Thread: Revenge on cyclists

Originally Posted by Dave_S

It's interesting to see two easily identified minority groups having a go at each other. Both 4x4 drivers and cyclists cop plenty of ill informed, self righteous, prejudicial crap from the mainstream. It just goes to show that people in minority interest or lifestyle groups can be just as pig headed or ignorant as anyone else, even though they are so often unfairly abused themselves.

Personally I've been into both Land Rovers and cycling for years now. My bikes generally cost more than the Land Rovers. I've taken plenty of abuse and criticism over both activities and have learned there's no point arguing. So now I just get on with it and don't give a toss what anyone else thinks.

As far as Im concerned, if bike riders stay out of my way and dont be arogant gits, I will leave them alone and I have no problem with them.

If they are drop kicks and decide that they own the road then bugger them, Im not alowed to run them off the road so why should they be allowed to force me to change lanes when it isnt nessesary.

If it means putting up with them or killing someone well then for me the choice is easy.

As a heavy vehicle driver I see car drivers who will drive up the left side of a turning B-Double. Are they arogant? Should I just keep driving and not stop?

Unfortunatly every one seems to think they own the road. There will always be someone behind me that will think that im in the way and do something stupid to get around me but it doesn't matter if im riding my bike, driving my defender or sports car or in my truck.
So next time you do pass really close to a push bike rider and scare the day lights out of him or squirt water at him or you pull in front of a truck and put your foot on the brake because you realise that he wasn't going slow just to agrovate you but he was in the same peak hour traffice as you were only you needed to be in front, think of what the other rider or driver thinks of you.
So we can all call each other names or just share the road and not be in so much of a rush. If it takes an extra minute to get to work, leave five minutes earlier from home and have a coffee when you get there.

We point the finger at young drivers but they learn from us.
We dont like bike riders when they hog the lane but we torment them by scaring them.
We dont like being behind senior citizens whos reflexes arn't as quick so they drive slower.
We dont like driving behind trucks because they will slow us down.

But most of us drive Defenders??? We can't help but to take upo a whole lane and drive slow.

So I dont think it should be us verse them.

Having just re-taken up bicycling (in fact tri-cling, as such) after many long years since school I can easily see both sides of the equation.

However I can also understand why some (not all) cyclists take or try to take up as much as a lane as possible - to discourage people from overtaking them because they have had bad experiences in the past with people coming waaay too close and putting their lives in danger. Hence they then ride in the middle of the lane ensuring that - eventhough generating road / cyclist rage - their lives are now in less danger from people cutting too close to them whilst overtaking.

Think of it from that angle.

Originally Posted by Snapper

If it means putting up with them or killing someone well then for me the choice is easy.

As a heavy vehicle driver I see car drivers who will drive up the left side of a turning B-Double. Are they arogant? Should I just keep driving and not stop?

Unfortunatly every one seems to think they own the road. There will always be someone behind me that will think that im in the way and do something stupid to get around me but it doesn't matter if im riding my bike, driving my defender or sports car or in my truck.
So next time you do pass really close to a push bike rider and scare the day lights out of him or squirt water at him or you pull in front of a truck and put your foot on the brake because you realise that he wasn't going slow just to agrovate you but he was in the same peak hour traffice as you were only you needed to be in front, think of what the other rider or driver thinks of you.
So we can all call each other names or just share the road and not be in so much of a rush. If it takes an extra minute to get to work, leave five minutes earlier from home and have a coffee when you get there.

We point the finger at young drivers but they learn from us.
We dont like bike riders when they hog the lane but we torment them by scaring them.
We dont like being behind senior citizens whos reflexes arn't as quick so they drive slower.
We dont like driving behind trucks because they will slow us down.

But most of us drive Defenders??? We can't help but to take upo a whole lane and drive slow.

So I dont think it should be us verse them.

I dont cut close to cyclists when passing them and the one I squirted went from being on the far left shoulder while we were pulling up at a set of lights and along side my bull bar and moved over to the line on the right.

This sort of action isnt being causious its being stupid, he forced me into a lane with other vehicals in it so I wouldnt hit him and that then put other people in danger as I only had time for a quick look in the mirrors to make sure I had a clear path and what if I didnt and had to stop, would the truck behind me then have time to stop.

I dont pull in front of trucks and slow down, and I dont cut in on trucks, in fact I also have driven trucks around melbourne, granted only Ridged trucks in the metro area but trucks all the same and you are right, car drivers deffinatly do all you are saying but I dont so dont make assumptions that I do.

I do get annoyed at the pensioner patrol that think that in an 80kmh zone it is ok to do 30kmh in the right lane and come to a complete stop to go around a slight ben, these people should no longer be driving.

We have an 80yo bloke who vollenteers at work and he tows a van from Melb to Nth NSW coast every year around this time and has done for 20 odd years, and he went and had eye tests and had a driving test through vic roads before he went this year as he doesnt want to be one of them himself and as he had been a cabby for years he knows how much of a problem they can be and how dangerous they are.

I deffinatly do get peived at the idiot hoons that are usually wearing P plates and as with my story in yarns, I dont give them any concesions but again, I dont put myself in a situation where I should need to.

I dont drive a Defender, I drive something slower, a 300tdi disco but I sit on the limit or I move over where I can and let traffic past, if I dint have enough room to overtake I dont and I allow as much room as possible to cyclists as long as they give me the same curtisy (SP?).

Obviously you cyclists cant just take a simple hint, DONT be a mongrel on the road and then these sorts of thing just wouldnt happen, but you guys decide that you have every right to do what the hell you want and post it on a public forum that that is acceptable. Well it's not and if you dont want these sorts of things to happen to put your self in the situation where it will.

Buy the way, towing a big van one time through the western suburbs of Melb, I didnt get a choice other than to force a Commodore into the middle of a round about who successfully got stuck and rang the cops even though I pulled over, un hooked and pulled him out but he wanted to think that a caravan should be able to bend in the middle and not take up the whole lane that I was in. Cops charged him with dangerous driving and we left it at that.

I have been there, 6 years doing on site work and driving a bannana back towtruck picking up machines and before that interstate towing vans.

Back to kicking cyclists off their bikes, still cant get it to work on this computer, might go back to the paper planes less people getting upset about that.

Originally Posted by mcrover

Obviously you cyclists cant just take a simple hint, DONT be a mongrel on the road and then these sorts of thing just wouldnt happen, but you guys decide that you have every right to do what the hell you want and post it on a public forum that that is acceptable. Well it's not and if you dont want these sorts of things to happen to put your self in the situation where it will.

I wouldn't call being spat on, abused, assaulted, run down and sometimes killed a "simple hint". Nor do I think posting something on a forum makes it "acceptable". Like most people who ride bikes, I know that nothing I say to someone who hates cyclists will make any difference. So, as I said, I don't give a toss what people think.

Originally Posted by Dave_S

I wouldn't call being spat on, abused, assaulted, run down and sometimes killed a "simple hint". Nor do I think posting something on a forum makes it "acceptable". Like most people who ride bikes, I know that nothing I say to someone who hates cyclists will make any difference. So, as I said, I don't give a toss what people think.

And where did I say any of those things, the worst I have done is squirted the idiot the other day?

Also where was it I said that I dont give a toss what people think?

As you are trying to do, Im just trying to get the point accross that not all road users do the right thing, I have no intention of killing any cyclists as I have stated in numerous posts, I give them plenty of room, if it is safe to change lanes I will but sometimes there isnt enough room for that then I give them as much room as possible or slow down behind them until I can pass.

I would have thought that you would appreaciate my point of veiw if you drive trucks.

good luck with your bike riding, your not helping their cause in my books.

Originally Posted by Snapper

If it means putting up with them or killing someone well then for me the choice is easy.

As a heavy vehicle driver I see car drivers who will drive up the left side of a turning B-Double. Are they arogant? Should I just keep driving and not stop?

Unfortunatly every one seems to think they own the road. There will always be someone behind me that will think that im in the way and do something stupid to get around me but it doesn't matter if im riding my bike, driving my defender or sports car or in my truck.
So next time you do pass really close to a push bike rider and scare the day lights out of him or squirt water at him or you pull in front of a truck and put your foot on the brake because you realise that he wasn't going slow just to agrovate you but he was in the same peak hour traffice as you were only you needed to be in front, think of what the other rider or driver thinks of you.
So we can all call each other names or just share the road and not be in so much of a rush. If it takes an extra minute to get to work, leave five minutes earlier from home and have a coffee when you get there.

We point the finger at young drivers but they learn from us.
We dont like bike riders when they hog the lane but we torment them by scaring them.
We dont like being behind senior citizens whos reflexes arn't as quick so they drive slower.
We dont like driving behind trucks because they will slow us down.

But most of us drive Defenders??? We can't help but to take upo a whole lane and drive slow.

So I dont think it should be us verse them.

Thats some of the best advice in this thread.
I have no problem with cyclists on the road. The guy I see most mornings on my way to work even makes a point of knowing where the traffic is and using hand signals on the roundabout as he turns right. I have also noticed that he gets given more room than anything else around him.
If I overtake a truck I try to keep my foot down a bit to leave a large gap in case they need the room. I also flash trucks on the freeway when the overtake so they know when it's safe to pull back in. I have found they now do the same for me.
Guess the answer is simple don't be a jerk and others will start to treat you the same

Originally Posted by mcrover

I dont drive a Defender, I drive something slower, a 300tdi disco .

You need to get it looked at.

Martyn