6 ms·

if a driver has to 'squeeze past', they are a bad driver. if a driver is driving so close that they couldn't react to a cyclist falling, they are a bad driver.

if a driver has to 'squeeze past', they are a bad driver. if a driver is driving so close that they couldn't react to a cyclist falling, they are a bad driver. You should drive within safe limits. If you cannot brake in the distance between you and the car in front, you are _too close_. If you squeeze to overtake, you are too close. Potholes exist. Wind exists. In the UK, the (edit) guidance is that you should pass a cyclist with as much a gap as you would pass a car (1m). The suggestion is 1.5m at 30mph (~50kmh). In other words, you should basically be in the other lane, as you would be if overtaking a car. YES, driving slowly can cause accidents as drivers are impatient, but in most roads, waiting 10s for a clear passing spot isnt going to drastically change your journey time ...and if more people cycle, that means less people are in vehicles, so you have _more_ space on the road and less congestion. cars are very space-inefficient (edit: formatting)

tcfhgj 4y ago
you are not up to date with the UK traffic rules: > Cars must leave at least 1.5 metres room when passing bicycles - while revised guidance also says "it can be safer" for cyclists to ride two abreast.
- peoplefromibiza 4y ago
  Yeah. and it's usually much more than that, because people know that bikers can't go straight and compensate for that. But cyclists will always complain, because they don't talk about reality. they talk about their perceptions because they are scared and need to blame someone. Cyclist also make the worst drivers I know, because they really can't stop thinking they are the victims.
  - crtasm 4y ago
    I feel compelled to ask, how much time have you spent experiencing the reality of cycling yourself?
_joe 4y ago
OP lives in Rome, where the average driver mentality is somewhere between "need for speed" and "carmageddon". Basically no one is ever willing to wait for anyone else, as OP's reasoning shows pretty adamantly. Of course they're grossly incorrect.
- peoplefromibiza 4y ago
  Worst drivers I've seen are not in Rome. It used to be like that around 2000s, things have vastly improved here though. Have you ever tried Barcelona or New York or Paris or Krakow or Milan or, god forbid it, Naples? Prejudices are fun, but usually they are grossly incorrect. Also as I've said, I drive very little (less than 2.000km/year) and cyclists in Rome are still from Rome. they are not Martians so their mentality must be the same of everybody else don't you think? if romans are bad drivers, isn't it safe to assume they are also bad cyclists?
  - vladvasiliu 4y ago
    I haven't driven in Rome, but I've tried the North of Italy, in Aoste. I'm from Paris and drive / ride my motorbike here quite often [0]. The only time in my life when I felt people were out to get me was in Italy. They drove like absolute maniacs. And I was on a big motorbike, not a bicycle going at 10 kmph. The road was wide, too (outside a city), with very light traffic, but for some reason they really couldn't be bothered to move over to the other lane when overtaking. Weren't going particularly faster, either. --- [0] I'm not saying Paris is great, mind. I'd even say that in the last few years it has deteriorated a lot: whenever a light turns red, at least one person is guaranteed to run it.
    - peoplefromibiza 4y ago
      > The only time in my life when I felt people were out to get me was in Italy. Of course, you're French! In Aosta! You usually forget how shitty your country has been. https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tentative_de_rattachement_de_la_Vall%C3%A9e_d%27Aoste_%C3%A0_la_France https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tentative_de_rattachement_de...
peoplefromibiza 4y ago
> if a driver has to 'squeeze past', they are a bad driver if they do not kill you, they are not. or maybe if you are scared of other road users and need a "safe space" you aren't a good road user. just maybe > if a driver is driving so close that they couldn't react to a cyclist falling, they are a bad welcome to the reality. I'm not driving too close to you, you are zig-zaging in the middle of the street and you wear noise canceling headphones and no rearview mirror and no stop signal when you brake. Thanks, but no thanks, I'm passing you, I don't trust your abilities, sorry. let's not pretend that the majority of cyclists are Tour de France participants, they are usually terrible. The good ones do not complain and they are those passing you left and right because are very confident and know what they are doing. I'm also simply trying to not be responsible of your injuries if you injure yourself. By the law I have to stop and check on you and stay there until.an ambulance or the police arrives. It usually takes hours.
- davisoneee 4y ago
  I ride daily through my country's largest city. I'm not scared. I don't need a 'safe space' (or your desire to start a culture war, as your provocative wording imples). I don't jump red lights. I pull over if the road is busy and fast and wave drivers to overtake if possible. I'm simply asking that, given we share the road, people should drive with some damn courtesy rather than entitlement? Most people think they are good drivers and its "the others" that are bad, regularly driving and behaving in a way that leaves little to no contingency. You can't control the environment. You can't control other road users. So if you are 'squeezing' then you are reducing your contingency, making it more dangerous for you and everyone else, and leaving yourself much more susceptible to negative events. So yes, a bad driver.
  - peoplefromibiza 4y ago
    > Most people think they are good drivers and its "the others" Most cyclists think they can ride a bike and it's the cars. How is that different? The main issue is don't harm.other road users, you don't do that? Fine with me I've never been in an accident that was my fault in my career as a driver, than now spans 3 decades. The only accidents I've been were: - a bike hit me laterally because the rider was going too fast on a wet road, panicked and hit the front brake. He almost killed himself and ruined my day. - a moped took a turn too fast and hit me straight on the drivers door. When the father of the rider arrived he apologized saying his son "is a bloody idiot" (my adaptation of his Italian words, which are probably NSFW) - I stopped at a stop sign and two teens on a motorbike hit me on the back because they were running too close to me. They also attacked me for braking, I showed them the stop sign, I threatened to call the police, they calmed down and gave me some money asking me to not make it official or their parent would be furoious at them. it wasn't their first time. people are people, people make mistakes, people who think cars are dangerous for bikes usually aren't aware how shitty as cyclists they are, I'm sure they are bad drivers too. Riding is dangerous, do it at your own risk, but nobody is really trying to kill you, because you are not that important. Be careful and you'll live. Wanna be safe on a bike? Don't use it! Walk! have you noticed that in motor sports at 300km/h nobody dies while every year in professional bike competitions someone dies or injure himself badly? Because bikes are dangerous.

tcfhgj 4y ago

you are not up to date with the UK traffic rules: > Cars must leave at least 1.5 metres room when passing bicycles - while revised guidance also says "it can be safer" for cyclists to ride two abreast.

peoplefromibiza 4y ago
Yeah. and it's usually much more than that, because people know that bikers can't go straight and compensate for that. But cyclists will always complain, because they don't talk about reality. they talk about their perceptions because they are scared and need to blame someone. Cyclist also make the worst drivers I know, because they really can't stop thinking they are the victims.
- crtasm 4y ago
  I feel compelled to ask, how much time have you spent experiencing the reality of cycling yourself?

_joe 4y ago

OP lives in Rome, where the average driver mentality is somewhere between "need for speed" and "carmageddon". Basically no one is ever willing to wait for anyone else, as OP's reasoning shows pretty adamantly. Of course they're grossly incorrect.

peoplefromibiza 4y ago
Worst drivers I've seen are not in Rome. It used to be like that around 2000s, things have vastly improved here though. Have you ever tried Barcelona or New York or Paris or Krakow or Milan or, god forbid it, Naples? Prejudices are fun, but usually they are grossly incorrect. Also as I've said, I drive very little (less than 2.000km/year) and cyclists in Rome are still from Rome. they are not Martians so their mentality must be the same of everybody else don't you think? if romans are bad drivers, isn't it safe to assume they are also bad cyclists?
- vladvasiliu 4y ago
  I haven't driven in Rome, but I've tried the North of Italy, in Aoste. I'm from Paris and drive / ride my motorbike here quite often [0]. The only time in my life when I felt people were out to get me was in Italy. They drove like absolute maniacs. And I was on a big motorbike, not a bicycle going at 10 kmph. The road was wide, too (outside a city), with very light traffic, but for some reason they really couldn't be bothered to move over to the other lane when overtaking. Weren't going particularly faster, either. --- [0] I'm not saying Paris is great, mind. I'd even say that in the last few years it has deteriorated a lot: whenever a light turns red, at least one person is guaranteed to run it.
  - peoplefromibiza 4y ago
    > The only time in my life when I felt people were out to get me was in Italy. Of course, you're French! In Aosta! You usually forget how shitty your country has been. https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tentative_de_rattachement_de_la_Vall%C3%A9e_d%27Aoste_%C3%A0_la_France https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tentative_de_rattachement_de...

peoplefromibiza 4y ago

> if a driver has to 'squeeze past', they are a bad driver if they do not kill you, they are not. or maybe if you are scared of other road users and need a "safe space" you aren't a good road user. just maybe > if a driver is driving so close that they couldn't react to a cyclist falling, they are a bad welcome to the reality. I'm not driving too close to you, you are zig-zaging in the middle of the street and you wear noise canceling headphones and no rearview mirror and no stop signal when you brake. Thanks, but no thanks, I'm passing you, I don't trust your abilities, sorry. let's not pretend that the majority of cyclists are Tour de France participants, they are usually terrible. The good ones do not complain and they are those passing you left and right because are very confident and know what they are doing. I'm also simply trying to not be responsible of your injuries if you injure yourself. By the law I have to stop and check on you and stay there until.an ambulance or the police arrives. It usually takes hours.

davisoneee 4y ago
I ride daily through my country's largest city. I'm not scared. I don't need a 'safe space' (or your desire to start a culture war, as your provocative wording imples). I don't jump red lights. I pull over if the road is busy and fast and wave drivers to overtake if possible. I'm simply asking that, given we share the road, people should drive with some damn courtesy rather than entitlement? Most people think they are good drivers and its "the others" that are bad, regularly driving and behaving in a way that leaves little to no contingency. You can't control the environment. You can't control other road users. So if you are 'squeezing' then you are reducing your contingency, making it more dangerous for you and everyone else, and leaving yourself much more susceptible to negative events. So yes, a bad driver.
- peoplefromibiza 4y ago
  > Most people think they are good drivers and its "the others" Most cyclists think they can ride a bike and it's the cars. How is that different? The main issue is don't harm.other road users, you don't do that? Fine with me I've never been in an accident that was my fault in my career as a driver, than now spans 3 decades. The only accidents I've been were: - a bike hit me laterally because the rider was going too fast on a wet road, panicked and hit the front brake. He almost killed himself and ruined my day. - a moped took a turn too fast and hit me straight on the drivers door. When the father of the rider arrived he apologized saying his son "is a bloody idiot" (my adaptation of his Italian words, which are probably NSFW) - I stopped at a stop sign and two teens on a motorbike hit me on the back because they were running too close to me. They also attacked me for braking, I showed them the stop sign, I threatened to call the police, they calmed down and gave me some money asking me to not make it official or their parent would be furoious at them. it wasn't their first time. people are people, people make mistakes, people who think cars are dangerous for bikes usually aren't aware how shitty as cyclists they are, I'm sure they are bad drivers too. Riding is dangerous, do it at your own risk, but nobody is really trying to kill you, because you are not that important. Be careful and you'll live. Wanna be safe on a bike? Don't use it! Walk! have you noticed that in motor sports at 300km/h nobody dies while every year in professional bike competitions someone dies or injure himself badly? Because bikes are dangerous.