Cyclist awareness

[CosKev]

2 hours ago, keirik said:

I only do it to you Kev 😉

 

Thankfully only time I've seen you on your bike I was doing nearly 90mph in the train😁funnily enough you didn't try and get in my way?🤷🏾‍♂️🤣😝

[DamperMan]

year to date, 6849 miles recorded on 2 wheels.    I try and ride on less busy roads.   I get a bit shouty and offer some finger pointing when some one gives me a close one.    As a whole I get very few issues, it's just the reality is on a bike you're so vulnerable and other road users don't always appreciate that.    Troubles are largely either pure A-holes / mobile phone users.     But then there are the inapt on the roads too.  These are the ones who are not confident to overtake, when they do it's so slow and close.. I simply try and get out of their way.   In the beginning of lock down I had quite a bit of anti cyclist abuse and people swerving at me!!!!!   I often don't use cycle-ways and living in Milton keynes we have redways where bikes and pedestrians fight it out.    Simply it's safer for all to ride on the road and avoid people with headphones, suicide dogs, glass  etc.   I was put in hospital 15 months ago when I was passing parked cars and some one opened their car door at precisely the wrong moment.   I'd usually give parked cars 1.5 m gap but there had been a van coming towards me turning up a junction.  The sharp edge of the door hit me in the chest, I was doing ~ 20 mph.    Dislocated my sternum, meaning the lower section was torn from top section,  forced in, and pushed up under the upper section.    The nice Dr after xray basically said they didn't know what heart or surrounding damage I might have.  Assuming I survived the next 24 hours I should be ok.  I was fully wired up for almost 24 hours.   I only set the alarm off a few times when my blood pressure dropped through the floor.   After told not to lift more then 5kg for 12 weeks etc..    Full recovery made now but not something i'd like to repeat.     Regardless of fault it's the bike rider who is the one most likely to get killed or serious injured and no one deserves that for hogging to much road, offending some ones eyes or wobbling to avoid a pot hole or even ridding 3 a breast.             

[DonPeffers]

Today returning home in the tin top I slowly followed 2 cyclists who were riding in line and I couldn't overtake as the road was very windy and extremely limited forward distance viewable to see if road clear.

Despite this an A... in a large SUV overtook me and the cyclists with a blind bend just yards ahead.

 

More luck than judgement that he made it as could easily have been a head-on with an oncoming car and the resulting carnage would likely have wiped out the cyclists.

 

Later when road ahead viewable I overtook with the recommended safety margin and gave the bikers a friendly wave.

 

Just to add I had earlier in the day been out in the westie but a bit hot for a Scotsman with strong sun and 25C.

 

Final thought is I suggest that any driver overtaking recklessly is given a fine, plus a ban plus must ride a bike for the next 2 months to learn about safety.

[Dibby]

Spent a while working in the Netherlands and they are all set up for cycling.

 

If a cyclist and a car collide, the law is on the side of the cyclist. The onus is on the car driver to prove their innocence so car drivers give cyclists right of way at junctions and roundabouts, and plenty of space. Dashcams are commonplace to show who is at fault in an accient.

 

But then the cycling mentality is different in NL, we have lycra clad MAMILs riding everywhere as if it was a race at 90% max heart rate on skinny tyres and carbon frames that are too delicate to take on potholes. Dutch riders pace is more like walking, people aren't blowing out of their behinds and ride in their normal work clothes to work with waterproofs over the top, they ride to the shops, ride to work, ride to the pub, do their shopping on cargo bikes, kids all cycle to school, cars are only used for distances beyond cycling. 

 

I'd love to see people switch from cars to bikes as a default method of transport for shorter distances and cyclists switch from the race mentality to a calmer, regular transport mentality.