Impatient driver

[CopperBrompton]

A friend is new to cycling, and has just ordered a bike, so I took her out for a ride, aiming to teach a few things along the way - like staying out of the door zone and taking the lane past traffic islands.

I'd just explained the drivers can be impatient, so it's important to take the lane to avoid being squeezed, when we had a rather practical demonstration ...

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsLaO-fm34w

 

[DavieB]

I know its the law that you dont pass on the wrong sides of islands, where I stay there are bus stops next to the islands so you have to wait on buses, I have occasionally overtaken on the wrong side of the island. Passing a cyclist on the wrong side of the island place the cyclist in no danger, and in my opinion highlights that there is not much need for these islands.

 

[CopperBrompton]

I'm not a fan of islands. though the second one here was pretty sensible, prohibiting overtakes just before a junction.

You can see the car waiting to exit the side-road. If that had turned left, looking only right as too many drivers do in that position, there could easily have been a head-on collision with the impatient driver here.

 

[DavieB]

Yer I suppose, but if there had ben no island then the car turning left into the overtaking car would have been in the wrong. But with the island there the car overtaking is completely in the wrong.

I have been practicing moving into the middle of the roads at islands though a very good practice.

Point taken bad move by driver.


Where I live there is a 3/4 mile road with one turn off it and none of the islands are positioned to suit the turn off, they are there solely to allow buses to move off without giving way. All the bus stops are flush with the road too

 

[taxing]

On a road that I often go down there's a garden centre entrance that they've really overcomplicated with traffic islands and cycle lanes. Anyway, the entrance is on the right of the road, so I'm travelling on left side going straight on, and there's a cycle lane running up to one of the traffic islands and ending just after it, with a sign that says 'do not overtake cyclists'. Very nice, I thought. Only for a motorist, to... yep, you guessed it. Pass me that bloody close and then swing back in front of me just before the island.

 

[HLaB]

Where I live there is a 3/4 mile road with one turn off it and none of the islands are positioned to suit the turn off, they are there solely to allow buses to move off without giving way. All the bus stops are flush with the road too

That's exactly it, bus stops bay rather than labys are a similar idea; policies aimed at promoting more sustainable travel (i.e bus use instead of driving) is a good thing IMO

 

[DavieB]

That's exactly it, bus stops bay rather than labys are a similar idea; policies aimed at promoting more sustainable travel (i.e bus use instead of driving) is a good thing IMO

Buses running at 8pm with 2 passengers are not all that sustainable.

Anyway Im a driver as well as a cyclist and disagree with this. Find me public transport that can get me to cowdenbeath from glasgow every week to pick up my daughters in under an hour each way.

Its all very well promoting it but there is no need to cause bottlenecks where you have to wait on 10 people getting on and off buses. Bus stops should be cut away from the road, or in a bus lane. All last year I took the train to college in glasgow and it suited me fine, untill there is a public transport in place to suit people better they shouldnt be slowing down(Stopping) cars.


also if I was to take the bus into town here it takes almost an hour car takes half that and bike takes only 15-20min in traffic. I aint subjecting myself to buses with my 2 daughters and my baby in tow. Ill take the car and pay parking.

Got a feeling im going to annoy the anti-cars people here.

 

[mcshroom]

The problem with bus bays is that despite the Highway Code mentioning letting buses out in practice the bus gets stuck in the bay because of the traffic.

I agree it is not great to deliberately cause bottlenecks, but this is unfortunately a reaction to a lack of consideration from other road users.

 

[HLaB]

Buses running at 8pm with 2 passengers are not all that sustainable.

Anyway Im a driver as well as a cyclist and disagree with this. Find me public transport that can get me to cowdenbeath from glasgow every week to pick up my daughters in under an hour each way.

Its all very well promoting it but there is no need to cause bottlenecks where you have to wait on 10 people getting on and off buses. Bus stops should be cut away from the road, or in a bus lane. All last year I took the train to college in glasgow and it suited me fine, untill there is a public transport in place to suit people better they shouldnt be slowing down(Stopping) cars.


also if I was to take the bus into town here it takes almost an hour car takes half that and bike takes only 15-20min in traffic. I aint subjecting myself to buses with my 2 daughters and my baby in tow. Ill take the car and pay parking.

Got a feeling im going to annoy the anti-cars people here.

I know what you mean about buses at 8pm at night, the theory is you make it a really good frequent service and folk will use it but that just won't happen, a stick and a carrot are needed.

I also know what you mean about Glasgow to Cowdenbeath but tbh promotion of buses isn't aimed at that; its aimed at the masses of people who drive say from the outskirts of Glasgow to the centre, that journey would be more practical by bus. I'm a driver too and wouldn't dream of driving a congested route when I could get a more direct faster service and not have to worry about parking at the end.

Creating bottle necks for drivers whilst improving the bus service (it can operate more efficiently when it doesn't have to give way to rejoin the traffic stream) is just one stick and carrot measure.

Your last line suggests that the stick and the carrot aren't big enough for you which is perfectly reasonable IMO

 

[Arch]

I know its the law that you dont pass on the wrong sides of islands, where I stay there are bus stops next to the islands so you have to wait on buses, I have occasionally overtaken on the wrong side of the island. Passing a cyclist on the wrong side of the island place the cyclist in no danger, and in my opinion highlights that there is not much need for these islands.

There's a stretch of road through the Uni with several islands, that we use to get to one of our rounds with the electric vehicle, which is slower than most cyclists. Cars often overtake us on the wrong side of the island. No danger to us, but what about the student crossing from the other side who, reasonably, expects only to have to look right before they reach the island?

I know to look every which way, twice, before I ever step out into the road, even on a green man at a crossing, but a lot of people aren't as paranoid as me - and they shouldn't have to be...

(we just had a leaflet round York, explaining how cyclists and peds could protect themselves in certain situations. The advice for cyclists was good stuff - how to be visible to traffic pulling out from side roads, and what to do re: HGVs and left turns at junctions), but for peds it was basically saying that even at a crossing, with the green man, you had to look and half expect the traffic not to stop. Interestingly, it was the 'traffic' that failed to stop, not the 'drivers').

 

[DavieB]

There's a stretch of road through the Uni with several islands, that we use to get to one of our rounds with the electric vehicle, which is slower than most cyclists. Cars often overtake us on the wrong side of the island. No danger to us, but what about the student crossing from the other side who, reasonably, expects only to have to look right before they reach the island?

I know to look every which way, twice, before I ever step out into the road, even on a green man at a crossing, but a lot of people aren't as paranoid as me - and they shouldn't have to be...

(we just had a leaflet round York, explaining how cyclists and peds could protect themselves in certain situations. The advice for cyclists was good stuff - how to be visible to traffic pulling out from side roads, and what to do re: HGVs and left turns at junctions), but for peds it was basically saying that even at a crossing, with the green man, you had to look and half expect the traffic not to stop. Interestingly, it was the 'traffic' that failed to stop, not the 'drivers').

But if the island was not there then pedestrians would automatically look both ways. My point is the islands should not always be there. I appreciate if they are there people should follow the rules. Although admittedly I don't always.

I might add on the road where I occasionally overtake stationary buses around islands it is a long straight road where I can see pedestrians etc. I dont take silly risks.