How was your cycle commute?

[DrRingDing]

That's not what it's about! It's just one aspect of the whole shebang. While we are waiting for reform, let's not make things worse by mutually antagonising each other. What's wrong with that sentiment?
Surely you can see the advantage of being polite rather than rude to other road users?

Problem is when you have arrogant and violent drivers not giving a fuck. If you're polite to someone who's nearly fucking killed you why would that deter them from doing it again.

Let them know the strength of your feeling, don't bow down and maybe they wont want to get into another confrontation.

 

[pissflaps]

Would being polite stop me from getting rear ended by someone talking on their phone whilst driving? of course not! as i said in an earlier post, if a driver chooses to be 'impolite' he/she has the apparatus to end my life. All i can do is react.

I don't want to wait for 'reform', i want people to stop being killed on the roads by vehicles that are being poorly operated or as a result of demonstrably dangerous infrastructure. No amount of 'politeness' is going to stop that from happening. This is little more than a dangerous distraction, much like the helmet debate.

Conflating the responsibilities of a cyclist and a motorist is ludicrous - it ignores simple physics. a complete delusion of symmetry.

 

[Orang Utan]

Problem is when you have arrogant and violent drivers not giving a fuck. If you're polite to someone who's nearly fucking killed you why would that deter them from doing it again.

Let them know the strength of your feeling, don't bow down and maybe they wont want to get into another confrontation.

There's no reasoning with people like that though. Aggravating them is the worst thing you can do! I did that a fortnight ago and nearly got killed. Best to stay polite and right.
The politest and most serene of people tend to get defensive when screamed at in public for doing something they may not even be aware had endangered someone else. I think it's best to politely point out their error and then they might not make the mistake again.

 

[DrRingDing]

There's no reasoning with people like that though. Aggravating them is the worst thing you can do! I did that a fortnight ago and nearly got killed. Best to stay polite and right.
The politest and most serene of people tend to get defensive when screamed at in public for doing something they may not even be aware had endangered someone else. I think it's best to politely point out their error and then they might not make the mistake again.

This calls for an experiment.

 

[Orang Utan]

Would being polite stop me from getting rear ended by someone talking on their phone whilst driving? of course not! as i said in an earlier post, if a driver chooses to be 'impolite' he/she has the apparatus to end my life. All i can do is react.

I don't want to wait for 'reform', i want people to stop being killed on the roads by vehicles that are being poorly operated or as a result of demonstrably dangerous infrastructure. No amount of 'politeness' is going to stop that from happening. This is little more than a dangerous distraction, much like the helmet debate.

Conflating the responsibilities of a cyclist and a motorist is ludicrous - it ignores simple physics. a complete delusion of symmetry.

I agree with most of that.
I just don't see how being polite to people is going to make things worse and can't believe that you think being aggressive towards other road users is going to help

 

[Orang Utan]

This calls for an experiment.

I've already begun this experiment! Hardly scientific, but so far, two polite excuse-mes have resulted in two polite apologies and one fuckingcuntyounearlykilled me prompted an attempted running off the road!

 

[Ted Striker]

^This. It's an extension of my "face every 'enemy' (or situation etc) with a smile" philosophy.

Gets you through life a whole lot happier/productive.

 

[pissflaps]

this isn't about 'politeness' tho is it, it's about 'respect' and the failed assumption that cyclists don't respect cars. Of course they do. If they don't, they're likely to end up dead.

at no point have i suggested anyone behave aggressively, you are presuming that. However, having come depressingly close to death more times than i'd care to remember whilst on the roads, i will make no excuse for behaving VERY fucking aggressively towards those that have nearly ended my life as a result of their inability to 'respect' my right to not fucking die whilst they fail to drive properly.

dlock.jpg

 

[gentlegreen]

Someone uploaded this today :-



It all reminds me of that green-washed Honda advert that tries to demonstrate an equivalence all the way down the "pecking order"..

 

[Orang Utan]

Fine. Be like that, pissflaps, but you will never be happy and someone will kill you one day

 

[Orang Utan]

I find it amusing that you deny and admit being aggressive in the same post, mind.
Sure all this d lock posing may be just posing, but it betrays an attitude that I don't think helps.

 

[pissflaps]

Fine. Be like that, pissflaps, but you will never be happy and someone will kill you one day

what the fuck is that supposed to mean???

 

[pissflaps]

I find it amusing that you deny and admit being aggressive in the same post, mind.
Sure all this d lock posing may be just posing, but it betrays an attitude that I don't think helps.

i denied encouraging anyone to be aggressive, as you accused me of doing. read.

 

[Orang Utan]

i denied encouraging anyone to be aggressive, as you accused me of doing. read.

You're always doing it!
Posting pics of d-locks!

 

[pissflaps]

once again - a personal affectation. explain your previous post, motherfucker.

 

[Orang Utan]

what the fuck is that supposed to mean???

You seem very angry. Perpetually angry people can't be happy. They sometimes wind up dead, cos they upset the wrong person.

 

[joustmaster]

There are two levels. The first is the happy smiling default. The way I act 99.9% of the time. If someone in a car does something to endanger me, by accident, I alert them to my presence with a shout or a wave. Often this is all quite amicable and everyone is apologetic and on their way. I give way to an overtaking car, if it makes sense to do so.

But if someone is a cunt and purposefully endangers my life, I will go out of my way to cause them violence.

 

[pissflaps]

You seem very angry. Perpetually angry people can't be happy. They sometimes wind up dead, cos they upset the wrong person.

you don't know me from a bar of cheap soap, sunshine, so spare me your half baked cod-psychoanalysis.

is that a threat?

 

[Orang Utan]

See! We are winding each other up by being impolite and nothing is coming of it!

 

[Orang Utan]

There are two levels. The first is the happy smiling default. The way I act 99.9% of the time. If someone in a car does something to endanger me, by accident, I alert them to my presence with a shout or a wave. Often this is all quite amicable and everyone is apologetic and on their way. I give way to an overtaking car, if it makes sense to do so.

But if someone is a cunt and purposefully endangers my life, I will go out of my way to cause them violence.

Seriously? Can you not just let it go?

 

[pissflaps]

on second thoughts, i have come to the conclusion that you are merely out of your fucking depth on this topic and can be safely ignored.

 

[Orang Utan]

Out of my depth? What do you mean? I'm just advocating a more serene approach to being a road user. I don't see why this need be so controversial

 

[Orang Utan]

Anyway, enough with arguing with Internet hardmen.
I am about to go home.
This week and last week, I've been cycling a few miles longer than normal to do a very physical job when I'm normally stuck behind a desk all day. I must be getting fitter as it's not as knackering as I thought it would be. Which is unfortunate as I need to be so knackered that I can sleep.

 

[pissflaps]

yeah - maybe lay off the 'you're going to die because i think you're mean' comments for a while there chuckles, not big nor clever.

 

[Orang Utan]

Sorry, but you wound me up with your senseless aggression/posing. It's not a helpful attitude! One needs to be pro-active, not merely re-active.
Right, I'm getting on my bike now.

 

[pissflaps]

my aggression is never senseless. i put a lot of effort into it i'll have you know.

 

[pissflaps]

anyhoo. surely the 500k would have been better spent on a campaign like this simple yet effective one...

 

[Private Storm]

I don't get on with the word "bicyclists".

 

[jusali]

I had a bloke overtake me then immediately have to pull in (cos traffic was coming other way) knocking me off my bike. I got back on a cycled on me way, no-one batted an eyelid, not the pedestrians, the car coming the other way or the car that knocked me over.
Isn't that so desperately sad?

 

[pissflaps]

interesting thing pointed out to me the other day - whenever cyclists are involved in RTIs, they are often referred to in the media as 'cyclists' yet drivers are referred to as 'cars', as in 'a cyclist was involved in a collision with a car' - never a driver.