Left hook on CS7

[BentMikey]

Any response from the company, Gaz? Did you see Magnatom's IDrive issue last night/this morning?

 

[cycleoptic]

its not just lorries, buses, taxis and cars also, just don't care.

I often just get thee excuse.. "I was indicating" as in the enclosed video.

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3yysJ42tlA

 

[GetAGrip]

Nasty - do that route everyday i turn left and as such use the bus lane lest there is a bit of concrete in the way and a bit more space... but i cant tell was she planing on going straight on? if so i would have stuck myself way in the center of that lane as i see the majority of people do along there.. anyhooo glad shes ok and that hopefully the driver has been scared into fixing his appalling driving!

I found watching that vid very unnerving, and it's reassuring to know that the lady in question is ok and back in the saddle!
It takes a lot of courage to stay in the centre of a lane when being bullied, as I found out yesterday.
I think I am getting quite assertive at most pinch points etc. but after a lorry sat about 18" both behind and out from me yesterday, I just wanted him gone. Even though we were approaching a bend and the section of road had double white lines, I allowed him to push me tightly into the hedged roadside. I had nowhere to go and as he passed, I could have touched his wheels. I can honestly say that I have never been so scared on a bike than then.
Very bad driving from him and pretty poor cycling from me! I would like to think the experience would make me act differently should it arise in the future.

 

[BentMikey]

its not just lorries, buses, taxis and cars also, just don't care.

I often just get thee excuse.. "I was indicating" as in the enclosed video.
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3yysJ42tlA

To be fair though, you did undertake him as the lights changed. Yes, he should have looked, but I would have been more cautious there. I'd have felt quite differently there if you'd arrived earlier and been stopped in the ASL for a little bit before the lights changed, and then the taxi overtook and left hooked you.

 

[cycleoptic]

How was I meant to know the lights were to change?

I was entering the ASL legally using the left cycle lane.

If you look at the lights opposite I was well within the ASL BEFORE the lights went green.

So he was behind me at that time, he overtook me then tried to turn left!!!! His excuse "I was indicating"

 

[ianrauk]

To be fair though, you did undertake him as the lights changed. Yes, he should have looked, but I would have been more cautious there. I'd have felt quite differently there if you'd arrived earlier and been stopped in the ASL for a little bit before the lights changed, and then the taxi overtook and left hooked you.

I agree. The taxi was indicating and the cyclist was going straight on. Wrong move by the cyclist imo.
I wouldn't have chanced going up there not knowing the lights could have changed any second but would have stopped just behind the taxi and let the car behind knowing I was going straight on.

 

[SportMonkey]

Even worse, that Mercedes Vito is tailgating the lorry around the corner, if the cyclist hadn't reacted well it would have been very bad.

 

[BentMikey]

How was I meant to know the lights were to change?
I was entering the ASL legally using the left cycle lane.
If you look at the lights opposite I was well within the ASL BEFORE the lights went green.
So he was behind me at that time, he overtook me then tried to turn left!!!! His excuse "I was indicating"

I think if that's on my regular commute, I'd probably know enough about the light cycle to make a reasonable guess. I also look ahead to lights, and use the information there to anticipate when it might change even when I don't know the particular light cycle.

Did you not think it was a bit risky to squeeze past those vehicles so close to the kerb and to them when they might be moving off at any minute? I might well have held back in that situation, and stayed in primary (centre of lane) through the junction.

I think the light changed to green as you just got into the ASL and into the likely area where you would have been visible. The lights went red-orange roughly when your front wheel was level with the front of the taxi. I empathise, as I have a bad habit of filtering a bit too far sometimes too.

 

[SportMonkey]

I think if that's on my regular commute, I'd probably know enough about the light cycle to make a reasonable guess. I also look ahead to lights, and use the information there to anticipate when it might change even when I don't know the particular light cycle.

Did you not think it was a bit risky to squeeze past those vehicles so close to the kerb and to them when they might be moving off at any minute? I might well have held back in that situation, and stayed in primary (centre of lane) through the junction.

I think the light changed to green as you just got into the ASL and into the likely area where you would have been visible. The lights went red-orange roughly when your front wheel was level with the front of the taxi. I empathise, as I have a bad habit of filtering a bit too far sometimes too.

The thing I note is the cycle lane is on a left turn only carriageway. I'd advise against using it unless turning left. I'm not a fan of cycle paths.

Regardless of the direction of the first carriage way I'd have not filtered along the curb, but between the first two lanes of traffic. That way you greater avoid the loss of a left hook, and by the looks of it get more space.

 

[BentMikey]

Well, I don't know that location, and I don't mean to be harsh on Cycleoptic. If I'd been riding in Cycleoptic's shoes, I might well have made the same choices.

 

[MrJamie]

Well, I don't know that location, and I don't mean to be harsh on Cycleoptic. If I'd been riding in Cycleoptic's shoes, I might well have made the same choices.

I tend to watch these videos with a view to "how can I avoid this happening to me" and came to a similar conlusion. If he had got right in front of the Taxi to take primary from the ASL or on seeing the indicator squeezed into the traffic flow behind said taxi it could have perhaps been avoided, but its so much easier to cycle with hindsight when you know whats going to happen.

These cycle lanes encouraging people to undertake at junctions rather than join the traffic flow seem to be the issue, essentially setting someone up to undertake cars turning left. The CS7 lane in Gaz's video did pretty much the same thing, lumps you into a junction in potentially a stupid road position. My issue with it is that while this girl was clearly a capable cyclist and I have no doubt Cycleoptic is too, there cant be much hope for newbies who dont know about riding assertively when you have to second guess poor cycle facilities at junctions, as well as watching out for poor driving and driver error.

 

[fossyant]

I agree. The taxi was indicating and the cyclist was going straight on. Wrong move by the cyclist imo.
I wouldn't have chanced going up there not knowing the lights could have changed any second but would have stopped just behind the taxi and let the car behind knowing I was going straight on.

I am afraid I'd also agree - poor cycling, especially the filtering in tiny gaps.

 

[400bhp]

I agree. The taxi was indicating and the cyclist was going straight on. Wrong move by the cyclist imo.
I wouldn't have chanced going up there not knowing the lights could have changed any second but would have stopped just behind the taxi and let the car behind knowing I was going straight on.

Yup-or positioned myself dead centre in front of the taxi (if and only if I was certain the lights wouldn't change as I approached the stop line).

 

[MissTillyFlop]

How was I meant to know the lights were to change?

You weren't, so you err on the side of caution and keep behind.

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

You don't always need to filter to the front (IMHO) sometimes it's safer not to,but as Magnatom once said,hindsight is a wonderful thing.