Cyclists on Penistone Road - Please use the cycle lane!

[Squiggs]

There was a chap this morning by Catch Bar Lane coming out of Butterworths who tapped on an Audi drivers window to say what I can only imagine....

 

or perhaps he said "Ey up Jeff, not seen you for a while, how's you and the missus"

 

Since everything else was based on your imagination....

[martinj_77]

I commute down penistone road each morning and i have put all this in to perspective, and say a massive thank you to all the decent, skilled courteous, law abiding road users out there. I pass or come across hundreds of road users, both on bike and in car without incident each day, the vast majority of the time, but there are a small group of clueless, skill-less ignorant and therefore dangerous idiots out there. Why do you think your car insurance is so high and climbing each year? It's absolutely terrifying to see people just on this forum alone happily admitting to not knowing the highway code, then whining that its not fair when the error of thier ways are explained to them and then...

That's your opinion. Fortunately the law disagrees and cyclists are not legally obliged to use the cycle lanes.

The road is not your lane- it's for everyone, including cyclists.

Fine, I'll **** you off if the law isn't around, I don't care if it humours you, if you don't play fair, I won't either.

 

Why do think its funny, lacking commons sense or unfair to not put other peoples live in danger?

 

I watch the insults and threats against me, as a cyclists, on just this thread alone pile up, all without facts or evidence. I ride, and drive for that matter, perfectly within the law and common sense, if your now thinking "yeah, sure" and getting ready your next fact-less insult and false accusation against me, then i set this challenge in attempt to put an end to all this hatred of innocent law abiding members of the public as this...PROVE IT OR SHUT UP! ...Yeah, i know its a long shot, but why don't you actually do something about it apart from whining and firing insults at the good cyclists on this forum? Imagine if the effort that's gone in to 17 pages of abuse and cut'n'pasting in the highway code went in to a campaign of Highway code awareness? Of course I don't know if it'll work, you may never see those idiots again but its something. I can also back this up by saying I'm also sick of those idiots on bikes who jump red lights, ride on the pavement as well motorist who don't respect cyclists . I can assure you all the good cyclists hate those idiot cyclists far more than any motorist ever could as we're far, far more likely to get injured by them and we have to deal with all the hatred they build.

 

Please, Please put forward your suggestions on how we can actually deal with problem, that's logical and within the law...

 

How about getting a little video camera and fitting it to your windscreen/helmet safely and fully within the law. If your accusing me of being a

lunatic cyclists

PROVE IT!, build a case against all those dangerous road users, submit it to the police, get these dangerous road users off the road, prosecuted. Get the police to take note and watch Penistone Road or other trouble areas! Also if you see a cyclist with a camera on his helmet he has to be obeying the Highway code in case of an incident to prove it wasn't cyclist fault. Its a win, win for both motorists and cyclists if you see a cyclist with a helmet camera. I've just ordered mine. I assure you, I will be reporting both cyclists and motorist who are reckless on the roads. No idea what response i'll get from the police but i found that helmet camera footage has resulted in prosecution. Anyone got any experience of this? Or possibly get the council to put up those temporary plastic boards/signs on posts at junctions and such to explain the basic points of the Highway code for those who've 'forgotten'?

 

I've waffled on far too much already but i just thought i'd put one of the many wrong stereo types/insults to bed that's really bugging me.

Why I'm being accused of being a hippy and attempting to force car users of the road because i ride a bike?

Again, another clueless statement. I love cars and i love my bikes. Because i love machines and speed (always within the law and common sense). I throw that insult straight back in your face! Have you/do you own car that's been in the Topgears top 20 cars, Evo magazines top 20 drivers cars of all time, a car capable of getting to 60 in less than 6 secs ( never on public roads, always within the law). Have you shown a car at a show, taken it on a track, mastered heal-toe and left foot braking?

 

I have, have you...Hippy? (Petty, i know, but that ones been getting at me)

Oh and a perfectly clean driving license, 15 years full no-claims?

I take it you didn't see Sir Chris Hoy's recent documentary on his hero, Colin Mcrae? It's possible for people to like/use both cars and bikes.

 

All of this can be answered by two things , You see a road user on Penistone road, or any other acting reckless , film them, report them, and...OBEY THE HIGHWAY CODE. If you don't know the highway code GET OF THE ROAD UNTIL YOU DO, BEFORE YOU KILL SOME ONES SON, DAUGHTER, MOTHER, FATHER, FRIEND OR ...YOURSELF.

 

It's idiot road users versus good road users, never, ever bikes versus cars...ever!

 

....and relax...

Edited April 14, 2013 by martinj_77

[Cyclone]

Why would getting to 60 within 6 seconds be a problem on a public road?

 

I occasionally get the chance to nail it, when setting off on a NSL A road from a junction or a lay-by, nothing illegal about putting your foot down, so long as you stop at 60.

[Isabelle]

I was thinking about the (fairly) recent adverts for motorbike awareness which made people think about the person, not the bike, I think the same should also apply with cyclists.

[alas_alas]

Resurrecting a thread here to make the point that 'swivel-eyed' arguments about cyclists and those who obsess about them and their 'impact' on the roads and your 'entitlement' to them as a driver are a dangerous liability, see http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2013/may/21/twitter-hit-and-run-boast-road-tax

 

Hopefully some outspoken members of society out there will get the message that it's someone's husband/wife, son/daughter, father/mother, using the roads as a cyclist, not some fleshy object of hate that deserves to be knocked off their bike and potentially left for dead.

 

This story is a chilling reminder that hate-filled arguments about cyclists are first of all completely misguided and offensive, but secondly, potentially deadly. What a disturbing lack of care this woman showed towards human life, not only running the cyclist over but then bragging about it on Twitter. It's the same irrational hatred of cycling and cyclists that a number of posts on here show too.

 

---------- Post added 21-05-2013 at 15:44 ----------

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-22602141

[chipspice]

It would be safer if the incompetent drivers who cannot safely pass a cyclist catch the bus instead.

 

Cycles are allowed on the road.

 

The Highway Code acknowledges that cyclists may prefer to use the road.

 

Using the road is usually quicker.

 

Using the road avoids all the broken glass and other detritus that often finds its way onto cycle paths. (admittedly not usually the case on Penistone Road, I think).

 

Cycle paths often include lots of junctions and interfaces where it is necessary to cross other roads - this can be more dangerous than going with the flow on the road itself.

 

But back to your reasoning as to why cyclists should use the path - it appears to be because of the poor standard of driving, not cycling. So, cyclists are put in danger by bad driving, and you seem to be blaming the cyclists. Wouldn't your efforts be better spent in trying to improve driving ability - particularly your own if you are coming close to hitting them with your mirrors. Stop blaming the victim - put your own house in order first.

 

Edit - I forgot to add, if drivers cannot safely overtake, they should wait.

 

Another edit: It can sometimes be a problem, especially for the faster cyclists, to pass pedestrians on the cycle paths. Some pedestrians tend to wander between the footpath and the cycle path without realising they are two different tracks. As a result, cyclists are slowed down even further. So the faster cyclists are less inclined to use them.

 

the cycle lanes I have been in have been littered with glass and had big chunks missing from the road. Had 5 punctures in less than a month.

[WalkleyIan]

 

---------- Post added 21-05-2013 at 15:44 ----------

 

[/color]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-22602141

 

The sidebar on that BBC story (source gov.uk) is the definitive statement and should be posted on here every time we have an ill informed road tax statement.

 

 

The so-called 'Road Tax'

 

The comment on Twitter suggested Toby Hockley, as a cyclist, does not pay "road tax".

 

A road tax does not exist in the UK but the term is commonly and incorrectly used to refer to the Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), or "car tax" paid on most motorised vehicles as a tax on emissions.

 

Roads are funded by all UK taxpayers under general and local taxes.

 

Source:Gov.uk

[meshuga]

This story is a chilling reminder that hate-filled arguments about cyclists are first of all completely misguided and offensive, but secondly, potentially deadly. What a disturbing lack of care this woman showed towards human life, not only running the cyclist over but then bragging about it on Twitter. It's the same irrational hatred of cycling and cyclists that a number of posts on here show too.

 

This +1.

 

How long before ill-informed internet arguments about road use, tax and entitlement are used to justify ramming into children, "because they didn't pay road tax"? Disturbing. Some of the posters on here should be ashamed. Think people. Think.

Edited May 21, 2013 by meshuga

[Cyclone]

The police have tracked down this reckless and possibly murderous young woman, hopefully she'll soon be on the bus, if not behind bars.

[WalkleyIan]

I have to talk to our students about the pitfalls of using social media.

This one is definitely going down as an example of how not to do it.

 

Also the lovely chap who tweeted,

 

"road-tax 1 cyclists 0”

 

after Ross & Clare Simons were killed by disqualified driver Nicholas Lovell in a hit & run in Bristol.