Whilst this tragic accident leaves a bitter taste, lets not have any talk of 'binning' the bike.
We all know the worlds not a perfect place, especially the roads.
We all know we have the right to be there, and we all know that that right seems to be often ignored. So ride with that in mind
Like my dad said 'treat every road user like they're idiots'
This Sunday I went out to ride a steady 150 miles. All went very well until I reach one village 'Northchurch' coming down a very narrow country lane I was almost hit by three cars that just wouldn't slow down in the slightest making me have contort to avoid getting hit. Then an elderly gent sped! up as I was approaching a width restriction with my right of way. After accelerating he slammed on the brakes in front of me sending his missus and the contents of the car into the windscreen, just so he could say that it doesn't apply to cyclists.
I cycled on proper angry and everyone from then on was a 'C' word. I soon calmed down though.
Then about 50 miles later the road I needed to take was closed. A lovely quiet country lane. Two cars had gone head on into each other on this quiet country lane on a bright dry and sunny Sunday morning.
Dad...you were/are right.
Sad but true 😥
Fortunately mountain biking saved the day!
Traffic on the quiet country roads is nuts. Had so many flying past on Sunday, giving me inches, in the middle of a crazy hail storm, riding along a torrent of water up the side of the road.
Keep taking the tablets!
After accelerating he slammed on the brakes in front of me sending his missus and the contents of the car into the windscreen
I would like to think I would have just laughed at him, smug in the knowledge I was right, still alive and not having to deal with the fall out from his missus which was coming his way.
I was involved in a non-fault motorbike crash and friends and relatives later told me that I shouldn't get another bike, even though my life revolved around it, because the standard of driving on our roads is so poor.
Heard this opinion on another 2 occasions when friends have been involved in non-fault bike collisions.
This country is full of nesbits who would rather remove the good element in a situation because remedying the problem and removing the bad element ie. shit drivers, would be difficult. So it's ignored/allowed to continue as if shit driving is acceptable and it's your fault for riding on the road in the first place.
Tards.
I use to cycle to school everyday. There was a cycle path most the way on a dual carriageway. I lost count the amount of wing mirrors my bars hit when cars drifted into the cycle path on a corner before a roundabout.
Iv'e even had drivers move across into a cycle path at traffic lights just so i don't get in front for when the light turns green. I just go round them on the curb. (I'd love to hit their mirror off though!)
Riding a pushbike or motorbike really does make you a very safe driver in a car. Maybe when people learn to drive they should be made to cycle on the road for a set amount of hours too.
Maybe when people learn to drive they should be made to cycle on the road for a set amount of hours too.
+1. The lack of empathy so many drivers have for cyclists is shocking. The other day I was turning left, and had signalled early and wasn't going particuarly slowly/fast. A car overtook me on the turn, cutting me up and I was about a metre away from going into the side of the car. They then took the next right, where they stopped in the middle of the road. I decided that this was an opportunity to highlight what they had just done, and then I saw why they had stopped: A couple of ducks were sitting in the middle of the road. I shouted 'So you slow down and stop for a pair of ducks but not for another human being?' Their faces were completely indifferent, and as they were two burly guys and I am a young female I didn't want to get aggressive. It upset me alot though.
One thing is that as cyclists we certainly do remember the rubbish if not dangerous drivers, rather than the ones that give plenty of room and respect. I try and make a mental tally, and thank the particuarly curteous drivers when possible (The ones that have been stuck behind me for ages but given plenty of room and not been revving the engine)!
Like my dad said 'treat every road user like they're idiots'
Yup, make eye contact with drivers at every roundabout, check wingmirrors if forced to ride close to parked cars. There seem to be only 2 ways to pass a cyclist, margins are either millimetres or metres 🙁
Whilst patiently waiting behind a cyclist tother day as i wanted to turn left, the car behind decided that this was taking far too long ( a good 5 to ten seconds) so in a creshendo of horn blowing swang out to get past and almost took himself out on the HGV on the other side of the road. Crazy !
Sad, but i always feel a little pride if i get a grateful wave from a cyclist or motorcyclist if i have done sommething correctly
I put a little hand up when a driver passes that has been waiting patiently.
Back to Sunday I'd say that about 98% of the total amount of drivers I encountered were absolutely fine.
yep it's the numpties on single track roads who tend to make my life flash before my eyes. Some of them just do mental speeds around blind corners, and even when they do see me they often won't slow down & just barge past Colin McRae style. I find it's particularly bad during commuting hours as I guess many of these people are using the lanes as a rat run.
Can you report someone ever? For example last week I was going up a 20% lane that's really fairly short but very narrow, when a car came up behind, only a matter of meters to wait as I was near the top where it widens out, when he decides to just plough past at speed, not even overtake(impossible as its too narrow) one leg scraping the high verge and missed my bars by mm. Don't get me started on commuting on A roads....
tang - that when you need to get into the middle of the road to control your space and not let them past
tang - that when you need to get into the middle of the road to control your space and not let them past
This, I do it in the car as well on roads that I deem to be too narrow for two cars to pass safely. Don't give the oncoming numpty any hint of a chance of squeezing past. I've tried to get this concept through to my wife when driving but she still tends to hug the kerb and wonder why the tossers push past.
at 16 seconds.
that was me, on the bike.
tang - that when you need to get into the middle of the road to control your space and not let them past
Or gob and clear your nostrils constantly. I'm serious, this is what I do in situations like that.
See drivers don't mind dead cyclists on the bonnet, but not snot.
Also works when turning right. You know, you've done everything right but that car is still going try and get past.
Finger on left nostril and blow.... and turn right.
Project - get out into the road further!
i stopped commuting in Manchester after a couple of near misses. some of the worst offenders (speeding) were Police rushing for their shifts at Stretford and Trafford HQ
[i]I was involved in a non-fault motorbike crash and friends and relatives later told me that I shouldn't get another bike, even though my life revolved around it, because the standard of driving on our roads is so poor.[/i]
Mate, everybody who doesn't ride a motorbike knows someone who's died on a motorbike...
yeah, take the lane ffs.
There's a bit with traffic islands on my commute. Had some dicey moments trying to leave room for traffic to pass and now they can just damn well wait, we've all got a right turn across traffic followed by a roundabout two hundred yards after that, so I'm not holding anyone up.
Only downside is you still get angry d*ckheads leaning on the horn who then overtake ostentatiously and loudly just before the queue for the roundabout, invariably driving ****ing Picassos or Scenics. They're the morons who I was worried about in the first place, but I'd rather have half a lane to play with when (not if) they do do something dumb.
My brother in law lost his best mate to a woman that didn't see him when he was out on his bright yellow Fireblade in yellow leathers. Stopped. At a T Junction. Waiting for a gap to turn right.
People in cars just don't recognise anything other than cars.
There's an s-shaped bend down towards Man utd from the motorway. Regularly I've seen women straightline/cross into the other lane. Twice I've ended up in the adjacent bus lane to give them 'room'.
Women are involved in less accidents? Right. I wonder how many accidents women cause.
not sure their womanness is important hora, I see plenty of blokes driving like that. Might as well say, watch out for Mancs, they can't drive, or gingers. Or ginger Mancs, for all I know.
What Willard said. Many car drivers (and I am one, when not on a bike) are programmed to see only other cars. When I used to ride a motorbike, I well remember the glazed look they'd give you- they were looking at you, but not seeing you.
Trouble was I was on the inside taking the shortest route up the lane concentrating on air and grip and idiot came up so quick I didn't have time to react. It never occurred that anyone would even try!
I've had guys with their hand solid on horns till you move, I hate that.
Edlong I'll happily settle on stereotypes on this one. I find male drivers pull aggressive moves whereas I've spotted more bizarre lane changes, hesitating, distraction etc etc from female drivers. My personal experience.
This whole aggressive driving thing seems to have got a lot worse over the last 3 years. Not sure why. I guess a lot more riders = changing the balance of power and car drivers don't like it.
Either way the main issue I have is the lose/lose dynamic we seem to have ie:
Ride in the gutter, get squeezed past and no margin of safety/belted by the opening car door.
Follow the Highway Code/Bikeability/British Cycling advice and take your lane, get abused, hooted at, close overtakes etc.
Can't win...
Starting to spoil my riding at the moment... we need change
Project - get out into the road further!
+1. And lose the flashing front light. Guaranteed to piss drivers off by distracting them and make it difficult to judge distance.
And lose the flashing front light. Guaranteed to piss drivers off by distracting them and make it difficult to judge distance
i must remember to tell the next blue light or yellow or green light user i meet, that they annoy a certain motorist.
Tang asked whether you can report someone. Now I'm sure many people will just shrug their shoulders and say "what's the point, nobody listens", but enough people making a complaint has to make some kind of an impact sooner or later. Having reported someone for driving me off the road on a tiny lane I was really surprised by how helpful the police were. For one the civilian support worker who took my complaint encouraged me - turns out she also rides a bike. And yes the police did follow it right through.
Projects video above is appalling, just about every car that passes him is in violation of one piece of statute or another.
It was only a couple of weeks ago in the centre of town in a a zone that turns into buses/taxi/cyclists after 1000hrs that I had a car try to overtake me and fail coming up to the raising bollards section. The car was forced to brake, then set off again pulling in behind me, because I wasn't going to jump on the pavement forced out of his way. Once we got through the guy wildly accelerates past me and pulls to the left, then veers to the right, brakes and I ended up inside him (I had no chance to brake) and then he swung for me, twice, with his passenger staring straight ahead, probably wishing he wasn't in with that madman. I forgot to charge my headcam for that commute. Always happens that way.
Mr destructo - that sort of thing is well worth reporting - if there is cctv which there would usually be nowadays in that sort of area then he could be prosecuted
I only have experience in Edinburgh, and Fort William.
When I'm in Edinburgh "owning the road" doesn't quite cover it...IME it's a pre-requisite to cycle like a man possessed, middle of road full aggressive position "get-out-of-the-cycle-lane-and-advance-boxes-d*head-" kind of attitude.
In Fort Bill, there's no-one there. Do what you like. But pavement it at round-a-bouts.
i must remember to tell the next blue light or yellow or green light user i meet, that they annoy a certain motorist.
If you see flashing coloured lights, the average motorist will move out of the way.
If you see a flashing white light the average motorist will think "its only a cyclist" Then, "that's a bloody bright strobe he's got on there" then, "that's really annoying. Bloody cyclists"
I've tried using a flashing front light once. It didn't help light up the road at all, and reflected the flashing back at me off all the street signs etc. Bloody annoying it was.
I hate them.
Can you report someone ever?
Yes, especially if you have witnesses. I did and got the drive in for a formal warning by the police.
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/just-got-side-swiped-by-a-school-bus
willard - Member
Stopped. At a T Junction. Waiting for a gap to turn right.
Non-motorbike but was stopped at a mini-roundabout the other morning, waiting for a transit coming from my right. Heard the (unsurprisingly horrible as it's coming towards you) sound of ABS scrabbling behind me and turned around to find a car about 6 inches from my back wheel. Waved them past as soon as I could!
That's one of the things I see quite regularly now - people not being prepared to stop when pulling out of side roads, onto roundabouts etc seem to just expect to pull straight out. Nearly been taken out a couple of times by people joining the road I'm on both on the bike and in the car.
project, see your a local Wirral rider.
Brimstage Road is a horrible road to ride on.
Was there a thread 'another dead cyclist' that I missed? I can't get with all the hand wringing about this. I head out on 23mm of 2 wheeled rubber in some lycra with a poxy helmet on and play with faster moving large lumps of metal; and both them and me are prone to making stupid decisions and I'm supposed to think it doesn't come with some risks.
And then I could camera myself up to alert me, and allow me to dwell on situations that I would otherwise not have seen or forgotten by the time I get to work. Why would I want to do that.
Oddly I love riding my bike, in traffic or not in traffic, I find it great fun.
FFS, how many times do I have to post this for forum members to understand it?
Put the non-emergency number for your local Police force on your mobile. In Lancashire it's 0845 1 25 35 45. When you see bad driving, ring them and tell them you'd like them to take a report. As long as the reg, colour and make correspond they will tag the report to that car and when it is next seen by a patrol car equipped with ANPR the driver will be stopped for a chat and a producer. It may well be that there are reports already logged against that vehicle; if there are three or more the driver will get a home visit and risks having the car confiscated. We have dealt very effectively with three habitual speeders in our street in this way - they don't speed any more.
Lancashire Police encourage people to report bad driving and I'm sure many others do as well.
On flashing lights. I find it really difficult to judge a flashing light distance until I get very close. So I'd imagine others do to,
That's one of the things I see quite regularly now - people not being prepared to stop when pulling out of side roads, onto roundabouts etc seem to just expect to pull straight out. Nearly been taken out a couple of times by people joining the road I'm on both on the bike and in the car
Some people really think that mini roundabouts just don't count. Especially if they are placed where it was once a thru road.
About a year ago I posted about a motorist who stopped on one and yelled at me telling me so.
I've got one at the end of my road and you literally have to give way to the right.
Check to see how many people think that the national speed limit is 70 on all national speed limit areas.
Just to echo globalti's comments. It really can be worth reporting bad driving. One instance was where I'd been given abuse and forced off the road for no reason by a boy racer. After calling in with a complaint the West Yorkshire police popped round to dicuss the issue with the driver.
Turned out that it was his dad's car who was none to impressed with the visit from plod. Said boy racer won't be driving daddy's car again - result! 🙂
Its tricky in L'pool commuting. Just have to ride in the middle of the lane at lights etc. or you do get cut up. Mind you see quite a few cyclists who ride like dicks as well.
The flashibg front light seems to annoy drunks in town rather a lot.