You know there's more than just cars and expensive cars, like injuring pedestrians? What if you rode into a kid, which caused them to split their skull on the curb?
Cyclists joining the road without looking
- Thread starter BYTEr
- Start date
You know there's more than just cars and expensive cars, like injuring pedestrians? What if you rode into a kid, which caused them to split their skull on the curb?
I have to admit that the cyclists I've encountered in and around the NE have all seemed pretty decent on the road, I even had one thanking me for giving him a wide berth when he caught up to me by chance in an estate.
Some of the behaviour you see in videos on youtube, especially those in London, is mind boggling.
Have you seen the number of injuries caused by cyclists in the last ten years? Have you seen the number of fatalities?
More people have been killed and injured by dogs. We don't have to have dog insurance.
To look at it in the correct way we would need to know the amount of cyclists on our roads to work out the correct risk.
I agree that cyclists should have at least 3rd party insurance in case that they cause damage to others and/or their property in an accident.
Man of Honour
- Joined
- 29 Mar 2003
- Posts
- 57,644
- Location
- Stoke on Trent
Then the kid must have stepped into the road meaning it isn't the cyclists fault (unless you mean the cyclist is riding on the pavement).
However, I would be willing to pay insurance if it became mandatory.
About two years ago I made a right mess of a new BMW and also took the drivers wing mirror off but it was 100% his fault with lots of witnesses and even his passenger having a right go at him.
But what if it had been my fault?
About a month ago I was in the cycle lane when a taxi came straight over at me to miss a speed bump and I had to lash out with my right foot to stop him from hitting me worse than he did. I still ended up on the pavement flat on my back but he had quite a bit of damage to pay for. Once again many witnesses including my manager.
But what if it had been my fault?
Yes we should pay insurance and I'm waiting for the day when a motorist shouts "You shouldn't be on the road because you don't pay road tax" (which we all know doesn't exist) and replaces it with "You shouldn't be on the road because you don't pay insurance" and I'd agree with that.
In all honesty I think one of the big problems, particularly after visiting European destinations is that there's just nowhere for cyclists to cycle safely. This is what results in a lot of dangerous situations and then throw in some terrible attitudes from certain cyclists and drivers and you basically have "us vs them" attitude. In case of London throw in all of that along with tiny roads that can barely fit cars on them and it's just a one big mess providing us with endless youtube videos that make me never want to drive in that place.
Lot of places could probably help that with better urban planning but I have no idea what they can do in certain places like London where the streets won't get any bigger and any work would be prohibitively expensive.
Lot of places could probably help that with better urban planning but I have no idea what they can do in certain places like London where the streets won't get any bigger and any work would be prohibitively expensive.
Man of Honour
- Joined
- 5 Jun 2003
- Posts
- 91,786
- Location
- Falling...
I was run into by a cyclist who ran the red light - left me with a massive bruise but he came flying off his bike and split his chin open and twisted his bike. I'm lucky that I am relatively solid bloke or it could have been worse.
The stupid thing is that he saw me crossing the road, and we made eye contact.
He then started to have a go at me for not crossing the road quicker
and that I purposefully got him to run into me?! Why the heck would I do that?He was trying to get me to pay for the damage - I just laughed, and limped off. I think he tried to call the police too :/
Had I been a child, or a frail older person I'd have sustained some pretty serious injuries, he wasn't even slowing down.
To be honest, I don't think they can do much to improve the road situations in most places. Many of the built up towns and cities have grown up from tiny villages, cramming houses into as small of a place as possible. I've seen most places that are difficult enough to get cars down, cutting into them for more cycle lanes makes it more dangerous for everyone. What I would like to see is more out of the box ideas for cycling, such as using parts of the disused underground tracks or the disused above the ground railway lines for cyclists to quickly get into town centres. Would be better for everyone than on the normal roads.
Soldato
- Joined
- 8 Mar 2006
- Posts
- 13,300
- Location
- Near Winchester
I used to see this frequently, but the last few years I can't say it's happened.
cyclists, some as stupid and dangerous as any other driver in a vehicle, others are great.
This is a problem......
yup why is his cab pointed like that to purposely make them all in the blind spot, shouldn't he have checked before he started to turn
Not that you should get along side a truck/bus anyway unless you have a death wish
Last edited:
cyclists, some as stupid and dangerous as any other driver in a vehicle, others are great.
This is a problem......
Or rather...
It's one of the big failings of the cycle superhighways schemes.
Slap down a load of cycle lanes like the above, and advertise and encourage their use by everyone.
The result is a segment of riders who aren't experienced enough to know better falling into the trap that because they are in a designated lane, they are safe.
Last edited:
The point is cyclists try to come up the near side of a left turning HGV once the driver has already committed to his manoeuvre and has turned to a point where he can't see his near side, the cab is purposely turned that way because it is how you turn a ~54ft HGV into a tight ish left hander.
Or rather...
It's one of the big failings of the cycle superhighways schemes.
Slap down a load of cycle lanes like the above, and advertise and encourage their use by everyone.
The result is a segment of riders who aren't experienced enough to know better falling into the trap that because they are in a designated lane, they are safe.
Agee entirely.
One place I find surprising is Cambridge,despite its relatively higher cyclist population (always seems it anyway!) the vast majority seem a lot more vehicle aware....
Man of Honour
- Joined
- 29 Mar 2003
- Posts
- 57,644
- Location
- Stoke on Trent
On Thursday I told a fellow cyclist off.
I was approaching a roundabout behind a truck when I could see he was turning left so stayed behind him.
Another cyclist decided to go past me up on the trucks left side and I screamed at him because he hadn't seen the trucks indicators on.
The cyclist just about made it and about a minute later I caught him up and gave him a right mouthful.
Here's the funny bit, under his yellow jacket he'd got his Paramedic uniform on.
Associate
- Joined
- 6 May 2015
- Posts
- 5
I think that they can recepect to each other thats why they can stop and wating .
I cycle and could never bring myself to simply pull out onto a major road from a minor. I see cyclists do it, I've even had cyclists come past me whilst I'm waiting to pull out onto a major. Makes me cringe every time I see it. I'm not going to win an argument with a 1.25+ ton vehicle am I?!
You must have bloody strong legs if you can redirect a car by kicking it!
Man of Honour
- Joined
- 29 Mar 2003
- Posts
- 57,644
- Location
- Stoke on Trent
Do you wanna touch my thighs
Of course it was to make a noise so he knew I was there and didn't make it worse than it already was.
As a driver and cyclist I see good and bad examples of both, undertaking is a real annoyance for me, like in the picture though, cycle lane approaching a junction can be misleading to the unaware /inexperienced.
On a bike I always try to say to myself 'if I was driving that car would I be aware of a bike undertaking on my inside' often the answer is no, so I hang back.
Equally when driving with a cyclist just ahead of me, and I want to turn left, I hang back until the cyclist has past the junction rather than booting it past and cutting them up.
Just consideration on both parts really, on the bike I feel a lot safer in primary lane position around parked cars, traffic Islands etc. It's always better to move to primary in advance of such obstacles rather than darting out, gives you chance for a better check behind you for speeding traffic, and your Road position /intentions are more predictable for cars behind you.. reducing the chances of a car trying to squeeze past at pinch points.
On a bike I always try to say to myself 'if I was driving that car would I be aware of a bike undertaking on my inside' often the answer is no, so I hang back.
Equally when driving with a cyclist just ahead of me, and I want to turn left, I hang back until the cyclist has past the junction rather than booting it past and cutting them up.
Just consideration on both parts really, on the bike I feel a lot safer in primary lane position around parked cars, traffic Islands etc. It's always better to move to primary in advance of such obstacles rather than darting out, gives you chance for a better check behind you for speeding traffic, and your Road position /intentions are more predictable for cars behind you.. reducing the chances of a car trying to squeeze past at pinch points.
Last edited: