I am one of the rare breed of cyclist who DOES indicate to tell people where I am going and I take offence at people who tar all us cyclists with the same brush.

Sometimes even I get self-righteous, especially when I had to get from South Huntington to the college on Tadcaster Road.

Usually people in cars overtook (and still do!) on the blind corner of Huntington Road where there is a six-foot wall on one side - let's just say First York nearly had a small car go into the front of one of the Number 12 vehicles. Just because there are no double lines on the road doesn't mean it's safe to overtake.

Then I get to Monk Bar, where some overpaid jerk in their BMW X5 jeep tries to beat me through the bar. Then at the bottom of Lendal Bridge, oh look! a car in the cycle headstart box! Oh no! That bendy bus on the Park and Ride can't get round the corner now - all those folks on the bus end up late to work through the actions of ONE person.

I'm not even going to describe the ordeal of going down Tadcaster Road on a bicycle. When I get on the cycle lanes on the pavement, people swear at me and tell me to get on the road - so I can't win.

Sometimes I took the bus to college. I was always late becauses buses were full, and not many car drivers let buses pull out from the bus stop bays.

Other times I see how far I can get to before a certain bus comes past. For example I have beaten numerous Coastliner buses from Stonebow, and got all the way to the college before it comes past!

We can always hope for a tram system to beat congestion.

Site Editor's note

Chris wrote this partly in response to John Dugdale's My York News story, 'Driving me mad'. See our news list for more.

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Updated: 10:37 Thursday, October 27, 2005