Evelyn🚲葉美華💃

I am not a fan of this #cyclist. 🤨
https://road.cc/content/news/cyclist-stopped-police-after-driver-complaints-299999

I bet there are people out there cheering him and criticizing or hating on the cops.

I'm sorry if you're related to him or if he's your friend...
He's a stupid fool.
A bad influence.
Is that what you wanna teach your kids?
Go viral.
Go ride in the fog.
Ignore authorities even if they're making good sense and obviously just helping.
😠

#ConcernedMotorists and #GoodCops do exist.

#bikes #IsleOfMan @bikes @mastobikes

Cyclist stopped by police three times and “told to put bike in van” after “load of complaints” from motorists on foggy climb

Isle of Man Constabulary says officers were “dispatched to check on the welfare of the cyclist” after several reports of near misses with drivers

road.cc
Mar 18, 2023 at 4:20amWeb
Show threadArjan BoltjesMar 18, 2023

@evelyn
If those #ConcernedMotorists would adhere to [a fixed version of] what the cops state at the end of that item there would be no problem: "... reminder to all motorists that #cyclists frequently use the A18 Mountain Road and therefore please ensure that you drive to the conditions and make sure also others arrive at their destination safely."

@bikes @mastobikes

Show threadArjan BoltjesMar 18, 2023

@evelyn
This means: pay attention and #SlowDown.
By the looks of the video/photo, visibility wasn't as bad as they said, plus he wasn't wearing black, and he was using proper lights.
If you nearly hit someone in such conditions, you're driving #TooFast and/or you're not paying attention.

#DriveSafely
#SlowDownCowboy
#cycling
@bikes @mastobikes

Show threadTwoSlipsAndAGullyMar 18, 2023
@tinyspheresof @evelyn @bikes @mastobikes And what is it with 'he was wearing black' anyway? The roads are usually black and drivers never say they can't see them. 😉 I always wear bright clothes, have day light running lights and a flag pole with a 10" flag flapping. Huge panniers in bright red and reflective patches and generally only cycle in the day and cars still fail to see you until the last minute and have to swerve. They nearly all drive too fast for the conditions.
Show threadEvelyn🚲葉美華💃Mar 18, 2023

@twoslipsandagully
I don't think they don't see* us folks on #bikes. If they can't see, they shouldn't drive. ☝️🤨

I feel like...
they don't care,
they're distracted, 🤳
they think we're pests on the road and so they go Oh Look I Almost Hit You.

Yes. Everyone's going faster than they should, faster than what's safe... at least where I'm from. 🇵🇭 It's like everyone's in a rush to go to the Emergency Room. 🤷‍♀️ Even the people on #bicycles. 🤦‍♀️

Show threadTwoSlipsAndAGullyMar 18, 2023

@evelyn I agree with much of that, but they do use 'i didn't see them' as a defence when they hit anything.

We tandem cycle tour, we've mirrors and tend to watch every oncoming vehicle in them. Daily you see a vehicle slam it's breaks on because they haven't see us until the last second - on phone, chatting, eating writing a note, smoking, taking a photo. The bonnet dips, they swerve and miss us. We've bailed out a few times too when they haven't seen us - that or be hit!

Show threadTwoSlipsAndAGullyMar 18, 2023
@evelyn Having said that, many drivers are ok and considerate and patient.
Show threadEvelyn🚲葉美華💃Mar 18, 2023

@twoslipsandagully
True. ☝️😃

For me, large vehicles 🚛🚌 (due to major blind spots) and other 2-wheelers 🚲🛵🏍️ (due to recklessness) are scarier and more a hazard than cars.

Some 🚗 drivers are quite considerate. Some too considerate. 😅 They pass gently and quietly. So quietly, suddenly i find there's a car right next to me. 😳 On a narrow street! 😬 I wish they'd announce their approach with a quick beep so I could move to the side some more. 😄

Show threadTwoSlipsAndAGullyMar 18, 2023
@evelyn That's interesting. We hate them beeping, always makes us jump!! And it's often hard to tell whether they are annoyed beeping or not. Mirrors are useful for keeping an eye on the quiet cars though.
Show threadEvelyn🚲葉美華💃Mar 18, 2023

@twoslipsandagully
It really depends on the kind of beeping. 😁

I do appreciate both approaches... Gentle and quiet like ninja. Or, a quick beep to say "Incoming! Behind you!" 😃

But one time I was out riding 🚲, I was passed by several cars on a small street, and not one honked at me. At all. 🤯 I kinda missed the beeps and felt like "Gee, people. You're allowed to honk your horns, okay?" 🤪 #NoBigDeal

Show threadTwoSlipsAndAGullyMar 18, 2023
@evelyn I think it's a culture thing probably. We are in Italy touring and they honk at every opportunity, youve no idea why or who or at what half the time! And we stayed at a b&b on a bend and every car beeped each time it went round the bend, which made for a very noisy evening. I'd prefer the quiet, but coming from the UK beeping is a warning of serious danger and isn't used as a beware honk. I prefer that, probably as I grew up with it!
Show threadEvelyn🚲葉美華💃Mar 18, 2023

@tinyspheresof @bikes @mastobikes
That is rather naive thinking.

#Accidents happen.
They are not intended.
They are not expected.

Forget what #video or #photo you saw. You can always be selective what you show the world to make yourself look good. He was stopped 3 times. Did he publish the full* #videos of all 3 encounters AND the whole ride in the fog? #FakeNews #ViralPosts #SocialMedia

His own words say it all. See image/caption.

End of conversation.

Show threadArjan BoltjesMar 18, 2023

@evelyn
Not agreeing is not the same as being naive.

The problem I'm describing is that people - including you - think he should not be there. And I disagree. He has every right to be there regardless of weather conditions. Even if someone hit him, it would not be his fault. Car drivers need to take into account that someone like him could be out there. Even if conditions are worse than the video/photo.

@bikes @mastobikes

Show threadArjan BoltjesMar 18, 2023

@evelyn
"accidents happen" is surely a problem, but a different problem. And it can be partly fixed by paying attention and driving slower. And here I am repeating myself, so let's just say we disagree. Btw, sure, cyclists have a part in this second bit, too, but it's not "don't go out there". Another part: better infrastructure.

I do hope our next ride is in good weather.
Enjoy your weekend. :)
@bikes @mastobikes

Show threadrcrMar 18, 2023
@tinyspheresof @evelyn @bikes @mastobikes Interesting case, and interesting to follow the discussion here...
Show threadAaron OMar 18, 2023

@evelyn @bikes @mastobikes is he not as entitled to use the road as the cars, and are they not as required to drive safe for the conditions?

I dont know exactly what he was doing, but why is it only him that shouldn't be out there?

Show threadAaron OMar 18, 2023
@evelyn @bikes @mastobikes and part of me is saying, yes I want my kids to be impowered, and not intimidated by the police or afraid of a little bad weather.
Show threadEvelyn🚲葉美華💃Mar 18, 2023

@m750 @bikes @mastobikes
The trouble is when cyclists feel so entitled that they toss #CommonSense. Suddenly cops are bad or intimidating.

Read the entire article. Cops offered help because they believed he needed help / may be in danger. And HE ADMITTED THE WEATHER WAS HORRENDOUS. 🤨

To compare cyclists to car drivers is silly.

Car drivers have a hard metal shell to protect them from most accidents. We cyclists have nothing. Helmets are hardly protection.

Show threadAaron OMar 18, 2023
@evelyn @bikes @mastobikes you are making an equivalency I didn't.
But your point speaks exactly to my point. Cars feel because they are big metal eggs they are invincible. They are responsible to operate safely not just for other steels but for all who are entitled to the road.
If they were saying the road conditions were hard to see objects in the road making it dangerous, then drive the appropriate speeds to make it less dangerous for all.
Show threadEvelyn🚲葉美華💃Mar 18, 2023

@m750 @bikes @mastobikes
Car driver decides to drive in fog. Can you imagine anyone going fast in fog? Most likely they're already going slow.

Cyclist decides to ride in fog. Police comes and offers him a ride -- no consequence. Yet his reaction (and the thinking of all other cyclists, apparently) is to cry foul: Look! They're picking on me because I'm so woke riding a bicycle. Inequality! Injustice! Poor me, poor me! (Then points a finger at everyone else. 🐦)

Show threadKinetixMar 20, 2023
@evelyn @m750 @bikes @mastobikes Hey Evelyn,

I've read the whole thread here and I know this is a couple of days old, but I'm finding the arguments pretty interesting.

As a starting point, have you seen the articles published this year about “Motornormativity”? They're an interesting read and are one of those things that helps put a mirror up to our faces to show our biases.

The way I see it, we treat cars as first class citizens, with all else having to bow down and heed, rather than the car class being told "Consider yourself privileged to be on the road, and don't you dare hit anything out there."

We can flip each one of your arguments on it's head if we treat cars as, really, they should be, rather than making excuses for why cars should be able to do whatever they like, whenever they like.

You say the guy is a stupid fool for being out riding. Why? If there were no cars on the road, wouldn't it be absolutely perfectly safe? Hmm.

You say it was OK for the cops to come by and harass the guy 3 times, encouraging him to get off his bike and catch a lift over the pass. What would you think the cops had pulled over the cars (multiple times) to say "Hey, we've had complaints from the cyclists that you're driving in fog in your killing machine. Can we give you a lift to the other side? We'll have your car towed when it's safe to do so."?

You say "Car drivers have a hard metal shell to protect them from most accidents." What about saying "Car drivers have a hard metal shell that could be hazardous to other people's health, so perhaps car drivers should *truly* drive to the conditions, or perhaps not drive at all, when they can't see."? Why does the cyclist have to heed to the motorized beast?

Do you look at the road in his picture and think "Holy crap, how could they allow anything else on that road as there's barely even room for cars!" or "What kind of crappy road is that where they have horses, cyclists, whatever else, and then no speed limits for cars - perhaps they should ban cars from it."?

I see the cyclist as just telling the story - he had no need for a lift from cops, he needs people to get on board with the notion that cars don't rule the world, and we need to stop treating them like they do.
Show threadEvelyn🚲葉美華💃Mar 20, 2023

@kinetix
Since you said you read the WHOLE thread, you did see:

"He's a stupid fool.
A bad influence.
Is that what you wanna teach your kids?
Go viral.
Go ride in the fog."

And all you guys can think/say is how privileged cars are? how bad cops are?

Wow.
Genius.

Show threadKinetixMar 21, 2023
@evelyn I'm sorry, I'm not sure I understand your response, and I get the feeling you don't know very many 51 year olds. Maybe there are some that like the fake internet points, but I don't see that in this case. I guess you do.

I am curious to know, though, if there were no cars on that road, what makes it so dangerous?
Show threadAaron OMar 18, 2023
@evelyn @bikes @mastobikes I read the article, and sure it likely would have been smarter to not ride in those conditions, but he has the right to so do, and not get hit by cars doing so, or forced off the road by police.
Reading an article is one perspective of the situation, im not assuming I know both sides or the whole story from one article, not being there and not observing the behavior.
Show threadPeteMar 18, 2023
@evelyn @bikes @mastobikes
Agree to disagree.