Cycling on roads is getting worse..

[ray316]

Our roads are getting less safe by the year, l don't know if it's down to more cars on the roads or drivers aways in a rush or both..
When l go out on my bike in the week or weekends alot of the time road driver will either drive to near to me or just have no consideration for a cyclist on the road...
Extra careful at roundabouts and junctions as you have to be.
As a car driver myself l give room for cyclists and slow down and give way at junctions but a lot of drivers when l'm cycling just don't do this, and then give you abuse or wave there arms at you as if it's you fault they come out of a junction or roundabout and you should stop or except this is ok...
What do you think... Are drivers less considerate now days..

 

[Smokin Joe]

I think it largely depends where you live. Down here in Pembrokeshire the traffic density is low, the pace of life is slower and people are used to plodding behind tractors for a few miles at a time. When I lived in Essex it was more frantic and going south of the A13 and into the Badlands of Grays and Tilbury was a big No-No.

 

[ianrauk]

In London and the South East it's got way better then one could imagine over the years. Mainly due to the sheer amount of cyclists on the roads now. Vehicle drivers in the main are very good.
Go back 10 years or more and it really was horrid for cyclists.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I think it depends a lot on where you live, in places where theres a lot of cyclist, like London and Cambridge you are likely to be treated better than somewhere where cyclists are scarce. It can also vary depending whether you live out in the sticks or in a city, for the last five years I was commuting Coventry Nuneaton and back, and it was noticeable that things where better once I cleared Coventry in the morning and got worse as I dropped back into Coventry at night. When I first started that job I was working lates with a 10am start and 6:45 finish and commutes were better than when I went back to normal hours with a 8am start and a 4:45pm finish.

 

[jay clock]

I live in a big town in Hampshire and ride 3-4 times a week. Frankly I have few problems. I commuted from Clapham to Chiswick last couple of years and had a lovely quiet ride every day.

 

[Smurfy]

I thought matters had improved in recent years. I suspect partly because there are more cyclists, so motorists are expecting us to be there, partly because there are more cyclists spreading the word about how unpleasant it is to be close-passed etc. etc. and partly because helmet cams are making motorists think about the prospect of starring in a 'selfish, aggressive idiot' video on YouTube.

 

[Cold]

Cycling up the A38 in Gloucestershire today and came to a pinch point in the road and a camper van behind me decides to go for it even though I am in front of him and about to go through.
I have no idea how he didn't hit me and as we came through the pinch point he swerved mounted the pavement and back onto the road.
I would love to know what was going through his head at the time.

 

[Sharky]

In my youth, would be happy riding A roads for the good surfaces and speed you can maintain. Now I feel happier on the back roads, even though there are numerous pot holes and twists and turns etc. You do have to be wary of single track roads and sharp bends.

 

[Drago]

Generally seems better here, though still plenty of arses out there.

 

[jay clock]

One reason for any improvement is that the number of drivers who are also regular cyclists is on the increase

 

[Joffey]

Seems alright in Yorkshire!

 

[Drago]

Your biggest danger in Yorkshire is from scruffy old men hurtling downhill in bathtubs!

 

[bancrobba]

I ride in the Liverpool area. Would rather dodge hooded skunk smoking scallys on the cycle path than most of the knob heads on the road.
I find the worst thing is the sheer aggression of a lot of drivers. I hold a particular mistrust of male or female drivers hurtling their 4x4's (the size of a small house) about with complete disregard for other people.
One thing that occurs regularly and just baffles me is approaching junctions, the car waiting at the give way let's you get close, then screeches onto the carriageway inches in front of you. Invariably you pull up next to them at the lights a couple of yards down the road.
I ride in primary and assertively at roundabouts etc, you can, at times, get a palpable sense of the driver behinds impatience and aggression. A punishment pass invariably follows.
I think it's a societal thing, time poor people constantly feeling rushed, cocooned in their metal boxes, not giving two shites for anybody but themselves.
I would love for my kids to be able to cycle to school, but honestly believe the risk of some moron wiping them out in a bid to save a couple of seconds on the school run is too high.
Apart from that, its not too bad!

 

[derrick]

I think it depends a lot on time of year, I always notice more close passes in the winter months, Don't know why everybody seems to be more in a rush in the winter, they could be grabbing an extra 5 mins in bed in the morning then having to rush to get to work, When the warmer weather comes people seem more relaxed and calmer.

 

[classic33]

Your biggest danger in Yorkshire is from scruffy old men hurtling downhill in bathtubs!

You should give it a go sometime.