I wrote:
I've read that POB's[1] tend to
do that sort of thing a lot in London.

[1] People On Bikes, as opposed to Real Cyclists.

and Ian F. responded:
If you tell me there's a difference, I'll believe you!

There certainly is. We Real Cyclists tend to really, really dislike
POB's, mostly because we all get tarred with the same brush. But also
because they endanger us directly.

A while ago, a regular on urc was injured when a POB rode off a pavement
into him without looking. I have had to slam the brakes on on occasion
to avoid POB's doing the same thing.

In The Great Helmet Debate, those who would like to remove our freedom
to choose whether to wear a lid (in spite of all the evidence that
removal of such freedom would be a bad thing) have taken to citing the
case of a young POB who was killed after riding a bike with faulty
brakes off the pavement and into the path of a car. As if wearing a
PFDB[1] would have been more effective at saving his life than adequate
cycle training and maintenance.

There have been other stories of Real Cyclists being hit by POB's
sailing through red lights.

POB's tend to be relatively slow cyclists (except for those couriers
that I've read about). So a POB will sail past a Real Cyclist at a red
light, then get in the way when the Real Cyclist catches up after the
lights change. Repeatedly, when there are as many traffic lights as in
London.

I could go on (I had other things in mind to mention when I started
typing this), but I'm bored now so I'll stop.

[1] Polystyrene Foam Deflector Beanie. It's OK to wear a helmet, as
long as you remember that it's made of meringue covered in eggshell and
ride accordingly.

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine