Michael Wood

Dear Drivers of St.Albans,

Recently the number of people cycling around St.Albans has increased and now that I live a further from the town centre I and my family also cycle a lot more.

It’s incredibly annoying and down heartening when people are so rude like this, what makes your car journey so much more important that you feel the need to be like this to your fellow road user? I know cyclists arn’t perfect by any means but our lives are at risk when drivers are rude and discourteous.
I’ve been “honked/beeped/given the finger/etc” in the following circumstances:

1) Car pulling into the road cutting me up

2) Cycling two abreast (twice)
3) Reversing out of my drive way - on my road there isn’t usually a gap in the traffic at the time of the day so to get out of the drive reversing it’s inevitable that someone might have to slow down to let me turn, I edged out when the traffic lights in front were red so there was no reason why this person shouldn’t be slowing down anyway.
4) Car over taking

5) “Lads” taking the piss

6) Going slow in a narrow road

Please note the following Highway code Rules:

• 168 give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you  would when overtaking a car (see Rules 211-215)
• 212 When passing motorcyclists and cyclists, give them plenty of room (see Rules 162-167). If they look over their shoulder it could mean that they intend to pull out, turn right or change direction. Give them time and space to do so.
• 213 Motorcyclists and cyclists may suddenly need to avoid uneven road surfaces and obstacles such as drain covers or oily, wet or icy patches on the road. Give them plenty of room and pay particular attention to any sudden change of direction they may have to make.
• [Cyclists] 66 never ride more than two abreast, and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends

Basically, just because you’re in a car doesn’t mean you own the road. Please please give other users of the road more consideration.

On behalf of all cyclists in St.Albans,

Michael