Slow cyclists who break the lights

fishtastico

Firstly, I am in no way having a go at slow cyclists; it's great to see everyone out enjoying the roads. However, when cycling into Dublin city I'm constantly having to overtake the same cyclists who keep breaking the bloody lights.

Also, slow cyclists who stop at the lights, but "skip the queue" perplex me. If there are 10 people waiting to move off on green, and 7 are going faster than you, why would you try to pass everyone out while they're stopped??

Sorry, just had to vent, but if anyone has any insight into this, I'd like to understand.

Idleater

I had a slow cyclist watch me approach, and then cross a 3 lane junction (breaking his red light) causing me to have to cycle around him. Needless to say I gave him an earful about it.

fishtastico

Idleater wrote: »

I had a slow cyclist watch me approach, and then cross a 3 lane junction (breaking his red light) causing me to have to cycle around him. Needless to say I gave him an earful about it.

Hah, I only meant speed-wise, but that does sound pretty slow!

adamski8

They are probably they same people who drive at 80km/hr no matter where they are. Just in their own world and dont care.

endacl

Jeez, we're really refining the argument now! Even the cyclists are having a go at cyclists...

I think the same standard answer applies here as in all the other threads on bad cycling, spread across many forums.

Isn't it a pain in the bum when you're out using the road legally, correctly and safely, and you see somebody who is using it illegally, incorrectly, and unsafely?

Well, yes it is. But does it really need another thread?

Jawgap

fishtastico wrote: »

..........

Also, slow cyclists who stop at the lights, but "skip the queue" perplex me. If there are 10 people waiting to move off on green, and 7 are going faster than you, why would you try to pass everyone out while they're stopped??

Sorry, just had to vent, but if anyone has any insight into this, I'd like to understand.

......also known as shoaling........

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.ie/2009/10/indignity-of-commuting-by-bicycle.html

fishtastico

Jawgap wrote: »

......also known as shoaling........

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.ie/2009/10/indignity-of-commuting-by-bicycle.html

Never heard of that one. Cheers!

Wishbone Ash

fishtastico wrote: »

slow cyclists who stop at the lights, but "skip the queue" perplex me

.....and then they're usually in the wrong gear for take off and swerve all over the place when you're trying to pass them.

rp

Yeah, it's bizarre alright, they seem to exist in a world of their own, and if you were to challenge them, they'd be surprised, wouldn't know they'd done anything wrong. I just treat them like one more of a million hazards out there, I'm not a traffic cop nor do I want to be one, and in a way, they are kind of right, they represent an aspiration for a more perfect world where you can just ride along without a care. I wish.

Alanstrainor

rp wrote: »

Yeah, it's bizarre alright, they seem to exist in a world of their own, ...

Spot on. I let them crawl past me and fly through a set of lights, and then annihilate them when I get the chance:P

Wishbone Ash

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Spot on. I let them crawl past me and fly through a set of lights, and then annihilate them when I get the chance:P

I have to admit that there's a certain smugness to be experienced by obeying the lights and still getting to a destination quicker than those who don't.

endacl

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I have to admit that there's a certain smugness to be experienced by obeying the lights and still getting to a destination quicker than those who don't.

Inbox

These are the people who when driving a car pull out in front of you even though they saw you driving up, then drive at 25kmh and when the lights start to change and go orange, you have to brake but they coast through the junction neither accelerating nor braking :mad::mad::mad::D

I find these particular cyclists are most likely to use their shoes to stop the bike as their brakes are pants.

enas

fishtastico wrote: »

Firstly, I am in no way having a go at slow cyclists; it's great to see everyone out enjoying the roads. However, when cycling into Dublin city I'm constantly having to overtake the same cyclists who keep breaking the bloody lights.

Why does that even bother you? If I see a cyclist break a red light, that's his own problem, not mine. What if I'm overtaking him soon after the light turns green?

el tel

fishtastico wrote: »

Also, slow cyclists who stop at the lights, but "skip the queue" perplex me. If there are 10 people waiting to move off on green, and 7 are going faster than you, why would you try to pass everyone out while they're stopped??

Sorry, just had to vent, but if anyone has any insight into this, I'd like to understand.

All I know is there was a woman on here a few months ago who was perplexed at people who were perplexed at slow queue skippers. I think I might have used the term 'old biddy' and I got reported and received a warning so I think I'll keep my bake shut on this one :pac:

DirkVoodoo

The worst are the ones who undertake between you and the curb just as the lights go green, that's happened once or twice and surprised me. Could be dangerous.

enas

enas wrote: »

Why does that even bother you? If I see a cyclist break a red light, that's his own problem, not mine. What if I'm overtaking him soon after the light turns green?

A lot of the frustration is that you can't overtake due to space limitations - you're then stuck behind the slow cyclist who you have already overtaken.

Keep_Her_Lit

Spare a thought for those poor RLJ'ers who aren't merely slow but seriously dense into the bargain. You know, the ones who only realise when they're half way across the junction that they can't actually make it to other side because of oncoming traffic. So they grind to a halt, foot down, and glance sheepishly over each shoulder, waiting for their little ordeal to end. I've encouraged them occasionally by roaring "G'wan, yer grand. Keep going. Don't worry, they'll stop for you, honest".

The only ones that I find annoying, as opposed to entertaining, are those with a small child on board. A couple of times along the canal, "Dad" has broken his set of lights to make a casual left turn onto the cycle lane without a care in the world as to who might be using it at the time, how close they might be or what speed they might be travelling at. Don't worry, "Dad", I'll do the thinking for both of us and take whatever action is necessary to ensure that your offspring remains unharmed. You just roll over there and go back to sleep. :rolleyes:

enas

Dónal wrote: »

A lot of the frustration is that you can't overtake due to space limitations - you're then stuck behind the slow cyclist who you have already overtaken.

Well, that must be another one of those problems you have in the capital that I don't have in Cork. I can't imagine how limited space should be to make it hard for a cyclist to overtake another cyclist! Thankfully that never happens to me.

dom17

i had a guy break a red from a side street in peak hour on the rock rd and pull out in front of me , what made me mad was he had a young child on the back of the bike, i thought you kn*b you want to take your life in your own hands fine but do it on your own, gave him my thoughts as i passed him.
As for the op drives me mad too, but thats part of cycling in the city just grin and bear it, sometimes the view is better from behind , i see you baby

irishmotorist

We all encounter these every day, but put the shoe on the other foot. The RLJer is probably fuming that you 'speed' past them when you know full well that they will pass you at the next set of lights.

nomdeboardie

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

The worst are the ones who undertake between you and the curb just as the lights go green, that's happened once or twice and surprised me. Could be dangerous.

Ha - saved me hving to type that!

Sinister Shoalers
(from Latin sinestra (“left hand”))

*Fantasises about hooking tripwire to pole at junction while waiting* :rolleyes:

Harrybelafonte

enas wrote: »

Well, that must be another one of those problems you have in the capital that I don't have in Cork. I can't imagine how limited space should be to make it hard for a cyclist to overtake another cyclist! Thankfully that never happens to me.

In fairness, this isn't an exaggeration. Take the O'Connell bridge end of O'Connell Street. There's a bollarded cycle lane coming up to the lights to cross the bridge. If you stop at the line and someone comes past you and a bus is sitting in the lane on your right, you're basically stuck if the queue jumper is slow. There are about 5 different bus stops for the next 500m so you have to watch where the bus is going etc. Whereas if you were at the front, you'd probably be on the bridge before the bus had managed to start moving.

Seaswimmer

Isint it great that the number of cyclists is growing so that we are seeing these kind of problems.

The more of us the better...

Who remembers Critical Mass??

CramCycle

enas wrote: »

Why does that even bother you? If I see a cyclist break a red light, that's his own problem, not mine. What if I'm overtaking him soon after the light turns green?

It annoys me for two main reasons, first and most importantly, that person is the reason why a large population of motorised traffic tends to think of ALL cyclists as irritations that break the rules of the road and have no consideration for other traffic, hence they treat all of us in the same manner, eg not deserving respect. It is wrong that they think this way but alot do, the same way alot of cyclists rant about bus and taxi drivers even though it is only a small % of them from what I can tell, we still get that opinion lodged in by the small % who act like t*ssers.
Secondly, it's rude, imagine if you were driving and a car you overtook earlier pulled upto a traffic lights and instead of sitting behind you or the 4 other cars that overtook them, they decide to crawl up the outside or inside and pull in at the front of the queue. They then drive and accelerate slower leading to unnecessary overtakes if safe to do so and a level of irritation that is simply unnecessary.

UDP

These are the same people who don't pay attention when driving, cycling or walking and pull out or cross in front of others without once looking first. They are everywhere and are not going away.

Very frustrating group of people.

endacl

Seaswimmer wrote: »

Who remembers Critical Mass??

In fairness, Critical Mass is a bit ... dickheady.

enas

CramCycle wrote: »

It annoys me for two main reasons, first and most importantly, that person is the reason why a large population of motorised traffic tends to think of ALL cyclists as irritations that break the rules of the road and have no consideration for other traffic, hence they treat all of us in the same manner, eg not deserving respect. It is wrong that they think this way but alot do, the same way alot of cyclists rant about bus and taxi drivers even though it is only a small % of them from what I can tell, we still get that opinion lodged in by the small % who act like t*ssers.

That's a common argument, to which I don't subscribe. As you say, it's wrong to think like that, and I agree with you. So I don't want to enter into such considerations. It's a bit as if you were saying that you were, say, black, and you were annoyed that this other black person did this (say, jump a red light), because many people, racist people, will assume all black people are rule breakers, and you suffer yourself from that racism, being black too. Surely the problem here are racist people, not red light jumpers? Remove all red light jumpers, and racist people will find something else to express their racism. Do you see where I'm coming from?

CramCycle wrote: »

Secondly, it's rude, imagine if you were driving and a car you overtook earlier pulled upto a traffic lights and instead of sitting behind you or the 4 other cars that overtook them, they decide to crawl up the outside or inside and pull in at the front of the queue. They then drive and accelerate slower leading to unnecessary overtakes if safe to do so and a level of irritation that is simply unnecessary.

I get the rudeness argument. I just don't find it inconvenient to me, so I pass those cyclists again and forget about it. But apparently, in Cork, since we don't have the same number of cyclists, that's much easier. Your analogy is a bit sloppy, though, since cars can't filter and cyclists can. You could use the exact same argument to say that filtering on a bike to the front of a queue of cars, to the ASL for instance, is rude (and some motorists think that way).

CramCycle

enas wrote: »

That's a common argument, to which I don't subscribe. As you say, it's wrong to think like that, and I agree with you. So I don't want to enter into such considerations. It's a bit as if you were saying that you were, say, black, and you were annoyed that this other black person did this (say, jump a red light), because many people, racist people, will assume all black people are rule breakers, and you suffer yourself from that racism, being black too. Surely the problem here are racist people, not red light jumpers? Remove all red light jumpers, and racist people will find something else to express their racism. Do you see where I'm coming from?

I get where your coming from but it doesn't change the impression that I get that people tend to think like this. I like to call them pigeonholers, I myself suffer from it from time ot time but I have learned to pull my judgements back a little. People tend (not always) to remember those who are either assh*ts or those they see to have paid them a percieved slight. I remember I used to think ill of all BMW drivers. I had a camera on my helmet for a few days, then it broke but looking over the footage on one trip, BMW drivers seemed to be commonly betterpostioned and more aware of their surrondings regarding me. Its completely inaccurate though, there are good and bad drivers, not one specific type of driver that picks one specific type of vehicle but still.

I get the rudeness argument. I just don't find it inconvenient to me, so I pass those cyclists again and forget about it. But apparently, in Cork, since we don't have the same number of cyclists, that's much easier. Your analogy is a bit sloppy, though, since cars can't filter and cyclists can. You could use the exact same argument to say that filtering on a bike to the front of a queue of cars, to the ASL for instance, is rude (and some motorists think that way).

The ASL is there for safety, making your presence known, I often pul in behind cars at certain junctions, but you have to make a point of getting in lane so the car behind you clearly recognises you are there for safety, in some cases this may be difficult so filtering to the ASL may be safer but this a situation dependent scenario.
Also I see cars illegally filtering all the time in Dublin. Driving along the right filter lane to swing in at the junction to continue straight. It's recognisable and even on a bike I find it hard to look at for those who had the courtesy to wait. It's irritating. There are rare excuses eg rushing somone to a hospital etc. but considering they usually just join traffic and sit there I cannot imagine that this is the issue.

RobertFoster

CramCycle wrote: »

Secondly, it's rude, imagine if you were driving and a car you overtook earlier pulled upto a traffic lights and instead of sitting behind you or the 4 other cars that overtook them, they decide to crawl up the outside or inside and pull in at the front of the queue. They then drive and accelerate slower leading to unnecessary overtakes if safe to do so and a level of irritation that is simply unnecessary.

Is it rude for a (motor)cyclist to filter to the front of queues too? I get where everyone is coming from, getting stuck behind the same person tootling along can be annoying, but I've read some of the "four wheels good, two wheels bad" crowd on boards taking umbrage with and wanting to ban filtering. Whenever I picture a ban though, I imagine comical queues at traffic lights

enas

CramCycle wrote: »

I get where your coming from but it doesn't change the impression that I get that people tend to think like this.

Sure! My point therefore was to say that you should direct your "anger" (so to speak) at those people, and not at the red light jumper (you can blame him for jumping a red light, but not for making people react to it the way they do).

petethedrummer

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

Ole Rodrigo

Red light at crossing
HiViz cyclist wandering through
Others watch with disdain
From the crowded, glass strewn cycle lane

( Anon )

CramCycle

Boogietime wrote: »

Wanted to write a poem
I'm a bit late since ^that guy^ wrote a non-poem comment
Failboat is here
Hopping on the failboat with my eyes staring at the floor

What guy

enas wrote: »

Sure! My point therefore was to say that you should direct your "anger" (so to speak) at those people, and not at the red light jumper (you can blame him for jumping a red light, but not for making people react to it the way they do).

I am annoyed with the RLJer but I am just disappointed with those who form the opinion that we are all the same. I used to be the same, Ill admit, it is a sign of stupidity or at least a lack of reasoning. That said when we wait at traffic lights, and its noticed, it reduces this opinion.

RobertFoster wrote: »

Is it rude for a (motor)cyclist to filter to the front of queues too? I get where everyone is coming from, getting stuck behind the same person tootling along can be annoying, but I've read some of the "four wheels good, two wheels bad" crowd on boards taking umbrage with and wanting to ban filtering. Whenever I picture a ban though, I imagine comical queues at traffic lights

In general (and my opinion) Motorbikes (not mopeds) progress quicker than other forms of traffic, letting them filter to the front potentially reduces traffic.
People not fully thinking through the consequences of their wants in a real life situation. Not unusual to be honest.
Personally I'd love to ban mopeds but thats only because I hate the sound of hairdryers, not enough for a policy change :pac:

Boogietime

CramCycle wrote: »

What guy

What post?

rollingscone

There are narrow roads in every city in Ireland.

It's a constant frustration for me as in heavy traffic I'm boxed in by cars on one side and RLJs in front, who have a dangerous tendency to try and undertake.

These people are bad road users because they quite simply pay no heed to the Rules of the Road and fail to recognise that bicycles are a vehicle and in using them they have a responsibility to follow the applicable rules.

Also, Gardai should be given special powers to clothesline able bodied adults who cycle on footpaths.

CramCycle

Boogietime wrote: »

What post?

Touché

rollingscone wrote: »

Also, Gardai should be given special powers to clothesline able bodied adults who cycle on footpaths.

If it carries a 5 year or more sentence, citizens arrest, clothes lines all round. S.I. change for the next government

SerialComplaint

rp wrote: »

Yeah, it's bizarre alright, they seem to exist in a world of their own, and if you were to challenge them, they'd be surprised, wouldn't know they'd done anything wrong.

Yes, they do get surprised when you challenge them;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9_yLn_Oegg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeDVTL3VgwU

Just another of the PITA effects that detract from the joy of cycling