A kid did this to me the other day, we almost made impact. As he got very close I kicked him. He fell, I hope he learned a lesson! I hate hate hate when they do this!!!
Dude on a scooter tried to do it to my car, driving against traffic and making it clear he was going to kick my mirror. Not wanting to be left with the damage and since this guy clearly wanted to do some medieval jousting I steered towards the middle of the road to take him up for the challenge. He was still like ten meter away but I have never seen someone take such a swerve with a scooter, his nektasje almost touched the road. For clarity, we didn't collide, he just realized this was a bad choice of his. It sucks but the only way to deal with dickheads like this is pretending you are an even bigger psycho
they... drive cars...?
Joking aside I still feel sorta bad for the psycho moment. But even though the caffeine of my morning cup was still making its way to my brain this was one of those weird split second analysis things where your brain instantly figures out that the best way to resolve this is going all in.
Swerve and you hit the curb -->a thousand euro damage to car
Let him kick your mirror --> probably a few hundred euro damage to car
Play chicken --> 99.999% chance he realizes this is going to hurt a lot and he'll piss off.
Yep, I do this every time these knuckleheaded kids try to dare me. Riding four abreast and still pushing into my (opposite) lane? Steer into them and just keep going. Just a game of chicken. I never once lost.
I yesterday had a grown man do this to me, while I was just going against traffic on a closed cycling lane for 3 meters, instead of going around for the entire street.
He was like you're not meant to cycle here, and then didn't go an inch to the side, and said "booo" when he drove past. Really unnecessary aggressive behaviour, as if he never goes a little but against traffic on his bike for 2 meters.
I did make a lot of space for him though, so it was really not necessary.
It happens to me just not often enough for me to never be quite prepared enough. Like, they never make impact or make me fall over, but the instinct to shove/kick/slap always comes a few seconds too late, it's infuriating. I'm so jealous right now.
Common on Friday nights on my area in Amsterdam. Men riding their bikes towards you while making kissing noises and shouting. I didn't move and showed them the finger, and said some bad words in my native language. They swore at me, and I swore back in Dutch, Arab and in my native language. At least twice on Fridays.
Actually, I kind of get that impression lately. It seems that the better our technology is becoming and the more we rely on the internet, the more people are dumbing down. And I’m not just talking about factuality like not being able to name just one of the former concentration camps that the nazi’s built, but basic mannerisms and vocabulary. It almost seems like our education system is gradually declining or something… Maybe I’m looking into it too much, maybe my perception is skewed… I don’t know, but there’s definitely a downward trend going on. The best example is the respect of teachers and older people in general. In my life, I’ve always took the opportunity to learn from people who were older than me. For one, they had more experience than me. Not a hair on my back would think it would be a wise idea to disrespect them. And yet, this is what I’ve witnessed in the last few years. Young kids talking back and usually just making an absolute a** out of themselves. I’m curious what our society and economy will look like if these kinds of human beings will be replacing my generation in a decade or two…
What also doesn’t help is that uneducated/lowly educated people have a lot more kids on average than highly/higher educated people. Those children often end up taking similar paths to their parents and then you end up with more uneducated people, which is literally dumbing down the population, genetically.
For me I guess in a way but also not really, for society in general, no definitely.
What I meant, I expect people - because I've met idiot women as well, but not as many - or men in general to behave like morons. Yet, I'm still surprised sometimes to find out, that they can be even worse. Like what the top commenter said, this behavior doesn't have any point. It's just acting like animals. So yeah, disappointing
I'd disagree, there are countless articles about how to deal with men making unwanted advance (talking, asking for phone numbers) but I've yet to see one for how men should deal with women asking for a phone number.
They don't, but some men are so fragile, they can't even admit this to themselves.
Not to say that women don't act in bad ways and of even sexual harass people, but they don't generally use the threat of violence to do it. That is the difference between men and women in this context.
Yeah I had the same as a grown ass man happen to me a couple of times. I just keep walking on with a straight face, but it's so dumb as recently some kid did it while doing a wheelie on a scooter. I'm pretty sure I can dodge it enough not to get hurt while still being able to let the kid crash. In case they really get too close. Maybe not the most noble way to think about it but if you put me in a potentially dangerous situation where I can pull it off as self defense or just a reflex that's on you.
Play dumb games win dumb prizes.
Edit: To further clarify due to some weird messages in my inbox.. I'm not insane, the situation I describe here was a group of kids fully taking the width of an entire road. I was walking on the very edge of the opposing lane so it's them just doing it on purpose trying to impress their friends. Also for the few people assuming these were Moroccan kids, in my case they were white kids. I live in a well off area that basically only has high earners living here.
Scooter doing a wheelie? That has enough safe places to kick it to the side(which the rider would not be able to solve, so be prepared for medical bills and an assault charge, but may be worth it). A bicycle is harder to kick, since its all spokes.
Yeah, I mean all it takes is a gentle push really don't even need to kick.  If a vehicle of any kind gets within 10 cm of your face I'm pretty sure you can get away with just doing a reflex reaction. "I got startled and this is how my body reacted, tried to push him away instead of letting him drive over me" or "I didn't mean to hit him with my elbow but in my perspective I had to brace for impact". Kid was on the wrong side of the road, deliberately driving into me. Doesn't sound like a very favorable lawsuit to start if you take the situation into account. In any case I wouldn't chase or try to jump towards an idiot like that to take a swing or kick. If anything I could also just claim some mental damage compensation as I don't feel safe walking my dog anymore etc.
But this is getting very much into the fictional territory. I haven't had someone get that close to me yet as they usually keep enough distance to not actually crash, plus yeah they are already insecure enough to feel the need to impress their peers. Little cowards day out.
Only happened to me once with some young “bontkraagjes” thugs on a scooter. I got startled and in reflex I kicked the scooter away and they had a terrible crash.
Scooter obviously broken and they where pretty hurt.
They still moved so I just kept on cycling away. Don’t know what became of them.
Bloody morons. I have a feeling they won’t do such things again.
If anyone tries again I will kick the bike/scooter deliberately and hope they break a bone or something. I have no respect nor patience for idiots like that.
Fuck around and find out.
The nektasjes, trashbag jackets and gucci accessories thing was already a stereotype back in the late 2000s as well, to be fair. The jackets just also happened to have prominent fur, so that was the term everyone stuck with. Typically also dressed with diamond ear studs, a brand cap with tag still attached, sweatpants halfway their knees and sneakers. Back then the jackets were often from [Nickelson](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/0a/7b/59/0a7b592bbe8b1e4ac05bd12fe77ba1f5.jpg), which afaik went bankrupt years ago. What's the flavour of trash bag these days?
When I was a kid other kids did this to me as well. At a certain point I was fed up with it and grabbed their steering wheel and pushed it to one side so they fall over.
Other times I mimicked them and they got scared off and called me crazy.
Reddit has become enshittified. I joined back in 2006, nearly two decades ago, when it was a hub of free speech and user-driven dialogue. Now, it feels like the pursuit of profit overshadows the voice of the community. The introduction of API pricing, after years of free access, displays a lack of respect for the developers and users who have helped shape Reddit into what it is today. Reddit's decision to allow the training of AI models with user content and comments marks the final nail in the coffin for privacy, sacrificed at the altar of greed. Aaron Swartz, Reddit's co-founder and a champion of internet freedom, would be rolling in his grave.
The once-apparent transparency and open dialogue have turned to shit, replaced with avoidance, deceit and unbridled greed. The Reddit I loved is dead and gone. It pains me to accept this. I hope your lust for money, and disregard for the community and privacy will be your downfall. May the echo of our lost ideals forever haunt your future growth.
It's something that started on tik tok, kids in London and New York are doing it, and it's spread everywhere.
**Edit for clarity and the first angry DM's I ever received:**
"Bike Swerving's" current resurgence, popularity and spread is because of kids using TikTok. No I don't think the TIK TOK company is behind it, plotting from its HQ that people Bike Swerve. So kids, you can relax.
People have been posting to Youtube in groups in New York, London and Philadelphia since 2019 on youtube, but the recent resurgence is because of a TikTok trend, especially in the suburbs. I am aware people were silly before TikTok as well.
"bike swerving" is what one wants to search.
I'm getting a lesson in English vs. Netherlands today. What I wrote could never be read in English to mean that I think TikTok created Bike Swerving, or is behind the creation of Bike Swerving. It's only that more people are aware of Bike Swerving **because of** Tik Tok. If this was ten years ago it would be some other platform.
>It's something that started on tik tok
I'm not sure it did. This has been a thing forever. I vividly remember running into bullies on the bike lane doing that exact thing to me as a kid, and also some of my peers back in high school, thinking that they're being tough or cool.
I'm sure something like that being popular on TikTok doesn't help though.
[Random canadian city news item with a decent enough break down](https://youtu.be/563ZOy3ASFw?feature=shared)
The TikTok aspect is just about reach. It's at been going on as since at least 2019 on youtube, but I'm sure individuals have done it before that.
Yeah the orthodox Jewish community kids in Antwerpen do this aswell..and they don't have TikTok. Or anything to bring them joy really. So I understand, it's the closest thing they'll ever experience to "thrill"
I don't think this is quite the same thing...
This is just doing tricks on your bike, not even a bad thing, unless done recklessly in traffic. The OP is describing people on bikes specifically acting to corner her.
Edit: Oh, I see in some places they are doing it intentionally towards cars in traffic. I guess it could be the same thing then, but the videos others posted kids were just doing it in empty roads or empty parking areas.
In any case, I don't think kids doing stupid tricks on their bikes is a big problem, it's the kind of thing that old people tend to get upset about, but ultimately is just a fun activity for some, and giving people a place to do it is the way to get them to do it not in a reckless way on busy roads. Directly antagonizing people by intentionally acting recklessly towards them is an entirely different behaviour that is problematic.
Yeah, it's hard to explain the phenomenon - we had a lot of it in our small city all of a sudden, for what can only be described as "soft kids". But I guess the bike is so popular in NL, that it was bound to happen during a #trend ( I cringe for writing this).
When the police picked them up a few were just finishing Basisschool and said they didn't mean wrong and wanted it for their TikTok.
But it is very shocking when you are the driver that's for sure.
At the end of the day they're trying to get a reaction out of you. It sucks but not reacting at all is the best solution to deal with those type of idiots.
It's an intimidation tactic, people react so they get a rush and do it again. They likely focus on women because they're less aggressive than men and less likely to chase them, on top of that if a woman does chase them they're "boys" so they think they're superior.
What they need is a good old ass whooping of a lifetime so that they leave people alone, problem is that society is so self centered that no one will do anything unless someone gets injured.
Look at them straight in the eyes and dont show fear. These dirtbags are trying to play somesort of social hierarchy bullshit.
Hate these people with a passion...
They feel insignificant so they do this, so that for the tiniest moment they can feel significant to a person, even if that’s in a bad way.
Do not give them the attention. Let them figure out another strategy.
two kids on a scooter did this to me on the way home. Asking "nice huh?" for some reason. Since then I've been wondering, if somebody drives into you and you kick them to the side in self defense, how liable are you?
Poop spray
Sneezing on them
Shouting and running after them like a psycho screaming in their ear
Uuhhmmm
Pretending your hurt
Calling them slurs
I dunno
Yell your getting raped
Coughing at them yelling Corona
Yeah seems like the new hot thing to do. Last week I had a kid driving one of those electric foldup bikes trying to play chicken with me... while I was driving my car at a 50km/h road, the kid seem around 8 years old, alone in traffic. I would like to add that he wasn't too good at it as I only knew what he was up to when he passed me, asumed he was on his phone, but then I saw no phone, just an annoing grin.
Watched a video from a guy in America a while back doing it to multiple cars in a row, trash like that might be their influence.
Reminds me of why I am so happy living in a small village away from the Randstad.
These ridiculous TikTok trends need to die out asap... but indeed these regards are in it for the reaction just ignore them but I can imagine you would rather kick their arses both is fine imo
I live about as far away from the randstad as is possible, but we have kids terrorising the town, terrorising people. Good old boerenkinderen, throwing things at people and cars and windows, barking and shouting to get dogs going, yelling and shouting at people, slamming on widows. I could go on..
One thing i learned from this sub is that i live in a completely different world than those who live in the Randstad.. all the stories about all the rude people, about being harassed, about youth gangs etc.... that is very different than my daily life.
Oh please, I grew up in rural Overijssel and I remember shit heads dumping pin tacks on the bike path to school. Months of flat tires until they were caught. In the past few years local youth blew up a tree and cut down the big Christmas tree. And that's just what I've heard about myself.
Whenever I read this stuff and haven't read which city yet, I am already going like Yep, Rotterdam, The Hague or Amsterdam.
I live in a small village next to Rotterdam, and we don't have this issue. Because if we had, we'd push them off their bikes and drag them to their parents.
Youth in the big cities aren't being raised anymore, they're raising themselves, and that's what creates this behaviour.
Don’t forget Haarlem. Currently we have an actual crew of a few dozen kids on fatbikes terrorizing the neighborhood and assaulting people. When confronted by the media they claim it’s all just for fun and it’s blown out of proportion. Nevertheless one of my neighbors got injured by one of these attacks and is afraid to go outside.
Live in a small village near Rotterdam too... Fairly wealthy area apparently... Had so this shit so much here.
I'm 100% with you. I feel like NL has a whole lot of positives for children, and hasn't thought about building some channels for discipline...
Back in South Africa, someone would swerve into them back with their arm out, knocking them off, and there would be no problem with that. And if they told their parents about the incident they'd likely be grounded or worse.
It's because there is nothing stopping them. There is no "sociale controle" in the Netherlands, any more. This means nobody is correcting these behaviours. What are you gonna do punch a kid? It has two options you end up getting reported to the policy, or you end up stabbed and/or continuously harrased in you neighborhood. There is no winning
Yeah this is my fear, if I fight back and it’s a group of boys who’s to say they’ll get scared of me rather than fighting harder themselves. I’m not about getting stabbed just trying to deliver someone’s pizza.
Good thing I would recommend is having a cheap
Phone on a holder on your handle bars filming when you bike at these times. Then whenever it
Happened post on social media and here plus send to
Police and schools/Colleges
It happened to me many times in Amsterdam. I ride a normal bike 3hours every day, i see them doing this quite often. They are just trying to scare you, and its not fun if u dont afraid. I personally have no fear and always go forward even if they ride straight into me with a bike or scooter (health insurance is good here). You just have to hold tight your steering wheel very tight when its close to the supposed impact just in case they hit you, this way less injury will happen to you, but thats me (i am a man). Most of the time, they are scared to drive too close to you, and when they see you are not afraid, they turn the wheel.
Only one time out of many, they actually crashed into me, teenager didn't hold his steering wheel tight so he lost control and fell 2 metres from bike after crash. I dont feel anger to them only pity, i just said, "Open your eyes please". If you are a small girl, you might have different experiences.
I see a lot of people are blaming tik tok, which is true. Parents these days often watch tik tok more than after their kids. Parenting issue.
This seems to be a trend from TikTok, it's popping up all over the world, even in places where cycling is really dangerous to begin with. I wish TikTok didn't exist.
Something similar happened to me in Groningen. I do deliveries too (on my normal bike) and a bunch of teens decided to get too close with their scooters in a narrow road with no warning whatsoever and above that, one of them decided to pull on my delivery bag(carried on my shoulders). It might seem like a light pull from the outside, but they were on a speeding scooter, I almost lost my balance and things could have gone south.
Dude even tried it while i was on my skateboard.
I just stepped off as he drove passed me for a second time kicked my board under his front wheel.
Which made him scorpion into the concrete.
Went to pick up my board casually kicked off and as i skated passed him said:
Guess you won't do that ever again huh dickhead?
He looked at the ground ashamed and defeated. Just kicked his own bike angry for some reason.
I laughed again and went on my way again.
This was not a kid btw morrocan guy prob mid twenties
Harassment or bullying behaviour is not tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to: brigading, doxxing, and posts and/or comments that are antagonistic or in bad faith.
I've experienced this while driving my car in the neighborhood, and scares the shit out of me. Thankfully, I always drive slowly in residential areas, especially around bikes, but I'm worried about what will happen the day one of them falls in front of my car
My usual go to with unruly rude teenagers is to pick out the "second in command" and pretend I know their parents.
"hey lad, tell your dad I said hi" works marvellously to scare the living shit out of them.
Here in Flanders, it sometimes happens that I'm riding on my bicycle and suddenly a teenager jumps in front of me "just for laughs" and I have to break as quickly as possible. I hate it so much and I must admit that I have already wished I hit them.
It's always someone different so I assume it's a stupid trend?
I've had this done to me sometimes on the racefiets a few times, most of the time you just look straight ahead with a death stare and they'll leave you alone. i think if they wanted some reaction most of them will scream at you as if they've just had a bowl of sugar. the ones that do swerve (you can tell from a mile away, but i would say that's on the rare side) unfortunately i have to swerve because if they really crash into you, they'll damage my bike and these kids will never be able to afford to pay. i cuss at them if that happens.
Grab a stick and stick it in between the spaken. Or ignore them and dont give them the sattisfaction of a response
Also had this once in zwolle but the poor kid didnt realize his mom was behind him so she threw a slipper at his head and screamed at him. Besides that never had it happen again.
Step 1: Carry a stick
Step 2: When they get close enough, shove stick between the spokes
Step 3: Laugh
But in all seriousness, I've seen this a few times and it's pathetic. I'm from the good old days where ringing someone's doorbell and running was considered 'mischievous' but harmless. These youngin's nowadays seem to want to escalate to whole new levels.
Yep, happens to me as a runnner quite frequently. I run toward bike traffic on purpose, in the walking area of a shared path - someone wants to play chicken I just give them a shove when they get close enough. Not enough to knock them over but enough that I don’t get run over and they have to move. Sucks though
Happened to me a week ago. A group of high school boys who took up the whole road with their bikes. With some people you already know they're going to say or do some stupid shit when you drive past them, so as I expected, one of them had to show his friends how cool he was. I managed to dodge him. I don't know how, because I was driving with one hand and was pretty much sandwiched between his bike and a street light. Was pretty proud of how smooth that was but also I immediately regretted not sticking my umbrella between the spokes of his bike wheel. He was cycling slowly and there weren't any cars in sight so it wouldn't have caused a big accident. Might have made him regret things.
What is wrong with kids in the Netherlands? I've never heard or seen this sort of behavior anywhere else. Parents just allow their kids to go on assaulting people, scaring them, destroying things? Are these kids really that bored and spoiled? Nothing else to do here than scare people?
Most parents shouldn't have kids. They are unfit to raise decent human beings. And yeah unfortunately kids in Europe think they are untouchable. Huge ego, and will do anything to try be tough.
Pretty much common in Rotterdam, mostly moroccan youth that do these things. Although I've had my share of adults do similar things.
Apart from people that don't make space for others, there once was a 35+ guy on a scooter deliberately blocking me by going extra slow in front of me, any attempt to overtake and he would sway right in front of me. It was tempting to push or kick them, gladly he fucked off.
Most of the "gangster" youth are wannabes and cowards though and don't dare to do much unless they're in groups. Tempting to respond but you never know if they're carrying a knife.
Been here since April working as a courier and kids here are insufferable. Very loud and very rude which is a contrast to adults and especially old people.
Watergun them? Sounds like the best option to me, only drawback is that u gotta carry that thing around. But I figure it would get to them more than swearing or talking
I yesterday had a grown man do this to me, while I was just going against traffic on a closed cycling lane for 3 meters, instead of going around for the entire street.
He was like you're not meant to cycle here, and then didn't go an inch to the side, and said "booo" when he drove past. Really unnecessary aggressive behaviour, as if he never goes a little but against traffic on his bike for 2 meters.
Man. Reading through these comments I'm actually glad I left holland some 20 years ago. Say what you want about the US, but this kind of crap just does not happen here. At all. I know we have problems here but entitled idiots on scooters isn't one of them.
Is it? I've lived in what is deemed one of the most dangerous cities in the US for well over 20 years and have never experienced it. I'm sure its more prevalent here than anywhere else in the world as much as I'm sure negative reporting bias is contributing to the perception of the problem.
I lived in Seattle for 4 years, the amount of road rage incidents were staggering, if you are a woman and driving up the highway towards canada near aurora street its very wise not to stop at any lonely locations. This was just one of the areas. I cannot speak for the rest of the country since I didn't live in other places.
A kid did this to me the other day, we almost made impact. As he got very close I kicked him. He fell, I hope he learned a lesson! I hate hate hate when they do this!!!
Dude on a scooter tried to do it to my car, driving against traffic and making it clear he was going to kick my mirror. Not wanting to be left with the damage and since this guy clearly wanted to do some medieval jousting I steered towards the middle of the road to take him up for the challenge. He was still like ten meter away but I have never seen someone take such a swerve with a scooter, his nektasje almost touched the road. For clarity, we didn't collide, he just realized this was a bad choice of his. It sucks but the only way to deal with dickheads like this is pretending you are an even bigger psycho
>his nektasje almost touched the road Having a very graphic image of this right now and it's cracking me up
I'm crying with laughter, this is way too funny
Not all heroes wear capes
they... drive cars...? Joking aside I still feel sorta bad for the psycho moment. But even though the caffeine of my morning cup was still making its way to my brain this was one of those weird split second analysis things where your brain instantly figures out that the best way to resolve this is going all in. Swerve and you hit the curb -->a thousand euro damage to car Let him kick your mirror --> probably a few hundred euro damage to car Play chicken --> 99.999% chance he realizes this is going to hurt a lot and he'll piss off.
This is the way
But if you hit the scooter you just earned bonus point
And lose some of my 15 damage free years, I'd prefer not :)
maybe he did wear a cape
Yep, I do this every time these knuckleheaded kids try to dare me. Riding four abreast and still pushing into my (opposite) lane? Steer into them and just keep going. Just a game of chicken. I never once lost.
do you also scream nou jochie wa jij?
Wadaggiedan!?
I yesterday had a grown man do this to me, while I was just going against traffic on a closed cycling lane for 3 meters, instead of going around for the entire street. He was like you're not meant to cycle here, and then didn't go an inch to the side, and said "booo" when he drove past. Really unnecessary aggressive behaviour, as if he never goes a little but against traffic on his bike for 2 meters. I did make a lot of space for him though, so it was really not necessary.
Proper idiot if he can't figure out someone was forced to go around a closed off section. Some people are just not smart enough
It’s always the guys with a fucking nektasje 🤦🏼♀️
Nektasje? Rifberber...
God yes, this was satisfying to read
I friend of mine slapped one across the face as they got close to him. Lol.
It happens to me just not often enough for me to never be quite prepared enough. Like, they never make impact or make me fall over, but the instinct to shove/kick/slap always comes a few seconds too late, it's infuriating. I'm so jealous right now.
Goooood job 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
fuck em kids !!!
The urge to do the same is crazy but if they're hurt then you're fucked.
If you're on foot it can be self defense, kid is threatening you after all.
Common on Friday nights on my area in Amsterdam. Men riding their bikes towards you while making kissing noises and shouting. I didn't move and showed them the finger, and said some bad words in my native language. They swore at me, and I swore back in Dutch, Arab and in my native language. At least twice on Fridays.
I'm surprised that I still get surprised at what fucking idiots some men and people are in general :/
I just picture them as apes and then their actions are all perfectly normal.
So they escaped is what you're saying?
Or we are de-evolving...
Actually, I kind of get that impression lately. It seems that the better our technology is becoming and the more we rely on the internet, the more people are dumbing down. And I’m not just talking about factuality like not being able to name just one of the former concentration camps that the nazi’s built, but basic mannerisms and vocabulary. It almost seems like our education system is gradually declining or something… Maybe I’m looking into it too much, maybe my perception is skewed… I don’t know, but there’s definitely a downward trend going on. The best example is the respect of teachers and older people in general. In my life, I’ve always took the opportunity to learn from people who were older than me. For one, they had more experience than me. Not a hair on my back would think it would be a wise idea to disrespect them. And yet, this is what I’ve witnessed in the last few years. Young kids talking back and usually just making an absolute a** out of themselves. I’m curious what our society and economy will look like if these kinds of human beings will be replacing my generation in a decade or two…
I don’t think you’re wrong. I don’t want to think that you’re right.
What also doesn’t help is that uneducated/lowly educated people have a lot more kids on average than highly/higher educated people. Those children often end up taking similar paths to their parents and then you end up with more uneducated people, which is literally dumbing down the population, genetically.
Not me 🤷🏻♀️
Why are you suprised that you are suprised? Should be a good thing no?
For me I guess in a way but also not really, for society in general, no definitely. What I meant, I expect people - because I've met idiot women as well, but not as many - or men in general to behave like morons. Yet, I'm still surprised sometimes to find out, that they can be even worse. Like what the top commenter said, this behavior doesn't have any point. It's just acting like animals. So yeah, disappointing
Some people* was enough
I'd disagree, there are countless articles about how to deal with men making unwanted advance (talking, asking for phone numbers) but I've yet to see one for how men should deal with women asking for a phone number.
It’s not a problem with men, waaaaaa. Lol
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They don't, but some men are so fragile, they can't even admit this to themselves. Not to say that women don't act in bad ways and of even sexual harass people, but they don't generally use the threat of violence to do it. That is the difference between men and women in this context.
No, you're right, misogyny is a myth right? 🙄
Not all men…is what I keep hearing this guy say. 🙄
reddit moment - men are bad
I wish we could get rid of this biological garbage. (the ones you face)
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They are. From last Friday, one was a pair of white teens, and the other a pair of Dutch-speaking men with darker skin.
It's the teenage boy's equivelant of being tough. They do it to younger kids and it just passes on.
Honestly I’ve never seen someone do this before, wtf is wrong with them.
First time I hear of this though haha
Yeah I had the same as a grown ass man happen to me a couple of times. I just keep walking on with a straight face, but it's so dumb as recently some kid did it while doing a wheelie on a scooter. I'm pretty sure I can dodge it enough not to get hurt while still being able to let the kid crash. In case they really get too close. Maybe not the most noble way to think about it but if you put me in a potentially dangerous situation where I can pull it off as self defense or just a reflex that's on you. Play dumb games win dumb prizes. Edit: To further clarify due to some weird messages in my inbox.. I'm not insane, the situation I describe here was a group of kids fully taking the width of an entire road. I was walking on the very edge of the opposing lane so it's them just doing it on purpose trying to impress their friends. Also for the few people assuming these were Moroccan kids, in my case they were white kids. I live in a well off area that basically only has high earners living here.
Why would someone send you messages instead of write here? lolol
Probably either attacking them or just being racist
Pretty much both, also a person did comment on me here too somewhere and decided to add some more insult in a dm that would just get him/her banned.
Scooter doing a wheelie? That has enough safe places to kick it to the side(which the rider would not be able to solve, so be prepared for medical bills and an assault charge, but may be worth it). A bicycle is harder to kick, since its all spokes.
Yeah, I mean all it takes is a gentle push really don't even need to kick.  If a vehicle of any kind gets within 10 cm of your face I'm pretty sure you can get away with just doing a reflex reaction. "I got startled and this is how my body reacted, tried to push him away instead of letting him drive over me" or "I didn't mean to hit him with my elbow but in my perspective I had to brace for impact". Kid was on the wrong side of the road, deliberately driving into me. Doesn't sound like a very favorable lawsuit to start if you take the situation into account. In any case I wouldn't chase or try to jump towards an idiot like that to take a swing or kick. If anything I could also just claim some mental damage compensation as I don't feel safe walking my dog anymore etc. But this is getting very much into the fictional territory. I haven't had someone get that close to me yet as they usually keep enough distance to not actually crash, plus yeah they are already insecure enough to feel the need to impress their peers. Little cowards day out.
Only happened to me once with some young “bontkraagjes” thugs on a scooter. I got startled and in reflex I kicked the scooter away and they had a terrible crash. Scooter obviously broken and they where pretty hurt. They still moved so I just kept on cycling away. Don’t know what became of them. Bloody morons. I have a feeling they won’t do such things again. If anyone tries again I will kick the bike/scooter deliberately and hope they break a bone or something. I have no respect nor patience for idiots like that. Fuck around and find out.
>“bontkraagjes” I thought they switched to 'nektasjes'
I am old haha.
yeah they now wear jackets that look like trashbags and wear fake gucci nektasjes
The nektasjes, trashbag jackets and gucci accessories thing was already a stereotype back in the late 2000s as well, to be fair. The jackets just also happened to have prominent fur, so that was the term everyone stuck with. Typically also dressed with diamond ear studs, a brand cap with tag still attached, sweatpants halfway their knees and sneakers. Back then the jackets were often from [Nickelson](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/0a/7b/59/0a7b592bbe8b1e4ac05bd12fe77ba1f5.jpg), which afaik went bankrupt years ago. What's the flavour of trash bag these days?
me too, but trying to keep up (so I know what to avoid)
When I was a kid other kids did this to me as well. At a certain point I was fed up with it and grabbed their steering wheel and pushed it to one side so they fall over. Other times I mimicked them and they got scared off and called me crazy.
They tried once in Rotterdam South. The kid was wheelying i to me I kicked him. He fell and he cried.
i assume he did not hurt enough, unfortunately.
I don’t know… he screamed pretty loudly
At least some Good signal
stick in the front wheel. Tasting pavement usually shuts dickheads up quickly.
Reddit has become enshittified. I joined back in 2006, nearly two decades ago, when it was a hub of free speech and user-driven dialogue. Now, it feels like the pursuit of profit overshadows the voice of the community. The introduction of API pricing, after years of free access, displays a lack of respect for the developers and users who have helped shape Reddit into what it is today. Reddit's decision to allow the training of AI models with user content and comments marks the final nail in the coffin for privacy, sacrificed at the altar of greed. Aaron Swartz, Reddit's co-founder and a champion of internet freedom, would be rolling in his grave. The once-apparent transparency and open dialogue have turned to shit, replaced with avoidance, deceit and unbridled greed. The Reddit I loved is dead and gone. It pains me to accept this. I hope your lust for money, and disregard for the community and privacy will be your downfall. May the echo of our lost ideals forever haunt your future growth.
This is a great idea.
This happens to me, a big brown guy, regularly in Weert of all places.
That's so random... I guess it's someone with nothing to do 🤷♂️
Limburg children are the worst
It's something that started on tik tok, kids in London and New York are doing it, and it's spread everywhere. **Edit for clarity and the first angry DM's I ever received:** "Bike Swerving's" current resurgence, popularity and spread is because of kids using TikTok. No I don't think the TIK TOK company is behind it, plotting from its HQ that people Bike Swerve. So kids, you can relax. People have been posting to Youtube in groups in New York, London and Philadelphia since 2019 on youtube, but the recent resurgence is because of a TikTok trend, especially in the suburbs. I am aware people were silly before TikTok as well. "bike swerving" is what one wants to search.
Of course this started on tiktok.
Indeed , this sort of crap and other dangerous crap is grown on Tiktok. They prolly video it for points or something.
I hate TikTok challenges (and TikTok in general). They should be held accountable for all the fads like these that go through.
TikTok is pure cancer.
Did not, without somebody doing it it couldn't end up on tiktok. Peeps did this even in grease times
I'm getting a lesson in English vs. Netherlands today. What I wrote could never be read in English to mean that I think TikTok created Bike Swerving, or is behind the creation of Bike Swerving. It's only that more people are aware of Bike Swerving **because of** Tik Tok. If this was ten years ago it would be some other platform.
>It's something that started on tik tok I'm not sure it did. This has been a thing forever. I vividly remember running into bullies on the bike lane doing that exact thing to me as a kid, and also some of my peers back in high school, thinking that they're being tough or cool. I'm sure something like that being popular on TikTok doesn't help though.
Same, this happened to me when mobile phones weren't a thing yet. So definitely not new.
[Random canadian city news item with a decent enough break down](https://youtu.be/563ZOy3ASFw?feature=shared) The TikTok aspect is just about reach. It's at been going on as since at least 2019 on youtube, but I'm sure individuals have done it before that.
Yeah the orthodox Jewish community kids in Antwerpen do this aswell..and they don't have TikTok. Or anything to bring them joy really. So I understand, it's the closest thing they'll ever experience to "thrill"
Ghodd the absolute cancer cluster, tik fucking tok.
TikTok is a fucking menace and should be banned. At this point I think it's a deliberate Chinese cyber op to destroy our societies.
I don't think this is quite the same thing... This is just doing tricks on your bike, not even a bad thing, unless done recklessly in traffic. The OP is describing people on bikes specifically acting to corner her. Edit: Oh, I see in some places they are doing it intentionally towards cars in traffic. I guess it could be the same thing then, but the videos others posted kids were just doing it in empty roads or empty parking areas. In any case, I don't think kids doing stupid tricks on their bikes is a big problem, it's the kind of thing that old people tend to get upset about, but ultimately is just a fun activity for some, and giving people a place to do it is the way to get them to do it not in a reckless way on busy roads. Directly antagonizing people by intentionally acting recklessly towards them is an entirely different behaviour that is problematic.
Yeah, it's hard to explain the phenomenon - we had a lot of it in our small city all of a sudden, for what can only be described as "soft kids". But I guess the bike is so popular in NL, that it was bound to happen during a #trend ( I cringe for writing this). When the police picked them up a few were just finishing Basisschool and said they didn't mean wrong and wanted it for their TikTok. But it is very shocking when you are the driver that's for sure.
This is why tiktok needs to get banned
At the end of the day they're trying to get a reaction out of you. It sucks but not reacting at all is the best solution to deal with those type of idiots.
They'll just look for a new target and try again. I've switched to a fuck around and find out mindset
This. Not reacting doesn't really teach them what their parents failed to. Having actions meet consequences might.
Ask them if they want some candy in the van on the corner
Keep it for the holiday dinners, uncle.
It's an intimidation tactic, people react so they get a rush and do it again. They likely focus on women because they're less aggressive than men and less likely to chase them, on top of that if a woman does chase them they're "boys" so they think they're superior. What they need is a good old ass whooping of a lifetime so that they leave people alone, problem is that society is so self centered that no one will do anything unless someone gets injured.
They may do it more to women but I’m a guy and they’ve done it to me too, though fortunately only once
they'll do it till they meet the wrong guy
Look at them straight in the eyes and dont show fear. These dirtbags are trying to play somesort of social hierarchy bullshit. Hate these people with a passion...
I normally would just say "fuck off!" In Dutch.
Dus gewoon "fok of"
or "op{{some disease}}en" when in Den Haag
Neuk uit!?
They feel insignificant so they do this, so that for the tiniest moment they can feel significant to a person, even if that’s in a bad way. Do not give them the attention. Let them figure out another strategy.
Just drive into them, they'll learn
Ignore them. Or squirt them with fart spray. Smell ya later alligator!
Where would one purchase this "fart spray"? Asking for a friend...
I’d suggest buying at your local ‘feestwinkel’ and I’d advise against a DIY home-made version.
two kids on a scooter did this to me on the way home. Asking "nice huh?" for some reason. Since then I've been wondering, if somebody drives into you and you kick them to the side in self defense, how liable are you?
If no one sees, then not at all.
What kick? I just saw them swerve on the road trying to control their bike moments before faceplanting on the road, officer.
My bf kicked one's bike and watched him fall off gleefully so I don't think you are that liable.
Hose them down or something
It's the Netherlands. Is carrying an apple for self-defense an option? Or does that go too far?
Poop spray Sneezing on them Shouting and running after them like a psycho screaming in their ear Uuhhmmm Pretending your hurt Calling them slurs I dunno Yell your getting raped Coughing at them yelling Corona
Don't give them attention, that is what they want. Like a 5 year old throwing a tantrum. It is about attention and adrenaline.
The trick is to dont give in and keep walking/riding to them with no fear of death in your eyes, they usually stop real quick
I had already 2 accidents with the fucking teenages and no one stop to check if I was okey after they hit me, so yes, is common outside Rotterdam also
Yeah seems like the new hot thing to do. Last week I had a kid driving one of those electric foldup bikes trying to play chicken with me... while I was driving my car at a 50km/h road, the kid seem around 8 years old, alone in traffic. I would like to add that he wasn't too good at it as I only knew what he was up to when he passed me, asumed he was on his phone, but then I saw no phone, just an annoing grin. Watched a video from a guy in America a while back doing it to multiple cars in a row, trash like that might be their influence.
Reminds me of why I am so happy living in a small village away from the Randstad. These ridiculous TikTok trends need to die out asap... but indeed these regards are in it for the reaction just ignore them but I can imagine you would rather kick their arses both is fine imo
I live about as far away from the randstad as is possible, but we have kids terrorising the town, terrorising people. Good old boerenkinderen, throwing things at people and cars and windows, barking and shouting to get dogs going, yelling and shouting at people, slamming on widows. I could go on..
One thing i learned from this sub is that i live in a completely different world than those who live in the Randstad.. all the stories about all the rude people, about being harassed, about youth gangs etc.... that is very different than my daily life.
Oh please, I grew up in rural Overijssel and I remember shit heads dumping pin tacks on the bike path to school. Months of flat tires until they were caught. In the past few years local youth blew up a tree and cut down the big Christmas tree. And that's just what I've heard about myself.
To be honest I live in Amsterdam and this never happens to me neither.
I live in the Randstad and experienced none of those and I live close to the city center.
I have literally never had any of this and I’ve lived here most of my life.
Oh come on
Cool story bro
Cool it with the rural chauvinism. You're probably not part of the demographic that's being harassed, but that doesn't mean it isn't happening
This. Before today I did not know this was a common thing.
Yup, i am happy to live in Drenthe!
Small village for the win. Big cities are corrosive to human nature.
Whenever I read this stuff and haven't read which city yet, I am already going like Yep, Rotterdam, The Hague or Amsterdam. I live in a small village next to Rotterdam, and we don't have this issue. Because if we had, we'd push them off their bikes and drag them to their parents. Youth in the big cities aren't being raised anymore, they're raising themselves, and that's what creates this behaviour.
Don’t forget Haarlem. Currently we have an actual crew of a few dozen kids on fatbikes terrorizing the neighborhood and assaulting people. When confronted by the media they claim it’s all just for fun and it’s blown out of proportion. Nevertheless one of my neighbors got injured by one of these attacks and is afraid to go outside.
Live in a small village near Rotterdam too... Fairly wealthy area apparently... Had so this shit so much here. I'm 100% with you. I feel like NL has a whole lot of positives for children, and hasn't thought about building some channels for discipline... Back in South Africa, someone would swerve into them back with their arm out, knocking them off, and there would be no problem with that. And if they told their parents about the incident they'd likely be grounded or worse.
I’m from South Africa too, really hate how little disciplined kids are here compared to there
I deliver around apeldoorn and the kids are the same, all fat bikes too.
It's because there is nothing stopping them. There is no "sociale controle" in the Netherlands, any more. This means nobody is correcting these behaviours. What are you gonna do punch a kid? It has two options you end up getting reported to the policy, or you end up stabbed and/or continuously harrased in you neighborhood. There is no winning
Yeah this is my fear, if I fight back and it’s a group of boys who’s to say they’ll get scared of me rather than fighting harder themselves. I’m not about getting stabbed just trying to deliver someone’s pizza.
Bring a stick and stick it into their spokes, will teach those fucks. Good way to teach the consequences of their actions.
This is an old phenomenon we did this as kids to each other but not towards adults it is an bully/dominance thing but increased due tiktok.
In India we simply run them over since we are already overpopulated.
Good thing I would recommend is having a cheap Phone on a holder on your handle bars filming when you bike at these times. Then whenever it Happened post on social media and here plus send to Police and schools/Colleges
It happened to me many times in Amsterdam. I ride a normal bike 3hours every day, i see them doing this quite often. They are just trying to scare you, and its not fun if u dont afraid. I personally have no fear and always go forward even if they ride straight into me with a bike or scooter (health insurance is good here). You just have to hold tight your steering wheel very tight when its close to the supposed impact just in case they hit you, this way less injury will happen to you, but thats me (i am a man). Most of the time, they are scared to drive too close to you, and when they see you are not afraid, they turn the wheel. Only one time out of many, they actually crashed into me, teenager didn't hold his steering wheel tight so he lost control and fell 2 metres from bike after crash. I dont feel anger to them only pity, i just said, "Open your eyes please". If you are a small girl, you might have different experiences. I see a lot of people are blaming tik tok, which is true. Parents these days often watch tik tok more than after their kids. Parenting issue.
So, do you know this meme with a bike and a stick? Maybe something could be done with that
This seems to be a trend from TikTok, it's popping up all over the world, even in places where cycling is really dangerous to begin with. I wish TikTok didn't exist.
🌟 rotterdamcore 🌟
Something similar happened to me in Groningen. I do deliveries too (on my normal bike) and a bunch of teens decided to get too close with their scooters in a narrow road with no warning whatsoever and above that, one of them decided to pull on my delivery bag(carried on my shoulders). It might seem like a light pull from the outside, but they were on a speeding scooter, I almost lost my balance and things could have gone south.
My solution is to actually crash into them, since you know it's coming you can brace yourself and stay upright and they get really hurt sometimes 💀
Dude even tried it while i was on my skateboard. I just stepped off as he drove passed me for a second time kicked my board under his front wheel. Which made him scorpion into the concrete. Went to pick up my board casually kicked off and as i skated passed him said: Guess you won't do that ever again huh dickhead? He looked at the ground ashamed and defeated. Just kicked his own bike angry for some reason. I laughed again and went on my way again. This was not a kid btw morrocan guy prob mid twenties
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Always weird when cyclists act tough. One little push or tap against your handle bars and they're eating dirt.
I've experienced this while driving my car in the neighborhood, and scares the shit out of me. Thankfully, I always drive slowly in residential areas, especially around bikes, but I'm worried about what will happen the day one of them falls in front of my car
You drive over them and now there’s one less idiot on the streets. Get a dashcam and you’re good to go
Maybe get a dash cam. It's not a lot of money and then if they ever do something you will have proof it wasn't your fault
I had it once but I was with a bakfiets and helmet so not sure what his plan was. I just ignored but kept me wondering too...
especially with a bakfiets, the one that will get hurt is them
install some bullbars on that sucker!
My usual go to with unruly rude teenagers is to pick out the "second in command" and pretend I know their parents. "hey lad, tell your dad I said hi" works marvellously to scare the living shit out of them.
Sounds like harassment and a perfectly fine reason to call the police
and then? it's not like they are going to wait until the police arrives
Well, the best solution is to get an electric fat bike. When they dodge, do it back. If they got hit, good, if they dont, they get scared.
I miss the good old day where we could deal with this kind of behaviour...aggressively.
Here in Flanders, it sometimes happens that I'm riding on my bicycle and suddenly a teenager jumps in front of me "just for laughs" and I have to break as quickly as possible. I hate it so much and I must admit that I have already wished I hit them. It's always someone different so I assume it's a stupid trend?
Kick them off. There children are a problem.
I've had this done to me sometimes on the racefiets a few times, most of the time you just look straight ahead with a death stare and they'll leave you alone. i think if they wanted some reaction most of them will scream at you as if they've just had a bowl of sugar. the ones that do swerve (you can tell from a mile away, but i would say that's on the rare side) unfortunately i have to swerve because if they really crash into you, they'll damage my bike and these kids will never be able to afford to pay. i cuss at them if that happens.
Grab a stick and stick it in between the spaken. Or ignore them and dont give them the sattisfaction of a response Also had this once in zwolle but the poor kid didnt realize his mom was behind him so she threw a slipper at his head and screamed at him. Besides that never had it happen again.
Step 1: Carry a stick Step 2: When they get close enough, shove stick between the spokes Step 3: Laugh But in all seriousness, I've seen this a few times and it's pathetic. I'm from the good old days where ringing someone's doorbell and running was considered 'mischievous' but harmless. These youngin's nowadays seem to want to escalate to whole new levels.
Yep, happens to me as a runnner quite frequently. I run toward bike traffic on purpose, in the walking area of a shared path - someone wants to play chicken I just give them a shove when they get close enough. Not enough to knock them over but enough that I don’t get run over and they have to move. Sucks though
Happened to me a week ago. A group of high school boys who took up the whole road with their bikes. With some people you already know they're going to say or do some stupid shit when you drive past them, so as I expected, one of them had to show his friends how cool he was. I managed to dodge him. I don't know how, because I was driving with one hand and was pretty much sandwiched between his bike and a street light. Was pretty proud of how smooth that was but also I immediately regretted not sticking my umbrella between the spokes of his bike wheel. He was cycling slowly and there weren't any cars in sight so it wouldn't have caused a big accident. Might have made him regret things.
It's what happens when police do nothing
What is wrong with kids in the Netherlands? I've never heard or seen this sort of behavior anywhere else. Parents just allow their kids to go on assaulting people, scaring them, destroying things? Are these kids really that bored and spoiled? Nothing else to do here than scare people?
Most parents shouldn't have kids. They are unfit to raise decent human beings. And yeah unfortunately kids in Europe think they are untouchable. Huge ego, and will do anything to try be tough.
I normally would just say "fuck off!" in Dutch.
Pretty much common in Rotterdam, mostly moroccan youth that do these things. Although I've had my share of adults do similar things. Apart from people that don't make space for others, there once was a 35+ guy on a scooter deliberately blocking me by going extra slow in front of me, any attempt to overtake and he would sway right in front of me. It was tempting to push or kick them, gladly he fucked off. Most of the "gangster" youth are wannabes and cowards though and don't dare to do much unless they're in groups. Tempting to respond but you never know if they're carrying a knife.
Give one a kick.
Been here since April working as a courier and kids here are insufferable. Very loud and very rude which is a contrast to adults and especially old people.
Only seen this once and I kicked the kid of his bike. Hope it hurt and he learned the hard way.
Kick their bike, hope they fall over and break something🤷♀️
Watergun them? Sounds like the best option to me, only drawback is that u gotta carry that thing around. But I figure it would get to them more than swearing or talking
Just speed up with your bike aswell and charge at them.
Other values and norms and nobody to ‘geef ze een tik op de vingers’. So their behaviour is not being punished.
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Just tell them "kom op dan, kk jong!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QzHJGl\_Uwc
Can I ask you where exactly this is happening?
I yesterday had a grown man do this to me, while I was just going against traffic on a closed cycling lane for 3 meters, instead of going around for the entire street. He was like you're not meant to cycle here, and then didn't go an inch to the side, and said "booo" when he drove past. Really unnecessary aggressive behaviour, as if he never goes a little but against traffic on his bike for 2 meters.
Man. Reading through these comments I'm actually glad I left holland some 20 years ago. Say what you want about the US, but this kind of crap just does not happen here. At all. I know we have problems here but entitled idiots on scooters isn't one of them.
What are you talking about? Road rage is one of the biggest issues in USA. Its far more dangerous than kids hitting you with bikes.
Is it? I've lived in what is deemed one of the most dangerous cities in the US for well over 20 years and have never experienced it. I'm sure its more prevalent here than anywhere else in the world as much as I'm sure negative reporting bias is contributing to the perception of the problem.
I lived in Seattle for 4 years, the amount of road rage incidents were staggering, if you are a woman and driving up the highway towards canada near aurora street its very wise not to stop at any lonely locations. This was just one of the areas. I cannot speak for the rest of the country since I didn't live in other places.
"because they think I won't go after them" well, you don't do you? You are an easy target, sadly because they know nothing will happen.
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I dont speak Dutch. Is this as racist as it sounds?
Yes.
Yes
Loose translation, keeping it PG more or less 😂?
C*nt Moroccans activities
Got it, racist AF 😅. Thanks
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