‘If you’re putting others in danger due to unsafe cycling – please stop’

A recent angry tweet I wrote about cyclists has caused a bit of an uproar. After a couple of days of reading what people have said and speaking to cycling friends I will put my hands up and say the comment was put up with not nearly enough context and high misinterpretation potential of me wishing harm to cyclists, which was in no way the case.

The reason I was so incensed at that particular moment was because for the second time in a week I had nearly been knocked down by cyclists speeding along the pavement to skip traffic before hurling abuse at me when confronted, which before this particular occasion had also occurred multiple times.

Now, I don’t mind people riding on the pavement – one of the reasons I walk is because I’d hate to be anywhere near a car on a bike – but pavements are populated by pedestrians. If you’re going to cycle on it to be safer, surely be aware of who else is using it? If I bump into another walker, there’s not going to be a casualty. If a bike slams into me going stupid miles an hour, I’m fucked.

That’s not to say that these types of cyclists are just a danger to me either. I have friends who have said they’re terrified of going on the Bristol & Bath Railway Path because of how quickly people gun down them. Some choose to ride on the roads because of this, which is ridiculous.

Why does there need to be arrogant speeding which endangers others? It’s just not okay. I don’t drive. I pretty much walk everywhere or get the bus. I should be able to feel safe on pavements.

I’m not even going to go too far into the vile people who began dragging my race into the argument – of which it is thoroughly unrelated – but it’s interesting how quickly ‘angry black woman’ and ‘chip on your shoulder’ starts getting dropped when you have an opinion.

The amount of responses received likening the prejudices towards cyclists with being born as a person of colour/a woman/disabled is just stupid. If you choose to cycle, that is a minority group you have chosen to be a part of. As soon as you get off that bike and strip off that lycra, the world no longer sees you as a cyclist.

To try and say I’m not allowed to have moments of misunderstanding because I am a woman of colour is beyond ignorant. I do not have a prejudice against cyclists but maybe after multiple unpleasant encounters, I did, and that’s something for me to think about. But my opinion on this subject has absolutely nothing to do with the colour of my skin. At all. Ever.

Regardless, it’s true that I wasn’t aware of the extent of vulnerability for cyclists. I’ve since learned some scary stats of road accidents, seen footage of drivers actively trying to knock people off their bikes and heard of a trend called ‘grabbing’ where people actively try and pull people off their bikes, which is horrendous.

For that reason I have taken down the tweet and I apologise to anyone it may have offended on that level. I do not condone violence and would not use it in any way other than to protect myself. The language I used was reactive to specific encounters and the cyclists involved; not all cyclists everywhere.

Despite how surprised I’ve been at the response (there has been some Twitter pack mentality in my opinion) I’m a strong believer that conflict doesn’t need be negative if lessons are learned and they have been.

I have been informed that there is disparity in funding for both pedestrian and cycling infrastructure compared with facilities for motor vehicles, set at a mere 0.5 per cent of the budget for roads which is shocking – far lower than I would have guesstimated, especially considering Bristol’s seen as a cycling city.

I understand more of the conversation now and can see that for the most part we’re all trying to safely get from A to B. However, if you’re putting others in danger due to unsafe cycling – please stop. Let’s not make life harder for each other.

Ngaio Anyia is a writer, musician and DJ