“Too much stupid.”

“Too much Pleb!”

“isnt it about time there was a system, whereby pedestrians who were walking in the cycling section of a shared space were fined......the reason these are created is to keep cyclists and pedestrians apart. Why would they want to impose themselves on cyclists like this?

Isnt it about time there was a system whereby motorists who pull out into cycleways without looking were fined.....

Isnt it about time there was a system where the council maintained cycleways so that damage from treeroots and uneven surfaces were repaired.”

“Take a look at Elmbridge Road - unusable cycle track because cars and vans have parked all over them. It's more dangerous to have them in this situation, because cycles then suddenly appear in the middle of the road going around these selfish car owners.”

“Never mind the road - they should be fined for riding on the pavement alongside cycle lanes. I once pointed out to a pavement rider alongside the Brewery that there were properly marked cycle lanes on the carriageway and was greeted with verbal abuse.”

“Isn't it about time that arrogant, impatient, self-absorbed car drivers were banned from the roads so we didn't need to pay for cycle paths to be laid and marked out?”

“Don't agree with the original statement, but do agree that cyclists riding on the pavements need to be dealt with, especially when there's a usable dedicated cycle path / lane adjacent which they're not using.

Ditto cyclists riding in pedestrianized areas in the town centre (e.g. the Prom, and the High Street). Was in town for an hour on Sunday morning, and saw numerous cyclists whizzing through these areas. Some almost seem to be playing chicken with the pedestrians.

And then there's cyclists on the roads, ignoring traffic lights. And then giving hand gestures to vehicles nearly wiping them out when the cyclist has gone through a red light. I've lost count of the many near-misses I've witnessed over the years where the cyclist would have been at fault, not the motorist. Tewkesbury Road seems to be a particular hot-spot for this.”

“After the cyclist was killed in Cheltenham a couple of months ago, I wrote that it was time to call a 'truce' and stop the angry exchanges from both sides.
As a cyclist, car and van driver, I can see all options & opinions.
However, one thing is paramount.
No matter what the circumstances, I would not want to see a cyclist, or motorist for that matter, dead, as a result of an altercation between myself and them.
That said, as a motorist, some of the REALLY stupid things I see that cyclists do, defies belief.
When pulling out from Miccy D's in Eastern Ave the other day in the early hours, a cyclist came from my left on the pavement, no lights, all dark clothing, went straight accross the front of my van. I must have missed him by the thickness of a fag paper!
Before people say 'ooh, you should have been prepared for such incidents, let me remind you that the cyclist was 100% in the wrong on many counts. Also, the McDonalds is 24hr, so the outside lights are bright, and cause glare. Also, approaching a dual carriageway, there is no requirement to look left, although of course approaching the junction, you are always concerned about pedestrians, but not illegal cyclists at pace.
As a cyclist, some drivers have little awareness of what is actually going on.
If a driver is waitning to overtake me, they are usually very good, but if i'm taking a left hand bend, and they haven't been waiting, they overtake, then keen to get off the crown of the road, possibly as they have taken a chance, but in fact there is something coming in the opposite direction, they cut in, often making me have to brake or swerve towards the kerb.
There are so many instances where drivers don't make their intentions clear, or deliberately block lanes, that we would be here all day.
Suffice to say, 'live and let live' literally, please.”

“If the city/county councils would admit that people who park in cycle lanes, as they do outside the doctors' surgery on Stroud Road, are breaking the law, and act accordingly, it might be safe to use the cycle lanes. Mind, since there are far more cars in the surgery car park than could possibly be accounted for by patients, maybe Parking Admin should be asking a few questions in reception...”

“Or asking a few questions of the owners of the A&A Property Services transit van which has been parking on the junction of Jersey Rd and Derby Rd regularly for the past few months, and has been there since this morning, and is *still* there. At least one city council employee I know must pass it regularly on his way to the offices, so why do they still get away with it?”

“"Isn't it about time that arrogant, impatient, self-absorbed car drivers were banned from the roads so we didn't need to pay for cycle paths to be laid and marked out?"

So, ban all cars? I take it cyclists will be happy to find the money to replace the car tax thats used to maintain the road network, and yes that includes your cycle paths..”

“ricasso - your statement contains so much stupid that I don't know where to begin. Anyway...

1. There's no such thing as "car tax".
2. Roads are funded out of general taxation - we all pay into that pot.
3. I'm a cyclist. I own a car. I pay income tax, VAT, and vehicle excise duty (that's not road tax)
4. Cyclists use roads as a right of way. Drivers can only use them *under license*. That is, a driver requires special permission (the license) to drive on a road, but a cyclist does not.”

“How does banning bad drivers equate with banning all cars?

And kindly explain how you work out that roads would need to be maintained if there were no cars?

And they're not "my" cycle paths - they're everyone's. They used by car owners who also cycle as well as children who can't drive yet.

And for the record - since you've obviously never bothered checking your facts - neither roads nor cycle paths are paid for out of the vehicle excise duty - they are paid for out of general taxes. Cyclist who do not also drive cars pay just as much towards those roads but cause practically no wear or damage to them. In simple terms - cyclists and pedestrians subsidise the costs of building and maintaining the roads that too many drivers treat as their personal property.

And no - I am not a cyclist. I'm a car owner who just happens to think that bad drivers should not be allowed to make roads unsafe for other users - no matter what form of transport they use.”

“PengiPete - nice use of common sense there. Let's hope it doesn't fall on deaf, ignorant ears. Props!”

“Well said PengiPete and very nicely put Alfredo_.”

“Several times when coming home from work, there has been a cyclist who insists on cycling on the outside of the cycle lane on the A419 in Stroud, in the section of road marked out for cars to drive in. Everyone has to slow to a crawl to get past this idiot, who is completely ignoring the marked out lane for his own safety. This causes uneccessary congestion, not to mention putting themselves in danger. Before I get shot down, I too have a been a cyclist and have also been nearly knocked off by bike by motorists who think they have right of way, even when they should be giving way. But I would never ignore, or cycle on the outside of a cycle path on a dual carriageway ... unless I wanted to be squashed flat !!”

“On this morning's little 30km training ride I saw...

a cyclist in St Paul's, Cheltenham, with no lights, black/dark clothing jump a kerb into traffic whilst listening to his MP3 player. If he got hit by a truck and sent to the next life I feel that the gene pool would be better for it.

- a motorist in Bishop's Cleeve jumping a red light that he'd already stopped at.

- a cyclist heading out of Prestbury towards Cleeve Hill with no front light; he did have a rear light but no reflectives.

- a motorist jump the give-way line from Cromwell Road to Prestbury Road, almost taking out a car and two cyclists.

Conversely, I also encountered lots of properly illuminated and dressed cyclists, and lots of considerate and careful motorists in all sorts of vehicles, all of whom gave my training partner and me plenty of room.”

“Alfredo - it is only a small minority being idiots out on the roads (be they motorists, or cyclists), but it's the idiot minority we tend to notice, if only whilst taking evasive action to avoid them.”

“This morning whilst I was walking on the pedestrianised area of The Brewery a cyclist came past me and said a cheery "Mornin'" to which I replied in a similarly cheery "Mornin'". The cyclist didn't try to "run me down" and I wasn't inclined to give them an earful about "my rights" as a pedestrian. Now I know this goes against the normal rants about I hate them and they hate me posts, but you know what just being polite to each other goes a long way to enjoying life. Then maybe, just maybe, you do not have to be an angry person as often.”

“@AndyPrestbury - again, more common sense. You are, quite clearly, mad.”