I really wanted to cycle to work but find it too dangerous

[fossyant]

I've packed in commuting by bike. In the time I've commuted into Manchester I've had 1 bike written off, one broken wrist, smashed up shoulder, broken ribs and finally a badly broken spine and 4 ribs meaning a lengthy hospital stay and 7 months off work and not returning to full time until 10 months after. Unfortunately my back is permanently screwed now. Never mind the mental torture my wife and kids went through not knowing if i was going to be paraplegic and sporting nappies.

One could say I was unlucky but city riding outside of London is risky as we don't have any sort of critical mass and drivers don't look for cyclists.

I don't blame the OP.

 

[mjr]

One could say I was unlucky but city riding outside of London is risky as we don't have any sort of critical mass and drivers don't look for cyclists.

I don't blame the OP.

I don't blame the opening poster either, but I think the above is overgeneralising it. Some roads in some cities seem to be troublespots or flashpoints and worth avoiding - I still avoid Holborn gyratory in London except for the little bike track, for example. It's possible that one or two cities have too many troublespots to be easy to cycle, but I've ridden a lot of cities on my travels and I don't think there are many like that.

I've ridden for over 30 years and not been knocked off yet. I've had a few near-misses (which is why I think it's really worth practising emergency turns and emergency stops) but all the crashes I've had have been pretty much self-inflicted (riding on ice without studded tyres, riding into the back of a car, getting rear-ended by another bike after an unsignalled change of direction, failing to reverse the bike, ...). I'm basically lazy (coasting up to junctions and other places I might have to stop), always trying to watch everyone around me and tend to prefer cycle tracks and quieter routes when possible, but I will be that brass-necked rider in the right-hand-lane of a big A road when I need to be, like this morning.

 

[Dogtrousers]

One could say I was unlucky but city riding outside of London is risky as we don't have any sort of critical mass and drivers don't look for cyclists.

It's not a bundle of laughs down here either.

 

[vickster]

It's not a bundle of laughs down here either.

Nope, I got knocked off at 6pm on a Sunday in Zone 2. And London bus drivers and taxi drivers can be as big w@nkers as anywhere else

I still ride despite having had 4 surgeries (so far) as a result of said accident. I don't really commute at the mo as I mostly work from home (and am lazy when I do go to the office, might change if get a new job closer to home)

 

[Debade]

About a year ago, I purchased this vest. My feeling is that it has worked very well. I feel cars are much more careful when passing than before wearing the vest. I might be more visible as well but I think that is a secondary benefit. I do not know the law there but I might wear one even if it is not the law. They also make them in meters https://www.google.com/search?q=wis...i=l-YBWeq6CYW2mwHTnKGgBA#imgrc=I1dAnWG9NnE1BM:

 

[mjr]

Nope, I got knocked off at 6pm on a Sunday in Zone 2. And London bus drivers and taxi drivers can be as big w@nkers as anywhere else

I don't have too many problems with taxi drivers (unlike A certain London minicab firm ) but there seem to be a lot more buses and cabs in London than most places, so the same rate of problems still means more problems in total.

 

[vickster]

I don't have too many problems with taxi drivers (unlike A certain London minicab firm ) but there seem to be a lot more buses and cabs in London than most places, so the same rate of problems still means more problems in total.

Black cabbies in my experience are often self-entitled, knuckle dragging w@nkers...and out here in the suburbs at least London bus drivers are the same often

The best suggestion is that if he wishes to cycle, the OP needs to try to scope out quieter roads / those with some sort of cycling infrastructure (even if sub standard)

I also don't commute into London as the sheer number of cyclists actually makes me nervous, they can be more unpredictable and as tosserish than drivers

Plus the hassle of fining somewhere close by to lock up, having to carry two big locks, concerns about theft, having to carry clothing, get changed, carry laptop etc. Easier just to get the train a couple of days a week, and keep my cycling for weekends and evenings

 

[mjr]

About a year ago, I purchased this vest. My feeling is that it has worked very well. I feel cars are much more careful when passing than before wearing the vest. I might be more visible as well but I think that is a secondary benefit. I do not know the law there but I might wear one even if it is not the law. They also make them in meters https://www.google.com/search?q=wis...i=l-YBWeq6CYW2mwHTnKGgBA#imgrc=I1dAnWG9NnE1BM:

I think that's the wrong link (should it be to a vest saying "3 feet - it's the law"?), it's arguably not the law here (we don't have a set distance and some police are now enforcing 4 feet) and I feel the problem isn't that people cycling aren't visible or that motorists don't know that they should overtake properly - the problem is that there's a significant minority that don't just give a shoot. They're the same criminally-bad motorists fiddling with their phones, reading farking books (yes, really - I saw another one this morning but it wasn't captured clearly by my bike camera) or blasting through red lights if they can't see any other motor vehicles, because they know there aren't many traffic police or cameras now.

 

[mjr]

The best suggestion is that if he wishes to cycle, the OP needs to try to scope out quieter roads / those with some sort of cycling infrastructure (even if sub standard)

Amen. Weston to Shirley looks on the map like it would be National Cycle Routes 2 and 236 and then Foundry Lane, but Streetview makes it look like the obvious connection between 236 and Foundry Lane is a bridge with a lot of steps, whereas the small road alternative of Paynes Road is one-way, which is stupid but typical. It also goes over Itchen Bridge which has gutter lanes and a notorious "please position yourself for squishing" junction at http://www.instantstreetview.com/@50.89885,-1.39237,105.52h,-2.29p,1z that I think I've seen before because it was built with a cycle safety grant from the DfT (department to fark up travel)

I hope people with local knowledge know better routes.

I also don't commute into London as the sheer number of cyclists actually makes me nervous, they can be more unpredictable and as tosserish than drivers

Plus the hassle of fining somewhere close by to lock up, having to carry two big locks, concerns about theft, having to carry clothing, get changed etc. Easier just to get the train a couple of days a week, and keep my cycling for weekends and evenings

I know what you mean. I suspect any unpredictable or tosserish cyclists are deterred a bit from cutting me up, a six-foot lump on a sit-up-and-beg bike, and I usually either take my bike inside where I'm going or if I suspect that's not possible, I use one of the hire bikes.

 

[Trevrev]

Hi Binman, I'm from Southampton too......We all started commuting by bike at some point and I do remember my first few months very well.
For some reason, everyone wanted to kill me or beat me up. It was horrendous. Although I drive, I just put my bad experiences, down to my lack of road skill on a Bicycle. With time I became more comfortable and confident in and around people and traffic. Also the fitter I became helped. It basically boils down to most things in life. The more you do it, the better it gets. Don't give up.........Your fitness levels alone, shooting through the roof, will outweigh all the other crap.. You'll feel great.

 

[HorTs]

@Binman I'm interested to see what route you took and what other routes people suggest for you.

 

[Tin Pot]

A friend said "get a bike, its cheap" so luckily a relative lent me theirs as they dont use it. I now realise why. Just this morning alone I have been cut up, driven at, sworn at, nearly scraped... I just cant do this anymore. I dont know how you guys manage?

Being out on the road during commuting hours for the first time can be a nerve wracking experience - you're just not used to being in the road, instead of on the pavement or in a car.

Plus (depending on your route) the drivers (usually exactly the same people, same time, everyday) may not be used to you being there either. When you are a regular occurrence, they'll get used to it.

Give it a few weeks and you'll settle in - plus your mates will think your some sort of superhero/god for a short pootle on the bike everyday.

 

[vickster]

I usually either take my bike inside where I'm going or if I suspect that's not possible, I use one of the hire bikes.

No chance of taking bike inside, extremely high security in office (due to the jobs of some of the other tenants)
No need to hire I bike, office a 5 minute walk from London Bridge station. I can get a direct train from station 5 minutes from my house, 50 minutes sat reading a book in the dry and warm. £10 a day, perfectly manageable (esp. when a self-employed commuter )

Hoping new contract will be home / in Putney - a nicer ride (no CS7), not so far and hopefully decent places to leave a bike on the days I do go to the office. Might do a recce ride at the weekend

 

[ColinJ]

I think that's the wrong link (should it be to a vest saying "3 feet - it's the law"?), it's arguably not the law here (we don't have a set distance and some police are now enforcing 4 feet) and I feel the problem isn't that people cycling aren't visible or that motorists don't know that they should overtake properly - the problem is that there's a significant minority that don't just give a shoot. They're the same criminally-bad motorists fiddling with their phones, reading farking books (yes, really - I saw another one this morning but it wasn't captured clearly by my bike camera) or blasting through red lights if they can't see any other motor vehicles, because they know there aren't many traffic police or cameras now.

Here is one ...

 

[Debade]

I think that's the wrong link (should it be to a vest saying "3 feet - it's the law"?), it's arguably not the law here (we don't have a set distance and some police are now enforcing 4 feet) and I feel the problem isn't that people cycling aren't visible or that motorists don't know that they should overtake properly - the problem is that there's a significant minority that don't just give a shoot. They're the same criminally-bad motorists fiddling with their phones, reading farking books (yes, really - I saw another one this morning but it wasn't captured clearly by my bike camera) or blasting through red lights if they can't see any other motor vehicles, because they know there aren't many traffic police or cameras now.

I think our experiences are similar. Simply saying that after getting the vest, I have found more cars waiting behind me if they feel they might get too close. This is especially true when there is an oncoming car. Our roads in Connecticut are narrow like many roads there. So, the car that slows down behind me is much appreciated and the more the better.