I drive all over the country, I have also driven across most of Europe. I consider the standard of driving in this country to be some of the worst in Europe. Lane hogging, mobile phone use, eating, shaving. I consider myself to be a good driver and cover generally 30k to 40k miles per year. Having just recently driven circa 2k miles in France - the French are far more courteous and civilised. If half the population of the UK returned to the slow lane after overtaking, I'm convinced we wouldn't need to waste billions on road widening. I am also a cyclist!
What started out as an amusing story has probably turned out to be the most heated debate of the close season. Well done chaps. I have three questions. what is a bikeability test? Will I get nicked for using a bike in Portugal. Does anyone go to home matches on a bike.
This reminds me of an incident where I was actually verbally abused by a cyclist! He was an old-timer, riding what looked to be an antique bike. I was in the left lane at the junction of Beverley Road and Cottingham Road, heading to Cottingham. The cyclist was to the left of me, and I was aware of him approaching (thank you mirrors), and then stopping a few yards ahead of me (past the pedestrian crossing, as they often seem to do). He was only a few yards from the junction. We moved off, and he kind of wobbled to a painfully slow start, and didn't turn left, he went forward. This, of course, is his right as that lane also allows you to go straight ahead. So, I waited, edging slowing left to take my turn but leaving plenty of room for Mr Steady. As he struggled with his machine and accelerated up to a heady 3mph or so, he directed some unintelligible abuse at me. He may even have jabbed a finger. He was mad. Real mad. I honestly felt hard done by. I felt I'd been considerate and correct in my actions, despite his frustrating lack of speed or balance. The cars behind me also wishing to turn left had been required to use patience too. I don't recall any horn use. I may or may not have uttered the words "you daft old wobbly ****" as I was finally able to break free and out of 2nd gear. True story.
As a cyclist this is how I see things. There isn't enough road to accommodate everyone, our roads are in a bad state of repair due to the increase in the amount of traffic over the years. Every generation wants their own car, you can see the proliferation on peoples driveways, those that have them that is. Those that haven't and park on the roads, yes in cycle lanes as well, is testimony to the amount of cars, and vans, on our roads. And I have said before that due to the success of the car there will have to be some restrictions on peoples use of them or else you may get the situation they have in China and other places, of massive traffic jams and even gridlock. Also due to the car's popularity people have become lazy, many car drivers could easily cycle from the suburbs of the city to their place of work that is no more than say 5 miles away, but they won't such is their addiction to their box on wheels. Rain and other inclement weather is also an excuse, there is wet weather gear, but people want to get in their car, preferably parked right outside their house, put the radio on and off they go, 1 person per car which is able to take up to 5 or more in some case, it cannot continue unabated. You only need an accident on one of the major roads in the city to see the impact of increased car use, and the irritation of drivers stuck in them as cyclists squeeze by. I do have a driving licence and also use the bus so I can see the situation from all angles, our roads are never going to be able to cope so slagging each other off is going to become the norm as the roads become more congested. I would also like some clarity from the police as I work shifts I often cycle either very early in the morning or late at night and I have seen cyclist, on the footpath, no lights, no mudguards and in some cases I doubt even brakes by the state of their cycles. But I have seen the police go by in their cars as I am dressed up like a Christmas tree, I often think why do I bother? On the other hand I thought using a mobile phone whilst driving was an offence, you could have fooled me, that, as with cars cutting in front when coming up to red lights for no purpose whatsoever other than get in front of me and turning left at the last minute instead of just waiting behind me and then turn left. I could go on but like I say it will only get worse as more young people obtain a driving licence and want their own car and own 'space' on the road, both for parking and driving, be prepared for many more threads like this one.
What about all these cyclists wearing head cams, do they comply with the current laws regarding having a license to use them as they are filming members of the public. I may be wrong but they require CCTV license as issued by the SIA to security personnel.
Why do you think some are pushed to such extreme measures in the first place?, like I say be prepared for many more threads like this as roads become even more congested.
and car drivers are a bunch of adolescents that have been given lethal weapons with inadequate training. in reality there is fault on both sides. I agree there are a lot of cyclists out there that ride a way that causes danger to themselves and others. They need to be brought to book. Equally there is hardly a day goes by when some moronic car driver doesn't try to kill me. Speeding, overtaking on residential streets, passing when there isn't enough room, parked cars opening doors, turning right at a no right turn, carving up on roundabouts, overtaking then immediately turning left, running red lights, illegal parking, it happens every day. I have even had some idiot reverse into me. It makes cycling to work more dangerous then taking a holiday in Helmand Provice.
There is no law against photographing or filming people in a public place. Head cam footage from cyclists is used by police and the courts.
I'm assuming the lights were red when he filtered past you? That being the case, the cyclist has probably gone beyond the cycle only, green advanced safety zone because it tends to fill with cars and motorbikes, who in doing so have jumped a red light. It sounds like you pulled along side the cyclist. If so, why? Wouldn't your intentions have been clearer and you progress smoother if you'd simply waited behind him as the highway code recomends?
It doesn't sound like that at all, it sounds like PH was there, the old codger approached from behind then pulled ahead, (clue: mirrors point backwards) then basically caused a danger by the actions described by PH, all while PH is allowing the old codger the safety and luxury of acting this way. You then go on to make assumptions about the safety zone, which PH hasn't described, or stated he was in, as justification of why this old codger was in the right and PH was in the wrong. Why can't the cyclist just pull up at the back of the first vehicle he comes to? Why does he have to scrape down cars to get to the front to cause a hold up? Why am I trying to discuss anything with you when on past experiences, its futile?
Speaking as a cyclist, there is nothing more amusing than annoying drivers, riding slowly, cutting them up, undertaking etc, makes my day when I annoy them.
I can't be arsed to read this thread, but I get annoyed at cyclists far more often and had close shaves due to their stupidity more often than I do with other vehicles. Maybe that's because of where I live in the countryside and the sheer number of cyclists there are. For example on Friday I was pulling out from a junction bang smack between two steep canal bridges immediately either side, I was halfway into the road turning right when I spotted the cyclist come absolutely flying over the bridge to the left, I slammed by brakes on and there was only just enough space between the car and they hedge for him to squeeze through. I chased straight after him and clocked him doing 40mph, which is the speed he went zooming over a blind and very narrow bridge you can't see over! Fûcking ******! If there happened to be a 4x4 for example going over that bridge at the same time he was dead, no ifs or buts. I tend to find kids are the most hazardous, specially in towns and villages, but that example above was a middle aged 40/50 year old man.
He was obviously a keen cyclist, on a racer in his bright turquoise cycling jersey (which it's a good job he was wearing as it was the bright flash of colour I noticed in the corner of my eye) but no helmet. There's a very big stretch of smooth Tarmac downhill all the way to the bridge so 40 mph should be easily achievable. It is all a 30mph limit until you cross the 2nd bridge though so the **** was speeding!
Pedestrian casualties 2001-09 Killed by cycles: 18 Seriously injured by cycles: 434 Killed by cars: 3,495 Seriously injured by cars: 46,245 There were 661 deaths in 2011 on roads with 60mph speed limits, just ahead of roads with 30mph limits, where there were 612 deaths, and your moaning about cyclist? Every day you here about a car accident , and only recently we heard Five children and four adults, including a lollipop lady, were hurt in the car crash outside Rhoose Primary School!!!! Lets be honest they are far more prick drivers on the road then cyclist.
You can't be done for speeding on a push bike, it's different legislation. Even the odd few cycle helmets that achieve the safety standard are only useful if you land on the top of your head from about 4' of the floor, which wouldn't cause injury without the helmet anyway, higher than that they don't work. Side impact injury is actually increased by helmets as they increase the posibility of impact which 'shakes' the brain causing concussive damage that is unlikely to have occured without a helmet. They also cause injury due to neck rolling. There's a much stronger argument for pedestrians to wear helmets than there is for cyclists.
My brother in law is a serious cyclist, he rides at least 40-50 miles a day and has competed in stages of the Tour de France(he's in his mid 50's, drinks like a fish, yet is stick thin). Unfortunately, he lives in Sheperds Bush and regularly rides through central London, which can be a dangerous game. He's ended up in hospital twice, on both occasions he was a mess. The first time, he was run over by a dust cart, the driver of which was later prosecuted for drink driving. On the second occasion, he hit a pothole on the Goldhawk Road, went over his handlebars at about 40 and made a right mess of himself. He shattered his hand and had to have his fingered individually wired back together, his teeth came through his top lip and it had to be stitched back together and the paramedics said without a helmet, he may well not have survived. On both occasions, the local council accepted liability, replaced his £8k bike(twice) and covered all his medical expenses. The dozy bugger still goes to work on his bike.
Paramedics often say things like that, but their expertise is in skin and bones, not plastic and polystyrene. Interestingly, they don't suggest gauntlets, knee and elbow pads, which surely are more frequently damaged. There's a lot of scientific research on the suitability of cycle helmets, and almost all conclude that they are at best of no value, at worsed increase the dangers. Australia made helmet wearing compulsory, the consequence was that cycle use has fallen markedly, yet serious head injuries have increased.
