If this is going to be a typical commute ..

[Bollo]

Oh. My. God. Clearly your colleagues are morons.

+1

Jimbo, I'm sorry if the original question came over a bit full on. It wasn't the intention.

I'm guessing your workplace isn't somewhere where you'd admit to being gay, go collecting for Amnesty International or hear a balanced debate on immigration. It sounds like a nasty, conformist, bullying kackhole. Disliking cyclists is just another symptom of that because its not 'normal'.

There's nothing I can do about it, and it sounds like there's not a lot you feel you can do about it, but that doesn't make these people either right or typical.

Being assertive on the roads isn't about being stroppy or arrogant. It's more about interacting with the drivers and having the confidence to negotiate your place on the road. You'd be surprised how positive these interactions can be - most of the people behind the wheel really don't want to kill you, even your unenlightened co-workers. As for the true nutters, they're going to get you no matter where you are.

 

[Bollo]

col

Please. What the f*** are you on about?!

 

[col]

col

Please. What the f*** are you on about?!

Language timotheeeee

 

[Bollo]

Language timotheeeee

col, my mental image of you is fixed forever.

 

[col]

col, my mental image of you is fixed forever.

Great likeness, but I have darker hair

 

[jimboalee]

I'm one of the two or three MORE assertive cyclists in the tidal flood that is leaving Land Rover's site.
The majority - the other four - ride on the footpath to get out of the 'rapids'.

The Cycle Lane was to get us ALL off the road so the morons ( agreed ) can have their satisfaction.

As for 'conformist', all the assembly associates are made to wear uniforms with the company logo on it. If the staff don't wear at least one item of Jaguar or LR gear, they are frowned upon as being "disloyal'.
Jaguar were in Formula 1 once, so I wore a NHRA shirt.

 

[Bollo]

I kinda guessed you worked at LR, there's not many companies in Solihull that have 2500 employees. I can also understand why it would be a difficult place to ride a bike! A friend of mine works for Tata and has done some work at your place. Don't envy you. Respect for riding in that environment.

That's why I get a bit touchy when the criticisms come flying in for riders who choose to record, report or otherwise feel pissed off when they're treated like crap by drivers. It's shooting the messenger, rather than dealing with the driver attitudes that make that behaviour apparently acceptable or 'normal'. I don't have the answers, but I think I'm at least asking the right questions.

 

[Bollo]

Great likeness, but I have darker hair

col, can we meet for a drink?

 

[Origamist]

If you look at the bus clip, I am about a bus length from the start of the bus stop when he starts to pass me and he is only half way past by the time he gets to the stop. If I hadn't slowed down (and he had left me enough room) I would have been level with the front door when he stopped. As it was, we were both in the bus area at the same time. Most bus drivers I come across are good and realise that there is no point in trying to pass too close to a stop. This guy was an idiot and I will change my possitioning a bit in front of buses now.

Bus drivers are advised not to overtake cyclists if they are less than 100m from a bus stop. Most tend to observe this sensible guidance.

 

[Origamist]

I can not believe that no one has mentioned your speed... please don't take this the wrong way but you are very very slow, i'm not saying there is anything wrong in being slow on the correct roads.

There is such a thing as being dangerously slow especially on bike.

(i know that sounds like i'm having a go but i'm not at all)

just my take on it.

Dangerously slow?! What speed is "safe"?

 

[fossyant]

I sense an amount of respect from a group of drivers when I ride assertively. It happened a few times today. Filtering between two lanes of traffic, poking into a gap at red lights. It sounds confrontational, because it intentionally blocks the following car from trying to get past me until I'm ready because it's safe.

But, a good turn of acceleration on the green and a move over to the left shows the driver that I'm not there to get in their way but to make progress. And 90% of the time it results in a decent amount of room given if they do then have the opportunity to pass me.

Not popped in to this argument, but that's what I do..... it takes the cars 100-200 metres to catch/pass me usually..... take your space, move over, and you've usually out accelerated most drivers...(just don't sit in front of a scoobie).........

 

[col]

col, can we meet for a drink?

No tongues mind, I barely know you

 

[rog]

right col...i am gonna have a go at replying to your response. you said:

Baby sitters aside, its not a fair question, doing something to intimidate is nothing to do with the way it is out there.Threatening with a cam and showing on a public film is intimidating and causes bad responses.

hold tight...need to take this line by line...

Baby sitters aside

no-one's babysitting anyone. this is a public forum where people can put forward their opinions if they want, innit

its not a fair question

asking someone to clarify their position is fair enough - which is all bollo was doing. you were the one who decided to go off-piste and make it personal...

now, this is the tricky bit

doing something to intimidate

what? who? how?

is nothing to do with the way it is out there.

out where? guess you mean the roads. but what exactly?

Threatening with a cam

how can a camera be threatening? it would be a rubbish weapon...

i doubt very much if drivers could even identify a cyclst wearing a helmet camera. mine's a bullet camera and pretty hard to spot as they are tiny. even if you did it would be hard to distinguish between a light mounted on a helmet. other people stick their camera's on their handlebars so you'd only see one of these in your mirrors. barely...

and showing on a public film

you mean you tube. whilst it is public, its hardly broadcast tv. none of this footage is getting a lot of coveage - apart from magnatom . i imagine most of the people who watch these vids are either a) people on here other cyclists

anyway, the more motorists who get to see their driving from the perspective of a cyclist then the better in my book . But its not the primary reason why i record my daily journeys...

is intimidating

how is this intimidating? its only showing a driver something they have already done. its like blaming someone for holding-up a mirror in front of an ugly person

and causes bad responses.

any proof for this?

the stories I read on here suggest that positive outcomes can result from presenting drivers with the results of their actions.

 

[boydj]

I sense an amount of respect from a group of drivers when I ride assertively. It happened a few times today. Filtering between two lanes of traffic, poking into a gap at red lights. It sounds confrontational, because it intentionally blocks the following car from trying to get past me until I'm ready because it's safe.

But, a good turn of acceleration on the green and a move over to the left shows the driver that I'm not there to get in their way but to make progress. And 90% of the time it results in a decent amount of room given if they do then have the opportunity to pass me.

Works for me as well. Assertive - not aggressive, and considerate where appropriate. Respect breeds respect.

"but I dont think most of these instances are not down to a vindictive train of thought, but simply mistakes and should be treated as such"
​

Col - if that's not being an apologist for dangerous, thoughtless or careless drivers, then I don't know what is. These 'mistakes' are the cause of most of the ksi's on our roads today.

 

[col]

I kinda guessed you worked at LR, there's not many companies in Solihull that have 2500 employees. I can also understand why it would be a difficult place to ride a bike! A friend of mine works for Tata and has done some work at your place. Don't envy you. Respect for riding in that environment.

That's why I get a bit touchy when the criticisms come flying in for riders who choose to record, report or otherwise feel pissed off when they're treated like crap by drivers. It's shooting the messenger, rather than dealing with the driver attitudes that make that behaviour apparently acceptable or 'normal'. I don't have the answers, but I think I'm at least asking the right questions.

Im all for this if it genuinly warrants it, but I dont like it when something is made to look worse by actions or words by the reporter, as it seems to paint us in a bad light and is assumed by many that we all have that same attitude.
Its been discussed before, and the only real way of teaching drivers about awareness of cyclists and their needs is at school before they start driving, then as part of the test too.
But using some of the techniques Iv seen only make things worse.