Is Cycling On Public Roads Like Putting Your Life In The Hands Of Fools?

[sandyRoe]

This young couple died when the driver of a truck reached down to retrieve his hat from the floor of his lorry and he swerved into them.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/british-cycling-couple-die-thailand-crash-092211536.html

[ummmm]

Lol....I don't think bednobs really meant her dog bites cyclists.

[bednobs]

he is muzzled so he can't bite anyone/anything, however he still gets really really upset by cyclists and would happily push them all in canal if he was allowed to. We can control him, but when a bike is suddenly upon you because you are unaware of its impending presence it suddenly all becomes a bit tricky! If only they'd shout or ring, it would save us all a lot of stress

[AB Editor]

"I do think he would have moved if he'd heard a bell though. It was the arrogant demand shouted at him on a FOOTpath that triggered his nutter tendencies to kick in."

A lot of the time these stretches are designated footpath & cyclepath by lazy councils - I guess there was a quota to meet once?

It did sound like a bit of a rude way to get past. The bell is a magical thing on a bike, it's somehow polite and authoritative at the same time.

"If it has bitten a cyclist you're lucky it hasn't been put down."

Maybe it's just the wiff - like bacon to someone on a diet.

"One man's "needlessly wound up" is another man's "justifiable ire at holier than thou 'we're saving the planet maaaan', clueless twonks doing as they please and expecting everyone else to anticipate their breathtking stupidity".
Or have I got that wrong?"

Depends what I am I suppose Douglas? I'd suggest that the majority of cyclists are doing it to avoid bellies/fuel prices or to see a bit of the countryside in the fresh air... or, shock horror, commuting somewhere...

It sounds like you've got needlessly wound up to me. What's wrong with not running someone over? :)

[AB Editor]

"he is muzzled so he can't bite anyone/anything, however he still gets really really upset by cyclists and would happily push them all in canal if he was allowed to. We can control him, but when a bike is suddenly upon you because you are unaware of its impending presence it suddenly all becomes a bit tricky! If only they'd shout or ring, it would save us all a lot of stress"

I always wonder if it's because a bike must look completely incomprehensible to a dog? That, or you're secretly training it :)

[Baldric]

He is muzzled and his owners are unaware of what is happening around them, guess that'll be OK then!
Silly me, :o(

[bednobs]

o c'mon baldric, don't be mean - as i said my husbands deaf so he finds it a bit tricky to hear a bike coming up behind them (unless they shout or ring) - it's not like he goes out with a blindfold and earmuffs on deliberately :)
And ab editor, it's amazing - he does it all without training ;) ;)

[douglas9401]

I wear my cycling proficiency badge with pride boss, not wound up but at the wind up. :)

[johnk]

I stopped cycling to work in Liverpool because every trip someone would try to kill me. The favourite was trying to turn left through me!!

[MadMen]

Bloody hell Ludwig! Beating the crap out of someone just because they told him to get out of the way? Blimey.

[AB Editor]

Oh, you win then Douglas! :)