Cycling abroad

[Joe24]

The Priorité à droite seems important then. In France i'm staying in Lyon, so its going to be pretty much rural riding when i'm there.
Watching out at junctions i normally do, but i'll make sure i do it. And making sure i go back on the correct side of the road, should be fun. What will be worrying is if i come back to England and forget which side.

I leave tomorrow, so i'm trying to remember most of it. It doesnt seem like its going to be hard to do. I might go into an information centre over there and see if they have a booklet or something with anymore information on. It will be good to keep for reference later on.

Cheers for the information,

Joe

 

[wafflycat]

In Germany, you'll find that cyclists tend to stay on cycle paths where such paths are available. You'll also find that the peds stay *off* them. This was my experience in Cologne. You'll also find that zillions of people use bikes, from tiny kids to ageing grans & grandads: it's a normal way to get about.

In Italy: they drive like maniacs but treat cyclists with care.

France is a cyclist's dream. Family & I have thoroughly enjoyed cycling in France everytime we've been there (various parts of France). Motorists will give you room, courtesy. People will be friendly and offer assistance if needed. Just *try* to speak a bit of basic French and this is hugely appreciated. My non-French speaking offspring *loved* cycling in France, to the extent of saying, "Can we live here, please? It's civilised!"

 

[Seamus]

Go the ...

http://www.trentobike.org/

 

[bof]

It's priority to the right in Holland too when it's a junction with no road markings. The cycle paths (they are mandatory) will show priority or not with respect to roads they are crossing.

Outside towns you do get peds on cycle paths.

 

[HJ]

If you are in a town with trams, remember trams do have priority as they can steer round you and watch out for the tracks, if you have to cross them do so at right angles. Getting a wheel stuck in a tram track can lead to a painful accident.

I find that most Continental driver are more cycle friendly then the British, mainly because they are more likely to be cyclist them selves.

 

[snowy10]

Hi
Watch out for mopeds and scooters on the cycle paths in Holland, because they are allowed use them.
Cheers!

 

[andym]

Main thing to remember is to take high-viz waistcoats for France. It's very unlikely you're going to be out after dark, but you might need them for days when there's poor visibility. Italy has a similar rule - but you're not going there. And Spain requires helmets (with exceptions) but you're not going there either.

In Italy I have found that the driving may be mental but they treat cyclests with great respect and are very carful around them.
I have mainly cycled in the country of the south of Italy but have never had a single problem with a car driver I 5 years of summer riding there.

Hmm a slightly rose-tinted view: although I'm not saying Italian drivers are worse than other countries they are generally fine with some exceptions.

I find that most Continental driver are more cycle friendly then the British, mainly because they are more likely to be cyclist them selves.

That's not my experience and I've cycled a lot in the UK, Spain, Italy and France. Drivers are pretty much the same in all four countries. IME driver behaviour has a lot to do with the type of road: it often seems like the faster the road the closer they pass.

IIRC UK cycling participation rates are similar to France and may even be slightly better than Spain and Italy.

 

[rich p]

You realise that this thread is 4 years old and Joe24 was banned about 2 years ago!