Britain’s Angriest Cyclist

[Binky]

Tractors have always bothered me as has anything towing a trailer, caravan etc. Most drivers don't appreciate their length in relation to our speed. Since being hit by a tractor trailer at +/-35 mph if I hear one and there's an opportunity I dive into a refuge.

I'm 100% with your assessment. There are individuals within certain "categories" of driver who are a very real danger. Busy parents on the school run are amongst the very worst, I hate to say it but often women driving large 4 x 4s.

It's taken my whole cycling life but recently I've been forced to adopt some changes. The A road from my home to Chorley is now so busy I've completely changed my route to our meet point. To my surprise despite being 3.2 miles longer it's only three minutes more ride time. One set of lights against five and far less traffic. My route home often forces me to ride on this A road, I use the pavement as much as possible.

The traffic situation I find most worrying is walking on a pavement beside a 50 limit A road with vehicles approaching from behind. Bizarrely I feel safer, perhaps more in control, on my bike.

With tractors it's oncoming ones on small back roads that concern me the most. I've had to literally dive into a hedge to avoid being hit by a tractor steaming through without slowing or moving over, really worrying as if you get hit by a car it's bad enough, a tractor then it's game over.
Worse than overtakes from them.

For anyone riding I really recommend a camera on bike to record rides. It won't stop incidents happening (although I suppose if a driver spots a camera it might make them think twice) but at least you have evidence if needed.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

With tractors it's oncoming ones on small back roads that concern me the most. I've had to literally dive into a hedge to avoid being hit by a tractor steaming through without slowing or moving over, really worrying as if you get hit by a car it's bad enough, a tractor then it's game over.
Worse than overtakes from them.

For anyone riding I really recommend a camera on bike to record rides. It won't stop incidents happening (although I suppose if a driver spots a camera it might make them think twice) but at least you have evidence if needed.

The thing that worries me most about tractor is the trailer

In some cases it is off centre - and there you have to worry if the driver has remembered that the bit at the back - with all the sharp cutty things - is sweeping a path to the right of the actual vehicle he is sitting in

 

[PaulSB]

With tractors it's oncoming ones on small back roads that concern me the most. I've had to literally dive into a hedge to avoid being hit by a tractor steaming through without slowing or moving over, really worrying as if you get hit by a car it's bad enough, a tractor then it's game over.
Worse than overtakes from them.

For anyone riding I really recommend a camera on bike to record rides. It won't stop incidents happening (although I suppose if a driver spots a camera it might make them think twice) but at least you have evidence if needed.

I'm OK with the oncoming tractors as I have time to do something - I'm likely to see it before I hear it. Like @ebikeerwidnes those approaching from the rear with a trailer are the scariest.

I feel tractors have become a much larger, literally and figuratively, problem in recent years. I think this coincides with the growth of contractors being used on even the smallest farms. They all seem to drive the huge John Deere series 6155. These are hugely powerful machines. At harvest time we often meet them thundering down A and B roads at speed as the contractor will be paid by the job. Often these machines are driven by lads hardly old enough to be out of school.

 

[blackrat]

Many times. Really nasty ones are generally couriers and I take the view the underlying issue is the pressure on drivers from the company seeking ever more deliveries in ever less time - so on occasions I'll call the company concerned (or depot) and highlight the issue and have had some very positive reactions from managers. One courier company depot manager recognised the issue and decided he'd raise the importance of safe driving round cyclists at their next weekly driver meeting.

Correct positioning yourself on the road does make a massive difference in reducing close passes. I wonder if people recently (re)starting cycling might be more nervous about traffic and that discourages them to hug the kerb to "stay out of the way" rather than position further out to avoid. And Vine repeatedly pushing how dangerous it is cycling our roads is only going to make nervous cyclists ever more worried.

Correct positioning yourself on the road does make a massive difference in reducing close passes. I wonder if people recently (re)starting cycling might be more nervous about traffic and that discourages them to hug the kerb to "stay out of the way" rather than position further out to avoid. And Vine repeatedly pushing how dangerous it is cycling our roads is only going to make nervous cyclists ever more worried.

I suppose my attitude is that I do not want to be in the way and so I do tend to stay close to the side rather than 'take the lane'. I also feel that if some twit is not paying attention or is feeling particularly aggressive, I could fall off the road rather than end up under a car. I do tend to ride defensively and try to make any drivers aware that I am out for pleasure and not wanting to be a prat. It has worked so far for me.
I do recognize that by making myself smaller I am inviting some drivers to believe the road is their God given right to use as they wish and I am incidental to their onward progress. However, as those of us who have taken the Advance Driving Test will remember and attest; always looking for an escape route is de rigueur. My escape route whilst I am cycling alone on a narrow winding country lane is the soft verge on the side of the road - and I am not afraid to use it.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Where I ride depends on the road conditions
There is a road leading out of Widnes North that is a normal town A road - one lane each way no central reservation or anything

but along it are quite a few central refuges so people can cross the road easily

I tend to "take the lane" approaching those places so any car behind cannot try to pass when there is no room
then as soon as I am past I move closer to the kerb so that the car behind can see I am making an effort to allow them to pass

normally seems t work
but - as expected - I have had a couple of morons who scream past as soon as I move in and leave as little room as possible

 

[Shut Up Legs]

I almost always claim the lane (aka use primary position). Sometimes it annoys motorists, but my safety's more important than their convenience.

 

[PaulSB]

I always ride 3' from the kerb as it:

• (hopefully) forces drivers to overtake properly
• avoids the debris and hazards which collect in the gutter
• gives me 3' of road to move into if needed

Like others I take primary if I can see a situation where a driver may try to force a way through or an overtake would be dangerous. I would never hug the roadside, kerb, verge, etc. unless forced into it by a driver. This is a very dangerous spot to ride in as it invites close passing and poor overtaking. Generally higher than the road surface, possibly soft, muddy etc. if one gets pushed in to or hits the edge there's every chance of going down and very likely into the traffic.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

You definitely don’t want to be cowering in the gutter, knuckling your forehead as angry entitled Mr Toad drives by.

 

[Binky]

I always ride 3' from the kerb as it:

• (hopefully) forces drivers to overtake properly
• avoids the debris and hazards which collect in the gutter
• gives me 3' of road to move into if needed

Like others I take primary if I can see a situation where a driver may try to force a way through or an overtake would be dangerous. I would never hug the roadside, kerb, verge, etc. unless forced into it by a driver. This is a very dangerous spot to ride in as it invites close passing and poor overtaking. Generally higher than the road surface, possibly soft, muddy etc. if one gets pushed in to or hits the edge there's every chance of going down and very likely into the traffic.

This is true although at times on a busyish A(and B roads at times) can get cars flying past at 60mph+ and often seemingly much more and being in primary can be unnerving as feel very exposed. I do alter position very dependant upon roads conditions and traffic.

 

[TheSpiderPig]

I always ride 3' from the kerb as it:

• (hopefully) forces drivers to overtake properly
• avoids the debris and hazards which collect in the gutter
• gives me 3' of road to move into if needed

Like others I take primary if I can see a situation where a driver may try to force a way through or an overtake would be dangerous. I would never hug the roadside, kerb, verge, etc. unless forced into it by a driver. This is a very dangerous spot to ride in as it invites close passing and poor overtaking. Generally higher than the road surface, possibly soft, muddy etc. if one gets pushed in to or hits the edge there's every chance of going down and very likely into the traffic.

Good idea, just a shame that roads in the UK are often so narrow that 3' is often a high proportion of the road. God knows what Americans think when they experience them over here!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Good idea, just a shame that roads in the UK are often so narrow

Its not that roads are so narrow, but that cars are so wide, and getting wider.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Its not that roads are so narrow, but that cars are so wide, and getting wider.

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Good point

There are main roads round here where a pickup truck parked at the side of teh road properly - results in the cars coming up on his side having to give way to oncoming traffic

 

[markemark]

Good point

There are main roads round here where a pickup truck parked at the side of teh road properly - results in the cars coming up on his side having to give way to oncoming traffic

It's funny. You get parked cars on either side of the road taking up 4m of road width. You get an on-coming car taking up another 2m. Yet a cyclist of 0.75m is apparently the one taking up all the space.

 

[blackrat]

Good idea, just a shame that roads in the UK are often so narrow that 3' is often a high proportion of the road. God knows what Americans think when they experience them over here!

True story this: My daughter-in-law (American) on a recent visit to Britain with my son was so terrified of the cars, roads and speed of the traffic and being on the 'wrong' side of the road that she spent the entire 10 days of the road trip huddled in the back seat of their hire car afraid to even look out.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Good point

There are main roads round here where a pickup truck parked at the side of teh road properly - results in the cars coming up on his side having to give way to oncoming traffic

There is an info graphic, that I failed to find again. It showed a UK road and cars from the 80s, then cars from the 20s. In the former you could park cars either side, and have cars pass each way at same time. The latter, only one car at a time was able to fit between parked cars, reducing it effectively to an alternating one way. One of many reasons for congestion as well as the 400% increase in motor vehicles.