Fear of road riding

[Deleted member 1258]

Well, we've really helped the OP here ....

We seem to have gone off on a tangent over the last couple of pages.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

There are some people always needing to "statisticalyze" (perfect English ) everything: the OP is scared to ride on the roads (me too, but I'm working on it), it's a feeling, telling him statistically he's being unreasonable in his fear won't help. Also, you can read all the books about cycling you want, when you are on a dual carriageway on two wheels, a bus in front, a taxi behind, a white van next to you I know they are not out to squash me, still, it is scary.
To the OP I would like to say:
yes, you are right to be scared on a busy road. Primary position or not, somebody, maybe not today, but one day, will pass you too close. No, I don't know if the fear will ever pass.
But, if you really want to cycle, you will find a way to do it that makes you feel safer, in your own time.
And then you will really enjoy not to have to rely on public transport, or spend a fortune in petrol. Keep at it

 

[Crankarm]

There is a difference between the subjective perception of how dangerous it is and the objective evidence. Objectively its no more dangerous than walking and yet very few people would regard walking as dangerous. As for the forum its a collection of subjective anecdotes with people tending to come here to complain/sound off/seek sympathy when something has happened and report all the local reports of accidents that happened to others. As Dave R says, its not representative.

Depends where you walk ............ If you were to walk 2-3 foot out in the road it would be flippin' dangerous. If you were to cycle on the pavement on shared use cycle paths all the time it would be pretty safe. You have to compare like with like. Collection of subjective anecdotes ........ that's a new one on me. We have had numerous cyclists literally crucified on here for posting their acounts of being run off the road, dangerous close passes, knocked down, objects thrown at them, etc and you dismiss them as subjective anecdotal postes merely made to complain/sound off/seek sympathy. Either you don't cycle or cycle very little or are an insensitive heartless b*****d or a combination of all three. And do you reach the conclusion it is NOT representative? Were the campaigns that the Guardian, Independent and recently The Times have run on the dangers that cyclists face unrepresentative of cycling?

 

[Crankarm]

Utter utter bollocks.

Charming.

Were the campaigns that the Guardian, Independent and recently The Times have run on the dangers that cyclists face utter utter bollocks?

I seem to remember you have taken issue with speeding drivers and the danger they pose to cyclists.

 

[Crankarm]

To any new members viewing this thread one or two the posts could appear quite alarmist, thankfully there's enough sound advice being given for such members to be re assured.

Yeah it's lucky that some of us are giving sound pragmatic advice isn't it? Not everything is rosy is it? How much cycling do you actually do? Perhaps Walsall is a model of manners where every one treats every one else with courtesy and respect ?

 

[theclaud]

Why do some cyclists wear black? Red, blue or flouro yes, but surely wearing black is asking for drivers to miss you?

I wear mostly black. It's practical, it looks good, and it goes with everything. What you need to remember is that drivers who say they didn't see you are either lying, or making a tacit admission that they weren't looking (in which case it makes no difference what you wear). I don't intend to humour them by dressing like a Playmobil figurine.

 

[Globalti]

Wearing red is my only concession (apart from a helmet) to safety - and it matches the red part of my red and black bike!

 

[theclaud]

I think fear is a sign of intelligence and imagination.

I see Crankarm is doing his best to prove you wrong...

 

[theclaud]

Wearing red is my only concession (apart from a helmet) to safety - and it matches the red part of my red and black bike!

I like red, but the idea is that black forms the basis of your cycling wardrobe, then you can add a splash or a trim of whatever you like, without looking like a Wuzzle.

 

[theclaud]

Yeah it's lucky that some of us are giving sound pragmatic advice isn't it? Not everything is rosy is it? How much cycling do you actually do? Perhaps Walsall is a model of manners where every one treats every one else with courtesy and respect ?

Not everything is rosy, but on the other hand most of us are riding thousands of miles a year on the road, and having an absolute whale of a time. Mostly without serious mishap.

 

[Globalti]

Well my shorts or longs are black, my gloves and shoes and socks predominantly black, my helmet black red and white so yes, black is the background!

As a driver I do think a red or yellow jacket (as long as it's bright and not faded) tends to attract the eye especially from a distance and gives the driver a chance to get used to the idea that there's a cyclist ahead.

I never understood motorcyclists who wear camouflage; that seems like a death wish to me.

 

[theclaud]

Unless of course you can do Hi-Viz ironically.

I suspect hi-viz has taken us into the post-ironic age.

 

[theclaud]

Well my shorts or longs are black, my gloves and shoes and socks predominantly black, my helmet black red and white so yes, black is the background!

As a driver I do think a red or yellow jacket (as long as it's bright and not faded) tends to attract the eye especially from a distance and gives the driver a chance to get used to the idea that there's a cyclist ahead.

I never understood motorcyclists who wear camouflage; that seems like a death wish to me.

Here's the thing- I know that motorists see me, and see me from a distance, because so many move out properly and in good time to pass me, or look straight at me and refrain from pulling out. When, in exactly the same conditions, one claims not to have seen me, is it more likely that a) choosing not to wear fuchsia renders me periodically invisible or b) she is either lying, or simply did not look?

 

[Globalti]

I posted about this a couple of weeks ago when I almost failed to stop for a cyclist who entered a roundabout from my right. We were both moving pretty briskly and for a micro-second my brain said "no threat - carry on" but then the intellect stepped in and said "HE has right of way!" and I slammed on, as they say in driving parlance. My point was that in so many car vs. cyclist incidents one or even both of the parties is riding or driving beyond their ability to react or is simply not concentrating and accidents, as we all know, happen too fast for anybody to prevent them once the important factors have come together. Apparently it is very common for people in accidents to say that the other party "came from nowhere".

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Depends where you walk ............ If you were to walk 2-3 foot out in the road it would be flippin' dangerous. If you were to cycle on the pavement on shared use cycle paths all the time it would be pretty safe. You have to compare like with like. Collection of subjective anecdotes ........ that's a new one on me. We have had numerous cyclists literally crucified on here for posting their acounts of being run off the road, dangerous close passes, knocked down, objects thrown at them, etc and you dismiss them as subjective anecdotal postes merely made to complain/sound off/seek sympathy. Either you don't cycle or cycle very little or are an insensitive heartless b*****d or a combination of all three. And do you reach the conclusion it is NOT representative? Were the campaigns that the Guardian, Independent and recently The Times have run on the dangers that cyclists face unrepresentative of cycling?

The simple answer is that people don't post when the commute is uneventful, the majority of the commutes, they only post when something has happened, its this that makes them unrepresentative. I'd raise no interest at all if I posted that nothing happened, the vast majority of my commutes, on my commute except that I exchanged cheery waves with the driver I waved through after I finished passing a parked car.