A drivers view

[jonny jeez]

When I signed up to this forum I also signed up to changing my approach and attitude from a whinging car driver into an accepting cyclist, so I consider myself pretty objective and accepting of others.

Today, I was forced to drive into london (see earlier post)

I spent the whole journey, in silence with no radio just observing the other road sharers and forming an opinion based upon my new viewpoint, (that of a cycling commuter)

Frankly, I was appalled.

For every bad "taxi-turn" or "car-carve", there were at least 3 bad cyclist
manoeuvres.


At one point I drove the entire length of Fleet Street behind a lady in a skirt and high heels with her helmet set at a jaunty and very fashionable (yet totally useless) angle, riding about 8mph, down the middle of the lane while an empty bus lane sat to her left

...all with around 10 cars behind, not one of which "revved up" or sounded a horn.

I saw awful pavement riding from one chap (sending peds jumping out the way) around 100 red lights jumped, some at a fair old pace and bikes squeezing into really stupid positions that were "asking" for them to come unstuck.

All of this left me feeling a little embarrassed for our fellow cyclists...

No wonder people have a stereotypical view of us if this is their only view each day

Sigh

 

[Shorinjidude]

Your absolutely right Jonny! Having been a motorcyclist for years I too can see the faults - I particuarly love the hight viz debate (you can find them over on the motorbike forums as well) Fact is no ones perfect and just because your more vunerable than another road user it's no excuse to behave like a muppet. I should add that familiarity breed contempt and you soon get into bad habits.

As an aside, that stretch of bus lane on Fleet St has to be some of the cr@ppiest bit of tarmack in London! I too ride down the middle of the main road, a wee bit faster than your earlier lady I should add.

 

[very-near]

Heretic - Burn the witch

 

[jonny jeez]

Heretic - Burn the witch

and it gets worse...I used to drive a Range Rover....Noooooooooooooooo

I am such a changed man

 

[stoptherock]

Fleet Street is horrible to cycle down, much better to take Primary, and she was doing all of 3mph less than the average London traffic speed!

You're right though, I see loads of numpty cyclists, mostly kids on stupid BMX bikes with pegs and their arse hanging out of their trousers.

Trouble is, people see that and think 'Bloody cyclists' in the way nobody ever seems to do with drivers...


So I, a law-abiding cyclist, get lumped in with the arse-out brigade.

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

and it gets worse...I used to drive a Range Rover....Noooooooooooooooo

I am such a changed man

Have you not also previously mentioned a B*W ? Or do I do you an injustice?

 

[gavintc]

As Robert Burns wrote so prophetically in his poem 'To a Louse'
"I would the power the giftie give us, to see ourselves as others see us".

Sometimes we just need to sit back and ponder whether we are quite as blameless as we believe.

 

[jonny jeez]

Have you not also previously mentioned a B*W ? Or do I do you an injustice?

Shhhhhh

and a big white van, I've had them all

 

[Piemaster]

and it gets worse...I used to drive a Range Rover....Noooooooooooooooo

I am such a changed man

Errrrr.....me too.

I'm sure I'm much more considerate and careful in the car since I got back on two wheels a couple of years ago. Could be I've mellowed a bit as well.

 

[blazed]

If cyclings that bad in london imagine what its like in the rest of the country.

 

[garrilla]

the rest of the country.

sorry, does not compute

 

[stoptherock]

If cyclings that bad in london imagine what its like in the rest of the country.

Lagging behind in most places, sadly.

London's seen an 83% rise in cycling rates, and a halving of casualties.

Once again London sets the pace for the dreary contingent provincial hobos.

 

[Archie_tect]

... it's so quiet you could hear a pin drop...

 

[Bollo]

I've had the odd grumble on here about London's 'cycling revolution'. Much of it says more about London than cycling and cyclists in general.

IMHO, despite the increase in numbers, cycling is still going through its 'embarrassing teenage stage' in London. It'll grow up when articles about cycling stop appearing in the lifestyle section of the ES and it starts just being a means of transport.

I'm getting more optimistic about the rest of the country though. I've noticed a real increase in the number of commuter cyclists here in the ex-capital, despite some hills and a swine of a one-way, and a corresponding mellowing in driver attitudes. Also, the excesses of the London boom seem to have been attenuated. We've even got a tame hipster, although I've only ever seen him pushing his whip.

 

[GrasB]

As for the woman cycling in the middle of the road. Some people think cyclists can't use a bus lane & using one is because they're riding irresponsibly.

In all honesty going home I see the same 15 or so enthusiast cyclists & we all adhere to lights etc with a respect for traffic law as much as any motorist. But for every one meeting of these regulars I see there are 20 or so people on bikes who are cycling because it's faster than walking & cheaper than the car/bus, they happily flout the law & just cause problems. There is many a time I shake my head or gestate with my hand something then my eye catches a motorist looking at me with the 'so it pisses you off too' look.

I should add to this that I find some of the clearly race club level riders are some of the worst for taking any advantage no matter what the legality of it is. I saw someone, at a red light, fly across the road, hop onto the pavement, almost flattening a ped, then going round a the corner jumping back onto the road cutting a car up & when the car drive sounded their horn giving them the finger & shouting something.