Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
The only sensible way to mitigate it is keeping cyclists completely separated from motor traffic with inexpensive infrastructure (all things relative). In the mean time we are forced to ride with extreme caution and expect everyone hasn't seen you
Tell me about it. sheesh.Have a cycling mishap and everyone crawls out the woodwork to discourage you from riding.
Someone gets decapitated in a car accident and everyone drives their own cars to the funeral without giving it a second thought.
It must be very stressful riding everywhere with "extreme caution all the time". Doesn't it shorten your life compared to the blissed-out riders rolling along the motor-free cycleways? And moreover, you're already probably mentally exhausted before you reach a junction where you really need to pay attention, whereas a cycleway rider still feels fresh because they've not had to live with the "fear from the rear" for miles.Separation doesn't eliminate the risk of crashes, it just gives a false sense of security and encourages inattentiveness. Anyone riding a bike should be exercising extreme caution all the time there is anyone/anything in the vicinity that you could have a coming together with.
It is, however, much rarer for a pedestrian, dog, cyclist or plant to hit you so hard that you die, or to then continue to mash you into the ground, or drag you along the road like a rag doll, so it does rather matter what you come into contact with!Doesn't matter if it's a motor vehicle, a pedestrian, a dog, another cyclist or something like an overhanging branch or a bit of bush sticking out into the path you are on. If you come into contact with any of them, they can have you off the bike and dump you straight on the ground.
The main drawback with most British cycleways is recognising the junctions and the best ways to use them, because government here seems awful at marking them clearly or giving riders a cycle-friendly approach to the junction even though it's a farking cycleway!
I'd forgottan about that: these days I take it for granted I have right of way crossing side roads when on a cycleway
I'm not sure how a radar light works any better than a regular LED light. I ride mostly in bike lanes and bike paths. There's nothing that will stop an inattentive driver from rear ending you except that driver or your not being there. My point is it seems like a lot of tech for little return. It probably gives a false sense of mind. I use LED lights on my bike for early morning rides with less traffic. There are many miles outside the city where i share the road with traffic. A lot of the time there is no bike lane or path just the edge of the road. Vast majority of traffic are courteous. Having mirror on my helmet is far more useful than a Garmin display. I'm not in constant fear of being hit.Time can play a big factor, I prep all my stuff the night before, set the alarm for 5am fuel up, and head out and I see very little traffic, this time of year you get fantastic sun rises as a bonus.
Also if the wife is stressing like mine was she got me my strava prem for the tracking, and she knew I would like the other bonus items, she also got me a radar rear light last Chritmas which I love as a solo rider and can't recommend enough.
I use roads, but the way it works is the headunit beeps if the radar picks something up, if they are going fast the screen flashes red, at this point you know you have a potential douche bag incoming, also a dot appears on the screen showing distance to you.I'm not sure how a radar light works any better than a regular LED light. I ride mostly in bike lanes and bike paths. There's nothing that will stop an inattentive driver from rear ending you except that driver or your not being there. My point is it seems like a lot of tech for little return. It probably gives a false sense of mind. I use LED lights on my bike for early morning rides with less traffic. There are many miles outside the city where i share the road with traffic. A lot of the time there is no bike lane or path just the edge of the road. Vast majority of traffic are courteous. Having mirror on my helmet is far more useful than a Garmin display. I'm not in constant fear of being hit.