Motorist Rant...gotta get this off my chest

upthe19th

Sorry everyone but I've gotta get this off my chest.

Was out yesterday for a 20 mile spin on the bike. Lovely afternoon/evening for it and I was really looking forward to giving the legs a spin. It was an out and back cycle over the same 10 miles, 5 miles of country roads and 5 miles of the N25.

Back roads were uneventful as usual but the N25 main road was a circus and I do mean, a circus. Before I go any further it must be said that what I saw happened on a random friday evening, no bank holiday, over a 50 minute period.

Firstly I was on the main road about 10 minutes when a car with a trailer pulled out from a junction without stopping in front of me, so close that I had to pull the brakes and come to complete stop.

Next a car had to come to a near stop behind me in the hard shoulder to avoid an oncoming car dangerously overtaking.

But the the worst happened while returning back the main road. I'm right in on the hard shoulder. A tractor and trailer passed me and a van is overtaking it and the driver of the van is blowing the horn for all they're worth. I can't understand why until I see a silver passat emerge from the hard shoulder on the other side of road, overtaking the van, which is overtaking the tractor.

Speed vans, speeding fines, penalty points...forget it. Put these muppets on the side of the road walking, jogging, running, cycling and let them see what it feels like to have a car bearing down at speed.

Word to the wise...any fool can drive fast...the skill is stopping before its too late.

Rant over. Apologies again but I had to get that out of my system.

average_runner

upthe19th wrote: »

Sorry everyone but I've gotta get this off my chest.

Was out yesterday for a 20 mile spin on the bike. Lovely afternoon/evening for it and I was really looking forward to giving the legs a spin. It was an out and back cycle over the same 10 miles, 5 miles of country roads and 5 miles of the N25.

Back roads were uneventful as usual but the N25 main road was a circus and I do mean, a circus. Before I go any further it must be said that what I saw happened on a random friday evening, no bank holiday, over a 50 minute period.

Firstly I was on the main road about 10 minutes when a car with a trailer pulled out from a junction without stopping in front of me, so close that I had to pull the brakes and come to complete stop.

Next a car had to come to a near stop behind me in the hard shoulder to avoid an oncoming car dangerously overtaking.

But the the worst happened while returning back the main road. I'm right in on the hard shoulder. A tractor and trailer passed me and a van is overtaking it and the driver of the van is blowing the horn for all they're worth. I can't understand why until I see a silver passat emerge from the hard shoulder on the other side of road, overtaking the van, which is overtaking the tractor.

Speed vans, speeding fines, penalty points...forget it. Put these muppets on the side of the road walking, jogging, running, cycling and let them see what it feels like to have a car bearing down at speed.

Word to the wise...any fool can drive fast...the skill is stopping before its too late.

Rant over. Apologies again but I had to get that out of my system.

Thats the wexford to waterford rd? If so its acrazy road for iincidents.

Dilbert75

I was thinking about our conversation about this on Sunday UpThe19th when I heard about the poor unfortunate cyclist who was killed on the N30 yesterday (or the day before?). He was a member of a Tri club here in Wexford and was out for a cycle when he was hit by a 4wd. I'm not saying it was down to dangerous driving - because I don't know the circumstances - but cyclists are very vulnerable and if something goes wrong we're in the firing line.

thirstywork2

upthe19th wrote: »

Sorry everyone but I've gotta get this off my chest.

Was out yesterday for a 20 mile spin on the bike. Lovely afternoon/evening for it and I was really looking forward to giving the legs a spin. It was an out and back cycle over the same 10 miles, 5 miles of country roads and 5 miles of the N25.

Back roads were uneventful as usual but the N25 main road was a circus and I do mean, a circus. Before I go any further it must be said that what I saw happened on a random friday evening, no bank holiday, over a 50 minute period.

Firstly I was on the main road about 10 minutes when a car with a trailer pulled out from a junction without stopping in front of me, so close that I had to pull the brakes and come to complete stop.

Next a car had to come to a near stop behind me in the hard shoulder to avoid an oncoming car dangerously overtaking.

But the the worst happened while returning back the main road. I'm right in on the hard shoulder. A tractor and trailer passed me and a van is overtaking it and the driver of the van is blowing the horn for all they're worth. I can't understand why until I see a silver passat emerge from the hard shoulder on the other side of road, overtaking the van, which is overtaking the tractor.

Speed vans, speeding fines, penalty points...forget it. Put these muppets on the side of the road walking, jogging, running, cycling and let them see what it feels like to have a car bearing down at speed.

Word to the wise...any fool can drive fast...the skill is stopping before its too late.

Rant over. Apologies again but I had to get that out of my system.

Should this not be in the cycling forum?

menoscemo

thirstywork2 wrote: »

Should this not be in the cycling forum?

No cos then he would have to translate it all into KMs

Dilbert75

thirstywork2 wrote: »

Should this not be in the cycling forum?

Lots of runners cycle too!

myflipflops

Dilbert75 wrote: »

Lots of runners cycle too!

Lots of motorists cycle too. I would not recommend posting this in the motoring forum.

upthe19th

thirstywork2 wrote: »

Should this not be in the cycling forum?

TBH I'm a runner, first and foremost. I use the cycling for cross training days. I just happened to be cycling at the time, if i'd been running, I'd have posted it too.

I've noticed that I drive much slower since I took up running, definitely because I've had few close ones with cars on back roads.

I just reckoned that if people saw what it was like from the perspective of the person on the side of the road, they'd realise what they were doing was dangerous.

You can get a bit complacent in a car - radio on, heaters on, etc.

Just my 2 cents worth...

sconhome

upthe19th wrote: »

TBH I'm a runner, first and foremost. I use the cycling for cross training days. I just happened to be cycling at the time, if i'd been running, I'd have posted it too.

I've noticed that I drive much slower since I took up running, definitely because I've had few close ones with cars on back roads.

I just reckoned that if people saw what it was like from the perspective of the person on the side of the road, they'd realise what they were doing was dangerous.

You can get a bit complacent in a car - radio on, heaters on, etc.

Just my 2 cents worth...

The danger is the people in cars with no experience of running or cycling who view us all as nuisances on the road, which they pay for with their 'road tax' :rolleyes:

If you have ever read the rants on other fora you would wonder what happens to people when they get into cars.

barkar

LOL I remember pay the old road tax routine threatenned at me before , cycling through a village, turned up left a street behind a big jeep , the jeep stopped in the middle of the road , i was relatively inexperienced with clip pedals , but managed to break and pass him, gave him a look of disbelief , was out the road a half a mile when he passed me again and stopped which presumably was the entrance to his big house and he accosted me "had i problem , i pay my road tax, i can park anywhere blah blah blah"
Wonderful citizen.....

cjt156

amphkingwest wrote: »

If you have ever read the rants on other fora you would wonder what happens to some people when they get into cars, or running shoes, or lycra...

An a$$hole is an a$$hole, no matter the mode of transport.

I drive, swim, cycle, run and walk my dog (simultaneously at times!). I've probably bitched about, and been bitched about by, people who do one or more of the same at one time or another.