So you have observed horrific attitudes shown by a motorist and cyclists when you were driving and as a pedestrian. Have you at all considered the problem is you?
Roads getting safer or more dangerous ?
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So you have observed horrific attitudes shown by a motorist and cyclists when you were driving and as a pedestrian. Have you at all considered the problem is you?
For whoever wanted examples of being knocked off - https://www.strava.com/activities/227394171
Crossing a busy 'button' roundabout December 2014 lit up like a christmas tree, I was knocked off by a driver travelling at probably 15mph who hit my back wheel while I was travelling at 8mph (SMDNSY). My right of way, just lack of giving way/observation on his part. Very low speeds, I saw him coming and was able to roll when I hit the ground, yet was still enough to crack the plastic in 2 places of my helmet with some very big scuffs to the plastic and polystyrene.
I walked away with a bent frame, damaged wheel, broken helmet, ripped clothing but no head injuries or whiplash. Without a helmet on I'd have been in A&E delivered by an ambulance, probably with just superficial cuts and whiplash.
Crossing a busy 'button' roundabout December 2014 lit up like a christmas tree, I was knocked off by a driver travelling at probably 15mph who hit my back wheel while I was travelling at 8mph (SMDNSY). My right of way, just lack of giving way/observation on his part. Very low speeds, I saw him coming and was able to roll when I hit the ground, yet was still enough to crack the plastic in 2 places of my helmet with some very big scuffs to the plastic and polystyrene.
I walked away with a bent frame, damaged wheel, broken helmet, ripped clothing but no head injuries or whiplash. Without a helmet on I'd have been in A&E delivered by an ambulance, probably with just superficial cuts and whiplash.
I didn't hit the ground hard, at fairly low speed (consider jogging pace), was fully aware of my surroundings and got my elbow/shoulder down. Still my head hit the ground twice. If I had landed on my elbow/hip a little better I'd have been 99% ok.
Elderly gentleman, with a 'motorbility' vehicle, who later wanted to claim for damage to his vehicle against me. Scuffs to the car NDS front wing/light area. Wouldn't discuss things with me afterwards or offer reparations for my repairs and would only deal through his insurance (who hadn't been told the full story by him). Got a police report filed along with 2 witnesses statements who clearly put him at fault (as did he admitting it at the scene). Funnily enough his insurance company couldn't do enough to help me once the Police were involved...
Elderly gentleman, with a 'motorbility' vehicle, who later wanted to claim for damage to his vehicle against me. Scuffs to the car NDS front wing/light area. Wouldn't discuss things with me afterwards or offer reparations for my repairs and would only deal through his insurance (who hadn't been told the full story by him). Got a police report filed along with 2 witnesses statements who clearly put him at fault (as did he admitting it at the scene). Funnily enough his insurance company couldn't do enough to help me once the Police were involved...
Only the one in bold is a violation of the highway code (you MUST have a white front and red rear light).
Signalling and wearing a helmet are advisory.
Riding two abreast is fine too, (but 'ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends').
Nothing worse than people griping about cyclists without actually knowing the rules.
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Cyclists just seem to have very little etiquette. I've been forced onto a bank on the side of the road when I was walking several times, just because a cyclist wouldn't move over.
When I'm driving and I see a pedestrian walking towards me, I slow right down and they either go onto the bank themselves (and I thank them), or I let them pass me on the road.
Maybe it's just where I live but most cyclists are just ********* around here.
When I'm driving and I see a pedestrian walking towards me, I slow right down and they either go onto the bank themselves (and I thank them), or I let them pass me on the road.
Maybe it's just where I live but most cyclists are just ********* around here.
I want more cyclists on the road as that means less cars = more space for cars.
Anything that can potentially discourage cycling is directly negative for motorists.
As for the law protecting the ''fragile cyclists'', I completely disagree with the law, cyclists should be held accountable if they are obviously at fault instead of the blame going partly to the motorist if the cyclist doesn't respect the right of way.
I never wear a helmet when cycling or when on the moped (not required for blue plated ones in NL), simply because it's less comfortable, my hair gets messed up, etc...
However when I go mountain biking in the hills I do, actually fell on my head once quite hard as missed a corner on a single track path and went in the ditch so was glad to wear a helmet then.
Then again, the culture and infra is different here for cyclists, on moped or bicycle, you rarely share the road with fast traffic and when you do, the speed limit is 30 or 50 km/h (~20-30mph)... Mostly everywhere else in the city you have cycle paths or lanes (bar some old narrow streets). At least in my area. ~75% of distance covered on moped or bike is cycle paths or lanes.
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Your position is evident from your use of the pejorative 'lycra brigade'. I'm not sure you're capable of an objective debate on this, coming from such a position.
The difference between my "argument" that helmets don't work (and you've paraphrashed my comments badly here, because I've never said that helmets don't work), and your anecdotal comments in this thread is that my arguments are based on scientific study, and your anecdotal comments are not.
I take it you saw the video of the guy near where you used to live mount the path last week on Rampton road because he was annoyed at the cyclists? That **** should get banned for years.
Happens a lot the other way round as well. So many pedestrians walk in the middle of a cycle track for example and just don't move to the side.
It's people that are the problem, not people on any one specific mode of transport.
We have infrastructure very much like the Dutch version in my old town, where I grew up. It was great, however didn't stop issues. Motorists ignoring rights of way when turning corners (on residential streets), pedestrians walking down the middle of the cycle lanes/roads, people with buggies doing the same, glass everywhere from smashed bottles, etc.
Actually, in light of that i'll modify the statement in my previous post...
It's British people that are the problem, not people on any one specific mode of transport. For some reason we as a culture really can be ****holes, far more so than many other cultures/countries, especially in the developed world.
Man of Honour
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Dirty stinking low life scum cyclists who don't pay road tax -
Undercover bike cops launch 'best ever' cycle safety scheme in Birmingham
https://www.theguardian.com/environ...h-best-ever-cycle-safety-scheme-in-birmingham
Campaigners hope the operation, that sees plain clothes police on bikes pull over drivers that pass too close, will be taken up across the country
Undercover bike cops launch 'best ever' cycle safety scheme in Birmingham
https://www.theguardian.com/environ...h-best-ever-cycle-safety-scheme-in-birmingham
Campaigners hope the operation, that sees plain clothes police on bikes pull over drivers that pass too close, will be taken up across the country
I'm amazed anyone dares cycle in Birmingham, must have a death wish.
From personal experience I'd say brummie drivers are some of the nuttiest in the country.
Would be brilliant to see. I rarely cycle to work but when I do I can guarantee at least one near miss every time - and I spend about 95% of my journey off-road.
Soldato
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If you consider a standard overtaking maneuvre, expecting cyclists to give way at a roundabout like a car would, and not expecting to be nearly mowed down by a cyclist screaming "*******" walking along a pavement to be issues with my actions i'd like to know.
Have you considered as i stated earlier in the thread i'm not one of those motorists who meets 2 cyclists riding abreast on a country road and swears at them before taking over on a blind corner leaving a 3" gap, or did you just see the letters b m w and assumed that i'm an ******* on the roads?
As for my use of the term lycra brigade, its simply borne from the fact i have never seen arseholery of any kind from a cyclist who wasnt wearing lycra.
I'm not assuming anything and it was an honest question. Many utter nightmare drivers that get sworn at are oblivious that they are actually in the wrong.
If you weren't in the wrong, then fair play, no more needs to be said.
Yeah, it may be a pejorative, but I know what adolf means. There's a set of cyclists who are staggeringly arrogant towards anyone else in the vicinity. They seem to think they're morally superior to others and almost invariably they are wearing the full lycra get up. As a proportion based on my personal experience, I can encounter such outfits amongst these far more often than I do car drivers or motorcyclists.
Man of Honour
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Or...there are plenty of idiots on the road. Some of them happen to wear lycra. It's no better a stereotype than "lolz Audi drivers".
Again, as a proportion, I encounter people with this attitude far more amongst this group than amongst car drivers and motorcyclists.
Man of Honour
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As a lycra-wearing cyclist I would say that the vast majority of dodgy cyclists I see actually aren't the "lycra lout" kind.
For instance:
* Scals on mountain bikes ignoring lights, probably pulling a wheelie as they go through.
* Students also ignoring lights but at least not doing the above.
* Middle-aged and younger cyclists with no sense of self-preservation or awareness of the world around them.
* Cyclists failing to indicate.
* Many more...
I also of course see the odd lycra-clad roadie acting like an absolute ****.
However, I can guarantee in my commute I'll also encounter:
* Pedestrians that have no awareness of the world around them.
* Pedestrians that have awareness of the world around them but have a "screw you" attitude to everyone else, including drivers.
* Drivers that speed in all areas.
* Drivers that speed in 20mph areas because "that's too slow, man".
* Drivers that jump red lights. I see this literally just as much as I see cyclists do it. Of course, that's a larger proportion given the lower number of cyclists on the road but that does not excuse the fact that I see drivers jump red lights constantly.
* Drivers failing to indicate. As much as it annoys me when cyclists do this I'm fairly sure that it is a legal responsibility for drivers?
* Drivers performing dangerously close passes.
* Drivers encroaching in cycle lanes for no reason (e.g. when there's a ton of space in their lane if they just veered to the right slightly).
* Drivers engaging in aggressive behaviour towards cyclists. Some cyclists are also aggressive towards drivers but the proportions are massively skewed towards aggressive drivers being arses when dealing with more vulnerable road users (cyclists).
There's almost certainly a load of incidents I've missed off the above list.
I'm the kind of guy that will shout at cyclists for acting like gimps on the road and also happily take primary and/or tell a driver off. It frustrates me that I have to act in an aggressive manner to feel safer on the road but any time that I dial things back (e.g. ride closer to the kerb) within a few miles I regret it as a driver will perform a dodgy manoeuvre.
The sad thing is that I know that a huge percentage of drivers are safe on the road but I have to assume the lowest common denominator. It's presumably quite similar for drivers when dealing with cyclists. That said, there is no excuse for either group then ranting about stereotypes.