Why do people hate cyclists?

[Eldron]

As The Offspring once said "it's cool to hate".

 

Start any thread anywhere hating something and you'll have a gazillion people adding how they hate it too.

 

Drive on the roads, go shopping, hang out in the mall - everyone seems to have a fuse shorter than a chinese willy*

 

*this is a joke - please don't tell me I hate chinese people cos I don't. Much. They're ok. But eat strange sh!t.

[Nancy Drew]

As The Offspring once said "it's cool to hate".

 

Start any thread anywhere hating something and you'll have a gazillion people adding how they hate it too.

 

Drive on the roads' date=' go shopping, hang out in the mall - everyone seems to have a fuse shorter than a chinese willy*

 

*this is a joke - please don't tell me I hate chinese people cos I don't. Much. They're ok. But eat strange sh!t.

[/quote']

 

 

aaahh D, the hub wouldn't be the same without your humour...

 

 

[Beebster]

Shoe, verstaan jy? 

[AndreZA]

Ghandi once said that a society can be judged by the way it treats its weakest members.

 

 

 

clearly he has never watched survivor.

[quinton]

It is because your bicycle cost your more than their car did 

[Bram_on_Madone]

In The Netherlands' date=' the motorist is assumed to be liable for any collision between itself and a cyclist.

In SA, you have to be killed for the authorities to take notice.

[/quote']

 

Agree that our legislation needs to be ammended!

[Danger Dassie]

Heres a good article for perspective .... http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/01/news/a-reporters-notebook-sentencing-dr-thompson_102284

 

Quote: "It?s relief that justice was served but there?s no winner no net gain from this. Everybody involved has lost. It?s sad, across the board. The only good that can come of this is if drivers and cyclists look at this as a wakeup call and respect each other; that?s the one minute bit of good.?

[DesertConvert]

 

 

 

People hate cyclists because we disobey the rules of the road' date=' this is not rocket science.[/quote']

 

I would have to agree...as a laaitie I was tought that cyclists should cycle behind one another, and not abreast of one another. I can only imagine that this 'arcane' rule(be it a law or not - I'm not a lawyer) is intented to protect cyclists and not there to spoil our fun. Granted, group training is neigh on impossible if cycling in single file, but then we must accept that motorists(although legally obliged to look out for cyclists) are going to hoot and swear at us if we hold up traffic.

 

On top of that we love to 'bend' the rules, and this applies to cyclists and motorists.

 

[GoLefty!!]

In 1994 I had a similar accident. An unlicensed driver rsiding in Constantia decided to teach cyclists a lesson and while out on a training ride he pulled in front of me, slammed on the brake and hit the back of his car, went over the rear window (thankfully) and bounced into th road in front of him. He then tried to drive over me but the other riders where blocking his way.

 

A case was laid and nothing ever came of it because the officer in Kirstenhof was and the drivers father were acquainted.

 

My bike was wrecked and I had medical bills that took 4 years to pay off. not a cent out of 3rd party and not a cent from the driver. In fact his words were "you fu**ing hotnotte don;t belong on our roads and you will never see a cent from me"

 

the case disappeared...

 

This was February 1994, two months later we had a new government and vok*** has changed for cyclists on SA roads despite our representing bodies claiming they are working on making things better.

16yrs of zero progress.

 

[Roders]

people hate cyclists because a lot of the time we behave like inconsiderate tjops on the road/trail... we are our own worst enemy

 

the general tone of the responses on this thread also highlights this... instead of trying to understand the reasoning of a 35000 strong group on FB' date=' we immediately become defensive, citing jealousy as their motivator

 

 

 

 

[/quote']

 

Takes a woman to see the situation for what it is, and not just respond with agression.

You have hit the nail smack on the head & I would go so far as to say we are wrong most of the time!

There's a thread on the motoring forum again on the same subject & frankly I kinda agree with them.

There is no short term solution or quick fix, but untill cyclists as a whole change their attitude the problem will only perpetuate as more & more of us take to the roads.

[Bram_on_Madone]

 

Takes a woman to see the situation for what it is, and not just respond with agression.

 

 

There was no aggresion in my response eventhough I am not a woman.  Implying that you have better judgement just because you are a woman is a collectivistic idiosyncrasy.

 

You have hit the nail smack on the head & I would go so far as to say we are wrong most of the time!

There's a thread on the motoring forum again on the same subject & frankly I kinda agree with them.

There is no short term solution or quick fix, but untill cyclists as a whole change their attitude the problem will only perpetuate as more & more of us take to the roads.

 

Cyclists as a whole will never change their attitudes, as individual people and not collectives have attitudes.  Only through sensible legislation, education, adequate resourcing and enforcement, can we hopefully increase the generally level of adherence to the law over time.

[Danger Dassie]

people hate cyclists because a lot of the time we behave like inconsiderate tjops on the road/trail... we are our own worst enemy

 

the general tone of the responses on this thread also highlights this... instead of trying to understand the reasoning of a 35000 strong group on FB' date=' we immediately become defensive, citing jealousy as their motivator

 

 

 

 

[/quote']

 

Takes a woman to see the situation for what it is, and not just respond with agression.

You have hit the nail smack on the head & I would go so far as to say we are wrong most of the time!

There's a thread on the motoring forum again on the same subject & frankly I kinda agree with them.

There is no short term solution or quick fix, but untill cyclists as a whole change their attitude the problem will only perpetuate as more & more of us take to the roads.

 

I disagree, it's an attitude problem on all fronts. Two wheels, four wheels, one wheel or a pair of feet. People on the roads in general are absolutely intolerant and aggro towards one another.

To indicate that one group is more at fault than another is not pro-active imho.

 

Read the article I posted a link to, makes an interesting and valid point.

[Bram_on_Madone]

 

[...] People on the roads in general are absolutely intolerant and aggro towards one another [...]

 

Completely agree!!

Feltrider2010-01-11 09:37:21

[Roders]

 

Takes a woman to see the situation for what it is' date=' and not just respond with agression.

 

[/quote']

 

There was no aggresion in my response eventhough I am not a woman.  Implying that you have better judgement just because you are a woman is a collectivistic idiosyncrasy.

 

You have hit the nail smack on the head & I would go so far as to say we are wrong most of the time!

There's a thread on the motoring forum again on the same subject & frankly I kinda agree with them.

There is no short term solution or quick fix, but untill cyclists as a whole change their attitude the problem will only perpetuate as more & more of us take to the roads.

 

Cyclists as a whole will never change their attitudes, as individual people and not collectives have attitudes.  Only through sensible legislation, education, adequate resourcing and enforcement, can we hopefully increase the generally level of adherence to the law over time.

My My we are touchy, I never singled you out as being aggressive, Nancy Drew's calmer answer to what was being said in this thread just made more sense to me. Woman, to me, generally have a much less aggressive reaction to such situations, sorry just my opinion.

[Brakkies Sport Fotos]

If you read the Hub, you regurly read how cyclist pointed out other cyclist who dont keep up to the Road Act. Act like arseholes when on a bicycle etc.

 

 

 

Do you think motorist see something else?

 

 

 

 

[Bram_on_Madone]

My My we are touchy, I never singled you out as being aggressive, Nancy Drew's calmer answer to what was being said in this thread just made more sense to me. Woman, to me, generally have a much less aggressive reaction to such situations, sorry just my opinion.

 

I agree that Nancy made a sensible comment.  I just don't believe in collectives - so I think her sensible comment is as a result of her being a sensible person not because she happens to be a woman.  But not offence taken - your entitled to your opinion as I am to mine.