How many incidents in a mile??

[marinyork]

Car parks are rife with low level silliness at peak times - people going out of the wrong exits, driving the wrong way, reversing without looking, aggressive driving where it really isn't appropriate.

 

[BentMikey]

I wish it was that simple, my experiences of riding assertively are not the same as yours.

Same here. Ian's mistaken if he thinks primary is the solution to everything. He's right that it enhances the odds considerably, but it doesn't solve all problems.

 

[BentMikey]

As for the OP's incidents per mile, I think I tend to have 1 or 2 per 45 mile commute. I didn't have any on the last commute, although I uploaded 2 or 3 videos. The videos were just interesting things that happened, but none affected my safety in any significant way.

 

[Ian Cooper]

I wish it was that simple, my experiences of riding assertively are not the same as yours.

Where did you learn how to ride? I've seen your videos - I wouldn't say you'd had any training in proper lane positioning.

 

[Ian Cooper]

Same here. Ian's mistaken if he thinks primary is the solution to everything. He's right that it enhances the odds considerably, but it doesn't solve all problems.

Primary isn't the solution to everything (I don't think I ever said it was). But proper lane positioning (which includes the use of primary when appropriate) combined with careful route selection (and I don't mean avoiding busy roads), proper speed for the road/intersection visibility situation ahead and adequate lighting/visibility for low light situations is the solution to everything that can be solved by the cyclist. I stress primary, because too many people are scared to use it, when it can, as you say, greatly reduce problems.

Having said that, there is always an element that cannot possibly be addressed by the cyclist, but getting more than one close call per month suggests to me that the cyclist isn't doing all he can to prevent problems. Like I said, I haven't had a serious problem in over a decade, and I certainly don't get close calls every week or even every month or every few months, so I must be doing something right - it can't be just luck. Anyone measuring incidents per mile is, in my view, doing something very wrong - it can't just be lots of bad drivers, because the careful cyclist who is in control of his lane can control bad drivers and mitigate how much their incompetence affects him.

Parking lots, however, are a different issue. Visibility can be virtually nil in parking lots, and people just blindly pull out or speed up to get a spot, so you just have to be really careful. Many problems, I think, come from cyclists insisting on riding too fast for the visibility/potential-threat situation, and this applies especially to parking lots.

 

[daSmirnov]

Hard to say how often really... Comes and goes, I do between 30-50 miles a week commuting depending what days I'm working. Some weeks are quiet, other weeks I have 2 or 3 incidents. Maybe a major incident every couple of months, where emergency stops/swerves are required.

Had far more stuff go down when I used to live in Aldershot.

 

[gaz]

Where did you learn how to ride? I've seen your videos - I wouldn't say you'd had any training in proper lane positioning.

What makes you come to that conclusion?

 

[MrJamie]

I mostly ride country lanes which are fine as are most urban roads, but im struggling a bit on some busier NSL roads where i feel taking primary would be inappropriate, but as the road is wider all secondary does is put me closer to the high speed overtake because theres still enough room for the overtake and giving them more room by riding in the gutter wont make things any better.

 

[HLaB]

It seems to vary for me but the majority of my rides are incident free. I did find though that when I was down south for 500 miles (Essex) drivers were particularly observant & polite and I only got one dodgy WVM pull out and one close'ish (not the closest) WVM overtake.

 

[CopperCyclist]

I've had about four incidents in four thousand miles, which isn't bad going. I rarely use primary, but regularly take a very strong secondary.

I think it's sort of an art to fool the driver behind that you aren't 'blocking' then a la true primary, yet still have a strong enough position that it makes them slow and take a safe gap without even realise it!

 

[Ian Cooper]

What makes you come to that conclusion?

An example: in your video
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2-5l67tP6I&feature=plcp
(which I picked at random)...

At 0:17, you undertake - at unsafe speed - a potentially turning van whose driver probably has not seen you. At 0:40 you're concentrating on reading a license plate (of a car that wasn't really a serious threat) when you should be checking your right rear and/or watching for pedestrians. I understand you were stressed, but still. 0:48, slightly too far left for a curved road. Between 0:56 to 1:15, you're too far right. 1:55, too far left - not adequately controlling your lane. 2:09, too far right. 2:25, very good. 2:33, too far left - the lane is out of your control. 2:52, too far left...

The thing is, you are one of the best cyclists I've seen on the road, but you are still not controlling your lane properly and at times you go too fast in threatening situations. This is my opinion.

 

[edindave]

It often surprises me how few incidents I've had in Edinburgh considering how frustrating a city it is for all road users. Roadworks everywhere - not including the tram works. I'm happy to say that it's generally a nice place to cycle (apart from the shocking road surfaces).

 

[dawesome]

Where did you learn how to ride? I've seen your videos - I wouldn't say you'd had any training in proper lane positioning.

Piffle.

 

[mr_hippo]

I only cycle a mile to work but I am constantly amazed at the number of attempts that can be made on my life in such a short space of time! The record was six - and four of those were on the carpark! .

Are you someone famous? You seem to have had more assassination attempts than Hitler, Pol Pot. Saddam, Castro and other notable leaders combined! On the bright side, the NHS can treat paranoia successfully.
You are part of what we call 'traffic' and, believe it or no, you are not the only one trying to get from A to B. Traffic can sometimes be like a chaotic ballet and is unchoreographed, the onus for your own safety is on you and no-one else!
All of us have incidents but only a small proportion blow them up into assassination attempts. I was cycling down the Korat bypass yesterday, think of it like cycling on the hard shoulder of the M6, I had a mobile noodle stall and a pick-up approaching me in the cycle lane - contra-flowing, a convoy of about 6 drawbar trailers doing over 100 kph just to my right and two motorbikes behind - one decided to overtake and one decided to undertake. Would you classify that as an incident? I wouldn't

 

[GrasB]

At 0:17, you undertake - at unsafe speed - a potentially turning van whose driver probably has not seen you. At 0:40 you're concentrating on reading a license plate (of a car that wasn't really a serious threat) when you should be checking your right rear and/or watching for pedestrians. I understand you were stressed, but still. 0:48, slightly too far left for a curved road. Between 0:56 to 1:15, you're too far right. 1:55, too far left - not adequately controlling your lane. 2:09, too far right. 2:25, very good. 2:33, too far left - the lane is out of your control. 2:52, too far left...

I hate to say it but this reads like a cyclists who has never dealt with close proximity traffic on a bike in the UK & also someone who doesn't seem to understand UK road markings correctly.