Know your enemy: Cyclists

As motorists get hit with higher fuel costs and soaring road taxes, I thought it was about time we looked at the real problems out on the roads and there is one group that think that despite paying no contribution to road use they should rule the right of way – cyclists.

Yes the lycra clad, helmet sporting, saddle butt-munching brigade are in my line of sight! Kaboom. What is it with these people! Yes, we know you don’t burn fossil fuels on your carbon-kevlar space age pushbikes, but we pay for the roads and you’re nothing but guests in our domain.

But what really gets me cranked is this, all too often when you’re forced into dialogue with one of these people they’ll pull out the green card topic, gives them that all so good moral high-ground, but then it won’t take long until they tell you how unsafe it is out on the roads.

Only this morning a buffoon in brightly coloured spandex and a racing bike nearly took out a pedestrian as he shot into a one way road – the pedestrian looked for the on-coming traffic and only just managed to avoid getting into a messy accident on the way to work.

The cycle courier! The worst offender of them all. How often have you sat at traffic lights and they’ve become bored of waiting and ventured out into the junction weaving through the traffic – could you imagine of the carnage you’d cause if you decided you’d had enough of waiting at the lights.

The office commuter (the one with the folding bike) It’s been at least thirty years since this cyclist has participated in physical activity. However, they’ve thought it’d be a great idea to use a folding bike. They’re common problem for the motorist is that they weave all over the road, they’re like young deer’s on bandy legs and while it looks like they’re holding a good straight line of travel they often suddenly swerve wide into the road as the balance and small wheeled cycle wobbles beneath their portly frame.

Groups of cyclists. It seems that they’re braver in packs and it also seems that they insist on cycling side by side taking over the majority of the high-way. While they natter about how ‘green’ they’re being they show no consideration for the three mile tail back that they’re causing.

When will the bods in charge wake up and smell the java! It’s not the motorists that should be bled anymore it’s this group of free loaders. Why can’t they pay a nominal road tax allowance allowing them a right to the freeway? Or why can’t they run with some visible registration marks that would send them fines for running red lights, shooting down road the wrong way and issue them parking fines for them chaining their bikes up to the front of people’s house.

Know your enemy people! The cyclist.