Ru88ell wrote:
On cycle forums these idiots are known as 'stealth cyclists' .... they are
(not) welcomed by cyclists in the main.
I wouldn't class them either as 'idiots' or 'stealth cyclists'; the ones
in London NW10 are 'Scum-on-stolen-bikes'.
There are plainly two totally separate distinct populations of cyclists
around here. The 'Ordinary Decent Cyclists' - in florescent jackets and
helmets, showing lights and riding on the road - and the scum-on-
stolen-bikes who ride up on the pavement, furiously, without lights.
Some of the scum are seriously evil. The recent cold weather is keeping
them off the streets but generally I, a pedestrian, will have one of them
riding at me, as if to ram me, at least once a fortnight. As an extreme
case, a few years ago a lady I know had one of these 'cyclists' pull up
beside her one night, put a knive to her throat and steal her handbag.
Transport for London say that 80,000 bikes are stolen in London every
year. Bike-theft is probably the biggest reason for cyclists to stop
cycling. And it's the reason why so many pedestrians are being injured
by cyclists.
Bike-theft and bad-cycling are just two sides of the very same coin.
It's heartbreaking to see these hoodies racing down the
pavements on ultra-expensive bikes or children's bikes.
I would like to see Licence Plates on bikes. The Government could fund
the scheme out of general taxation - just as it subsidises the railways
and the buses.