Are cameras always useful?

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Origamist

Origamist

Legendary Member
darth vadar said:
I have never cycled the way that some cyclists do when you look at some clips on this forum.

Just because you are on a bike doesn't give you the right to cycle at 30+ miles per hour when the traffic conditions dictate otherwise.

Maybe if cyclists slowed down a bit then some of these 'road rage incidents' could be avoided.

Attitudes like this play right into the hands of motorists who think that all cyclists should be shot.

If my daily cycling commute was anything like this then I don't think I would bother.
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You've seem many vids on here with cyclists doing 30mph +? Nearly all of the vids I have seen (and 'm embarrassed to admit it's a lot) have considerably slower cyclist speeds. By the way, what speed would you recommend to avoid "some" road-rage incidents? If you provide a figure, I'd be most grateful.
 
Origamist

Origamist

Legendary Member
DrSquirrel said:
I totally forget that I have the camera on my head - it has no basis for my actions.
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I don't even give it a second thought. So much so, that I keep forgetting to wipe the SD card when it's full and switch the dratting thing off when I get home (lots of horrible shots of me naked on the way to the shower).
 
darth vadar

darth vadar

Über Member
2Loose said:
Well I never, that's the first time that I have heard that car drivers may get miffed because of the cyclist going to FAST on the road.
Believing that they are being held up by a cyclist, certainly, but flowing with the traffic or speeding, that is a first.
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I think you might be missing the point here.

Just for the sake of clarity - what I am saying is that poor or aggressive cycling can contribute to cyclists getting a bad name. And, just as motorists need to act a bit more responsibly by driving safely at all times so should cyclists. My point about cycling too fast and/or weaving in and out of traffic et al, does not help anybody.

I have no time for drivers who think they own the road and who are rude or aggresive, but equally, irresponsible cyclists (some of whom are also rude and aggressive) do nothing to help the sometimes fraught relationship that exists between drivers and cyclists.
 
N

Norm

Guest
DrSquirrel said:
No, we dont all do it. Some of us don't just indicate last second and turn off suddenly down a street...

Driver in question is lucky that some less experienced/ignorant cyclist didn't decide to go up the inside - regardless of if cyclists should or not, when driving you SHOULD check your inside before turning. Thus you should be indicating BEFORE turning.

You do see what this driving manovure is? its "bugger this traffic... I will rush up this side street to beat it" mode.
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I'd call this cycling blinkers of the worst sort, especially the last line which seems completely at odds with the lack of "traffic" elsewhere in the video. There is even a car are over-taking Gaz at the end of the video and, knowing how fast he rides, I'd say you'd have to exceed the limits to do that. :biggrin:

Interestingly, Gaz opens the video with "I am aware that this could happen so I stay back..." I would consider staying back to be taking a position that the car could turn left without any danger to me. I don't understand how a position he feels is staying back is close enough that the car's change of direction elicits a "clucking bell" response.

Turn it around to remove the cycling blinkers. If a car had been following a bike that close that there was a near-hit when the bike changed direction, I think most everyone would call the car at fault.

There is no legal requirement to indicate, there is legislation about overtaking on the left.

If you ride into the back of someone, it's your fault.
 
2Loose

2Loose

Guru
Location
Loughborough, Leicestershire.
darth vadar said:
I think you might be missing the point here.

Just for the sake of clarity - what I am saying is that poor or aggressive cycling can contribute to cyclists getting a bad name. And, just as motorists need to act a bit more responsibly by driving safely at all times so should cyclists. My point about cycling too fast and/or weaving in and out of traffic et al, does not help anybody.

I have no time for drivers who think they own the road and who are rude or aggresive, but equally, irresponsible cyclists (some of whom are also rude and aggressive) do nothing to help the sometimes fraught relationship that exists between drivers and cyclists.
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You certainly make your point a lot better with this post. Still not sure about 'fast', but we must all (and that includes drivers) accept that there are some inconsiderate w*nkers on the roads, but that shouldn't mean that we all tar everyone with the same brush should it?
 
thomas

thomas

the tank engine
Location
Woking/Norwich
Some cyclists do over react, and some of those have helmet cameras.


This guy:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TesterAnimal1

Seems to over react over a lot of things. Watch his latest one about red light and planning. yeah, bad driving, but he sounds like he is going to cry. It wasn't that big a deal, certainly not worth the argo. Maybe stopping and clapping or something patronising if you really must.

On the other hand, this guy does have some very, very good videos (depending on how you look at it). One where he gets hit by a wing mirror and nearly ends up under a car. I couldn't fault any reaction to that. Especially as the driver didn't stop.

I'll be honest, if you look at some of my past videos I probably over react, or at least post really boring stuff. I seem a lot more laid back recently, but if something is bad I will react. I do try to remain calmer and let things go though.
 
gaz

gaz

Cycle Camera TV
Location
South Croydon
iamanidiot said:
<br>While we're (sort of) on the subject of 'critiquing' youtube videos....<br><br>I posted a comment on <a href="
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dEnEq-ig40
" target="_blank" class="bbc_url" title="External link" rel="nofollow external">this video</a> by Mr Gaz545 - I believe he is a relatively frequent poster on here. My comment is this one:<br><br>"There's no cycle lane on the left, so unless that car's just overtaken&nbsp;&nbsp;you I see nothing wrong in that car's driving bar the late signal. If&nbsp;&nbsp;you are approaching that car, you have no cause to put yourself anywhere&nbsp;&nbsp;near the left side. If you're not overtaking it you should be behind it&nbsp;&nbsp;leaving a braking gap. Obviously I don't know exactly what the&nbsp;&nbsp;situation is so i'm calling it as I see it. Tell me i'm wrong if i'm&nbsp;&nbsp;wrong."<br><br>And it would be interesting/informative to have a response as if my analysis is correct then i'm not sure what the point of the clip is, unless to berate for a late signal (which i'm sure we've all done while driving).<br>
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<br>What he said below really. Not all my videos are about bad driving and people putting me in dodgy situations. I have less experienced cyclists following me on youtube and my videos are posted on forums where people will see them. In this case, i showed that you need to be careful when coming up to a side road with a vehicle in front of you as you can never tell if they plan to turn. Notice how i didn't even say anything (apart from some mild swearing but that was just to myself). Just said the plate and got on with it.<br><br>
Origamist said:
<br>It's a clear warning to cyclists not to go down the left of a vehicle on the approach to a junction - even when the car is not indicating, or indicates at the last second. <br><br>Not all vids are about naming and shaming - they have an educational dimension too.<br>
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<br><br>___<br><br>People will think that i overreact. And in some cases i do... but is that because of the camera? naaah, just the way i am. Often you will find that the camera doesn't show distances well. For example close passes don't look too bad on the camera, where as in the flesh they are far to close. So for some cases you might think 'that wasn't so bad' but at the time, it was a different story.

<div><br></div><div>Another thing to note, you don't see the things we let fly. I could post 20 videos a day of bad driving but for those i would be in the wrong as well because i didn't read the road and anticipate that the driver might what to do this that and the other, so sometimes i will just hang back and let them go at their pace and do what they want to do. It results in me being safer, which i am all for!</div>
 
mgarl10024

mgarl10024

Über Member
Location
Bristol
thomas said:
This guy:
http://www.youtube.c...r/TesterAnimal1
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magnatom said:
:biggrin:

That reaction is an absolute classic. You can almost hear his voice starting to break, in a sort of 'That was the last straw I'm about to have a Falling Down type of nervous breakdown' way! :biggrin:
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I just watched http://www.youtube.c...h?v=ePB6IHrL0Qw, http://www.youtube.c...h?v=fivKuYHd3Us and http://www.youtube.c...h?v=5swR7HFySs8 and whilst hilarious to watch (!), this guy has serious problems and embodies everything bad about cycling videos.
IMO, perhaps controversially, it's why he ends up with http://www.youtube.c...h?v=4Q_XhwhCZXo.
 
I

iamanidiot

New Member
DrSquirrel said:
No, we dont all do it. Some of us don't just indicate last second and turn off suddenly down a street...

Driver in question is lucky that some less experienced/ignorant cyclist didn't decide to go up the inside - regardless of if cyclists should or not, when driving you SHOULD check your inside before turning. Thus you should be indicating BEFORE turning.

You do see what this driving manovure is? its "bugger this traffic... I will rush up this side street to beat it" mode.
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I didn't say we all do it. I said we all have done it. I see that the point of Gaz545's video is not to go rushing up the left side of traffic if passing streets on the left, but I thought that would be fairly obvious. I'm not even totally sure the driver in Gaz's vid didn't check, a positive analysis would be that the driver seems hesitant about what he's doing, then when he sees Gaz is holding back, goes for it. I've been in a very similar situation myself, where I was about to be undertaken (the guy was in a cycle lane) but I checked and made eye contact and he waved me to make the turn.

marmalade400 said:
See Highway Code rule 158.
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"Certain models of motorcycles, motor tricycles and quadricycles, also called quad bikes, are suitable only for off-road use and do not meet legal standards for use on roads. Vehicles that do not meet these standards MUST NOT be used on roads. They MUST NOT be used on pavements, footpaths, cycle paths or bridleways either. You MUST make sure that any motorcycle, motor tricycle, quadricycle or any other motor vehicle meets legal standards and is properly registered, taxed and insured before using it on the roads. Even when registered, taxed and insured for the road, vehicles MUST NOT be used on pavements."

?

The driving in the clip may be poor, and possibly inconsiderate, but the dangerous part comes when the cyclist undertakes down a single lane road.
 
Origamist

Origamist

Legendary Member
marmalade400 said:
Oh my word, that guy is amazing. Even though it was actually quite a dangerous situation I nearly choked laughing at this one:-
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=5swR7HFySs8

I feel so inadequate, there is no way I could shout at cars as well as he does.
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He also has quite a way with the written word:

I'm going dowhill at the speed limit in town at rush hour.

Only a **** would insist that you hug the kerb. It's asking to br ****ing well CRUSHED by a selfish TWAT such as yourself.
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