How green is commuting

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corshamjim

New Member
Location
Corsham
Was watching a cyclist yesterday on a very busy road, and everyone was having to brake and slow down to about 10mph to pass then accelerate back up to 30 or 40. Now if this bloke was trying to be green by commuting by bike then may be his actions were having the opposite effect, may be more fuel was used by all the cars and lorries having to slow down then speed up then what he would have used if he had taken his own car and not got in the way of everyone else.

I often think the same myself whenever shool-run-mum in her Porsche Cayenne accelerates past me on the way back from taking her progeny a mile or so down the road.

Of course if she & sprog cycled too ... :rolleyes:
 

asterix

Comrade Member
Location
Limoges or York
Car drivers are a pretty dim lot and tend not to think very far ahead. It is a very noticeable how they brake sharply for almost any easily anticipated interruption to their headlong pace

They could quite easily get much better fuel consumption without losing any time but they are too stupid.

In my old van I recently got 39mpg when 32 is supposed to be its best out of town rate. I was on a 750 mile run with both urban and m/way driving and had a 3m3 load.
 

Banjo

Fuelled with Jelly Babies
Location
South Wales
While driving the car a few days ago some dimwit behind me was flashing and tailgating me because I didnt overtake a bike.

Reason I didnt overtake was the redlights 300 yards ahead. Braindead or what?
 

deptfordmarmoset

Full time tea drinker
Location
Armonmy Way
When you're driving down a narrow residential street that's got parked cars on both sides so that there is only enough room for single file traffic, it only takes one inconsiderate cyclist going the other way to make all the traffic have to stop. Some of these inconsiderate cyclists even think that have a god-given right to hold up traffic, thereby wasting our time, fuel and brake pads. They simply shouldn't be allowed on small residential streets. I think the only way to deter them from such selfishness is to drive straight at them. That'll soon teach them to stick to the major roads.
 

Nebulous

Guru
Location
Aberdeen
I got my company car at a year old and 12,000 miles. I took it to over 70,000 before it needed brake pads. The mechanic was very reluctant to believe me that it was on the original set.
 

BlackPanther

Hyper-Fast Recumbent Riding Member.
Location
Doncaster.
When you're driving down a narrow residential street that's got parked cars on both sides so that there is only enough room for single file traffic, it only takes one inconsiderate cyclist going the other way to make all the traffic have to stop. Some of these inconsiderate cyclists even think that have a god-given right to hold up traffic, thereby wasting our time, fuel and brake pads. They simply shouldn't be allowed on small residential streets. I think the only way to deter them from such selfishness is to drive straight at them. That'll soon teach them to stick to the major roads.

Are you for real? A cyclist has the same right of way as a vehicle. Common courtesy (and sense) surely says that it's easier for a car to stop/start than a cyclist. If anyone is in such a hurry that they can't wait a few seconds by giving way, then they're complete idiots for starting a 20 minute journey exactly 20 minutes before they need to get where they're going! Or maybe, as most cars drivers tend to think we cyclists shouldn't be on the road and should be riding on the pavements? 'Tis not legal, but road riding is. Methinks maybe all car drivers should have a refresher browse of the old highway code,



Back on topic.......Most car drivers have no idea how to drive economically. If I had a pound for every time a car overtook me just before a red light, only for me to time the lights, get a running start, and be back in front. (Giving way of course to the usual red light jumper....or 2....or 3.....or 4!)
It's even more noticeable when I'm driving the lorry. I'm pretty sure that when I'm fully loaded my 28 ton lorry gets better mpg through town than most cars.

Is cycling 'green'? Yes of course.
Is driving like a Wally, by not anticipating what's going on right in front of you, 'green'? No it ain't.

That's not the cyclists fault though.
 

deptfordmarmoset

Full time tea drinker
Location
Armonmy Way
Oops, sorry BP, it was satire - I've had people driving at me all day just like I described above. I just tried to get into their mindset...
 

Holdsworth

Über Member
Location
Crewe, Cheshire
Funnily enough I had a comment made in response to one I made on a local blog article about the new cycle path to Middlewich Road, and how I wouldn't think it would any use to commuters. He went on about road tax and congestion caused by cyclists. I made a reply to his comment, which looking back may be seen as slightly aggressive and over the top
unsure.gif


Link to blog post here
 

400bhp

Guru
I can see where you have come from on this. The bigger picture needs to be looked at though.

It's kind of like saying that the density of the air causes more pollution than a vacuum. :smile:
 

MrHappyCyclist

Riding the Devil's HIghway
Location
Bolton, England
Funnily enough I had a comment made in response to one I made on a local blog article about the new cycle path to Middlewich Road, and how I wouldn't think it would any use to commuters. He went on about road tax and congestion caused by cyclists. I made a reply to his comment, which looking back may be seen as slightly aggressive and over the top
unsure.gif


Link to blog post here

Your reply wasn't overly agressive nor over-the-top. The anonymous poster displayed an ignorance and arrogance that is just too common. Hopefully your reply might have gone some way towards educating them.
 

BlackPanther

Hyper-Fast Recumbent Riding Member.
Location
Doncaster.
Oops, sorry BP, it was satire - I've had people driving at me all day just like I described above. I just tried to get into their mindset...


I didn't really think any cyclist could've been for real with that comment. We really should have a satirical type style. A bit like 'italics' .... but maybe sloping the other way, or maybe just put lol at the end. lol.[sup][/sup]
 

ferret fur

Well-Known Member
Location
Roseburn
I got my company car at a year old and 12,000 miles. I took it to over 70,000 before it needed brake pads. The mechanic was very reluctant to believe me that it was on the original set.

Did he comment on all the front end damage where you'd used other cars to slow down :rolleyes:
 

blubb

New Member
Location
germany
I never seem to have a problem with that. It's mostly the way these people drive that they waste fuel.

If you spot a cyclist down the road and see that you can not pass right away you put it in a lower gear and let it roll. It's mostly just a failure to think ahead, just like the people that keep accelerating eventhough there is a red light ahead.

Also proper cycling facilities like in copenhagen or netherlands would help, so don't blame it on the individual that does know how to move about efficiently.

http://velowahnsinn....jpg?w=239&h=372
http://asset.soup.io.../0870_ca21.jpeg
 
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