9 ms·

I'm a keen cyclist myself and have been (very thankfully) hit only lightly a couple of times, then had awful words shouted at me and one man getting out of his

I'm a keen cyclist myself and have been (very thankfully) hit only lightly a couple of times, then had awful words shouted at me and one man getting out of his car to confront me. I always stand my ground in situations like that, but I felt deeply saddened that this man, this 60+ year old man believes he has more priority on the road in his big Merc than I do on my bike. I drive too, I pay my £115 VED yearly and the road is not paid for by the public. I cycled 150 miles for Cancer Research last year, and thankfully suffered only one scare (thanks to my own mum), even after having to cycle down a dual carriage way (on the pavement). The whole "I pay road tax" is crap, it needs to be sorted. Public announcement?

ealexhudson 13y ago
The "car tax" name isn't much better, not least because motorbikes and lorries pay it too, and a good number of cars don't. "Road tax" is the better name in that sense; it's just many people get exempted to some degree. Based on carbon emissions, which is the main escalator, if bikes were included they would be fully exempt from the tax. Maybe cyclists (and other exempt users) should be allowed to get a special green disc for free to show they're part of the system and to shut these luddites up.
- Shish2k 13y ago
  "Pollution tax"?
  - JosephRedfern 13y ago
    "Emissions Tax"
    - nicholassmith 13y ago
      At least "Emissions Tax" versus "Vehicle Emissions Tax" works better in coping with horses.
dasil003 13y ago
I also cycle commute in London after having done so in Silicon Valley, Minneapolis, and Santa Fe. London is by far my preference because of the critical mass and the general awareness that drivers have of cyclists (New Mexico is the worst, they could kill you there and not even realize you even existed). I understand the road rage issue because everything is tight in London, and cyclists often make better time than any other mode of transport across central London. But it's also frustrating when someone thinks cycles don't belong on the road because the alternative is even more auto traffic and worse congestion.
- tehwalrus 13y ago
  I've never had this happen to me in London (and I've cycled a lot.) The video I saw on http://ipayroadtax.com http://ipayroadtax.com when I first heard about the campaign was northerners shouting at each other (I can't find it now - an older couple shouting "no pay, no say!" out the window.)
  - dasil003 13y ago
    I've never had anyone say one word about road tax to me, but I did have a 65 year old cabbie outside Buckingham Palace yell at me and tell me "this isn't America" after he heard my accent even though ironically I was cycling more to London standards than any US city.
    - tehwalrus 13y ago
      shudder don't listen to cabbies. They drive insanely dangerously and are notorious for right wing political opinions (I don't mean to generalise, but that is certainly the stereotype). I give them excessive and obsequious right of way, just to stay far enough away from them while they're driving. The black cab vehicles have a tiny turning circle, and they will happily U-turn in front of you in a tiny street and blame you for any crash. Slow down and keep well clear of them!
      - dasil003 13y ago
harrytuttle 13y ago
60 year old Merc man is not an individual case; it's a phenomenon across the UK. Just ride off the moment they get out.
- jbrooksuk 13y ago
  Oh, I'm aware of that, it's the norm. I had no reason to ride off, I asked for him to apologise for beeping at me since he scared the crap out of me (wide country road, no-one else around) I could've fallen off. His response was, "no-one would see me run over you, now get off of the road."
  - harrytuttle 13y ago
    You're lucky. In a similar situation but in the city, to quote what one said to me: "I'll stab you the fuck up" and pulled a kitchen knife out. Police did sod all as well.
    - jbrooksuk 13y ago
      Blimey! I'm glad you weren't hurt during the confrontation. I didn't bother notifying them, they never do anything in situations like that. I bet most police officers believe the same as normal citizens, "no pay, no say".
      - harrytuttle 13y ago
        So am I! The moment the knife came out I was out of there like I was riding the last 1k of the Tour De France through the narrowest gap I could find. To be fair, the police came and took a statement and tried to get the CPS to take it on but they wouldn't as apparently there was no evidence (why they didn't find the fucker and arrest him and search his car I don't know).

ealexhudson 13y ago

The "car tax" name isn't much better, not least because motorbikes and lorries pay it too, and a good number of cars don't. "Road tax" is the better name in that sense; it's just many people get exempted to some degree. Based on carbon emissions, which is the main escalator, if bikes were included they would be fully exempt from the tax. Maybe cyclists (and other exempt users) should be allowed to get a special green disc for free to show they're part of the system and to shut these luddites up.

Shish2k 13y ago
"Pollution tax"?
- JosephRedfern 13y ago
  "Emissions Tax"
  - nicholassmith 13y ago
    At least "Emissions Tax" versus "Vehicle Emissions Tax" works better in coping with horses.

dasil003 13y ago

I also cycle commute in London after having done so in Silicon Valley, Minneapolis, and Santa Fe. London is by far my preference because of the critical mass and the general awareness that drivers have of cyclists (New Mexico is the worst, they could kill you there and not even realize you even existed). I understand the road rage issue because everything is tight in London, and cyclists often make better time than any other mode of transport across central London. But it's also frustrating when someone thinks cycles don't belong on the road because the alternative is even more auto traffic and worse congestion.

tehwalrus 13y ago
I've never had this happen to me in London (and I've cycled a lot.) The video I saw on http://ipayroadtax.com http://ipayroadtax.com when I first heard about the campaign was northerners shouting at each other (I can't find it now - an older couple shouting "no pay, no say!" out the window.)
- dasil003 13y ago
  I've never had anyone say one word about road tax to me, but I did have a 65 year old cabbie outside Buckingham Palace yell at me and tell me "this isn't America" after he heard my accent even though ironically I was cycling more to London standards than any US city.
  - tehwalrus 13y ago
    shudder don't listen to cabbies. They drive insanely dangerously and are notorious for right wing political opinions (I don't mean to generalise, but that is certainly the stereotype). I give them excessive and obsequious right of way, just to stay far enough away from them while they're driving. The black cab vehicles have a tiny turning circle, and they will happily U-turn in front of you in a tiny street and blame you for any crash. Slow down and keep well clear of them!
    - dasil003 13y ago

harrytuttle 13y ago

60 year old Merc man is not an individual case; it's a phenomenon across the UK. Just ride off the moment they get out.

jbrooksuk 13y ago
Oh, I'm aware of that, it's the norm. I had no reason to ride off, I asked for him to apologise for beeping at me since he scared the crap out of me (wide country road, no-one else around) I could've fallen off. His response was, "no-one would see me run over you, now get off of the road."
- harrytuttle 13y ago
  You're lucky. In a similar situation but in the city, to quote what one said to me: "I'll stab you the fuck up" and pulled a kitchen knife out. Police did sod all as well.
  - jbrooksuk 13y ago
    Blimey! I'm glad you weren't hurt during the confrontation. I didn't bother notifying them, they never do anything in situations like that. I bet most police officers believe the same as normal citizens, "no pay, no say".
    - harrytuttle 13y ago
      So am I! The moment the knife came out I was out of there like I was riding the last 1k of the Tour De France through the narrowest gap I could find. To be fair, the police came and took a statement and tried to get the CPS to take it on but they wouldn't as apparently there was no evidence (why they didn't find the fucker and arrest him and search his car I don't know).