Since commuting into the wharf for the past couple of years , I have grown to dislike the alleged ‘Knights of the road’ , who constantly try to prevent safe filtering , try and squeeze me off the road or are just plain dangerous in the egomaniacal thought that the roads of London are just for them. N fact I have come to belive white van drivers are gents by comparision.
After another too close encounter today with a cabbie. I was seeing red and my dislike had turned to utter hatred.
That was until I was held up by a security guard on the wharf to let a convoy pass. It was the annual ‘Magical Taxi Tour’ which is where the cabbies are taking around 3,500 children suffering from life-threatening illnesses on the trip of a lifetime to Disneyland Paris and sees self-employed drivers giving up several days of work for free to make dreams come true for their passengers.
Now I live in a dichotomy, For 364 days a year I will still have a strong dislike for the men in black (cabs) , But for today I tip my helmet to you as you are truly knights of the road, as for tomorrow , let the battle commence.
What I have never understood is that after all that time cabbies have spent on a bikes in London doing the ‘knowledge ‘ , why they do not have a healthy respect for other bike users .
Generally my posts are more upbeat , I heard about this site from the friendly suzuki vanvan forum ,This seems a great forum , Just happened that my first post caught me on a bad day when I nearly got knocked off :w00t:
I really despise them, they think they rule the road.
I got a cab from Euston to Marylebone every tuesday for a few weeks…
The cab drivers used to take me direct, £9 it cost me.
One driver took me all round regents park, i was like “errr where are you going?”
Ended up costing £14.
“Marylebone” he said sarcastically then started being shitry with me about how he knew the best route considering i was doing the same journey for every week.
the only other time it cost me that much was the legit time during the recent tube strike.
Still remember the c**t of a cabbie who tried to force me off the road because I was filtering past him at Kings Cross. ******. (It was when I was on my 125 VanVan. Would like to see him do it now I’m on a Speed Triple).
Sorry, but they really are scum of the earth, and I resent every time I have to get in one. Also…why the f**k do they always drive like idiots when there’s no one in the back, but as soon as they get a customer, they slow to walking speed?
(Yes, I know the answer. It was a rhetorical question…)
Maybe it’s because I ride like a granny, but I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve had a real, genuine “what the f**k did you do that for?” moment with another road user - black cab, white van or whatever.
I just assume they’re going to do something daft at some point, and they usually prove me right. No biggie. I’ve anticipated it and got away from them before they can take me out!
Of course, having said that, I’ll be riding home tonight all clenched up just waiting for something bad to happen…
In fairness to Hackney Cab drivers, they do, sometimes, make excellent use of their ‘park-anywhere-lights’ having suddenly stopped across a junction to pick up a fare - and this also proves how concerned they are for the environment, not wasting precious diesel to drive all that way to the side of the road. Last time I needed a cab a few years ago, it cost me £55 from the West End to Streatham, which I thought was an absolute bargain for a 25 minute ride. And don’t you think that they seem to be getting tidier and tidier in their personal appearance these days?
How anyone has the balls to criticise these Knights Of The Road is beyond me
edited to point out that I’m sure they’re not all bad, it’s easy to take the **** out of many professions, mine included (just some are easier than others!!)
I find most of 'em are ok when I’m filtering and a good few have moved across slightly to make room for me down Lower Thames St, for example. But…
But I really hate that they are allowed to use bus lanes when they don’t have a fare. If they’re not carrying a passenger, they are not public transport, are they? (which is the reasoning behind letting them in). All they are doing is bunging up the bus lane whilst commuting - why should they get special treatment above any other caged commuter?
Good point Big Pug about the empty ones in the bus lanes (but bet they would say that they have to be there next to the pavement to pick up passengers)
Having the misfortune of working around Hounslow i must say i would rather tehre be more Black Cab drivers than the numerous minicab drivers i have to endure on a daily basis that quite clearly have no idea how to drive let alone know exactly where it is you want to go. Silver mercedes with a sticker in the rear window and a sat nav on the dash, maybe even a couple of boxes of tissues on the rear shelf!!! Now they are a fu**ing waste of space.
I would also like to take my hat off to these “Knights of the road” for this most generous act of support, well done.
I have had several Hackney cab drivers deliberately pull into my path to stop me filtering, I really don’t understand the mentality of it. The only thing I can think of it that they are miserable from being stuck in traffic all day and think that bikers should wait in the traffic with them.
I agree with the original poster about white van drivers too, they are generally very good and I have even had a couple fold in their wing mirrors so I can squeeze past.
From a passenger perspective, I use cabs a lot when I’m out, as the rip off mini cabs stood outside bars and clubs charge about 50% more than black cabs.
Been knocked off by a van, knocked off by moped! Had loads of instances where people have threatened my safety just out sheerly not giving a flying f**k for other people’s well being. Even other motorcyclist will dangerously cut me up, ride right up arse to speed up when filtering…etc.
It’s just the nature of the place, since why i now have an oystercard.
+1 PJ… black cabs are generally much better driven than most minicabs I’ve seen.
The thing about them feeling they own the road- well maybe. I have seen them on occassion prevent bikes filtering but usually this seems to be because they perceive a danger ahead to the biker? You could say this is slightly arrogant of them but on the flip side they do tend to move aside and let you filter too when the mood takes them.
As to the ‘getting in a cab and being taken round the houses’ angle- you could always insist they take you the route you want to go- if they refuse just get out and get another cab.
I like the green dot on mini-cabs now, that has been a lifesaver in the past, seen that and realised the driver is a complete idiot prone to doing randomly dangerous things without warning, hung back a bit and watched as the driver did randomly dangerous things without warning which would have taken me out had I not put distance between us.
I vote for a change to the name of the thread…Black Cabs - Hate them or Loathe them!
