Is it finally time to tax our Lycra clad cyclists ?

[Eamonnca1]

Sad. The head of the Boy Scouts of America called and said it was the best post ever on the internet.

[Keyser soze]

I am  mainly a motorist but do an occasional bit of cycling. I live in an area where there are lots of cyclists and a few cycling clubs. When I get caught behind a cyclist or a group of cyclists it can be a bit frustrating but tbh this wouldn't happen any more than 3 or 4 times a year.

By the sounds of things some people on the board are sitting behind groups of cyclists on a daily basis and being held up for considerable periods. I don't know where they live that this can happen, most cycling clubs go out in the evening or of a weekend morning not at rush hour or other peak periods. Anybody who is out in the morning at rush hour is probably cycling to work.

I have been out on my own and holding near the side of the road on an A road with nothing coming the other way and have had cars passing me with inches to spare on many occasions when I clearly haven't held them up at all as the road had been clear for a good while before they came up behind me.

I cannot understand the levels of rage on here for cyclists, some of the comments are hysterical and some are so inane as to be surely the result of hysteria. Though Eamonca has gone a bit too far himself lol.

Driving licences used to say on the back "care ,courtesy and consideration saves lives"....we would maybe all do well to exercise this maxim more often.

[Mayo4Sam]

Long before I ever started cycling properly I drove a tractor, the amount of people that blow the horn at you for being on the road is ridiculous. I'd consider myself fairly courteous, I pull in when I can and let the traffic pass. What i've learned is that people do not like being held up at all, they don't see you as traffic they see you as holding up traffic.

There is a large portion of cyclists who are sanctimonious pr**ks, there is no doubting it but some things cyclists do are for their own safety. I cycle out from the ditch so that anyone passing me has to actually cross the white line to do so, the guy in the car has to treat me like traffic.
I personally obey the ROTR on a bike, much more so than I do when I'm in a car and I see in Dublin hoards of cyclists breaking red lights, or my pet hate in Galway people cycling on the footpath but watch any traffic lights and see how many people break the lights, go on any road and see how many people overtake you when you're doing the speed limit. Who decides which laws are ok to break and which aren't?

Going back to my original point, people just don't like being held up and never will so they act like arseholes which in turn makes people react like arseholes and soon we're all arseholes

[Taylor]

Long before I ever started cycling properly I drove a tractor, the amount of people that blow the horn at you for being on the road is ridiculous. I'd consider myself fairly courteous, I pull in when I can and let the traffic pass. What i've learned is that people do not like being held up at all, they don't see you as traffic they see you as holding up traffic.

There is a large portion of cyclists who are sanctimonious pr**ks, there is no doubting it but some things cyclists do are for their own safety. I cycle out from the ditch so that anyone passing me has to actually cross the white line to do so, the guy in the car has to treat me like traffic.
I personally obey the ROTR on a bike, much more so than I do when I'm in a car and I see in Dublin hoards of cyclists breaking red lights, or my pet hate in Galway people cycling on the footpath but watch any traffic lights and see how many people break the lights, go on any road and see how many people overtake you when you're doing the speed limit. Who decides which laws are ok to break and which aren't?

Going back to my original point, people just don't like being held up and never will so they act like arseholes which in turn makes people react like arseholes and soon we're all arseholes

Typical attitude of a cyclist.

[Fat Angry Motorist]

I am  mainly a motorist but do an occasional bit of cycling. I live in an area where there are lots of cyclists and a few cycling clubs. When I get caught behind a cyclist or a group of cyclists it can be a bit frustrating but tbh this wouldn't happen any more than 3 or 4 times a year.

By the sounds of things some people on the board are sitting behind groups of cyclists on a daily basis and being held up for considerable periods. I don't know where they live that this can happen, most cycling clubs go out in the evening or of a weekend morning not at rush hour or other peak periods. Anybody who is out in the morning at rush hour is probably cycling to work.

I have been out on my own and holding near the side of the road on an A road with nothing coming the other way and have had cars passing me with inches to spare on many occasions when I clearly haven't held them up at all as the road had been clear for a good while before they came up behind me.

I cannot understand the levels of rage on here for cyclists, some of the comments are hysterical and some are so inane as to be surely the result of hysteria. Though Eamonca has gone a bit too far himself lol.

Driving licences used to say on the back "care ,courtesy and consideration saves lives"....we would maybe all do well to exercise this maxim more often.

Takes a few reads to separate the WUMs from the real headers!

[Fat Angry Motorist]

Did a cyclist run away with punt kick's woman (or fella - it is 2017 after all) or something? He seems very angry with them?

Definitely single i'd guess.

[Mayo4Sam]

Long before I ever started cycling properly I drove a tractor, the amount of people that blow the horn at you for being on the road is ridiculous. I'd consider myself fairly courteous, I pull in when I can and let the traffic pass. What i've learned is that people do not like being held up at all, they don't see you as traffic they see you as holding up traffic.

There is a large portion of cyclists who are sanctimonious pr**ks, there is no doubting it but some things cyclists do are for their own safety. I cycle out from the ditch so that anyone passing me has to actually cross the white line to do so, the guy in the car has to treat me like traffic.
I personally obey the ROTR on a bike, much more so than I do when I'm in a car and I see in Dublin hoards of cyclists breaking red lights, or my pet hate in Galway people cycling on the footpath but watch any traffic lights and see how many people break the lights, go on any road and see how many people overtake you when you're doing the speed limit. Who decides which laws are ok to break and which aren't?

Going back to my original point, people just don't like being held up and never will so they act like arseholes which in turn makes people react like arseholes and soon we're all arseholes

Typical attitude of a cyclist.

Genuine question, whats wrong with that attitude?

I'll elaborate in saying that if I don't make cars cross the white line (and actually overtake) then they will just try and go by even if there is a car coming towards them

[Taylor]

Long before I ever started cycling properly I drove a tractor, the amount of people that blow the horn at you for being on the road is ridiculous. I'd consider myself fairly courteous, I pull in when I can and let the traffic pass. What i've learned is that people do not like being held up at all, they don't see you as traffic they see you as holding up traffic.

There is a large portion of cyclists who are sanctimonious pr**ks, there is no doubting it but some things cyclists do are for their own safety. I cycle out from the ditch so that anyone passing me has to actually cross the white line to do so, the guy in the car has to treat me like traffic.
I personally obey the ROTR on a bike, much more so than I do when I'm in a car and I see in Dublin hoards of cyclists breaking red lights, or my pet hate in Galway people cycling on the footpath but watch any traffic lights and see how many people break the lights, go on any road and see how many people overtake you when you're doing the speed limit. Who decides which laws are ok to break and which aren't?

Going back to my original point, people just don't like being held up and never will so they act like arseholes which in turn makes people react like arseholes and soon we're all arseholes

Typical attitude of a cyclist.

Genuine question, whats wrong with that attitude?

I'll elaborate in saying that if I don't make cars cross the white line (and actually overtake) then they will just try and go by even if there is a car coming towards them

You are making it more dangerous than ever for drivers then.

Roads were built for cars and drivers pay tax.
When are car comes behind you would it be an idea to actually stop if you are holding them up too long?

[Mayo4Sam]

I pay tax, lots of it, my taxes pay for the roads

Where do you stand on tractors? Should they be allowed on the road? By your rationale they pay motor tax so they should but I'd cycle quicker than a tractor

[Taylor]

I pay tax, lots of it, my taxes pay for the roads

Where do you stand on tractors? Should they be allowed on the road? By your rationale they pay motor tax so they should but I'd cycle quicker than a tractor

On the whole tractor drivers:

1. respect the rules of the road &
2. let cars past where possible

Same cant be said for cyclists on either count

[Fat Angry Motorist]

Long before I ever started cycling properly I drove a tractor, the amount of people that blow the horn at you for being on the road is ridiculous. I'd consider myself fairly courteous, I pull in when I can and let the traffic pass. What i've learned is that people do not like being held up at all, they don't see you as traffic they see you as holding up traffic.

There is a large portion of cyclists who are sanctimonious pr**ks, there is no doubting it but some things cyclists do are for their own safety. I cycle out from the ditch so that anyone passing me has to actually cross the white line to do so, the guy in the car has to treat me like traffic.
I personally obey the ROTR on a bike, much more so than I do when I'm in a car and I see in Dublin hoards of cyclists breaking red lights, or my pet hate in Galway people cycling on the footpath but watch any traffic lights and see how many people break the lights, go on any road and see how many people overtake you when you're doing the speed limit. Who decides which laws are ok to break and which aren't?

Going back to my original point, people just don't like being held up and never will so they act like arseholes which in turn makes people react like arseholes and soon we're all arseholes

Typical attitude of a cyclist.

Genuine question, whats wrong with that attitude?

I'll elaborate in saying that if I don't make cars cross the white line (and actually overtake) then they will just try and go by even if there is a car coming towards them

You are making it more dangerous than ever for drivers then.

Roads were built for cars and drivers pay tax.
When are car comes behind you would it be an idea to actually stop if you are holding them up too long?

Earlier in this thread the highway code was used to support the fact that cyclists riding two abreast is not a fixed right.  This is what it says about overtaking:

Rule 163

Overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so. You should:

give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car.

[Fat Angry Motorist]

I pay tax, lots of it, my taxes pay for the roads

Where do you stand on tractors? Should they be allowed on the road? By your rationale they pay motor tax so they should but I'd cycle quicker than a tractor

On the whole tractor drivers:

1. respect the rules of the road &
2. let cars past where possible

Same cant be said for cyclists on either count

I honestly think cyclists breaking the rules of the road comes from them being, and maybe observing, drivers in the first place.

[Taylor]

I pay tax, lots of it, my taxes pay for the roads

Where do you stand on tractors? Should they be allowed on the road? By your rationale they pay motor tax so they should but I'd cycle quicker than a tractor

On the whole tractor drivers:

1. respect the rules of the road &
2. let cars past where possible

Same cant be said for cyclists on either count

I honestly think cyclists breaking the rules of the road comes from them being, and maybe observing, drivers in the first place.

Hopping onto kerbs when there is a red light wouldnt be a done thing for drivers?

Moving across the road when someone attempts to overtake you wouldnt be a done thing either with drivers?

[Keyser soze]

For a single cyclist riding tight to the verge is a non-starter, storm drains, rubbish, loose screenings etc make it far too dangerous to do so which is why you will see most cyclists sitting at least a metre from the verge.

In terms of riding as a group it is impracticable and a lot less safe to ride in single file as it makes the overtake distance a lot longer than it would be for a single large bunch, the logic of cycling groups is that it is safer to bunch up than to make a long continuous line as it is less dangerous.

Again I don't understand why there is so much angst about this as I get held up by cyclists only on a very rare occasion and when I have been held up it might be for at the very maximum 5 minutes. Also this has always occurred at off peak times, usually on a saturday/sunday morning.

Are there people who are being held up for long periods of time on a regular basis?

[Milltown Row2]

This thread has to be the biggest wind up!!!