Twat on a bike!

26 Sep 2006

I'm not referring to all cyclists , God forbid! :P
We all must have seen one though. I saw this recently:
I was driving on the A14 between Huntingdon and Cambridge (one of the most notoriously dangerous trunk roads in the country with a terrible accident record). Three lanes of traffic in each direction, cars and trucks thundering along. Suddenly everyone's brake lights are coming on as anchors are applied big time.
What the f**k flashes through my mind as I try to halt 26 tons of steel in a nanosecond! :shock: :shock: :shock:
It turns out to be a twat on a cycle, towing a little trailer behind her with a metal disc on an arm sticking out at a right angle from the rear of her bike. It seems to be saying "This is MY space so feck off".
Blimey!! :shock: There she is cycling blithely along, seemingly oblivious to everything else on the road, in her own little world of make believe, maybe enjoying her 15 minutes of fame dunno

........making everyone else dance to her tune rolleyes

:roll: :roll:
Of course she had every right to be there legally but was she really behaving responsibly? She almost caused a major pile up.
Is that reckless or what?
What's your take on her? Have you seen her?
:rascal: :rascal:

26 Sep 2006

You haven't said she was actually doing anything wrong apart from being on the road confused

Maybe if the other drivers had taken a little more care and attention, they would not have had to brake so hard when they eventually noticed her? :?
As you say, she had every right to be there, so where is the problem? dunno

Oh and the little discs of metal are usually reflectors - so drivers can see them in bad light and give them a little more room ;-)
TJ

26 Sep 2006

as long as its a road that bikes are allowed on then,,,,,Just as much right to be there as any car or truck

26 Sep 2006

First rule of motorcycling, ride in the gutter & you give all & sundry an open invite to tear round you like twats.
If they have to put themselves at risk to undertake the manouver they might at least think about what theyre doing.

26 Sep 2006

Quote by RedHot
You haven't said she was actually doing anything wrong apart from being on the road
Maybe if the other drivers had taken a little more care and attention, they would not have had to brake so hard when they eventually noticed her? :?
As you say, she had every right to be there, so where is the problem?

Yes, she had every right to be there (under the present Road Traffic Regs) but was she really being responsible or sensible in doing so, given the nature of the environment she was in? The problem really was that she was on the nearside of the road (of course) and the trucks couldn't see her until the last minute because she was masked from view by the back of the truck in front so it meant they were having to suddenly swerve to avoid her, thereby creating a knock on effect which potentially could have been disastrous. She just struck me as having an 'attitude' which came across as confrontational. Who knows? Tell you what though.......if she makes a habit of it she's living dangerously IMO.
You'd be suprised (unless you've driven a truck) how, even when you leave a safe braking distance between you and the truck in front, your forward vision of some obstruction ahead like that is masked until very late in the day. That can be compounded by someone who's too close to the one in front so has to swerve at the last second as they come into their vision. That obviously exaggerates eveyon'e reactions. Maybe that's what kicked off this chain reaction. :dunno:

26 Sep 2006

sorry eager but no sympathy here from me for you on this one.......
maybe her attitude was right........ she was getting on with it........doing her thing
nowt personal, but your still thinking about it and it was hours ago ......

26 Sep 2006

Quote by DeeCee
sorry eager but no sympathy here from me for you on this one.......
maybe her attitude was right........ she was getting on with it........doing her thing
nowt personal, but your still thinking about it and it was hours ago ......

:lol: :lol: At least I'm still alive. dunno

if she is!
:grin:

26 Sep 2006

My PERSONAL view is that in this sort of situation truck drivers seem to think they own the road and all other legal users are in the way. If we all drive defensively then there shouldn't be a problem.
Why do truck drivers insist on overtaking on a slight incline at slow miles an hour and take up to 5 miles to do it, causing horrendous tailbacks on dual carriageways especially (A1 in my case) and then pull back in behind cos they can't get past? Now THAT'S irresponsible and selfish.
End of PERSONAL mode.
cool

26 Sep 2006

Know the feeling eager, yes she had the right to be there, but i agree you will have difficulty seeing her. It's just the same when driving Landrovers, especialy the Forward control.
I think it's just a case of common sense, I personaly do cycle and my common sense would be don't cycle on a road like the A14

26 Sep 2006

Quote by Jags
My PERSONAL view is that in this sort of situation truck drivers seem to think they own the road and all other legal users are in the way. If we all drive defensively then there shouldn't be a problem.
Why do truck drivers insist on overtaking on a slight incline at slow miles an hour and take up to 5 miles to do it, causing horrendous tailbacks on dual carriageways especially (A1 in my case) and then pull back in behind cos they can't get past? Now THAT'S irresponsible and selfish.
End of PERSONAL mode.

Can we keep to the topic please? rolleyes

:roll:

26 Sep 2006

Cyclists do have as much right on the road as anyone else but IMHO I think they should be made to take a test before being allowed on certain roads. Any Tom, Dick or Harry can get on a cycle at any time & cause mayhem on the roads causing untold amount of accidents.

Quote by Jags
Why do truck drivers insist on overtaking on a slight incline at slow miles an hour and take up to 5 miles to do it, causing horrendous tailbacks on dual carriageways especially (A1 in my case) and then pull back in behind cos they can't get past? Now THAT'S irresponsible and selfish.
End of PERSONAL mode.

If the vehicle on the inside lane is doing 35mph & the truck behind is doing 40mph they need to overtake & maintain momentum, however the weight inside the truck/tank can then cause the vehicle to loose speed hence the time it takes for them to overtake (correct me if I'm wrong here ES)
biggrin

26 Sep 2006

Quote by lilacgem
Cyclists do have as much right on the road as anyone else but IMHO I think they should be made to take a test before being allowed on certain roads. Any Tom, Dick or Harry can get on a cycle at any time & cause mayhem on the roads causing untold amount of accidents.

Why do truck drivers insist on overtaking on a slight incline at slow miles an hour and take up to 5 miles to do it, causing horrendous tailbacks on dual carriageways especially (A1 in my case) and then pull back in behind cos they can't get past? Now THAT'S irresponsible and selfish.
End of PERSONAL mode.

If the vehicle on the inside lane is doing 35mph & the truck behind is doing 40mph they need to overtake & maintain momentum, however the weight inside the truck/tank can then cause the vehicle to loose speed hence the time it takes for them to overtake (correct me if I'm wrong here ES)
biggrin

Nope..........you're absolutely right and when we lose momentum inevitably it causes delays for all involved, cars as well as trucks. We all have to learn to share the roads together and have a bit of consideration for each other! :thumbup:

26 Sep 2006

from you original post eager......the way that I see the situation is that the cyclist was doing nothing wrong but that possibly other drivers failed to notice her in advance and so were caused to break sharply causing you to do the same and possibly causing a tailback as a result........fixed speed cameras etc also cause the same effect.....
i think though this thread could become an interesting one that actually educates people.......I have recently learn a lot about driving since sheddy has gone back to driving......
whislt he will admit that I am generally a good driver he has pointed out to me that.....one of my main faults is braking in front of truck drivers.........now due to the fact that the biggest car I had driver regularly before was a ford galaxy, I never thought about how much time it would take a loaded truck to regain speed and therefore now take this into consideratrion whilst driving.
as a total aside (but hopefully a piece of good advice).........we were talking the other day because I've been stuggling whist driving and had a few panic attacks on the motorway were I was very close to stopping on the hard shoulder.........his response was not to stop on the hard shoulder unless I really needed to and to try my best to get to the next junction to find somewhere safe to pul;l up........to be honest whilst I'd always known that you should get out of you car if you were on the hard shoulder I never fully understood why, but after discussing it I realised that it's soo easy for a truck to hit you whilst sat there.......after that conversation I will always make sure I have a warm coat in the car (with a hood) just in case and I hope everyone else here does the same........
I'll stop rambling now....... biggrin

26 Sep 2006

Quote by lilacgem
Cyclists do have as much right on the road as anyone else but IMHO I think they should be made to take a test before being allowed on certain roads. Any Tom, Dick or Harry can get on a cycle at any time & cause mayhem on the roads causing untold amount of accidents.

Why do truck drivers insist on overtaking on a slight incline at slow miles an hour and take up to 5 miles to do it, causing horrendous tailbacks on dual carriageways especially (A1 in my case) and then pull back in behind cos they can't get past? Now THAT'S irresponsible and selfish.
End of PERSONAL mode.

If the vehicle on the inside lane is doing 35mph & the truck behind is doing 40mph they need to overtake & maintain momentum, however the weight inside the truck/tank can then cause the vehicle to loose speed hence the time it takes for them to overtake (correct me if I'm wrong here ES)
biggrin

And they don't KNOW that??? :shock:
As a non-truck driver I could have told you that!
8-)

26 Sep 2006

Quote by Jags
Cyclists do have as much right on the road as anyone else but IMHO I think they should be made to take a test before being allowed on certain roads. Any Tom, Dick or Harry can get on a cycle at any time & cause mayhem on the roads causing untold amount of accidents.

Why do truck drivers insist on overtaking on a slight incline at slow miles an hour and take up to 5 miles to do it, causing horrendous tailbacks on dual carriageways especially (A1 in my case) and then pull back in behind cos they can't get past? Now THAT'S irresponsible and selfish.
End of PERSONAL mode.

If the vehicle on the inside lane is doing 35mph & the truck behind is doing 40mph they need to overtake & maintain momentum, however the weight inside the truck/tank can then cause the vehicle to loose speed hence the time it takes for them to overtake (correct me if I'm wrong here ES)
biggrin

And they don't KNOW that??? :shock:
As a non-truck driver I could have told you that!
8-)
Yes they do know that, I seem to be missing your point now dunno

26 Sep 2006

Quote by EagerSlut
Nope..........you're absolutely right and when we lose momentum inevitably it causes delays for all involved, cars as well as trucks. We all have to learn to share the roads together and have a bit of consideration for each other! :thumbup:

Works both ways!
I have encountered some wonderful truck drivers as well as some atrocious ones, ditto with car drivers and ditto again for some cyclist. In fact I encountered an electric wheelchair user (on Saturday just gone) trundling up the left hand side of the A19 from Middlesbrough upwards. If'd had a number to phone the police other than the emergency one I would have made that call and even comtemplated ringing the emergency number for a brief time.
It's not the vehicle, it's the driver behind the wheel. Twats are everywhere and come in all colours, sizes and creeds. Consideration is what's in short supply. Bigger isn't mightier.
*again a personal opinion in case anyone thinks otherwise*

26 Sep 2006

Quote by lilacgem
Cyclists do have as much right on the road as anyone else but IMHO I think they should be made to take a test before being allowed on certain roads. Any Tom, Dick or Harry can get on a cycle at any time & cause mayhem on the roads causing untold amount of accidents.

Why do truck drivers insist on overtaking on a slight incline at slow miles an hour and take up to 5 miles to do it, causing horrendous tailbacks on dual carriageways especially (A1 in my case) and then pull back in behind cos they can't get past? Now THAT'S irresponsible and selfish.
End of PERSONAL mode.

If the vehicle on the inside lane is doing 35mph & the truck behind is doing 40mph they need to overtake & maintain momentum, however the weight inside the truck/tank can then cause the vehicle to loose speed hence the time it takes for them to overtake (correct me if I'm wrong here ES)
biggrin

And they don't KNOW that??? :shock:
As a non-truck driver I could have told you that!
8-)
Yes they do know that, I seem to be missing your point now dunno

Point is.... if they DO know it then why do they do it??? Might as well just keep behind and not bother. All those miles for nothing??? All that lack of consideration for nothing??? All those logjams for nothing???
:dunno:

26 Sep 2006

Quote by Jags
Twats are everywhere and come in all colours, sizes and creeds. Consideration is what's in short supply. Bigger isn't mightier.]

thats worth a snog in my book........

26 Sep 2006

Quote by DeeCee
Twats are everywhere and come in all colours, sizes and creeds. Consideration is what's in short supply. Bigger isn't mightier.]

thats worth a snog in my book........
passionkiss

assionkiss:
redface

26 Sep 2006

Quote by Jags
Cyclists do have as much right on the road as anyone else but IMHO I think they should be made to take a test before being allowed on certain roads. Any Tom, Dick or Harry can get on a cycle at any time & cause mayhem on the roads causing untold amount of accidents.

Why do truck drivers insist on overtaking on a slight incline at slow miles an hour and take up to 5 miles to do it, causing horrendous tailbacks on dual carriageways especially (A1 in my case) and then pull back in behind cos they can't get past? Now THAT'S irresponsible and selfish.
End of PERSONAL mode.

If the vehicle on the inside lane is doing 35mph & the truck behind is doing 40mph they need to overtake & maintain momentum, however the weight inside the truck/tank can then cause the vehicle to loose speed hence the time it takes for them to overtake (correct me if I'm wrong here ES)
biggrin

And they don't KNOW that??? :shock:
As a non-truck driver I could have told you that!
8-)
Yes they do know that, I seem to be missing your point now dunno

Point is.... if they DO know it then why do they do it??? Might as well just keep behind and not bother. All those miles for nothing??? All that lack of consideration for nothing??? All those logjams for nothing???
:dunno:
If they reduce their speed to stay behind the slower truck, as the weight of their truck causes them to loose momentum they then end up perhaps doing 25mph & taking them a lot longer to regain momentum.
"]

Quote by EagerSlut
Nope..........you're absolutely right and when we lose momentum inevitably it causes delays for all involved, cars as well as trucks. We all have to learn to share the roads together and have a bit of consideration for each other! :thumbup:

26 Sep 2006

Quote by EagerSlut
She just struck me as having an 'attitude' which came across as confrontational.

Pots and kettle here IMO. Maybe her attiutude was in retaliation to that which she was plainly receiving from some of the drivers out there? :undecided:

Quote by EagerSlut
You'd be suprised (unless you've driven a truck) how, even when you leave a safe braking distance between you and the truck in front, your forward vision of some obstruction ahead like that is masked until very late in the day. That can be compounded by someone who's too close to the one in front so has to swerve at the last second as they come into their vision. That obviously exaggerates eveyon'e reactions. Maybe that's what kicked off this chain reaction.

I have and at a guess, I would say that is exactly what went on, as I pointed out in my first post confused

TJ

26 Sep 2006

Quote by lilacgem
If they reduce their speed to stay behind the slower truck, as the weight of their truck causes them to loose momentum they then end up perhaps doing 25mph & taking them a lot longer to regain momentum.

Yep.. and your point is??

26 Sep 2006

Quote by Jags
Twats are everywhere and come in all colours, sizes and creeds. Consideration is what's in short supply. Bigger isn't mightier.]

thats worth a snog in my book........
passionkiss

assionkiss:
redface

no need to blush jags.........
or does that emoticon also mean a hot flush.........???

26 Sep 2006

Quote by DeeCee
Twats are everywhere and come in all colours, sizes and creeds. Consideration is what's in short supply. Bigger isn't mightier.]

thats worth a snog in my book........
passionkiss

assionkiss:
redface

no need to blush jags.........
or does that emoticon also mean a hot flush.........???
:haha: :haha: No it means I don't often snog people I haven't been introduced too... have been known to in the heat of alcohol but it's not my 'usual' behaviour. However, the urge overtook me!! Fancy another one??
wink

26 Sep 2006

Quote by Jags

If they reduce their speed to stay behind the slower truck, as the weight of their truck causes them to loose momentum they then end up perhaps doing 25mph & taking them a lot longer to regain momentum.

Yep.. and your point is??
"]

Quote by EagerSlut
Nope..........you're absolutely right and when we lose momentum inevitably it causes delays for all involved, cars as well as trucks. We all have to learn to share the roads together and have a bit of consideration for each other! :thumbup:

26 Sep 2006

OH... and another thing...who give motor car drivers any training on dealing with motorway driving or dual carriageway driving other than the standard driving test? Training???
Don't get the impression that I think ALL other road users are rubbish. I don't. SOME truck drivers are arrogant to the point of danger. SOME car drivers are arrogant to the point of danger. SOME cylclists are stupid to the point of danger. We have to sharethe road - live with it.
cool

26 Sep 2006

Cyclists have every right for sure..... to be fair though some do take the mick a bit.... how many ride on the road the pavements then like said stick silly little trailers on the back same of these with children and babies in. Now forgive me if I'm wrong that is wrong lol.. If a child isn't safe (according to our wonderful government) in a car with airbags and seatbelts and now booster seats and the like with a qualified driver (assuming of coarse) what chance has a child got in a bit of plastic covered reflective pram with any fool peddling with probably no road sense at all??
Anyone mention caravans??
Mike x

26 Sep 2006

I can hear the melodic tones of 'Convoy' starting up now. All we need is Sheddy to drive his 30 tonner (now I made that one up!) right into the heart of this thread for it to be complete. Do he know which way he's going yet??? North? South??
lol

:lol:

26 Sep 2006

10-4 rubber duck

26 Sep 2006

Quote by Jags
I can hear the melodic tones of 'Convoy' starting up now.
:lol:

*they even had a Bear in the Air*
whats that all about?
Im with the cyclists biggrin

.. until I learn to drive :twisted:
LP
londonpetrolthing