Cycling Advice From A Gutter Cyclist

[MarkF]

Send them up to Leeds, the argument wouldn't have lasted long.

Yes, how polite were the riders in that clip and didn't they go on and on?

 

[EthelF]

Check out this lovely example: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.3...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sSLixsgfdaTPMBRZtItxfnw!2e0

That's the sort of 'cycling facility' that makes me go and look for an (inevitably longer) alternative route.
You should thank the council for providing you with an excuse to extend your ride!

You're right though, it does send out terrible signals to both cyclists and drivers about where cyclists should be riding.

 

[400bhp]

Check out this lovely example: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.3...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sSLixsgfdaTPMBRZtItxfnw!2e0

I correctly cycle in the centre of this lane, and frequently get aggressive horn blasting from ignorant drivers who think I should ride in that cycle lane. Before the lane was painted, I still got some grief, but definitely less. I can well imagine that a less confident cyclist would feel obliged to use this dangerous crap.

I emailed the council, pointing out they were in breach of the DfT guidelines, and they replied that as they were only guidelines they didn't have to follow them. They pointed out that there had been no reports of accidents on that stretch, but it's only a matter of time.

What moron thought it would be a good idea to put a cycle lane there.

 

[benb]

Sutton council.
Great stuff.

There's a lovely wide tree-lined grass median that they could have put a pleasant and genuinely useful lane in, but noooooooooooo.
Why do that when you can just slap some paint down and tick the box?

 

[youngoldbloke]

Sutton council.
Great stuff.

There's a lovely wide tree-lined grass median that they could have put a pleasant and genuinely useful lane in, but noooooooooooo.
Why do that when you can just slap some paint down and tick the box?

Trouble is just slapping the paint down and ticking the box still seems to cost an astronomic amout of money.

 

[4F]

Sorry I am not buying the wind was too strong so had to cycle that far out line whilst still being able to look backwards and wave your arm frantically like an albatross trying to take off. imho that was poor positioning.

However wtf is that mirror saber coming off the other dudes helmet about, if he is not careful he could have someones eye out with that

 

[glenn forger]

Leave him alone. If he encounters an RTC casualty he could offer emergency dental inspections accompanied by his whiny voice:

"3MOD,cavity on the upper right first molar that involves the front, top, and back parts of the tooth!!!"

 

[steveindenmark]

I wonder why the original poster never came back

 

[gaz]

Check out this lovely example: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.3...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sSLixsgfdaTPMBRZtItxfnw!2e0

I correctly cycle in the centre of this lane, and frequently get aggressive horn blasting from ignorant drivers who think I should ride in that cycle lane. Before the lane was painted, I still got some grief, but definitely less. I can well imagine that a less confident cyclist would feel obliged to use this dangerous crap.

I emailed the council, pointing out they were in breach of the DfT guidelines, and they replied that as they were only guidelines they didn't have to follow them. They pointed out that there had been no reports of accidents on that stretch, but it's only a matter of time.

was it you or someone else that had a video from this road where some motorist was being a plank? From a few years ago now if I recall correctly.

 

[benb]

was it you or someone else that had a video from this road where some motorist was being a plank? From a few years ago now if I recall correctly.

Nothing leaps to mind, and I don't catalogue them well enough to search properly.

 

[S.Giles]

If the wind was so strong and the traffic conditions such that the OP didn't feel comfortable riding normally, he should have dismounted and negotiated the bridge on foot. That would be safer, and obviate the need for all that lane-changing and arm-flapping nonsense. No wonder motorists hate cyclists when some of them (or us) ride like that.

Steve

 

[Origamist]

If the wind was so strong and the traffic conditions such that the OP didn't feel comfortable riding normally, he should have dismounted and negotiated the bridge on foot. That would be safer, and obviate the need for all that lane-changing and arm-flapping nonsense. No wonder motorists hate cyclists when some of them (or us) ride like that.

Steve

Well, cyclists could get and off push when faced with a pot-hole, or a pinch point or a tricky right turn. However, dismounting is not a strategy that is very appealing if you adopt it every time you feel uncomfortable and/or can't ride "normally" (that's not to say it is never appropriate though).

Riding wider when it's windy is a precautionary coping measure and I'd certainly not lose sleep over leaving the confines of a narrow cycle lane, even if it delayed another road user by 5 secs and they "hated" me for it.

 

[Profpointy]

What moron thought it would be a good idea to put a cycle lane there.

Bloody hell, that truly is moronic

 

[S.Giles]

Well, cyclists could get and off push when faced with a pot-hole, or a pinch point or a tricky right turn. However, dismounting is not a strategy that is very appealing if you adopt it every time you feel uncomfortable and/or can't ride "normally" (that's not to say it is never appropriate though).

If I were faced with a pot-hole (or any other situation) that caused me to cycle in a manner similar to that demonstrated in the OP, I would definitely dismount. Dismounting may not be 'appealing' but is, in my opinion, the appropriate response to feeling unable to ride 'normally'. I for instance, often dismount and tackle busy roundabouts on foot, or pull to the side and stop in preparation for a difficult right turn. I don't feel that this reflects badly on my ability as a rider, and safety is far more important than bravado.

Riding wider when it's windy is a precautionary coping measure and I'd certainly not lose sleep over leaving the confines of a narrow cycle lane, even if it delayed another road user by 5 secs and they "hated" me for it.

I broadly agree with the above, but would caution against cycling in a manner which (rightly or wrongly) aggravates other road-users, and which (as in this case) even fellow cyclists find remarkable.

Steve

 

[Origamist]

If I were faced with a pot-hole (or other situation) that caused me to cycle in a manner similar to that demonstrated in the OP, I would definitely dismount. Dismounting may not be 'appealing' but is, in my opinion, the appropriate response to feeling unable to ride 'normally'.

I broadly agree with the above, but would caution against cycling in a manner which regularly aggravates other road-users, and which (as in this case) even fellow cyclists find remarkable.

Steve

Well, I ride in a broadly similar manner to the OP when faced with a pot hole. I'll shoulder check, sometimes indicate with my right arm, move to the right, and then back to the left when the hazard has passed. I haven't seen many cyclists dismount when tackling pot holes, unless they're sinkholes that is....

Very few people set out to aggravate others on the roads, IME, but I'm rarely prepared to compromise my safety for the convenience of others. If that irks the odd, irrational road user, so be it.