Should a bicycle be on the roads
- Thread starter Surfer
- Start date
Soldato
Commuting on a bicycle is an exhilarating experience, however the first weeks/months aren't much fun until you gain a reasonable level of fitness.
Most people who live within a suitable commuting distance and do a suitable job that I have spoken with are put off mainly by the risk, i.e. There is more than a good chance that you could be killed whilst undertaking a routine daily task. Maybe that's why you see angry redfaced frustrated motorists getting annoyed when they see a cyclist on the pavement. He or she maybe there because they are terrified of the traffic?
Most people who live within a suitable commuting distance and do a suitable job that I have spoken with are put off mainly by the risk, i.e. There is more than a good chance that you could be killed whilst undertaking a routine daily task. Maybe that's why you see angry redfaced frustrated motorists getting annoyed when they see a cyclist on the pavement. He or she maybe there because they are terrified of the traffic?
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Soldato
the paths on the road are good! i always like using them..
but the ones which are on the footpath are frickin stupid.. as pedestrians just walk over them like there's nothing.. and you need to brake/pedal/brake again and pedal again and even shout for the to get out of the way.. :/ it way more dangerous for themi also stop on the red light in dangerous places.. but on tiny crossings when i see no one is actually crossing i dont bother really..
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Soldato
TangoSixteen
So if someone scratched your car, you'd get out and wrap the bike round their neck? Despite it being your fault for driving as close as possible to them?
If you are indeed not trolling, you are truly represent the absolute scum of the road, or even the scum of this country.
At least if I'm out on my bike, in the pouring rain, at least I'm enjoying it, and getting fitter,whilst you're turning into a fat ****, and don't try and reckon out that you're a body builder or anything cause we know you're not.
Skodamart, how is commuting an exhilarating experience? I hate it, I feel slow, sluggish, out of breath, much, much slower than I am when I go out for a proper ride. Then not to mention the fact I get to my destination pretty sweaty.
If you're got a shower in your workplace, it would be indeed great, you'd not need to take a direct route to your work then, can even incorporate proper training into your commute.
Tbh, bikes were here before cars, and roads were also here before cars.
So if someone scratched your car, you'd get out and wrap the bike round their neck? Despite it being your fault for driving as close as possible to them?
If you are indeed not trolling, you are truly represent the absolute scum of the road, or even the scum of this country.
At least if I'm out on my bike, in the pouring rain, at least I'm enjoying it, and getting fitter,whilst you're turning into a fat ****, and don't try and reckon out that you're a body builder or anything cause we know you're not.
Skodamart, how is commuting an exhilarating experience? I hate it, I feel slow, sluggish, out of breath, much, much slower than I am when I go out for a proper ride. Then not to mention the fact I get to my destination pretty sweaty.
If you're got a shower in your workplace, it would be indeed great, you'd not need to take a direct route to your work then, can even incorporate proper training into your commute.
Tbh, bikes were here before cars, and roads were also here before cars.
Soldato
@willhub I found cycling home from work great and I often went home the long way.
We didn't have showers however I was able to change my clothes and have a good wash at work.
That is why I wrote and do a suitable job in my previous post.
We didn't have showers however I was able to change my clothes and have a good wash at work.
That is why I wrote and do a suitable job in my previous post.
![[FnG]magnolia](/styles/overclockers/avatars/9.png){kind=avatar}
Caporegime
Alright ladies, simmer down. Someone raised an interesting point earlier : why are most cyclists not as polite/communicative as bikers? Bikers often nod or raise a hand to show acknowlegement but I don't think I've ever seen a cyclist do the same. Is it a concentration thing or is the motorists/bikers vs motorists/cyclists dynamic that different?
Soldato
[FnG]magnolia;16993966 said:
Cyclists wave to say thanks or hi.
Cyclists nod sometimes to say hi.
Cyclists do not need to say hi to every other cyclist they see.
Caporegime
Yep, and pedestrians have right of way over everyone.
The more fragile you are, the greater your right of way, basically.
roads were here before pushbikes for horse and carriages. before that they were built for walking on. going by design the only times a road has been built for pushbikes is in the era we are now in and they are called cycle paths/lanes. you may have use of roads, but like it or not they are 99.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% for vehicles!
bikes have right of way if they are infront of a car, they do not have right of way if they are behind a car. you always give way to whatever is in front of you. theres a kind of right of way when filtering through stationary traffic, but they just filter through when its slow moving, weaving infront and behind cars and banging mirrors and blaming car drivers for it e.t.c
there is no diplomatic immunity for pushbike riders or some kind of pecking order, they have to follow pretty much the same rules as cars, its illegal to skip lights and i think they can be fined for speeding as well.
and everything gives way to a pedestrian crossing the road, not that it really comes into a bike vs vehicle debate.
it highlights the point that bikers think they have some magical rights over everyone else, but they dont.
Associate
- Joined
- 15 May 2004
- Posts
- 492
No, I'm not wrong or mistaken about anything. It might not be called "Road Tax", but being pedantic over the precise name of the tax, and it is a tax, doesn't change the fact that motorists pay it and cyclists don't. Bikes don't burn petrol, so don't pay fuel duty. Nor do they pay VAT on top of fuel duty.
Motorists contribute a lot of money every year to the governments coffers and the spend back on us is a fraction of that. Cyclists also get that little benefit back, but contributed nothing. They are a drain on tax payers.
Soldato
Correct, since a bicycle is classed as a vehicle.
If a driver thinks he owns the road though, that's just bad attitude.
All this arguments on cyclists should not be allowed on the roads, it all boils down to a couple of simple points:
JEALOUSNESS
IMPATIENCE
LAZINESS
i came across the politest cyclist i've ever seen today. i was in slow moving traffic and saw the cyclist in my wing mirror trying to filter through traffic on the driver side, so i moved over to the left to give him plenty of space to pass - he then slowed down and actually said the words 'thank you'[FnG]magnolia;16993966 said:
Soldato
Reminds me of when I was filtering through traffic on my bike and just as I was about to pass a BMW, the passenger lobbed an empty coke can out of the window. Sods Law would have it that the can landed right in front of my wheel and I couldn't avoid it. The can wrapped around my tyre and with no grip to be had, I slid into the car and collided with the wing mirror which fell to the ground.
Angry BMW driver gets out of his car to berate me and I held up my bike, clearly showing the can on my tyre. Driver turns around and gets back in his car, not even asking if I'm alright. Argument breaks out in the car between driver and passenger and I admit that I didn't help matters when I dumped the broken wing mirror through the open window.
Angry BMW driver gets out of his car to berate me and I held up my bike, clearly showing the can on my tyre. Driver turns around and gets back in his car, not even asking if I'm alright. Argument breaks out in the car between driver and passenger and I admit that I didn't help matters when I dumped the broken wing mirror through the open window.
Again you are wading in with your high and mighty opinion, despite STILL having not read the rest of the thread, as we have already gone over this.
It's not a road tax, it's a vehicle emissions tax, based on how polluting the vehicle is. As such, there are plenty of vehicles on the road now that just like bikes, also have zero emissions.
Road building and maintenance comes from the general and local government pot. Anyone who works and pays tax in this country is contributing towards the roads, even if you don't use any kind of vehicle on it. Just like how everyone paying tax contributes to people who live of benefits their entire life, even if you never claim any yourself.
Finally, as has also been pointed out earlier in the thread from research done by the Guardian, the average Cyclist also owns a car, buys petrol, pays tax through a job, pays VAT for cycle maintenance and items. Thus your average Cyclist actually spends more money and contributes more in tax than somebody who is just a motorist does!
You clearly don't cycle.
I own a car, and three bikes. I'd wager I'm contributing a lot more 'to the roads' than you are. So why not come down of your high horse eh?
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Soldato
Well said. I've had tracksuited little retards buzz me head on, on a 60mph country road. Not big, not clever, just incredibly dangerous and stupid.
I see that Tango would laugh all the way home if he frightened a cyclist by driving too close and hitting his horn and the cyclist took a tumble? Ever care to think what would happen if that tumble was in front of the car behind you and thedriver couldn't stop in time? Idiot scum driver indeed.
they are primarily for MOTOR vehicles!!
your simple points arent really true, sitting in a comfy car seat, with radio, air con, windows to keep the bugs off you e.t.c e.t.c you think a car driver is jealous in anyway at that poor sucker peddling like mad looool.
car drivers may be impatient because instead of doing 60mph they are now down to 10-20mph and cant get past easily/safely, once they do get past, a mile down the road they are stuck behind a lorry which is stuck behind a tractor doing 25-30mph, or god forbid that tractor catches up with another cyclist.. if your ever free of that lot, then you get slowed down by some old biddy doing 40mph, thats what its like every single morning/evening. quite often it doesnt even matter that your in a 60zone because for your entire journey you may never get above 40mph or even get in 5th gear and maintain a steady speed for good fuel economy. everyone is impatient and they dont want to be hanging around and sometimes in desperation take a risk or pass by you and nearly clip you.
i could go on.. but at the end of the day if you use the road, you dont need to hinder other people if you can help it, because that then is selfishness. something i would never be wether in car or on bike, well i tell a lie, one time my headgasket blew and i was running on 2 cyclinders and my top speed was 40mph all the way home.. i had a queue of traffic behind me and got overtaken a lot and i felt so bad holding other people up. but yet so many people do that every single day and dont even care.
Soldato
Paintballing helmet with goggles?
The roads are large enough to accomodate cyclists, don't see the problem. They don't pay 'tax' because they don't emit that global warminy stuff called Co2 - funnily enough.
might want to go into the history of vehicle excise duty. it never was about taking the money and offering it to the gods in the sky to say sorry for polluting the air. a portion of it goes towards maintaining the roads plain and simple, the rest is used as general money for the running of the country. does it really matter how the money is transfered down to the councils for the road repairs? i dont think so.
those cars and bikes that put out no emmisions are only not charged any kind of duty for a few reasons. main one being public outcry, children having to tax bikes e.t.c stop and think for 5mins what would the government do if tomorrow everyone scrapped their petrol car and bought an electric one? they would bring out VED for them 100% and you know it, they just couldnt slap on a label about it being emissions related. they dont care about emissions really, its an excuse to make money and a bandwagon everyone jumps on if given the chance.