on roads but can get to the shops without going on any busy ones. We've also been out with friends on quite country lanes for a pub lunch and that was great.

I'm sure you will enjoy it once you've had a bit of practice

We have just bought new bikes today. I haven't ridden a bike since I was about 12/13 and had difficulty just getting on and off the thing! I am really very nervous and won't cycle on the road. We want to get a rack for the car and go to somewhere where we can cycle off-road.

I'm wondering if I'm foolish at the age of 65 to embark on this - though I'm reasonably slim (well, not exactly slim but not noticeably fat) and fit (touch wood). Has anyone else taken up cycling again after such a long time - if so, was it a success and any tips?

I do agree that some cyclists are very inconsiderate. When we are walking on the canal tow paths they zoom up behind us and ring their bells at the very last minute, if at all. It's doubly dangerous if we've got our grandchildren or the dog with us on his lead.

There is a new, local parallel cycle and footpath near me but what was not considered when planning was that the footpath is used by the children going to school and they now have to cross the cycle path to get to the school gate. Why did they not arrange them the other way round??

So sorry about your sister Monica

Well MOnica, if I cycle to the shops instead of getting the car out, I do feel a slightly warm glow of virtue in that I have taken some exercise and I haven't polluted the atmosphere with my diesel fumes, but I still behave with courtesy to other road users, and I don't really think that's 'occupying the moral high ground'.

I do think there should be more safe provision for cyclists and pedestrians, to encourage people to use their cars less and to walk and cycle more, so that tragedies like your sister's death may be prevented.

I din't say I was irritated beyond measure with cyclists, at least not when they are on the road and cycling. I said I was irritated by their insistence on considering that by using a bycycle they were able to occupy some high moral ground that excludes all other road users.

I am very tender with cyclists when driving. My sister was killed when she was knocked off her bike as she cycled to work and I have been a cyclist myself, but, unlike so many cyclists never considered this made me any better than anyone else using the roads.

Please read posts properly before posting pithy responses.

I live near a cycle track and it is always busy with cyclists mostly young people and families. It's a lovely local resource with lots of trees and flowers.

The other day I entered the track through a designated opening and a cyclist nearly hit me. Our coats actually brushed against each other. I called out "my fault," but not sure that it was. Luckily no-one was hurt but I am very wary on the track now.

No wonder the death rate for cyclists is so high when people are 'irritated beyond measure' with cyclists.

"many cyclists are motorists as well"

Indeed. When motorists and cyclists get arguing they often forget that most cyclists drive a car, but far fewer motorists ride a bike. That has a profound effect on the balance of ignorance.

What irritates me beyond measure is the way cyclists, safe and unsafe, feel they occupy some high moral ground that makes all their sins excusable and, generally, above the law, whereas being a car owner and driver is a sign of moral turpitude that immediately puts you in the wrong. Despite the fact that many cyclists are motorists as well.

Instant Karma

Another impatient driver pushing past when there isn't room to pass safely.

I think it is a symptom of the selfishness of some people now, also their sense of entitlement. All about me, me, me and no thought for what others may be feeling.

This cyclist sounds like a careless/inconsiderate/irresponsible oaf.

Just to inject a sense of perspective though, there was just one pedestrian killed by a cyclist on the pavement between 2009 and 2013. During the same period, there was an average of 34 pedestrians a year killed by motorists driving on the pavement.

This probably goes some way to explaining the priorities with which manpower is allocated to the policing and enforcement of road safety.

Glad he was taken to task! I hope he learned a lesson from it, but I doubt it.

I didn't post this as an anti-cyclist message, like Anya says there are many safe, sensible cyclists who stick to the rules. I actually started to feel sorry for the cyclist as I drove away as there were several people shouting at him, but then I remembered the crying little girl and the fact he hadn't stopped.

I agree about aggressive and arrogant cyclists. I have a friend who was a demon with his umbrella poking in the wheel spokes when cyclists tried to sail through zebra crossings while pedestrians were on them. I have noticed, however, that where I live, shared cycle/pedestrian paths, which are quite separate from roads, seem to work very well. Perhaps that is because they are distanced from speeding cars and both users feel safer and more comfortable ?? and, thus, more considerate and courteous.

I'm a cyclist. Most of us do stick to the rules, but like children you only notice the 'naughty' ones. Those, the majority, who don't jump lights, cycling dangerously on pavements or yell abuse, hate the few who give us a bad name.

Well done that Dad.

I was almost run over yesterday he literally screeched to a halt.I said you need a loud bell.He rode off shouting that I needed a f-- hearing aid.I shouted back that I had two,but they were just the ordinary ones.