OK jimbo, why all the to-ing and fro-ing and all the contradictory prose all through this thread?
Well lads, I wanted to keep this thread near the top of the list waiting for someone to say what I am hearing off the vast majority of cyclists who are older than forty.
I gave two clues in my last post. The policeman told us to “keep to the left at all times”, and “A bunch of twelve year olds riding through a town main street like they 'owned the road'.
Back in the late sixties, early seventies, there were about a quarter of the number of cars as today, and popular cars were somewhat smaller than today’s models. There was lots of room for a cyclist on the left and a car. This is the reason for PC Plod’s advice.
Now you have to remember Mr Franklin first published in 1988, and had probably been researching and writing for a few years before that. Where did he get all these ideas about ‘riding in his Primary’ and ‘keeping out of the doorzone’?
By own experience and talking to experienced cyclists, the CTC and well respected club riders?
My schoolchums and I, and subsequent riding groups whom I rode with before Mr Franklin's book appeared, rode in a manner much like what Mr Franklin later advised.
Did no-one else on this chatboard ride ‘sensibly’ before CycleCraft became available?
As for the 21st century Newbie. Buy a copy of CycleCraft and learn the ‘code’ contained within. OR, find a cycle club and watch how they ride. The styles will not be dissimilar, but the older club riders will be Precyclecraftites.
As for being abusively shouted at by motorists. My first incident in 1995ish was when I rode in ’Primary’ or ‘took the road’. This was something I and many, many cyclists had been doing for years, and in those days, I didn’t even know CycleCraft existed!
Now there is this book which tells the newbie cyclist the safest place to ride is in ‘Primary’. In the same number of years, road traffic has trebled, so no wonder incidents of abuse from motorists are on the increase.
)
!
