Why do Daily Wail Readers Hate Cyclists?

[johncarnie]

I clicked on this:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3133300/Motorist-person-convicted-hogging-middle-lane-g-etting-fined-1-000-driving-60mph-inside-lane-free.html

a story about motorway middle lane hoggers

and the "best rated" comment was this:

"Yesterday a cyclist had 25 cars behind him and a bus (I counted) and did not pull over to let them pass. Can we fine cyclists for this too?"

[[XAP]Bob]

Because they hate anyone that isn't them - including other Mail readers.

[Mike Sales]

Like the scorpion in Mullah Nasruddin story they cannot help it, it is their nature.

[kwackers]

The DM is like a clubhouse for crap people.
It's where they chill and hang out and whine about the injustices they've suffered whilst being too stupid to spot the injustices they inflict on others.
So don't worry, it's not just cyclists they spread their hatred around anything and everything.

[Psamathe]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eBT6OSr1TI

Worth watching if you have not already seen it.

Ian

[mercalia]

well if the cyclist knew there was such a queue then fair point. I wouldnt want all that traffic behind me waiting to find a spot where they could squeeze by?

[reohn2]

and the "best rated" comment was this:

"Yesterday a cyclist had 25 cars behind him and a bus (I counted) and did not pull over to let them pass. Can we fine cyclists for this too?"

Which is equally as in considerate as hogging the middle lane on a m/way,though not as dangerous,though it would lead to drivers becoming irate and taking chances that could endanger the cyclist.
IMO if there was room to stop and let traffic clear the cyclist should have done so,unless the road was so narrow as not to be safe.
If there was an opportunity and s/he didn't use it,a £30 fine would be in order IMHO.
It's common consideration and TBH in my observations it's a bit lacking in UK society.

[Flinders]

well if the cyclist knew there was such a queue then fair point. I wouldnt want all that traffic behind me waiting to find a spot where they could squeeze by?

But can you be sure the cyclist caused it?
I once turned right and ended up in a line of traffic, moving a little faster than me on the gradient. I actually stopped to let it pass. I let a lot of them pass, but eventually got fed up and joined the road again (no thanks to those drivers who wouldn't let me in to the slow moving traffic). Later we went up a hill, I slowed, the road was wide and a fair number of vehicles passed me- perfectly safely I hasten to add.
Now I'm sure some of them would have thought I'd been the cause of the slow traffic. But actually I wasn't. They went past me and then all they did was join the queue a bit further on.
I due course I overtook the entire queue on a downhill stretch (they were considerate enough to allow me space on the left to do so), and right at the front was a heavy lorry (which I didn't pass on the inside, needless to say). Some drivers would have thought a cyclist had held them up, only those at the front knew it was actually a lorry.

[[XAP]Bob]

Frankly there are very few places where I would pull over for a traffic queue.

It would need to be a long enough uphill section, with sufficiently narrow roads that it's not safe to pass, and a high enough traffic route that there was a significant queue, but low enough that I could be reasonably confident of getting back out.
Also not so steep that restarting would be an issue.


That's a pretty slim set of circumstances.

I do quite regularly pull over though, often when I've filtered to one particular ASL I then pull over into the car park entrance after the lights to allow the traffic through, then rejoin at the back of the traffic which got through in that light sequence.

[johncarnie]

and the "best rated" comment was this:

"Yesterday a cyclist had 25 cars behind him and a bus (I counted) and did not pull over to let them pass. Can we fine cyclists for this too?"

Which is equally as in considerate as hogging the middle lane on a m/way,though not as dangerous,though it would lead to drivers becoming irate and taking chances that could endanger the cyclist.
IMO if there was room to stop and let traffic clear the cyclist should have done so,unless the road was so narrow as not to be safe.
If there was an opportunity and s/he didn't use it,a £30 fine would be in order IMHO.
It's common consideration and TBH in my observations it's a bit lacking in UK society.

We don't know if this statement is true - The DM reader like the DM - why let the truth get in the way of a good comment/story.

[reohn2]

There are few times when I hold up traffic long enough to stop and let it clear,but sometimes it helps both them and me.
If there's a line of traffic behind me and I know there won't be a chance for them to pass for a while,I don't see any problem with pulling over to let it clear.When I do drivers generally show their appreciation.

[reohn2]

We don't know if this statement is true - The DM reader like the DM - why let the truth get in the way of a good comment/story.

I've witnessed it when driving,and when cycling with others,some refusing to file out when it's clear it would help motorists to pass.

[Cunobelin]

The fallacy is that drivers are "forced" to do anything

They are not....they choose to drive dangerously because they are impatient muppets then try and justify their stupidity


Last week on the A32 traffic had slowed down and had entered the inside lane..... So the Audi was "forced" to pull into the outside lane

Right into the path of the Ambulance that we had all seen and heard

[661-Pete]

I'm not really all that excited about yet another piece from the DM - and particularly when we're talking of an isolated 'comment' which could have been put there by anyone. We all know (or at least, we think we know) the demographic from which the bulk of DM comments emanate, and I don't think they represent even the tiniest fraction of the populace as a whole. Yes of course there are plenty of people who don't like cyclists (a quick browse through Youtube provides ample testimony - but likewise a highly selective sample) and there are also plenty of people who stuff a copy of the DM in their supermarket trolleys (I see them every time I go to Tesco's) but that doesn't make them all homicidal sociopaths...

As for this 'lane hogging' issue - you may disagree with me if you like, but I think this penalty's a bit OTT. In some countries (USA for instance) they do not have the same sort of lane discipline rules as here in the UK: drivers are encouraged to stay in the lane they're in, and may overtake on the nearside with impunity. The system may be a bit bewildering at first for a visitor, but one soon gets used to it, and it works quite well - just so long as you're alert and keep an eye on both side mirrors. And there are stretches of British motorway where it seems advantageous, and certainly not incurring risk, to stay in lane 2. Like on the stretch of M25 between junctions 10 (A3) and 11 (Chertsey) where on a 4-lane section, lane 1 becomes the slip road. If you want to stay on the motorway, stick to lane 2 or above. That's what I do. I hope I don't get the book thrown at me for that.

What's more, it's not the motorist driving on lane 2 at 60mph who's causing the danger. It's the impatient followers tailgating him and then trying to squeeze past at higher speed, possibly over the speed limit. What's the priority here?

[Heltor Chasca]

What I like about this thread is that someone had to read the DM (or at least the DM online) to find this story. Everyone I speak to denounces the DM, but they have all somehow read it. Including me when I've browsed through a copy in various waiting rooms or cafés[emoji33]And I'm way too hairy and long haired to 'suit' the DM. Mass denial methinks.

As far as I can make out it's a big seller as far as papers go. I just wish I had the disposable time and income to read papers. But which one would I buy?...b