Abuse of Cyclists

I set up my twitter account ( www.twitter.com/asecretcyclist ) for a number of reasons:

1. To vent my anger at being mistreated on the roads.

2. To interact with others specifically about cycling and cycle-related issues.

3. To have a means of responding to abuse directed at cyclists & to educate others.

Now, whilst I do still have the occasional rant about being poorly treated by drivers, or contact companies to inform them of dangerous behaviour towards cyclists by their drivers, this forms a small part of my twitter use.

I do continue to interact with other like-minded people, sharing links and ideas at a volume which would bore followers of my personal twitter account to tears. There are great things which need to be shared to take off, however, such as the petition to include cyclist awareness in the driving test ( http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/44059%20 ) or innovations in cycle safety such as the blaze bike light ( http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/embrooke/blaze-bike-light ), which would not be anything like as popular without social media to spread the word. Using twitter in this way gives me great comfort, and restores my faith in humanity, when I am dragged down by the sheer bile and hatred some people feel the need to spew on twitter.

Remember, this is a public forum - people are broadcasting their thoughts for the world. As such, the world needs to give some (constructive) feedback.

So who is using twitter to badmouth people, and what is their beef?

Twitter Cyclist Abusers

In my experience people who are abusive towards cyclists are usually reasonably young (late teens or early twenties). I hope that this is down to the increasingly younger twitter demographic, rather than being an indictment of the entire generation. One interesting thing about this group though, is that they are either learning to drive, or have recently passed their test. It seems they are rebelling against cycling, because they feel they have a new found freedom given to them by their cars. While cars may be new and exciting, they will find in years to come (perhaps when their parents stop subsidising their insurance or filling up the petrol) that the freedom often becomes the opposite - that their car becomes a burden - it has to be filled with petrol, MOT paid, VED paid & at any moment something can go wrong that costs a few hundred pounds. Perhaps they have learned this already, and are resentful of those cyclists, streaming along past queues of traffic, without being tied in to this expense.

Sadly, the type of person who will abuse cyclists in this group will tend to have friends who are likely to enter the debate to back up their friend, regardless of how rational the original grievance was. Often at this point (if it hadn't already) the interaction will descend into name calling, threats & other abuse.

Fortunately, there are also people out there who will tweet a grudge about cyclists & will then thank other twitter users for explaining why a cyclist may have been cycling so far from the kerb, for example. These people are often slightly older, with a maturity that shows, although by no means are the older users mature & the younger ones immature.

The Abuse

The follow-up abuse is water off a duck's back - people don't always react well to being tweeted by a stranger (perhaps not realising the idea behind twitter). However, the original abuse, directed at all cyclists, is something which is genuinely worrying and indicates a serious problem with respect and safety on our roads.

Common themes are:

• All cyclists are selfish and arrogant
• Cyclists hold up traffic
• Cyclists shouldn't be allowed on the road
• Cyclists don't pay road tax
• Cyclists should cycle on the pavement
• Cyclists all cycle on the pavement & shouldn't
• All cyclists jump red lights
• Cyclists never use cycle lanes when they're provided
• Cyclists jump out in front of traffic and don't indicate
• Cyclists don't wear hi viz or have lights
• Cyclists look ridiculous in their hi viz and lights
• I will push over / knock off / run over the next cyclist I see

I understand a lot of the time the rants come from having a near miss with a cyclist, or seeing some law-breaking by a cyclist, but a lot of the time they stem from a disregard for the cyclist's right to be on the road. Whilst I feel safe 99% of the time on the road, I still feel I need to challenge statements that undermine this. It's a slippery slope. Most drivers won't intend to hurt a cyclist, but if they feel they are somehow inferior, either innately, or because they break the law, or conform to some other stereotype, they will be less likely to take care around cyclists. This is what leads to close passes, pulling out in front of cyclists on roundabouts and other junctions, left hooks, driving & parking in cycle lanes, encroaching on Advanced Stop Zones and other behaviour which if not always dangerous, makes a cyclist's journey that little bit more unpleasant.

Then there are those who feel encouraged by hearing others making such statements in public & who feel it is OK to drive a bit closer, to shout at a cyclist, to hoot a horn at a cyclist etc.

In reality though, I can briefly respond to each common argument:

• 'Cyclists' only have one thing in common - their mode of transport. This is akin to arguing that all drivers are the same.
• One more cyclist is one less car. In rush hour, less cars means less phases to get through traffic lights. Overtaking a cyclist, a car will often catch up to the next car in no time.
• Cyclists have every right to the road - it's often the most suitable route. If drivers want their own roads (like motorways), then they should campaign for segregated infrastructure, alongside the majority of cyclists.
• 'Road Tax' is now vehicle excise duty, which is based on emissions. 0 emissions is £0. All cyclists are avoiding is costing other users more in administrative fees.
• It's illegal and unsafe to cycle on the pavement unless it's designated shared usage.
• This is nonsense. Cyclists shouldn't do this and the majority don't.
• This is nonsense. Cyclists shouldn't do this and the majority don't
• Cyclists aren't mandated to use cycle lanes. If they are suitable, they will get used, but the majority of cycle lanes aren't suitable. They are often too narrow, potholed & contain debris and drain covers. Off-road cycle lanes don't give any priority over side roads & are therefore slow and arduous routes.
• This may happen, but it's by no means common. It's in cyclists' interests to look before they leap & to make their intentions clear. The shoe is often on the other foot & frequently motorists do not signal or give cyclists enough space.
• This is some cyclists. The fact they have been seen suggests this equipment isn't necessary. In fact, hi viz isn't necessary ( http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2013/jan/10/cycling-high-visibility-safe-fluorescent ). Lights may be, but don't assume all cyclists are dangerous, just because some don't have the required lights.
• You can't have it both ways. It's better to look ridiculous & be seen. It's better to have 'annoying' flashing lights than to go unnoticed and get hit.
• This is an outright threat of violence, or incitement of violence. Whether 'it's just a joke' or not, the language is threatening & should be taken seriously, reported to twitter & the local police (if known)

Why do I respond?

I respond because it makes people think. At the worst, they will realise that cyclists are not a pushover, not meek & will think twice before making these comments again.

The outcome I'm usually hoping for is that the person corrects or clarifies their statement, makes clear they meant just one person they had seen & that they realise cyclists are not a homogeneous group.

Even better, I'm hoping that the person will have simply misunderstood why the cyclist has been acting in a certain way, and that by explaining it, they now understand and will in future be more patient and forgiving of behaviour they don't understand by cyclists.

I'm only human, I get dragged into petty arguments, but I will always try to remain civil and ensure that I continue to reiterate my points in the hope that their continued hostility is simply a display of twitter bravado, trying to save face, but inside they have realised they were wrong & will act & speak differently in the future.