How green is commuting

[Brommie77]

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

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.

+1, I liked your response Holdsworth 'anonymous' was even too chicken to state his name, suggesting that he knew he was in the wrong before he posted!!

 

[fimm]

I had some stupid female flashing at me and indicating that I should pull over to let her past at the weekend. My "crime"? Stopping in order to let a couple of cars turn right in front of me while I waited at a pedestrian crossing. She probably also objected to me doing 40 in a 40 limit. (Yes, I was driving a car - for the first time this year.)

 

[Holdsworth]

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.

+1, I liked your response Holdsworth 'anonymous' was even too chicken to state his name, suggesting that he knew he was in the wrong before he posted!!

Cheers to you both for allying my worries

and thanks to the anon poster who's backed me up

 

[Shut Up Legs]

I had some stupid female flashing at me and indicating that I should pull over to let her past at the weekend. My "crime"? Stopping in order to let a couple of cars turn right in front of me while I waited at a pedestrian crossing. She probably also objected to me doing 40 in a 40 limit. (Yes, I was driving a car - for the first time this year.)

I wish I had more females flashing at me!

Seriously, though, motorists can't all be morons who don't think ahead, as mentioned in a previous post. If some motorists are morons, then the same applies to some cyclists. I think those motorists who feel this burning urge to overtake any vehicle in front ASAP, and then have to brake at the next lights anyway, are probably just feeling the stress of motoring. They probably haven't realised yet there are alternatives to motoring.

 

[boydj]

I've often thought that the most common reaction of vehicle drivers, after passing me, is to jump hard on the brakes to avoid running into the back of the car in front - and that's often not even in queuing traffic.

Driving back to Glasgow from Liverpool yesterday I was struck by how poorly many of the drivers were reading the road, which just confirms what I see daily on my commute.

 

[pshore]

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'll get my coat...

Just to add another dimension to this. When I am on my motorbike (and bicycle but less often), I often get stuck behind cars who cannot overtake cyclists or parked cars when I could.

The sheer collective amount of cars is using up all the road space. Not just the car trying to overtake, but also the parked cars, and also the amount of oncoming cars meaning there is no gap so they can move to the opposite lane to overtake.

I see some aggression aimed at cyclists for holding up traffic but to be honest, they are using up little space compared to those in cars. Sometimes I see it as car drivers drowning in their own - to put it crudely - manure.

And, have you ever seen a car driver getting angry at a parked car for holding them up ?

Would you blame all obstacles (parked cars, speed bumps, roundabouts, traffic lights, pedestrians etc) for causing extra fuel to be used?

 

[Dan B]

Would you blame all obstacles (parked cars, speed bumps, roundabouts, traffic lights, pedestrians etc) for causing extra fuel to be used?

Many do. Google "speed hump congestion" for the usual car supremacist drivel

 

[vorsprung]

Getting back to my original point,

anyone out there trying to save the planet by cycling to work on a busy road may be causing more fuel to be burnt than if they had taken their car.

1) i am not saving the planet by cycle commuting
2) you are not saving the planet by "not braking"

 

[John the Monkey]

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

Ahem, they are opportunistic, short term planners.

Eh thengew.

The op is right though - the BEST drivers career along at the highest speed they possibly can, slowing at the last minute, and only if absolutely necessary, thereby saving fuel, or something.

 

[Norm]

I can only manage my own impact on the environment. If others are not so worried, there is little I can do about it. I just revel in the knowledge that my fuel is effectively 15-20p/l cheaper than theirs.

 

[Dan B]

anyone out there trying to save the planet by cycling to work on a busy road may be causing more fuel to be burn't than if they had taken their car.

And in the same way, vandals and graffiti artists are to be congratulated for their positive impact on economic development by generating employment for cleaners, painters, refuse collectors and glaziers

 

[Brommie77]

And in the same way, vandals and graffiti artists are to be congratulated for their positive impact on economic development by generating employment for cleaners, painters, refuse collectors and glaziers

Well Actually there could be an argument for that.....

 

[al78]

And, have you ever seen a car driver getting angry at a parked car for holding them up ?

Yes, I have heard the "what a bloody stupid place to park" line or words to that effect.

 

[pshore]

Getting back to my original point,

anyone out there trying to save the planet by cycling to work on a busy road may be causing more fuel to be burn't than if they had taken their car.

As 400bhp kindof said earlier, in isolation you have a point. And, by isolation I mean a car at a constant speed, then slowing for the cyclist then accellerating back to the previous speed. But you can't look at this problem in isolation.

If the road network is at capacity, the driver is likely to get stuck in a jam in plenty of other places. The cyclist although a problem in your one example, is freeing capacity in other areas such as queues and parking spaces.

There are lots of questions I can think of:

• If the road is at capacity, will they just be racing to the next queue ?
• Why did the driver use a vehicle susceptible to jams and congestion ? They could use a motorcycle, moped, electric-bike, bicycle, walk if independance is necessary.
• Was their journey necessary ?
• Why did they not choose the train or bus ? i.e. a greener form of transport if full enough.
• Have they chosen to live far from their daily place of work ?

 

[pshore]

Yes, I have heard the "what a bloody stupid place to park" line or words to that effect.

Yes, frustration is about as far as it goes in my experience, but I don't recall ever seeing a car hoot at a parked car though - ie real anger spilling out. (there will always be anecdotal evidence though)

I believe, but I have no real proof, that a driver will more likely blame a cyclist for a blockage than a parked car. I wonder if that is true and why ?