Close Shaves Or Not?

[EltonFrog]

I'm not overly concerned about the two events in the video below, but seeing as I've just learned how to upload vids to the tube of U, I thought I'd post up this very short clip of two things that happened yesterday whilst out on the hybrid.

The first a car overtakes me on a sharp left hand bend on a rural narrow road into direct sunlight, the second, well you tell me....


View: http://youtu.be/2IF9kZTXzxY

 

[jim55]

bad road positioning and letting them squeeze by(they dont need to squeeze by but drivers will pass close even when theres loadsa space )
take primary and control the lane if its dodgy ,or even primary for normal road riding ,id say from they videos ur far too close to the kerb and theres not a big margin for an escape for u if u need it

 

[EltonFrog]

bad road positioning and letting them squeeze by(they dont need to squeeze by but drivers will pass close even when theres loadsa space )
take primary and control the lane if its dodgy ,or even primary for normal road riding ,id say from they videos ur far too close to the kerb and theres not a big margin for an escape for u if u need it

Ahh, right. What's primary?

<off to google I go>

 

[EltonFrog]

Ok that's new to me, but common sense, I should have been in a position where the lorry and the car couldn't over take me, if I've understood it correctly. However, is it not the responsibility of the car driver also not to think ahead and to plan not to overtake on a blind left bend and for the lorry driver to asses that approaching the roundabout at pinch point was a bit risky?

 

[jim55]

ha hahah a more central "middle of the lane thing"
secondary is more like about two feet or so out from the kerb (prob if theres double yellow lines about a foot from them towards the middle of the road ),def do not ride in/near the gutter ,apart from the road debris (empty coke cans/glass.bits of twigs and gen rubbish that gets pushed by traffic/drainage ,drivers push past if it looks like ur leaving space for them ,they dont care if it spooks you /brushes /smacks you with the mirror /whatever and u scrub the pavement with ur chin as they overtake ,oblivious to your crash
take a more assertive position

 

[jim55]

yeah ur right ,it is their resposibility but that doesnt help when ur lying on yr arse with ur bike wrecked,look after yourselve and dont leave any decision making up to them ,you take control ,its your life ,dont put it in their hands cos most people dont give a stuff

 

[EltonFrog]

yeah ur right ,it is their resposibility but that doesnt help when ur lying on yr arse with ur bike wrecked,look after yourselve and dont leave any decision making up to them ,you take control ,its your life ,dont put it in their hands cos most people dont give a stuff

You make a fair point.

 

[Skipper]

Consider every other road user as a potential hazard. Most aren't, and show much respect and room for cyclists (the ones that annoy me are the ones that show too much respect, and don't overtake even when there's miles of space). But you don't know which ones are gonna surprise you, cut you up, drive too close, etc.. At least your still alive to post the thread! Thanks for the vid, it reminds us all to take care ........

 

[EltonFrog]

Consider every other road user as a potential hazard. Most aren't, and show much respect and room for cyclists (the ones that annoy me are the ones that show too much respect, and don't overtake even when there's miles of space)...

That pees me off to, they can't win can they?

 

[Mallory]

It's easy saying take "primary" but when an when an HGV is coming up your back side you don't know if they will slow down and NOT run straight over you.

Had i taken primary on one such occasion (thank you Tesco) i'd now be DEAD!!!!

 

[RWright]

We don't have many roundabouts here and I am just asking this as a casual observer. The pavement to your left looked like it would be much safer than dealing with the traffic. Is there a reason you stayed in the road? Are you not allowed to ride on the pavements (I think you call them that there we call them sidewalks). Or do you have to jump the curb to get on them or something? It just looked like it would be much safer. I am not trying to start any debates, just curious.

 

[guitarpete247]

When I was learning to drive I had the best piece of advice from a friend. "Pete, everyone else on the road is an idiot, but remember everyone else thinks you are an idiot too".

Make sure you are letting people know when you want to allow them to overtake you. That is one reason for primary. The other, is to make people aware of you.

Being in primary coming up to a minor road junction on the left can help avoid being left hooked. I've only been left hooked once, in 1977, since then I worked out how to avoid it and since learnt it was called primary.

Big trucks are something else. At that Roundabout I'd have been looking behind several times to see what was coming up and make them think I might be going to do something. Moving into primary and eye-balling the truck but being aware you might have to get out of it's way if he was murderous sod with no regard for others .

 

[EltonFrog]

We don't have many roundabouts here and I am just asking this as a casual observer. The pavement to your left looked like it would be much safer than dealing with the traffic. Is there a reason you stayed in the road? Are you not allowed to ride on the pavements (I think you call them that there we call them sidewalks). Or do you have to jump the curb to get on them or something? It just looked like it would be much safer. I am not trying to start any debates, just curious.

That particular pavement has a designated cycle track or path on it for cyclists to use, but we are not obliged to use them. Most cycle paths are more trouble than they are worth to use, as they are interrupted by junctions and other obstacles, most cyclists don't bother to use them. However had I used it, there would not have been the close shave I had with the lorry.

 

[jim55]

i tend not to use the cycle lanes around here as the ones that iv seen are so badly thought out ,theres been a lot of new road building around the sir chris hoy velodrome up here ,i was at it the other night (and i drove past it during the day so i was aware of it prev) ,most of the cycle lanes (at lights and various thing )try to merge you back into the traffic you just branched off of !!!let me explain .your in the flow of traffic on the road ,and see a cycle path running along side and it directs you onto it so turn off and take urself out of the flow (bearing in mind this just runs alongside the road ,but their is barriers alongside so u cant jump onto the road at anytime till a gap(which is at the end ) and theirs a feed back into the traffic flow which uv just came out of where u have to give way and prob stop as the cycle path stops with a railing so u cant continue ,total waste of time and i cant see any point ,youre just as well staying in traffic on the road

 

[RWright]

I see your points on the cycle paths. It is just that here, in the town I live in, there is zero bicycle consideration when building roads. It is also the same a lot of places. I just see the cycle paths and get envious, thinking that would be so nice to have and I would not have to deal with traffic nearly as often. I was just wondering why, from what I seem to read, that so many cyclist seem to prefer to take their chances in the road. Thanks for the info.