Vorpal wrote:pwa wrote:Vorpal wrote:I don't see how this could possibly be bullying. Obstructionist? Yes. Bullying? No. Is it bullying for you to cycle on a road with an HGV following?
Bullying takes many forms, not just physical or threat of physical. To deliberately wind someone up for no good reason when they have done nothing to you and are complying with the law and driving safely is a form of bullying. You have a power over them and you know that there is nothing they can reasonably do to get back at you. If you know or expect you are inflicting stress on them, yes, that is inflicting harm. Deliberately.
As for the last bit, deliberately slowing down an HGV by obstructing them for no good reason whilst cycling (the "no good reason" bit is important) is a bit mean but also perhaps brave. So a bit different. I for one feel more exposed on a bike than in a car.
So, not having a metal box around you makes the difference between bullying and brave? Even though, either way the lorry many tonnes hearvier?
I don't follow that logic. Where has brypoeth said he delinerately winds anyone up? The police recommend when someone is following too closely, to slow down until the following distance is suitable for the speed.
As for 'no good reason', well that's personal judgement.
In your (I think) seldom seen scenario of a cyclist deliberately slowing down a following HGV for no good reason, the cyclist would be guilty of bullying except for the fact that the cyclist would be exposing himself / herself to risk, and bullies don't do that. He / she would just be someone who takes pleasure in the discomfort of others. You can think of a name for that.
In a car you feel safer, so slowing the same HGV, again for no good reason, is bullying because the car driver is choosing to inflict stress on another human being, and feels that the other party cannot hit back.
Both scenarios require the HGV driver to be doing nothing wrong. If they are trying to go faster than the speed limit, or faster than road conditions allow, none of this applies. And I have already said that I too slow down if an HGV gets too close to the back of my vehicle.
This was all in response to Cyril Haearn suggesting that it is good to drive at considerably less than the speed limit even where road conditions don't require that for safety. Possibly in another thread on speed limit enforcement. These discussions skip from thread to thread. I suggested that deliberately slowing a delivery driver who is inside the speed limit and at a safe speed is unkind, because of the stress they are under to deliver a certain number of items in a set time. It developed from there.
All people deserve a bit of kindness, even delivery drivers.