- This topic has 46 replies, 28 voices, and was last updated 9 years ago by mikewsmith.
-
This morning's commute brush with the reaper (That Lahndahn content).
-
MrWoppitFree Member
Approaching the north end of Southwark Bridge. Left hand feed is queued to turn left. Right hand feed is queued to turn right on to Upper Thames street – two lanes with a cycle lane on the inside. I’m coming down the middle and as I reach the front, the lights change, so I carry on into the junction and stick my arm out for as strong a signal as possible.
I begin to turn right and across, to get to the bike lane.
Next thing I know, someone on my right is leaning on the horn. Glancing right, I can see a taxi plowing across my path, forcing me into the path of a lorry that has decided to turn right from the left-hand feeding queue. Just for a second, I thought I was about to become yet another squashed London cyclist.
Further on, when I caught up to the taxi at the lights, we had a, er, conversation.
As his final argument was “**** off you old ****”, I backfisted the bodywork and left him with a dent that will need repairing.
Amusingly enough, the cyclist behind me actually said “Leave him, it’s not worth it”…
1: The north end of Southwark bridge is really dangerous, if you cycle it at peak periods, take extreme care.
2: Though cars are heavy, their bodywork is not very thick.
aPFree MemberSounds unpleasant and annoying. Hope your hand doesn’t hurt too much 😉
DezBFree MemberI hit a Ford Focus once and spent a week with the imprint of my glove on my knuckles.
ti_pin_manFree MemberI usually find a foot in wing mirror works and is less painful on yer hand.
If I get into a Black cab in London, I usually say take me to <insert> and dont kill any cyclists. Most then either moan or are dead laid back and chilled. If they moan I pay them the exact fair and explain they lost the tip moaning about cyclists 😉 hurt them in the pocket.oooh I’m sounding quite antagonistic… oops.
convertFull MemberI spent the weekend in London a couple of weeks ago – just being a tommy tourist mainly.
Gotta say, you lot live an edgy life on the roads. When given the opportunity and the road is vaguely clear both motorists and cyclists don’t half like to wind up the speed. What struck me was a. how fast car drivers like to travel when given the opportunity with big accelerations and inevitable braking in comparison to the more consistent and considerate speeds motorists move around my provincial little local town on similar size and congested roads and b. how fast and aggressively most cyclists move around in comparison to their compatriots in Amsterdam & Copenhagen.
It struck me both parties looked like they needed to chill out and learn how to do it right – it must be exhausting as well and more dangerous that necessary.
DezBFree MemberIt struck both parties looked like they needed to chill out and learn how to do it right
ah, so you’re saying it was probably Woppit’s fault. Nice.
bikebouyFree MemberCool story Bro.
London isn’t always like that 🙄
Still riding arentcha. Sometimes it’s shite, most times it’s fine if you are aware of what you are doing/in control of.
convertFull Memberah, so you’re saying it was probably Woppit’s fault. Nice.
No, to be honest as you and I were not there neither of us has the first clue – just one sides version of events. I never bother to even try to ‘take sides’ one way or another specifically on these little ‘near death’ anecdotes because it’s just plain impossible to know enough to do anything more than give knee jerk sympathy or condemnation.
My comment was more of a tangental nature that incidents like this are so often more of an issue than they could have been because one or both sides are more self absorbed and travelling faster than really needed or necessary. If everyone slowed down a little bit in busy spots with lots permutations and assumptions about the other parties actions it would help and I doubt it would add much to the journey times. I’ve seen it done a lot better than the good folks in London collectively seem to be trying to do it currently.
hatterFull MemberAt least London drivers vaguely expect to find themselves sharing the road with cyclists and there’s the vaguest hint of infrastructure.
Ridden in London a few times and it’s not that bad. You just need your wits about you.
Birmingham on the other hand, crikey that’s lethal. Totally redesigned around the car with possibly the worst drivers in Britain, how I survived the 5 years I lived and rode there is still a mystery.
Went back a few years back to see a mate in Stirchley, had my bike with me so rolled down the road in my civvies to get a bite to eat, in the space of a mile I was given verbal twice and had a hatchback full of laughing ‘yoofs’ deliberately swerve at me.
Was quite glad to get back to my southern suburban idyll, guess I’m getting soft in my old age.
cbFull MemberI don’t think he blamed the OP – bit sensitive this morning MrDez?
I happen to agree with him, being a non-Londoner these days, some cyclists seem to have a death wish with the way they ride. It may only be 10% but they are the ones that get noticed by non-cyclists or ‘tourists’. If you ride there daily then I guess you get acclimatised to it.
theflatboyFree MemberNot that it excuses the taxi forcing you wide, but I’m fairly sure both left and right lanes at that end of Southwark Bridge are right turn (with the left being both left and right turn)…
neilthewheelFull Memberhow fast and aggressively most cyclists move around in comparison to their compatriots in Amsterdam & Copenhagen.
This is because only the fast and fearless dare venture onto the roads. Look at pretty much any video on youtube of conflict between bikes and motorists, or poor behaviour by either party, and I guarantee it could have been avoided if the UK’s cycle infrastructure wasn’t so pisspoor.
simon_gFull MemberYep, that was the case last time I rode that way.
Filtering down the middle is OK but you really want to be in a lane (if you’ve not made it to the front) before the lights change.
theflatboyFree MemberExactly – I wouldn’t want to be turning right from the middle on a bike there, knowing that traffic could feasibly be turning with you on either side, relies too much on the turning line different size vehicles need to take…
molgripsFree MemberI guarantee it could have been avoided if the UK’s cycle infrastructure wasn’t so pisspoor.
I blame driver attitudes more. What we have would work perfectly if drivers were better educated. Most of them only get pissed off becaues they don’t think we should be doing what we do.
DezBFree MemberI don’t think he blamed the OP – bit sensitive this morning MrDez?
Not really, just don’t get the point of what he was saying if it wasn’t that.
If everyone slowed down a little bit
Oh ok then. Let’s all slow down… Reality check.
MoreCashThanDashFull MemberWithout condoning criminal damage, if it was a black cab I seem to recall that they cannot trade if the bodywork is damaged. There was an old wives tale that this is why cabbies give cycle couriers room in London, for fear of having a door panel kicked in.
Possibly not TRUE, but it’s a nice story.
convertFull MemberReality check.
Meaning what? Londoner’s collectively are too important/arrogant or value collective safety too little to slow down a little? The important bit is total journey time not the terminal velocity and the two are not linked in a linear relationship when in comes to urban travel as I’m sure you are aware.
MoreCashThanDashFull MemberAnd Molgrips plus one. The roads don’t kill, it’s drivers who kill. Let’s deal with that in the short term while trying to get the infrastructure sorted.
makecoldplayhistoryFree MemberThe agression of everyone surprised me when I was cycle commuting in London (Kilburn to Marble Arch).
I once saw a bus cut up a cyclist (perhaps a punishment pass) before stopping at a bus stop 50m down the road. The cyclist very calmly (which made it all the more interesting), leant his bike against the front of the bus, pulled the windscreen wiper off as though it were made from paper, passed it to the driver through the open door and rode off.
I chatted briefly to the cyclist at the lights down the way. He said “when they check the cameras to see me doing that, they’ll see the f*wits driving too!”
faireenuff!
DezBFree MemberMeaning what?
Meaning saying everyone should slow down is as pointless as saying everyone should drive hover cars!
convertFull MemberI didn’t say I had a solution as to how to get Londoners to behave slightly more maturely but that yoyo speeds were a (partial) cause of your safety issues. To be honest it’s not my problem as I don’t live there so I’m not going to invest any thought into how to solve it but from an observers point of view it should be on your to do list.
DezBFree MemberI don’t live there either (thank f__ ).
Can we just be friends now?
molgripsFree MemberThe agression of everyone surprised me when I was cycle commuting in London (Kilburn to Marble Arch).
I’ve cycled in London plenty, and I’ve never felt aggression. Parts of West London are pretty tight though, but that’s a space issue as much as anything else.
ti_pin_manFree MemberYou punched a taxi, my hero
I head butted one in Edinburgh once, idiot decided to do a U-turn, didn’t indicate and coming down a steep hill, I bounced into the back of him, head shaped dent.
corrodedFree Memberhow fast and aggressively most cyclists move around
For me, riding fast is a survival tactic in London. In one year of commuting here I’ve nearly been squashed by a white van, a bus and a couple of taxis – in all cases they knew where I was having just over/undertaken me. Cabbies are the worst. I dread my commute because there are a couple of places (Westminster roundabout for one) where it’s touch and go twice a day. I hate it. No wonder that slower, less aggressive cyclists (especially women IME) feel vulnerable.
jambalayaFree MemberFortunately I haven’t come across any poor behaviour from black cabs in stark contrast to the Addison Lee / mini cab brigade.
HoratioHufnagelFree MemberGo across this every day. The junction at the end of Southwark bridge is horrendous.
Just to summarise
Left lane – turn right or left
Right lane – turn right.vehicles can’t go straight on, bikes can.
There’s no safe way to filter. you’ll be left hooked, right hooked or both!
To add to the danger, its used a lot by construction lorries, who are often in the left lane without indicators on.
If you stay in the queue, you have to be quick as people may overtake and then turn left (or right) across you as you go straight on
I’ve written to Southwark Council. Its being changed. The left lane will be cycles only with an advanced Green signal on the traffic lights (like there is heading south).
globaltiFree MemberI lived in London for 6 years during which time I cycle commuted, motorbike commuted and car commuted as well as doing occasional car trips from E17 to Heathrow and back right through the city centre. I really cannot remember a single incident but I expect there were plenty of small things that happened, which I considered normal.
What I do remember though is the traffic light grand prix whereby everybody wanted to be first away from the lights so as to be in the right lane at the next light. The motorcycles were the best for that, especially the CB250RS I rode for a while, nice and nippy and compact.
HoratioHufnagelFree MemberBy the way, if you want to support the changes, fill this in
http://www.southwark.gov.uk/cyclingstrategyand add your voice/comments/”likes” to this
http://www.sdgdigital.co.uk/sites/southwarkcycling/winstonFree MemberCommuted in central London on a folding bike for 3 years or so
In general was more inpressed by the standard of driving than by the standard of cycling TBH. Completely opposite to most places I have cycle commuted where the driving standards and awareness of bikes is much lower.
As above, There are many very dangerous junctions for bikes though
MrWoppitFree MemberTo add to the danger, its used a lot by construction lorries
Yep, that was the one…
aPFree MemberI cycle in west London every day, and in central London about twice a week. as long as you’re not a dick, on the whole, you’ll be fine. You need to have a good sense of awareness of what’s around you, and it helps to have an idea as to where you are going to.
As has been said several times above, most London drivers have an understanding that cyclists will be on the roads, and that cyclists don’t often behave like cars drivers. I find that black cab drivers are mostly pretty good – they have a job to do, they know that running people over isn’t very good, but because they drive in town every day they drive close to things.
The big problems in London are:
tipper trucks – because they’re known killers of cyclists
mini cabs – because they don’t give a …
out of towners – because they shouldn’t be driving in central London, and they need to understand its a different world down here, and their petty little small town aggression towards people “not like them”, doesn’t go down well.MrWoppitFree MemberThanks for the instruction, but I have actually been doing this for a number of years.
aPFree Member😉 It wasn’t aimed at you, it was aimed at those from the provinces saying that London traffic isn’t good for cyclists, because they’re mistaking lots of traffic for dangerous.
But, in any event, you’re welcome.
The topic ‘This morning's commute brush with the reaper (That Lahndahn content).’ is closed to new replies.