Cyclists to Clarkson: "only cocks listen to you"

thevictor390 said:
That's a step in the right direction. The problem is that you can't lose your "cycling" license. And there's no guarantee a cyclist even has a driver's license to take away. I wonder what would happen if you ran a red light and didn't have any ID on you...
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That's a violation of national law here. The police state of Germany requires you to be able to identify yourself at all times at the age of 16 and above. Not complying with that law would probably result in prosecution more severe than whatever the traffic felony you commited was.
 
klankymen said:
It's simply an arbitrary rate set by the government. Why do you pay more tax for a truck than a motorcycle? Why do you pay more tax for a car than a moped? Why don't you pay tax for walking? When you park your truck, and then cross the street to walk to a bar, you are walking on a public street. And yet you aren't paying any walking tax. Why should you be allowed to cross the street? Shouldn't it be fine to run you over? Or did god take a golden shit on your feet? According to your logic, the tax you paid for your Ram doesn't allow you to walk anywhere. You should clearly be taxed extra for walking. There's simply a point where the taxation would not make financial sense, and enforcement would cost more than the profits.


Life's a bitch, now learn to live with it.
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Walking does not imply the use off a vehicle....cycling does.

But this discussion is pointless.......enyoy your obnouxios pedalpushing ;), just don't exept any curtious behaviour toward yourself from the likes of me while you are doing it.
 
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Cowboy said:
Walking does not imply the use off a vehicle....cycling does.

But this discussion is pointless.......enyoy your obnouxios pedalpushing ;)
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Your body is also a vehicle.
 
I have no objection to cyclists or to horse-riders. Even my little car does more damage to the roads than a bike, which is what I was under the impression the road tax was for - maintenance of the roads. Surely it makes more sense that larger vehicles which have more impact should pay more?
Yes, there are occasional idiot cyclists, round here that's mostly young lads riding at night wearing dark clothing and with no lights or reflectors. However, for every one of those I see, I will have had ten or more large vehicles act in an aggressive and intimidating manner, trying to force me to exceed the speed limit... I have been forced off the road by an X5, I've seen an cyclist fall off because of an audi that overtook too close and too fast. I've had trucks try to pull into 'spaces' that are actually my car, and faced oncoming vehicles on my side of the road on a blind bend. While being stuck behind a huffing fat guy trying to get up a hill is annoying, I fail to see how it could kill me. Other vehicles could very easily.
 
klankymen said:
That's a violation of national law here. The police state of Germany requires you to be able to identify yourself at all times at the age of 16 and above. Not complying with that law would probably result in prosecution more severe than whatever the traffic felony you commited was.
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Another difference, I guess....
 
HeidiL said:
I have no objection to cyclists or to horse-riders. Even my little car does more damage to the roads than a bike, which is what I was under the impression the road tax was for - maintenance of the roads. Surely it makes more sense that larger vehicles which have more impact should pay more?
Yes, there are occasional idiot cyclists, round here that's mostly young lads riding at night wearing dark clothing and with no lights or reflectors. However, for every one of those I see, I will have had ten or more large vehicles act in an aggressive and intimidating manner, trying to force me to exceed the speed limit... I have been forced off the road by an X5, I've seen an cyclist fall off because of an audi that overtook too close and too fast. I've had trucks try to pull into 'spaces' that are actually my car, and faced oncoming vehicles on my side of the road on a blind bend. While being stuck behind a huffing fat guy trying to get up a hill is annoying, I fail to see how it could kill me. Other vehicles could very easily.
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Again its not about paying more or less, its about paying 'something'
And you obviously havent met our breed off 'race'cyclists, who make up the vast mayority here.... they can and will very easily kill you as a pedestrian, and they have absolutly no scrupules in endangering anyone just so they can practice their 'sport'.

situation : public road, family off 4, mom, dad, boy and girl, both under 10 walking along a pedestrial/cyclistpath on a clear sundayafternoon....
Group off cyclist come storming towards em, some on the road, some on the cycle path, lead cyclists yells "out off the damn way" , dad grabs hold off boy and jumps aside , mom reaches for girl but girl is just a little further away, luckally she grabs the girl just in time and takes a step back onto the grass, miliseconds before the cyclists race by....while passing head asshole yells (translation) "keep your damn kids closer to you! ,we are riding here you dumb bitch, godddamit!".....say what? ever saw Mad Max?
 
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I couldnt care less about the safety of cyclists. I hate them with a passion and will not take extra precaution just because they are softer than a car.
If flesh meets metal, too bad for them!
 
As someone who used to bike on the roads, and still do although with much less frequency, it's just not safe anymore. My dad used to ride 150 miles for charity (MS150- Houston to Austin, 2 day ride) for about 12 years. It used to only be a few thousand riders, now it's around 10,000. Nowadays, there are many inexperienced riders out on the roads, not to mention that shoulders are being reduced and urban traffic is getting heavier. Riding in rural areas is unsafe as the roads have poor shoulders or none at all, not to mention that the roads themselves are usually in disrepair.

People in general have a lack of respect for cyclists, but from what I've seen, most in my area give riders a fairly large berth and cross the median if possible. I'd also say that there are a lot of riders that do stupid stuff like waiting at stoplights in the middle of the lane, blocking cars from accelerating. It's not only infuriating, but unsafe. And again, lots of riders break other rules too, like not stopping at stop signs, etc.

There needs to be a riding tests for cyclists as well for those that want to ride on the streets (if there's no other option). Any sort of general test so that riders are aware of their surroundings, actions, etc.
 
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Cowboy seems to forget that many car owners (= payers of the oh so precious road tax) are also cyclists. Also, many adult cyclists do in fact know the traffic rules, because they have a driving licence.

Quit the crap already.
 
Thing is, the amount of damage done to a road by a bike is negligible enough that a fair amount to cover that wouldn't be worth collecting. I'm not denying that some cyclists are arseholes, but that's not a reason for being a twat to the rest of them, especially when round here at least most of the cyclists are behaving as the highway code says they should. Getting stuck behind a cyclist will make your journey take a minute or so longer. Is it really that much of a problem?
OK if someone is behaving like a twat then they should be dealt with for it, but it makes no sense to punish others for it. Or perhaps you think I'd be justified in wandering around kneeing random men in the nuts because of the way a few men have behaved in the past?
 
HeidiL said:
Getting stuck behind a cyclist will make your journey take a minute or so longer. Is it really that much of a problem?
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Yes.
 
I enjoy doing *exactly* 30 on roads where it's not possible to overtake, in front of twats like you who couldn't leave the house on time. Especially when I know there's somewhere coming up where you can overtake... and there's a speed camera straight after it.
 
HeidiL said:
I enjoy doing *exactly* 30 on roads where it's not possible to overtake, in front of twats like you who couldn't leave the house on time. Especially when I know there's somewhere coming up where you can overtake... and there's a speed camera straight after it.
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Oh, namecalling makes you cool. Really does!
 
I personally don't get the whole cyclist vs motorist fued. I'm a keen cyclist, and when I'm cycling I don't get pissed off at cars. As long as they don't run me over, I don't care how close they get to me. On the ascent up a mountain pass near where I live, there are often bikers coming past at 140km/h, a few inches off me. I think it's brilliant, as long as they don't hit me. And in a car, when a cyclist is on the road, again I'm really not bothered about what he does as long as he doesn't cycle in the middle of the road. I just don't understand what the fuss is about :)
 
kurthest said:
Oh, namecalling makes you cool. Really does!
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You're the one with no respect for cyclists. You're the one who said, "If flesh meets metal, too bad for them!" (Words that, should you ever end up hitting a cyclist and sending them to hospital with injuries, you will end up eating.) You're the one unwilling to change your behaviour in favour of exercising a bit more of -- oh, I don't know -- COMMON SENSE AND FORETHOUGHT! Leave your house a bit earlier. Change your route. Otherwise? Suck it up and deal with the fact you have to share the road with people who favour two wheels and using their legs to propel them forward instead of four wheels, a motor, and only one foot on the accelerator. Cyclists are not going away.

I took up my bike two years ago for the first time since my teen years, and I enjoy it very much. Where I live, I have virtually no choice but to use the roads, as there are no bike paths, but lord knows I do my damndest to stay out of the way as much as I can.

And for another take on cycling, here's a column from one of the TG trio who isn't adverse to riding a bike: James, from October 2009...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring...gulation-will-spell-the-end-for-bicycles.html
 
kurthest said:
I couldnt care less about the safety of cyclists. I hate them with a passion and will not take extra precaution just because they are softer than a car.
If flesh meets metal, too bad for them!
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i have to agree with this. mainly cause the times i see these cyclists, is during the times of day WITH THE MOST TRAFFIC. typically during the summer going home after work down this 3 lane road (suicide lane in the middle) theres some cyclist in his tights or whatever they're called. on a street with tons of cars going both ways. i have no problems with them riding in neighborhoods, or slow/quiet roads. the moment they get on a proper busy road, they're asking to get hurt.
 
I make jokes about cyclists all the time, really not fond of them. What can you really do, though. I'm in favour of requiring some test and a licence at say, age 16 or 17. Same age that you take the driving test. If we have to share the roads with them, the cyclists may as well be held to the same standards as motorists.
 
shellygrrl said:
You're the one with no respect for cyclists. You're the one who said, "If flesh meets metal, too bad for them!" (Words that, should you ever end up hitting a cyclist and sending them to hospital with injuries, you will end up eating.) You're the one unwilling to change your behaviour in favour of exercising a bit more of -- oh, I don't know -- COMMON SENSE AND FORETHOUGHT! Leave your house a bit earlier. Change your route. Otherwise? Suck it up and deal with the fact you have to share the road with people who favour two wheels and using their legs to propel them forward instead of four wheels, a motor, and only one foot on the accelerator. Cyclists are not going away.

I took up my bike two years ago for the first time since my teen years, and I enjoy it very much. Where I live, I have virtually no choice but to use the roads, as there are no bike paths, but lord knows I do my damndest to stay out of the way as much as I can.
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Okay. So namecalling is fine as long as you disagree with their opinion. Nice to know.
 
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