Commute

[Johnno260]

I was planning to commute in this morning, but idiotic drivers while travelling home last night put me off.

I was in my car doing 30 in a 30 but he overtook and cut back in sharply as a car was incoming, I beeped him and at the lights he was mouthing off, the town I work in is horrible to drive in let alone ride.

I really want to commute in by bike on occasion but these idiots keep putting me off, I'm not a perfect driver but I am considerate of other road users.

I suppose I should toughen up but when I see some of the stupid things people do it's not easy.

It's a 20 mile ride, the country side part of the commute would be really nice, it's just the town section and the army of total tools that attempt to use their cars there that concern me.

I'm seriously considering a dash cam due to the unacceptable amount of bad driving, it's a case of when someone else hits my car not if.

 

[Welsh wheels]

I was planning to commute in this morning, but idiotic drivers while travelling home last night put me off.

I was in my car doing 30 in a 30 but he overtook and cut back in sharply as a car was incoming, I beeped him and at the lights he was mouthing off, the town I work in is horrible to drive in let alone ride.

I really want to commute in by bike on occasion but these idiots keep putting me off, I'm not a perfect driver but I am considerate of other road users.

I suppose I should toughen up but when I see some of the stupid things people do it's not easy.

It's a 20 mile ride, the country side part of the commute would be really nice, it's just the town section and the army of total tools that attempt to use their cars there that concern me.

I'm seriously considering a dash cam due to the unacceptable amount of bad driving, it's a case of when someone else hits my car not if.[/QUOTE

Can bypass the busy sections of the town, it might be a detour but you could take some quiet residential streets through the town maybe? I often do this if I'm cycling around town at busy periods.

 

[mjr]

Way ahead of you. I've had a bar cam since a road rager years ago and I made sure the latest one can double up as a dash cam because a relative was crashed into by someone who changed their story despite witnesses.

What's the town and where are you entering it and aiming for? There might be a local who can advise on routes.

 

[Johnno260]

Can bypass the busy sections of the town, it might be a detour but you could take some quiet residential streets through the town maybe? I often do this if I'm cycling around town at busy periods.

I can bypass some, I have had the route in planned for months it avoids some very busy hills that aren't easy to pass a cyclist on.

the worst part of the drive are the roads around where I work as it's busy but also used as a rat run by many.

I'm tempted to maybe get off and walk the bike the last 2miles.

 

[Johnno260]

Way ahead of you. I've had a bar cam since a road rager years ago and I made sure the latest one can double up as a dash cam because a relative was crashed into by someone who changed their story despite witnesses.

What's the town and where are you entering it and aiming for? There might be a local who can advise on routes.

It's Tunbridge Wells in Kent, I'm coming in from the Uckfield area and was planning to cycle across Ashdown forest mainly for the scenery and to avoid the busier roads, also it enables me to enter T Wells at the less busy end.

Edit: what is the bar/dash cam you use please?

 

[BurningLegs]

I hear you, @Johnno260!

There is a lot of bad driving out there, and I think you see more of it on a bike because you interact with more vehicles as they pass compared to in a car.

20 miles is quite a long commute, could you split it into a drive/cycle commute? Maybe do the city part by car with the bike in the back then ride the nice countryside part?

 

[Johnno260]

It was a commute I was intending to try 1-2 a month more once summer hits.

If I were to drive/cycle I would bypass the best bits, I think I may ride into the outskirts and possible walk the bike from there, not ideal but better than becoming a statistic.

 

[Jason]

dash cams have become a must these days. An interesting side effect is, it reminds oneself to also drive in a more relaxed fashion :-)
single channel ones are great for pointing out the front windscreen, but for total peace of mind, it's worth investing in a dual channel system.
Mine has a parking mode, which takes a picture every second and can be viewed as a time lapse. it reverts back to normal video, when it detects movement or shunt

 

[mjr]

It's Tunbridge Wells in Kent, I'm coming in from the Uckfield area and was planning to cycle across Ashdown forest mainly for the scenery and to avoid the busier roads, also it enables me to enter T Wells at the less busy end.

Edit: what is the bar/dash cam you use please?

Nothing special. http://www.bmstores.co.uk/products/intempo-action-camera-305941 Needs a fast card but it's good enough to see what happened and usually get a number plate. Supplied bike mount is OK and it's a normal ¼" screw mount so a better qr one is only a few pounds. Stock is hit and miss, though.

 

[vickster]

It was a commute I was intending to try 1-2 a month more once summer hits.

If I were to drive/cycle I would bypass the best bits, I think I may ride into the outskirts and possible walk the bike from there, not ideal but better than becoming a statistic.

Presumably the roads are quieter in the summer at least in rush hour?

For 1-2 a month I wouldn't bother with a camera (any more than I would in a car), but ymmv. Most of my falls are self inflicted obviously I had the one big one when knocked off but driver admitted liability with no drama. It was a miscalculation on his part, no malice. No need for a camera and it probably would have come off the bike or helmet and been crushed by a following vehicle as a very busy junction!

 

[Johnno260]

Presumably the roads are quieter in the summer at least in rush hour?

For 1-2 a month I wouldn't bother with a camera (any more than I would in a car), but ymmv. Most of my falls are self inflicted obviously I had the one big one when knocked off but driver admitted liability with no drama. It was a miscalculation on his part, no malice. No need for a camera and it probably would have come off the bike or helmet and been crushed by a following vehicle as a very busy junction!

They seem quieter, and tempers seem better in the summer.

The past few weeks even as a motorist I have been at times shocked by peoples overreactions and some of the driving has been plain awful, people seem to have zero tolerance.

This morning I had a white van behind me in gridlocked traffic leaning on his horn and screaming at the cars around him, like it's going to help, he also got mad with me as I didn't go with the flow of traffic and block the road as there were parked cars both sides so I hung back waited for a space to open up and let the traffic flow, he tried to overtake me and jump in the gap and almost slammed into my car.

It's one of the reasons I have been looking at dash cams all morning.

As a cyclist I feel way more vulnerable at the moment, close passes are becoming the norm, I had my elbow clipped by a car/minivan while cycling but managed to not stack it, it was the elbow I had bursitis in a few years back as well so it doesn't take much to aggravate it.

 

[vickster]

Yep it was a close overtake that took me off...wing mirror versus handlebar. Damage to me was done by landing on bike and road with force

I think you'll enjoy summer commuting much more. It's unpleasant in the dark for me

 

[mjr]

Might be worth playing with http://cycle.travel/map or www.cyclestreets.net to see what they suggest. It looks like the town's not completely shoot so it may be possible to find a quieter urban section, although there do look to be far too many potential ratruns and not many roads bollarded off or restricted to residents.

 

[Johnno260]

Might be worth playing with http://cycle.travel/map or www.cyclestreets.net to see what they suggest. It looks like the town's not completely shoot so it may be possible to find a quieter urban section, although there do look to be far too many potential ratruns and not many roads bollarded off or restricted to residents.

ohhh thanks I will these look good! thanks again.

 

[Tin Pot]

It's Tunbridge Wells in Kent, I'm coming in from the Uckfield area and was planning to cycle across Ashdown forest mainly for the scenery and to avoid the busier roads, also it enables me to enter T Wells at the less busy end.

Edit: what is the bar/dash cam you use please?

I've found it okay in TW, although I'm not taking your route, I come in/go out NE around Penshurst when I'm on the bike.

Driving through it's generally very slow, rather than frantic, on the A26/A267.

Are you taking the A26 northbound from Uckfield?