Is it getting worse?

[mjr]

Plenty of nice safe back roads in North West Norfolk where they cannot overtake until we pull over to allow it. But in summer the A and B roads are full of prats who cannot overtake safely. Next time I will save the camera battery for the bit around Wells. You would not believe it if you do not ride here!

 

[cd365]

So some of today's incidents
Was going down a short hill into a village, 40mph limit going into a 30, I was doing 31mph in a very strong secondary, to overtake a car would have to go way over double white lines, stupid cow did it and nearly hit a van.

200 yards down the road, again in a strong secondary, out of the corner of my eye I saw a car trying to creep past me, I moved into a stronger position, the clown barged passed where he got a thump on his window.

A further half a mile down a single lane road, my usual route is closed, a vandriver decided he didn't have to slow down as he came steaming up the road, missing me by inches.

On the way home on the same stretch of road I had a car overtake me, then stopped right in front of me to let the car coming down past making me brake hard and stop. I got a wave of sorry after standing behind him shaking my head. Similar thing happened half a mile up the road.

Another numpties day out.

 

[Feastie]

Plenty of nice safe back roads in North West Norfolk where they cannot overtake until we pull over to allow it. But in summer the A and B roads are full of prats who cannot overtake safely. Next time I will save the camera battery for the bit around Wells. You would not believe it if you do not ride here!

Surely you can't be referring to the A149...? Also, I used to have similar views about nice safe back roads even though I'd really prefer the coastal road for its luxury flatness, but I've had a near miss or two in the summer with people driving 60mph on said tiny backroads, missing me by 1/8th of a cat's whisker.
The kind of road where even meeting another car requires somebody reversing back to the last passing point, so you can't even blame lack of awareness of cyclists. Now I trust no roads in the summer

 

[si_c]

that rider's a prick.

He is, but in fairness to the guy he did stop. Hopefully he'll think twice about doing that again.

 

[martinclive]

On the way home on the same stretch of road I had a car overtake me, then stopped right in front of me to let the car coming down past making me brake hard and stop. .

This one happens far too often - just total lack of anticipation and as with most of your other incidents - the old MGIF attitude

We have a lots of 20mph areas here and even if you are going at that speed the cars still try to overtake..............................

 

[briantrumpet]

Just a little busy on the A3 this morning. It actually can get quite dangerous, you get a group of people on human powered machines, all with different abilities and stregths. Wanting to go fast and being able to go fast is fine if you have discipline, but you get many people who think they are fast and that they can go fast with very little discipline and you notice they start causing issues, perhaps not directly to themselves but it affects other riders.

Take this for example:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPqVyVDNkQc

Is there any chance you could do a static video at a set of traffic lights or junction where there's a good stream of cyclists, on a day when you've got a few minutes to spare? It would be interesting to a non-Londoner to see just how many people are crossing at peak times, which your moving shot only partially captures. I've got a friend who hates the priority given to bikes and buses, and I'd love to show him just how many people on bikes can use these facilities when it's realised how much easier it is than driving - he seems to think that improving all systems for cars is the best way forward; I'd like to show him otherwise.

No worries if that's too big an ask.

 

[gaz]

Is there any chance you could do a static video at a set of traffic lights or junction where there's a good stream of cyclists, on a day when you've got a few minutes to spare? It would be interesting to a non-Londoner to see just how many people are crossing at peak times, which your moving shot only partially captures. I've got a friend who hates the priority given to bikes and buses, and I'd love to show him just how many people on bikes can use these facilities when it's realised how much easier it is than driving - he seems to think that improving all systems for cars is the best way forward; I'd like to show him otherwise.

No worries if that's too big an ask.

The question really is which is the best junction to do it at and what is the best way to film it. I have no problem doing it.

 

[Karlt]

It's getting worse. So much so that after four years of regular commuting for the first time I'm thinking of getting a helmet camera, if only to refute if necessary some slimy Audi driver claiming I swerved into his path when the seemingly inevitable finally occurs. Had bus nearly kill me by a 6" clearance overtake last week, and this morning an entire stream of cars all passed within a foot or so going up a hill.

 

[andyfraser]

It's getting worse. So much so that after four years of regular commuting for the first time I'm thinking of getting a helmet camera, if only to refute if necessary some slimy Audi driver claiming I swerved into his path when the seemingly inevitable finally occurs. Had bus nearly kill me by a 6" clearance overtake last week, and this morning an entire stream of cars all passed within a foot or so going up a hill.

I gave in and bought a camera. This week I've had a van and a car move onto a mini-roundabout (different ones, both last night) despite me coming from the right. The van couldn't leave the roundabout. A taxi driver came straight at me through a pinch point this morning despite all the signs saying I had priority. The thinking seems to be it's only a bike.

 

[briantrumpet]

The question really is which is the best junction to do it at and what is the best way to film it. I have no problem doing it.

Haha, it probably is, but I've no idea, as I've never cycled in London! But a static camera for just one or two phases of a set of lights on a main cycle commuter route would be interesting - the most you ever get in these parts is a couple of riders at a set of traffic lights - and I think London is probably a bit busier than that!

My car-centric friend won't see that making life easier for cars to whizz about cities is not the best way forward to make transport for all more pleasant. It would be fun to calculate how much space all the London cyclists would take up if they all piled into single-occupancy cars. For instance, if twenty cyclists waiting at a set of lights were all in cars instead, they'd stretch back about 100 yards, and then how many of those would get through the lights? It would be gridlock. So at least those London drivers who accept bikes' place n the transport system are really doing the logical thing to make their journey easier too. Of course it would be even better if they all cycled as well...

 

[briantrumpet]

Re the above, this is the sort of thing...

...that would be 27 cars, or about 125 yards of queue. That car driver should be thanking each one of the those cyclists.

 

[cd365]

I don't see that many cyclists in a month!

 

[Hip Priest]

Re the above, this is the sort of thing...

...that would be 27 cars, or about 125 yards of queue. That car driver should be thanking each one of the those cyclists.

You shouldn't assume that every one of those cyclists would be driving a car if they weren't cycling. Bad science.

 

[Full Metal Sprocket]

Probably getting better.Been cycling up Woodford way this week and some motorists are aware as to give me a wider berth,which is nice but doesn't happen all the time.New sort of temporary commute for me though.Over two weeks and back to the normal slog next week.Noticed quite a few cyclists down there which is nice to see.

 

[Markymark]

Probably getting better.Been cycling up Woodford way this week and some motorists are aware as to give me a wider berth,which is nice but doesn't happen all the time.New sort of temporary commute for me though.Over two weeks and back to the normal slog next week.Noticed quite a few cyclists down there which is nice to see.

You'll notice the cyclists are in that part of the world better riders and generally 4 or 5 times more attractive than the UK average.