Clarkson

[Sledge]

Cyclists are scum. They use the roads for free. So they are freeloading on the back of motorists, never contributing anything positive, and sometimes having a negative affect. Therefore: scum. Parasites. Target practice.

 

[FW200]

Cyclists are scum. They use the roads for free. So they are freeloading on the back of motorists, never contributing anything positive, and sometimes having a negative affect. Therefore: scum. Parasites. Target practice.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So a bit like you on the forums then?

[Skarclaw]

Cyclists are scum. They use the roads for free. So they are freeloading on the back of motorists, never contributing anything positive, and sometimes having a negative affect. Therefore: scum. Parasites. Target practice.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I don't see "Arnaholic" by your name.

[Rob15]

Hahaha, nice FW

 

Sledge, maybe you should consider that a lot of people don't actually use bikes for commuting anyway so they don't really effect people who drive.

 

Also consider that people may use bikes because they can't afford to drive or are not old enough to drive anyway.

 

Also pretty much all of the cyclists around here i know of (and that is a lot of people) i can only think of a few who don't pay road tax.

 

One commutes because a car cost him too much, i don't because i can't afford to drive anyway (but i don't commute on a bike either) and the rest aren't old enough, everyone else drives and do pay road tax fyi, and thats pretty much the same accross the board with serious cyclists.

[Skarclaw]

I'd rather people use bikes and got fitter as result, so they didn't become overweight and leech off the NHS in later life aswell.

[Misfit]

Five people complained about Clarkson's terminology

[Delfi]

This has been going on for ages IIRC.

 

True, but the judgement is very recent.

 

The interesting thing is that calling it 'a bit gay' was fine because that can be interpreted in any number of ways. The 'ginger beer' comment was the one that drew the criticism.

 

You would have to be a bit gay to find either offensive, probably

 

D

[Stealthbomber]

Regarding cyclists...

 

I guess, as with all things, it's the unusually good ones and unusually bad ones that get your attention.

I have just been to Holland and it's full of people who ride bikes. No, really. It is.

However, they have bicycle lanes everywhere and the people use them. Yay!

 

Even so, I wonder who paid for the bicycle lanes. I have no idea if cyclists pay road tax over there but I doubt it.

 

As for the would-be Lance Armstrongs who insist on thrashing around our roads (at about 15mph) with their middle-aged spread stretching their dayglo lycra outfits to breaking point and the Bike couriers who pretend their Muddy Fox is actually an X Wing fighter, I'd cheerfully run them over without a 2nd thought if I ever got the opportunity. And I'd reverse back over them again to make sure.

 

Cars can't do what they want and go where they want. The road is designed in such a way to control the flow of traffic. The same should apply to cyclists and that means making bicycle lanes, which costs money, and the cyclists should be paying for it. Not the motorists.

 

Worse still, in a world where a page 3 model can insure her boobs in case they start to sag and end her career, there is ABSOLUTELY no excuse for cyclists to be allowed on the road with no insurance.

Too young or too skint to obtain insurance?

Tough.

I don't want you on the road where you can, theoretically, do thousands of pounds worth of damage to my shiny new BMW and not have insurance cover to pay for it.

 

Oh, and finally, How come there's no test to decide if you're actually capable of riding a bicycle on the road competently?

[finderella1]

I don't have a problem with cyclists in london in general, indeed 90% of drivers here have absolutely no need to be using a car to get about.

 

However there are some absolute ####s on 2 wheels, as has been mentioned before going through red lights etc. One of my friends was knocked clean off her feet by a cyclist going over a pedestrian crossing packed with people when the man was green. The guy didn't even stop to say sorry.

[creepingfear]

I'd rather people use bikes and got fitter as result, so they didn't become overweight and leech off the NHS in later life aswell.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

True.

 

Al Murray - Got to keep match fit in case the Germans try again. Leopards/spots. Lets not forget German tanks are called leopards, they're giving us a hint there.

[Sledge]

So a bit like you on the forums then? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, it's true. I never contribute anything constructive to the forums. I never organise events, help people with problems, source items for them. I don't know why people put up with me.

 

Oh, and by the way: who the *fruitcage* are you?

 

I don't see "Arnaholic" by your name.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Or yours.

 

[Ghost_Rider]

I'm going to ask the pair of you, politely, to stop making personal attacks. Fw, Sledge, you should both know better by now.

 

FW, just because Sledge hasn't made a monetary contribution to the forum doesn't give you the right to jump on him about it. Plus, it's a frankly flawed argument - he's legally required to pay road tax and have insurance if he drives a car, and to have passed a test to show his competency behind a wheel.

 

Cyclists don't have to do ANY of that and it's a double standard that really isn't fair.

 

Sledge, I grant that you were jumped on by FW attacking you rather than your argument, but I'd like to see you be the bigger person and not allow this to devolve into mudslinging.

 

I'd quite like to see the group attacks on cyclists stopping as well please. No more baiting insults (Scum, pararasite etc.)

[hitmanNo2]

Five people complained about Clarkson's terminology

And as we know, each complaint means 1 million people. Thats five million people that complained

[FarEast]

Because cyclists are scum.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That actually made me laugh, even though i am a cyclist.

 

And a poor speller

[samuel]

Clarksons only saying what the rest of the world wants to but doesn't have the balls too. He reigns supreme, im not racist but i do enjoy racist jokes. not just about other countries, but about England too. i tell jokes about Pakistani's to my Pakistani next door neighbour and he loves it, he finds the british sence of humour hillarious, and hes not offended by the term 'Paki' and says why should i be, are you offended by the term Brit? people need to realise that a racist joke is not a jab at the individual, more a humourus observation about history or politics. and anyone who can pull off racist jokes to the masses without becoming an instant target deserves a gold star. Clarkson pulls it off because people know him and they know that no matter the situation hes going to take the ###### out of it. Jade Goodie on the other hand is just a pig.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

100% pure solid gold WIN!

[Sledge]

I'm going to ask the pair of you, politely, to stop making personal attacks. Fw, Sledge, you should both know better by now.

Fair do's. Although, I am getting a little tired of anyone who disagrees with me resorting to "You don't contribute ANYTHING to the forum/you're bullying me with your rep points/you're bullying me with your post count/Sledge's fanbois will agree with him". It's getting old.

 

I'd quite like to see the group attacks on cyclists stopping as well please. No more baiting insults (Scum, pararasite etc.)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Fair do's, but it seemed appropriate in a thread on Clarkson.

 

That actually made me laugh, even though i am a cyclist.

 

And a poor speller

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But I haven't said anything about poor spelling. Someone would only drag up some post where I misspelt "sensible" at 4:37am or something.

 

Hyperbole aside, cyclists and horse riders are two groups that annoy me greatly, whether I'm walking or in a car. They don't pay road tax, insurance is next to non-existant and they often slow up traffic or cause other problems. I suspect that Clarkson as PM would change a few of those things.

 

As for if he's a racist... I doubt it. For a racist, he's awfully quick to praise the Germans/Japanese/whoever when they make an impressive car. I think a lot of his humour relies on national stereotypes, but there do seem to be double standards about this. The Kumars At Number 42 make jokes about Indian stereotypes and that's fine. A lot of comedy shows make jokes about Americans being fat, stupid, etc, and that's fine. But Clarkson can't suggest the Germans are sensible, efficient and humourless? Double standard, surely?

 

Edit ~ Irony. Misspelt "hyperbole".

 

[Spedz]

Hyperbole aside, cyclists and horse riders are two groups that annoy me greatly, whether I'm walking or in a car. They don't pay road tax, insurance is next to non-existant and they often slow up traffic or cause other problems. I suspect that Clarkson as PM would change a few of those things.

 

They annoy you because they don't pay road tax? Surly if more people started to use Bike rather then cars, they would. TL;DR People use cars mostly to commute. As far as I know People use bikes to Commute and to more importantly Off road ; )

 

[edit] (Again) Tags and finishing off a sentence.

[starburst]

They arent going to get cyclists to insure, the Government want more people to cycle to work, whos going to do that. Dependant on the bike people can afford there would be no point when you can get pretty cheap insurance for alot of small older cars.

 

As for Clarkson hes controvertial, funny and to the point. He loves Britain and has one of the best shows on TV (and one of the only reasons for keeping the BBC). He completly against being PC, maybe goes too far sometimes but alot of the time he hits the nail on the head and says more than most of us dare including those who should *hint*Tony Blair/Soon Gordon Brown*hint*

[hardboiledcop]

cyclists don't contribute to road damage or pollution, ergo no road tax. Perhaps there's an argument for some of them requiring more awareness for other road users.. but since they were there first.. its a hard sell indeed.

[starburst]

Especially seeming most drivers cant drive anyway, and they are tested!

[Chimpy]

cyclists don't contribute to road damage or pollution, ergo no road tax. Perhaps there's an argument for some of them requiring more awareness for other road users.. but since they were there first.. its a hard sell indeed.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

This I'd agree with... road tax for bikes is a bit silly considering the massive difference in damage they cause. The insurance and testing I think should be mandatory for cycling on the road.

[Rob15]

Wearing helmets for road riding should be a legal requirement too, i don't see that going down to well with the public though after a guy i sold a bike to the other day at work said paying £12 for a helemt wasn't worth it.....

[starburst]

Wearing helmets for road riding should be a legal requirement too

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I thought it was, just one they dont bother to enforce

 

The rules for bikes on the road is supposed to be like cars when it comes to lights and crossings, people will break them on either if they want to.

 

This is a bad road to be going down, if you wanted to test bikes and insure them you would need some way to identify them, an easier way would in this case to insure the rider. Problem with that is when you have kids, how many of you would want to insure your children to go and play on their bike? some people would have 2, 3 or even more expensive much!

 

Some people would insure their bike anyway when it comes to the really elite £1k or more ones, but most people wouldnt see the point and not buy them for themsleves and their kids (all adds up to loss of fun for us, jobs for people who make and sell them and add to polution)

[Carrion]

people are saying lots of people use bikes to commute. only in a select few large towns and citys matey.

 

come to the south west and see just how far the commute is daily on average (mine was about par at 20 miles) on a bike not a chance of getting to and fro work ina hurry.

 

as for taxation. the powers that be are putting in bike lanes so they should pay it as its cutting a small ammount of the road off for there sole use. granted the wear and tear is minimal but it should be a minimal fee which is more to show they are

 

1 over 16, sorry but little tikes on bikes ###### me off when driving with stupid antics and a total lack of saftey

2 have 3rd part insurance as a minimum. if they hit me or anything else (and they have in the past as both a pedestrian and a driver ) i want to be able to get my damages sorted out through them

3 have attended and passed a basic compulory training course similar to a car test which shows they understand the laws by which they must ride

 

and as for horses (as a sometimes rider). in file they dont casue an issue assuming teh rider is willing to pause and let cars pass much like tracotrs etc should do also. side by side is silly and unneeded. also car drives do need to learn to drive around them properly and also how to drive in country roads before they get arsey with stuff slowing them down as slow drivers cause more trouble than horses

 

edit

 

a liscene for cars is avoided by people, a liscence for motorbikes is also. its not that people will automaticaly avoid it as most wont. a minority will

 

young kids should be insured as a family so they can use the bikes off road (parks, nature trails etc) but not on roads

[Rob15]

I thought it was, just one they dont bother to enforce

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Nope, its also not legally required to have relfectors (during the day time) or a bell on your bike. There were plans to make it a legal requirement to have a bell on all bikes, but i don't know what happened with that, and frankly i don't care as long as it doesn't become law.