Cycling on roads is getting worse..

[RichardB]

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.

Pembrokeshire here too. I avoid the A40 wherever possible, but otherwise the vast majority of drivers are pretty good. The only scares I have had in the last year have been those big racing tractors with massive trailers (40 mph on a single-track road and not stoppin' for no-one) and lorries. The car drivers are nearly always very courteous.

Without wanting to start a war of words here, but I find other cyclists are more likely to do unexpected things these days than motorised traffic.

When I was riding a motorbike regularly, I always said that the only proper scares I had were from other motorcyclists. Membership of a group shouldn't blind you to idiotic and amateurish behaviour from other members of the same group.

 

[Illaveago]

I have noticed around here that driving is becoming worse. The amount of traffic has increased as people are comuting further. Mini roundabouts are taken as if they don't exist so long as they can see nothing to their right they will plough on regardless of the fact that somebody may have entered the roundabout in front of them. Even driving a car you have to keep your wits about you, driving along a narrow road with cars parked on one side ,the on coming vehicles will still over take forcing you to brake and take avoiding action even though you had right of way.

 

[al78]

When I was riding a motorbike regularly, I always said that the only proper scares I had were from other motorcyclists. Membership of a group shouldn't blind you to idiotic and amateurish behaviour from other members of the same group.

I agree. I don't tend to think of other cyclists as a threat to my safety but in London last week I nearly got taken out by a prat who overtook me on the right then swung left right in front of me to go down a side road, which required significant brake application by me. I was in lane two of a three lane section of road (the southern end of Gower Street, heading for Shaftesbury Avenue) , why didn't he pass me in lane one if he wanted to turn left?

 

[MiK1138]

in Glasgow, it not so much the drivers as the state of the roads, the road i commute on is like swiss cheese, and it seems to get worse on a daily basis. thank god we had a mild winter because a good hard frost after all this rain would have wiped out a large portion of Glasgows roads

 

[classic33]

in Glasgow, it not so much the drivers as the state of the roads, the road i commute on is like swiss cheese, and it seems to get worse on a daily basis. thank god we had a mild winter because a good hard frost after all this rain would have wiped out a large portion of Glasgows roads

Taken a three foot section of repaired road into the local council offices after they said they'd sent someone out, who saw nothing wrong.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

It's certainly getting worse in Australia, as far as I can tell. I'm quite open to the possibility that it's just my perception, due to increasingly lower tolerance for b.s. There's a distinct hierarchy here, with motorists at the top, followed by motorcyclists, pedestrians and then cyclists.

I had an incident this morning which did nothing to dispel that impression: I was crossing an intersection, with the green pedestrian crossing light in front of me, when a right-turning motorist cut me off. He'd just entered the intersection on the red light. As he drove past me, I called out "idiot" (because as I mentioned my tolerance for b.s. is pretty low these days). He stopped further down the road, and as I walked past, he got out of his car, ran over to me, and pushed me against a fence.

At least in Australia, the roads are in better condition than they seem to be in the UK (judging from what I've read on these fora), so it's not all bad. I'm just depressed at the way cyclists and pedestrians are treated here. Driving a motor vehicle here is considered to be a right, not a privilege.

 

[classic33]

@Shut Up Legs, in parts we're not that far behind you(Australia). It seldom makes the headlines here though.

 

[Lonestar]

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.

Can't agree.Lots are breaking the law in some way and many are in a hurry.Many try to get past in a pinch point in dodgy situations or tailgate if they can't.I no longer trust them and have to treat all of them like they are going to do something stupid and I must admit they don't let me down in that respect.

 

[slowmotion]

Can't agree.Lots are breaking the law in some way and many are in a hurry.Many try to get past in a pinch point in dodgy situations or tailgate if they can't.I no longer trust them and have to treat all of them like they are going to do something stupid and I must admit they don't let me down in that respect.

I think that anybody who rides a bike in London has to expect every single vehicle (cyclists included) to do something incredibly stupid . Once over that hurdle, it's really good fun.

 

[Illaveago]

Some previous posts have mentioned that we as cyclists are also partly to blame for bad cycling. I have only seen a few incidents that come to mind, cyclists in stealth mode, cycling without any lights whatsoever when it is dark. Another occasion was when I was driving round a lefthand bend a cyclist leapt off the pavement and came towards me on my side of the road. That was close!
What infuriates my wife when she is driving to work are cyclists who refuse to use cycle lanes that have been provided for them. She finds that she has to follow the cyclists until it is safe to pass only to be undertaken whilst waiting at traffic lights.

 

[Karlt]

Some previous posts have mentioned that we as cyclists are also partly to blame for bad cycling. I have only seen a few incidents that come to mind, cyclists in stealth mode, cycling without any lights whatsoever when it is dark. Another occasion was when I was driving round a lefthand bend a cyclist leapt off the pavement and came towards me on my side of the road. That was close!
What infuriates my wife when she is driving to work are cyclists who refuse to use cycle lanes that have been provided for them. She finds that she has to follow the cyclists until it is safe to pass only to be undertaken whilst waiting at traffic lights.

Ironically of course, that latter one is the one that's perfectly legal. There are lots of reasons for not using cycle lanes; perhaps you might want to educate your wife about them

 

[Illaveago]

I saw a good reason just now for not cycling in the road. It is raining and there are large lakes forming all along the nearside of the road whereas the cycle lane/ path only has a few puddles, also everything gets swept to the kurb nails, screws, broken glass and thorns, ideal material for punctures.

 

[Profpointy]

Some previous posts have mentioned that we as cyclists are also partly to blame for bad cycling. I have only seen a few incidents that come to mind, cyclists in stealth mode, cycling without any lights whatsoever when it is dark. Another occasion was when I was driving round a lefthand bend a cyclist leapt off the pavement and came towards me on my side of the road. That was close!
What infuriates my wife when she is driving to work are cyclists who refuse to use cycle lanes that have been provided for them. She finds that she has to follow the cyclists until it is safe to pass only to be undertaken whilst waiting at traffic lights.

maybe the cyclists don't realise that your wife's journey is more important than theirs. I'm sure they'd happily accept the extra danger and inconvenience of the cycle lane if they understood that

 

[Illaveago]

maybe the cyclists don't realise that your wife's journey is more important than theirs. I'm sure they'd happily accept the extra danger and inconvenience of the cycle lane if they understood that

No that is not the point. When a cycle lane is put in for your safety why not use it? Another thing there are a lot of pot holes in roads, surely a nice smooth surface would be preferable.

 

[400bhp]

No that is not the point. When a cycle lane is put in for your safety why not use it? Another thing there are a lot of pot holes in roads, surely a nice smooth surface would be preferable.

They often aren't safe.