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...they are just dangerous, i just avoid lanes as much as possible around here
WhreasI avoid fast A roads for the same reason.
I should have said, when i say the word roadie i’m on about the racing variety, in full kit flying along, not the tourers on a sunday, but again, as stated in my previous statement, that’s what they’re out for, i wouldn’t expect them to pull over all the time when they’re out for miles and timings.
When I'm out for a fast ride I don't use the sort of lanes where you need to pull over for other cars, you simply cannot go properly fast on those.
i’ve never seen a roadie pull over and let traffic past
I do it all the time, in fact I do it when I'm ride leading too - most of what I consider ride leading is traffic management. IME (how much of this is bias I don't know) traffic tends to behave a bit better when they can see you're making some sort of effort to help.
That total arse of a lawyer has been on Twitter, picking up on the "data" and once again using it as an excuse to bash cyclists. They should immediately move out of the way of cars he says. ****er.
i just avoid lanes as much as possible
Riding on the lanes is the preferred option for most recreational roadies, is it not?
Much more pleasant and usually less threatening than the bigger / more urban roads.
I pull over in tight lanes all the time
I pull over in tight lanes all the time
It is interesting to me that so many cases are away from junctions.
Number one cause of deaths on a rural roads for cyclists is being hit from behind by a driver not looking.
Although drivers tend to slow down much more for horses (not all, it's not unusual for a close pass or some scumbag to gas it past and then lift off for pops and crackles), the general speed on country lanes means even well meaning drivers often struggle to slow down once we come into view, resulting in passing too fast, skidding, or dropping two wheels off the edge of the road, spraying mud and water across the road beneath the car and under the horse as they pound through a couple of pot holes.
On the other hand, the 'say hi to horse riders' before getting too close seems to be getting more common, probably half of riders now call out hello which means both horse and rider know you are there (as trying to pass silently just makes everyone jump... including the cyclist moments after the horse does!)
My road bike is sitting unloved in the garage for this very reason. I love getting out on the road bike and hearing the hum of tyres on tarmac, but I refuse to become a statistic. As a cyclist I experienced too many close passes, and as a driver I see too many instances of drivers who don’t know what to do when faced with a cyclist.
9/10 I don’t think it’s aggressive behaviour. It’s just a general lack of awareness.
Yes, I have every right to cycle on the roads, but there’s no point in being right when you lying on the tarmac next to a Nissan Qasqai that’s parked on to of your bike.
Rockamdrollmark
It's about 30 deaths per billion miles compared to 2 per billion miles in a car. It's not a massive risk.
Rockamdrollmark
It’s about 30 deaths per billion miles compared to 2 per billion miles in a car. It’s not a massive risk.
Very much this.
I've ridden probably 3k miles a year on the roads for the last 18 years. I've never been hit by a car. Been assaulted once by a driver when I've over reacted to some abuse, but never been hit. And this includes rush hour commuting.
Yes, there's passes that are too close, maybe one every 2-3 rides. Doing Bikeability when I got the chance really upped my game in terms of reducing bad passes and therefore less stress and worry about riding. But I can't remember - and I'm up to 2000 road miles this year, when I last felt genuinely scared. And I suffer with anxiety and depression, everything is a huge issue in my head.
But not this.
We sit on forums and swap tales of close passes and we talk each other out of it. And every time one of us gives up riding on the road those bastards have won. And I'm damned if I'm going to be bullied into giving up doing what I love, because of underresourced enforcement. Literally "over my dead body". I'm not (that) militant about it, but I'll be ****ed if I'm going to let ****s in cars intimidate me off the roads.
I wonder how much modern tractors are responsible on rural lanes. Had a few close calls recently where I've had to pretty much jump into a hedge because some behemoth has been charging at me.
I always pull over if there's an opportunity. I love getting a little 'toot toot' of thanks from good drivers, although there's also an occasional angry face and shaking fist from someone upset that I 'delayed them' for 15 seconds.
Sadly the group of 14 ... did not – they even wandered over white line on the few opportunities a car could have overtaken
I'm struggling to see how there could ever have been a [safe] opportunity to overtake 14 cyclists
Unless you know that road extremely well - which you might, if local - I don’t see how you can say that.
14 riders two abreast as a large group should be is a similar length to a coach, and much slower.
It’s quite possible that could be safely done, depending on sight lines.
Or not at all, depending.
Of course if they aren’t doing their bit re rule 1 then staying behind is likely the only safe option, so we’ll done
I’m damned if I’m going to be bullied into giving up doing what I love
Same here. I'd rather take the tiny risk of danger on the roads than the mental health risks by giving it up and driving everywhere (in my inadequately sod, death trap of a car 😆 )
Yep, it is a small risk and you can mitigate it to some extent.
For example, every time I get to one of the many blind bends on my rides I know most cars coming up behind will try and overtake.
As I am on a bike I can hear if cars are coming the other way and 95% of the time they are not so I just let the car pass. If I can hear a car I indicate right and move to middle of the road which stops any overtake attempt most of the time although just last week a driver still tried to overtake and then had to stop when they saw the oncoming car so although not fail safe I am partly in control of it as I know what is likely to happen.
Of course I should not have to do this as a driver should know not to overtake on a blind bend but I am not going to stop cycling because of that.
It’s about 30 deaths per billion miles compared to 2 per billion miles in a car. It’s not a massive risk.
It's not just the statistics for me... Yes, in all the years I spent riding country roads I'm still not dead. I just don't find it that relaxing any more, so hung up my disco slippers about four years ago. Perhaps it's age, but to me it feels that in recent years driving standards have gone down, and volume of traffic (and general contempt for people from tribes other than your own - i.e. cyclists versus cars) has gone up. Increasingly my rides would be "punctuated" with "an incident" which meant rather than returning home all zen, I'd be irritated. And all of this on country roads flanked by major A roads, so typically only local traffic.
Yes, as far as I'm concerned they've won. The X5s and the Range Rovers can have the tarmac. I'll take the singletrack, thanks.
Well the NFU input (actually NFU Mutual) into this is less than impressive. Putting the onus on the cyclist again.
If the NFU has anything to do with this, it’ll be a precursor to a request that the government ban cyclists from country roads “for their own safety “. They have already, and with a straight face, demanded they be allowed to close any public right of way, at any time and with no warning and no diversions, for up to 5 months of the year, because 4 people got killed by livestock last year.
I wonder how much modern tractors are responsible on rural lanes. Had a few close calls recently where I’ve had to pretty much jump into a hedge because some behemoth has been charging at me.
I have recently discovered that most tractor drivers here in Norfolk are contractors who are basically on a price per job which explains why they are so intent on getting to their next job as quickly as possible. The fact a lone cyclist might well slow them down means I have learned to keep out of the way.