Advocacy article: "We need to follow the rules of the road"

[human909]

If its a law, for chemists sake just obey it.

That is an extremely poor argument. History and the present is fully of BAD laws. I doubt you obey every law applicable to cyclists. The bell is a typical one many cyclists break.

What harm is there is being the bigger man? Someone has to be, and yet half in here are waiting for the other guy to make the first move. It's puerile in the extreme.

Now you seem to be making this into a competition or a war. I'm not sure how stopping at an empty intersection makes you a bigger man.

And yes, every day I drive AND ride I do my utmost to obey the road rules. Why? Because its one less Richardhead for everyone else to contend with. Shock horror if everyone did likewise we'd all be fine.

I'm sorry but this is simply false. Following road rules wont ensure the safety of cyclists!

[g-boaf]

The fact is every time a cyclists jumps a light it harms all of us.

It goes towards creating a sence of disregard towards all laws in the eyes of the majority. This then gives them the right (at least in their opinon) the right to treat us with less respect.

The fact is every time a motorist runs a light/speeds/fails to stop at stop sign it harms all of us motorists.

Why does this not work?

Rule-breaking cyclists harming me, a law-abiding cyclist is just a huge load of bollocks. You are only responsible for your own actions. If you get some flack from work colleagues or friends, deal with it. Don't feel responsible unless your actions are irresponsible.
.

It may not harm you in a physical since but it harms us as a group in terms of how we are perseved. You only need to see the comments made by so many. They all have a comment about how we are all law breakers because a minority break the law.

The reason that you doubt see it as much about motorists in general is that you don't normally generalise blame on a group in which you belong as this would lay blame on yourself. You can see something similar within subsets of the motorists community in how they see P platers and fancy cars

Bike riders will always be hated - regardless of how or what they do. Nothing will ever change that. You hold up traffic, or you overtake a car when they are stuck in traffic, point of anger for frustrated car driver. Never mind the truth of that or otherwise, think like an angry motorist.

Never mind that you didn't break a law, you are on a bike and in front of them GRRRR goes the steaming motorist. It will always be that way here. And they won't be happy until they've achieved the end goal of removing bike riders from the roads.

[The 2nd Womble]

An intersection is never empty...

[il padrone]

If its a law, for chemists sake just obey it.

That is an extremely poor argument. History and the present is fully of BAD laws. I doubt you obey every law applicable to cyclists. The bell is a typical one many cyclists break.

Or stopping completely at every stop-sign (wheels stopped - foot on the ground, is what the pedantic policeman will be expecting).

[Mulger bill]

For those who missed it...

Can we please stop this notion that if EVERY cyclist obeyed EVERY rule then suddenly everything will be rosy! How about simply holding everyone responsible for their own actions, and not holding people responsible for OTHER people's actions!

I don't dislike ALL bus drivers for the actions of the cowboys driving Skybus.
Taxis OTOH are an entirely different matter, 85% of them give the rest a bad name.

[Mulger bill]

Or stopping completely at every stop-sign (wheels stopped - foot on the ground, is what the pedantic policeman will be expecting).

Is this a serious requirement? If so, I'm borked. I can trackstand all my bikes for the few seconds needed to determine if it's safe to proceed. If I have to wait it's easy to unclip and put a foot down then.

[il padrone]

Amy Gillett have raised this issue on their Facepalm page and dicusssion has ensued along the lines of "these fools give us all a bad rep". It is really not a productive line to run with given their objectives.

[il padrone]

Or stopping completely at every stop-sign (wheels stopped - foot on the ground, is what the pedantic policeman will be expecting).

Is this a serious requirement? If so, I'm borked.

The nasty copper would do it. I'll bet they expect it for moto riders. A balancing cyclist would be regarded as a road user not in complete control at the stop.