Reply to post:

NZ hotel bans cyclists' Lycra-clad loins

Commswonk
Pint

"...ban them for their anti-social behaviour, antagonism and littering habits"

Hear hear! The beer is for you.

I cannot comment on their littering habits but from personal experience they are high on the list for anti - social behaviour and antagonism.

I frequently walk our dog in the company of others along parkland paths that are designated as "shared space" between pedestrians and cyclists. Their conduct is appalling; riding at speed in complete disregard of the people and pets in the area; some of the people are small and smallish children and some of the pets are off their leads (as they are perfectly entitled to be) and yet these two - wheeled hooligans ride at speeds that are simply unsafe for the conditions. Those that actually have bells rarely ring them in sufficient time for pedestrians to see the precise location of the hazard approaching from behind, and of course the assumption seems to be that no pedestrian might have a hearing problem that would render the seldom rung bells unheard in the first place.

Another sometimes used walk involves a local canal towpath, which almost by definition is quite narrow. Not that this width restriction bothers the cyclists of course; they simply barge* their way through regardless of the fact that there are clear signs showing that the section of towpath concerned is "no cycling". They do not take kindly to this fact being pointed out; perhaps they cannot read the "pictogram" sign, displayed along with "no quad bikes, horse riding or shooting". A friend of mine was knocked to the ground by a vicious head - butt from a cyclist on a different section of the same canal.

I am perfectly prepared to accept that drivers' conduct towards cyclists on the highway is bad, but that does not excuse cyclists treating pedestrians even worse.

I do not normally ally myself with the "hanging's too good for them" brigade but for cyclists I am prepared to make an exception.

* Pun unavoidable. Sorry.

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