Is it getting worse?

[cd365]

Or is it just me?

I seem to have had a lot more bad overtakes since I started commuting again in April. The lack of a safe distance being given by a small minority of drivers is shocking, I've had more close passes, i.e less than 12 inches than I had last year already. Most done on fast B roads at speed. Road positioning doesn't seem to matter, primary, strong secondary, secondary, if they want past they will come past.

 

[Dommo]

Guess you're possibly getting more people going quicker during half term due to less traffic? Same old, same old here in London. I get plenty of vehicles well within a foot of me on a daily basis but it doesn't bother me too much since I'm generally keeping pace. It's when I've been out of town and onto country roads that overtakes scare the hell out of me when the speed differential is 30+ mph...

 

[ianrauk]

It's getting much better in London for cycling. This is down to the sheer amount of cycle commuters now on the road. Motorists are very cycle aware now.

 

[cd365]

Guess you're possibly getting more people going quicker during half term due to less traffic? Same old, same old here in London. I get plenty of vehicles well within a foot of me on a daily basis but it doesn't bother me too much since I'm generally keeping pace. It's when I've been out of town and onto country roads that overtakes scare the hell out of me when the speed differential is 30+ mph...

It has been like this the last couple of months of commuting/leisure rides.
It is 90% country roads that I do.

 

[Dommo]

Yeah, to be honest, on days like this with the sun shining, sharing my morning ride in with literally hundreds of other cyclists it can't help make me feel positive about the way cycling is heading in London.

 

[Dommo]

It has been like this the last couple of months of commuting/leisure rides.
It is 90% country roads that I do.

Better light/weather conditions encouraging people to drive faster? I guess if you have consistent problem points on your route, report them to council?

 

[mjr]

Report them to the police too. Might get occasional patrols at problem times, especially if it's near an existing patrol route where not much has happened lately. If you don't know, it might be worth asking if they act on camera footage of bad overtakes but mostwon't

 

[vickster]

It's getting much better in London for cycling. This is down to the sheer amount of cycle commuters now on the road. Motorists are very cycle aware now.

Shame lots of cyclists aren't in my experience! Especially the blokes who get insulted at being overtaken by an overweight 40 something year old woman and then decide they MGIF at all costs, including the safety of others.
Call me over sensitive but it certainly happens

 

[J1888]

It's getting much better in London for cycling. This is down to the sheer amount of cycle commuters now on the road. Motorists are very cycle aware now.

I've only been commuting for a year, would you say the situation in London has vastly improved in the last few years? If so, it must have been pretty bad before, I see pretty shocking driving (and cycling) reasonably often.

 

[ianrauk]

I've only been commuting for a year, would you say the situation in London has vastly improved in the last few years? If so, it must have been pretty bad before, I see pretty shocking driving (and cycling) reasonably often.

Good God yes. I have been cycle commuting in London on and off since 1982. It is better now then it has ever been.

 

[mjr]

I don't have @ianrauk's years in London but there were two massive leaps forwards in the time I've been riding there: congestion charge introduction and cycle hire starting. (Much as I find the cycle routes useful, none of them seem to inspire such increases.)

 

[I like Skol]

Have to agree with the OP unfortunately and say that the number of stupid, ill-judged or just plain DGAF moves that I have had done to me while cycling has rocketed in the last 12 months or so. Not sure why this should be as I definitely haven't got more sensitive. These are not things that generally upset or un-nerve me, just actions that make me wonder if they thought, or care, about the risk of what they have done.
My route and times of commute haven't changed in five years so I have a good period to base this assessment on.

 

[fossyant]

Can't say it's got any worse. My current route is better than previously. Still get stupid passes. Off in North Wales this week and a quick 20 miler outside rush hour was fine, although one dozy OAP pulled out on my on the Prom in Rhyl and proceeded to crawl along. I had the best bike with my on full crank, so undertook him and pointed at my glasses. He then pulled into a parking space, again no indicators and oblivious to other road users.

Commuting, especially in the mornings is full of folk in too much of a rush.

 

[sidevalve]

Sorry to say the general standard of driving AND riding seems to be dropping fast. I just put it down to ever increasing 'stuff you I'm doing what I want' modern attitude, and like I said [although you don't notice it so much when riding] it applies to bikes too.
Pretty sad really

 

[potsy]

Only been commuting by bike for 5 years, and nearly all of that has been outside the rush hour so traffic is much lighter than some of you have to mix with.
I do find that these things seem to come in spells though, nothing out of the ordinary for weeks then 2 or 3 incidents on one commute, just part of being a cyclist on today's roads.