James Daley: 'Another cyclist raced up alongside me and started hurling abuse
Cyclo-therapy
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Independent Minds
A few weeks ago, I found myself championing the idea of bike-thief vigilantism – after my friend Jamie managed to find the teenager who stole his bicycle, punch him and reclaim his wheels.
This week, however, I'd like to qualify my endorsement of have-a-go heroes. While I still think it's OK to thump someone who steals your property, it's really not OK to attack someone for breaking a traffic law. Which is what happened to me last week.
I was travelling down the Thames Embankment on my way to work, when I noticed that another cyclist had raced up alongside, and was hurling abuse at me.
At first, I couldn't make out what he was saying because a) I was listening to my iPod and b) he was so out of breath that most of his words were completely indecipherable.
But as he started to get his breath back, I worked out that he was incensed that I'd jumped a red light about half a mile back, and he'd been chasing me ever since. "You give us all a f***ing bad name, man. You're a f***ing disgrace, man." You get the idea.
I was primed to throw him back a sarcastic comment, when it occurred to me that he was about twice my size – and looked angry enough to throw a punch. So I pretended I still couldn't hear him and took off.
When I thought about it later, however, it struck me as very strange that his main problem with my red-light jumping was that it might damage the reputation of the entire cycling community, and perhaps, by association, his reputation too. Why is it that cyclists, quite unlike users of other forms of transport, talk about themselves like they're part of one big happy family?
As I suggested last week, cyclists are about as diverse a bunch as you'll find – bonded only by the fact we occasionally favour the same mode of transport. Hardly much of a basis for making new friends. The stocky bloke who started effing and blinding at me for jumping a light is certainly no part of any family I count myself a part of.
Sure, cyclists need to stand together in the fight for better infrastructure and more sensible traffic rules, but there's still plenty of room for us to also have differing opinions.
I'm passionate about cycling and I'm proud that I've made it a central part of my life. But I'm definitely not defined by it.
j.daley@independent.co.uk
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Comments
I'm kinda surprised that you had the gall to write this article in the first place, and even more so to note that you have attempted to turn an episode where someone (who clearly has a bit more sense than you) administered a b****cking you clearly deserved in to some sort of feel-good story about how cyclists are all part of some wonderful brotherhood.
I have a couple of suggestions for you:
1. Learn the Highway Code, and start to observe it before an eighteen wheeler wipes you out as you run a red light
2. Find another job wholly unconnected with journalism
There is another very similar group of road users who see themselves as a community and feel that the actions of a few can damage the reputation of the whole - motorcyclists. We have a lot more in common than you would ever care to admit so perhaps you should stop fighting against us and focus on our common goals.
If you are a passionate cyclist why do you behave in a fashion that could either end your cycling days - jumping a red light and wearing an ipod could quite easily result in a smash (the drivers fault no doubt) or damage the reputation of cyclists?
If you consider jumping a red light as acceptable based on your assesment of the risk then on what basis do you criticise other road users for speeding, ignoring bus or cycle lanes or any other traffic law as long as they think it's safe to do so?! Why do we not just do away with law and allow people to just use their own judgement about what is safe? Oh yes, because most people do not give the task of driving or riding thier full attention all the time and crashes happen and people get killed. It doesn't have to be your fault to hurt. It only takes one error of judgement.
Condoning the assault on a teenager to regain some stolen property is one step away from vigilante-ism, how would you feel if the other cyclist had just kicked you off your bike for breaking a traffic law rather than just shouting abuse?
You are the worst type of hypocrite, you have no place putting your poorly thought out, idiotic views into a national paper and you do more harm than good for the cause you seek to champion. Has your diet been lacking in iodine for some considerable time?
The problem sane cyclists have with behaviour such as Mr Daley's is not one of reputation, it's the damage it does in terms of safety. As if cycling isn't vulnerable enough, deliberately getting one over other road users by consistently breaking the very laws that are there to protect us all, puts not only puts this oblivious deafened idiot at unnecessary risk, but it riles other road users and increases the real risk to other law abiding cyclists.
I've heard the justifications - it's safer to jump. Balderdash. Don't kid yourself. It's faster and lazier, that's all. The chap that chased Dumbo-Jimbo may well have been out of breath because he waited at the the red lights along the way.
This guy needs to stick to walking. Cycling and writing are clearly not fortes, and I doubt he's any better when he takes to powered transport.
1st you don't listen to your IPOD whilst you are riding a bike in town.
2nd you don't ignore a red light.
Or you might be the 3rd fatality bloody idiot! Try to blame a motorbike on a bus lane for that!
Unbelievable that the Independent is wasting money paying you for that!
I'd managed to remain blissfully unaware of your columns until today.
Everything I've read, from your amazement that someone dared to castigate you for disregarding the highway code, the jumping on fixie bandwagon, and cycling whilst listening to your iPod leads me to deduce that there is a high chance you are a wonky haired, immature 'fashion victim' (hang out on Broadway Mkt perchance?) Grow the f*** up.
The only thing stopping me from wishing you under a bendy bus is that I am a cyclist as well, but I would have shouted at you as well. You are the one in the wrong here.
You are in no way shape or form fit to write about cycling.