Cycling on roads is getting worse..

[Siclo]

Rush hour Manchester, forget it. If you are going into the city, be very careful, even outside it. Driver standards are shocking. I've been hit 3 times in 12 months, excluding near misses. 4 broken ribs, badly fractured spine, and 6 months off work has finished off my commuting into the city. It's much better 10 miles out, but city stuff is a mare.

There aren't that many cyclists in Manchester - just not a critical mass. I'm sticking to out of rush hour cycling for now.

Strange how experiences vary, my old commute, Irlam to Wythenshawe, was a nightmare. Now its Irlam to city centre it so much more chilled.

 

[fossyant]

Strange how experiences vary, my old commute, Irlam to Wythenshawe, was a nightmare. Now its Irlam to city centre it so much more chilled.

I was doing east to west south manchester, but since moving it's been a mare.

 

[growingvegetables]

+1 on it varies by area - Leeds is poor, Wakefield's worse, but Bradford ................................ is shoot.
+1 on it varies by season - from Xmas through to February, and the fortnight after the clocks change.
+1 on it's getting worse; not that you notice from day-to-day, but think back ten years. There's that many more vehicles, and a huge increase in the fat-arsed SUVs, and Audi/BMW types and lookalikes, styled for the autobahn and the American market.

 

[glenn forger]

Bradford has dreadful car insurance premiums, one of the worst.

 

[slowmotion]

It took a bit of getting used to, but London is a fantastic place to ride. Nearly all the drivers are extremely considerate to cyclists. They are used them. The further away from the centre, driving standards seem to drop off a bit. The key is familiarity with road users on two wheels.
Thank you London.
Edit: My hairiest incidents involved drivers from out of town.

 

[mjr]

II just hope she's never in the car trying to get past me on a semi-rural road.

Please please please please try to convince Mrs 66 of the wisdom of giving cyclists 1.5m clearance (staying alive at 1.5)

 

[Elybazza61]

I frequently ride in to Cambridge on the A10 and it's surprisingly calm most of the time;even in the dark I'd say 95% of the traffic gives me a clean pass.

We do come across a few idiots on club runs and as many others have mentioned big people carriers and 4x4's seem the main culprits;also seems to be worse when headed west for some reason.

The centre of Cambridge can be a bit manic sometimes but to be fair I'd say 50% of the problems are cyclists(or to put it the Velominati way people who occasionally ride a bike).

 

[Dec66]

Please please please please try to convince Mrs 66 of the wisdom of giving cyclists 1.5m clearance (staying alive at 1.5)

It's not just that... Another time we were at a junction near Oxted, waiting to turn right, and I waited for a cyclist flying downhill at around (I'd guess) 40 mph.

"You could have pulled out there."

"I could have, and he might have gone over the roof, I'm just making sure."

"I'd have pulled out."

"Well, let's hope you never pull out on me at the bottom of a long steep hill."

 

[Dec66]

And a nice word...

Today I was riding to work, as per usual, but it was flipping cold and I was going a little bit more slowly than usual as I was keeping an eye out for black ice.

As I went down the hill out of Beckenham towards Catford, I was a little bit nervous of a slide; a lady in a car off my right shoulder slowed, and held back, all the way down the hill. I was probably doing 20-25mph, so hardly Augustus Windsock territory, but I really appreciated her caution.

If we'd been going the same way at the bottom of the hill, I'd have knocked on her window to say thank you, but as we went separate ways I gave the thumbs up to acknowledge her considerate driving.

 

[teaboy]

Drivers around my area (W Sussex and Surrey) are mostly fine, I rarely have to deal with anything where I genuinely feel in danger, or that I haven't been able to take avoiding action myself. The main problem I am finding is the steady increase in the levels of traffic, not helped by the rampant house building going on around the county. Horsham can sometimes be frustrating to get around, as it is feeling congested now particularly on weekends and it feels like everyone is on top of each other, and it takes ages to get from one side of the town to the other.

Have you used the new Horsham cycle path yet ?[the 2 inch wide one]

 

[Travs]

I live in SWLondon/Surrey and either ride into "town" or out into the hills. Otherwise, its bike in the car and drive down to my best mate in Uckfield or the In-Laws near Battle.
I've got to say I think in geenral Car drivers are pretty decent. I'm not that precious on close passing but I've had one or two people rather close. Very little aggravation from drivers although ironically I've been in a group that has taken a swear word or two from White Van Co-driver taking his frustration out on us because the car in front of him hadn't overtaken us (and I would have done on several occasions had I been in the car).

From my perspective drivers are pretty good at giving space - as always its the few that spoils things for the many.

 

[mjr]

as we went separate ways I gave the thumbs up to acknowledge her considerate driving.

I must say, I usually wave because I fear that some of them may think it's one finger being stuck up instead of a thumb!

 

[outlash]

Been regularly cycling for 8 years now, in and around Northampton and I don't think things are any worse now then when I started. The only issue I have is one stretch of country road that leads towards "Santa Pod" - a drag racing strip. On weekends you get convoys of cars, whose drivers are living out their fantasies of driving dragsters. At a T junction my ride takes me right whilst they all go straight on. Getting the bike into the right place on the road then having the guts to stay there can be quite challenging.

I know where you mean, I've been out there quite a few times but coming from the other side of the A6. Personally, I've never had a problem on race weekends but I can see how it could be tricky as it's all country lanes apart from the A6 & A509. FWIW, you can get into Santa Pod for free as the Three Shires Way leads into the campsite. Just jump on your MTB or 'crosser...

 

[al78]

Have you used the new Horsham cycle path yet ?[the 2 inch wide one]

Which new path is this? I don't tend to use cycle facilities much, other than the one which goes around the new estate, over the footbridge into the Tesco car park and onward into Broadbridge Heath; this route avoids the big A281/A24 roundabout.

 

[teaboy]

Which new path is this? I don't tend to use cycle facilities much, other than the one which goes around the new estate, over the footbridge into the Tesco car park and onward into Broadbridge Heath; this route avoids the big A281/A24 roundabout.

Well its not a path its a new cycle lane[sorry]Parsonage road or is Parsonage lane?