My observations driving through London last night

[endoman]

I did a guided bike tour through Paris at night, no lights but a high vis vest. We were told to hunt like a pack and take over the road. Quite good fun, but now I know a bit more, a bit anarchic. Was a good tour though, Fat tire bike tours. Did same in Barcelona this time last year, also v good, glad we had the guide as cars everywhere.

 

[Tynan]

I think I ride well in London, I've certainly done plenty, erm yes to ears but I always check my shoulder when moving in any direction, cars can be very quiet when the foot is off the pedal in otherwise noisy traffic, and a look behind you is a powerful signal to a car that is actually aware of you

lights for me every time, I've nearly run into unlit bikes, not all of London is well lit, even on a main road you can hit a darl path with tress or be dazzled by headlights, I'm suprised that anyone makes an argument for no lights, they're so bloody cheap these days, anything that gets you seen, helps other people judge your speed and indeed what you are has to help

taking the road is all well and good but in london traffic with buses and hgvs?

busted my long practiced zen today, two bellows of obscenities at drivers starting on me for a mild head shake at shocking driving and daring to not let someoneturn left from the lane to my right, oh and some fixie pixies there were a bloody menace with no spatial awareness whatsoever

 

[Red Light]

I think I ride well in London, I've certainly done plenty, erm yes to ears but I always check my shoulder when moving in any direction, cars can be very quiet when the foot is off the pedal in otherwise noisy traffic, and a look behind you is a powerful signal to a car that is actually aware of you

I agree with the poster ^ that the traffic in front is more important. You can see in peripheral vision if a car is alongside you and that apart, provided you drift across lanes, rather than switch lanes quickly, it gives the drivers behind plenty of time to work out what you are doing and adjust. Other vehicles do it to them all the time so provided you behave the same as the other vehicles, they know how to react.

 

[Tynan]

really?

even in heavy traffic something can be moving much faster through gaps, never mind scooters, motorbikes and heaven forbid someone faster ona bike

lately I do more shoulder checks than ever becasue of the sudden surge of (stupid) cyclists and I'm constantly impressed by how much stuff is just behind holding off in case you move right a bit

 

[Tommi]

I think I ride well in London, I've certainly done plenty, erm yes to ears but I always check my shoulder when moving in any direction, cars can be very quiet when the foot is off the pedal in otherwise noisy traffic, and a look behind you is a powerful signal to a car that is actually aware of you

When I'm going straight on I don't usually look behind me, only if I see something in the corner of my eye or hear something to warrant it. The most I generally turn my head is to keep a closer eye on junctions, just in case. But when I'm making - or planning to make - any kind of significant deviation from straight line, say a quarter of lane width, I find myself psychologically conditioned to be incapable of changing course without looking over my shoulder first. It has kept me from crashing with vehicles making ridiculously close passes. Can't quite decide whether many people I see on the roads should be envied for their good faith towards other road users, or be considered for suicide watch.

 

[slowmotion]

London streets are well lit. Lights really aren't that necessary to be seen. Illegal yes and they should be using lights but not really an impediment to being seen.

Not quite true, IMVHO.

Drive down the Chelsea Embankment on a wet and windy winter night at 25 mph. The road looks like a mirror and reflects on-coming headlights. Hipster, no lights, and camo jacket is entirely invisible riding the white line against a blaze of headlights.

Scary. Lucky hipster though. He was still alive when I saw him in the mirror.

 

[Tynan]

a camo jacket designed to break up his outline and shape yeah?

just to be clear

hip indeed

 

[Alien8]

Having not been to that-there-london for a number of years we went down for a couple of days at the start of the week.

The one thing that impressed me was the number of people using Boris bikes.

Nice.

 

[slowmotion]

Having not been to that-there-london for a number of years we went down for a couple of days at the start of the week.

The one thing that impressed me was the number of people using Boris bikes.

Nice.

Yes, that's great. A month ago, I got the impression that it was mainly tourists from abroad who used them. With a bit of sunshine today, the locals seem to have followed, and they will remember the fun. BBs could really take off in fine weather.

 

[JamesAC]

I agree with most of your points bar this one. With all the light pollution in London and the sheer amount of stuff going on, it's a personal bug-bear o mine that cyclists don't illuminate themselves. If you're on an un-lit bike wearing dark colours you're quite invisible to other road users.

+1

I was driving along the Romford Road last night, through Stratford. I only just saw, at the last moment, several cyclists who were a) wearing dark clothing and b) had no lights or reflectors.

 

[slowmotion]

+1

I was driving along the Romford Road last night, through Stratford. I only just saw, at the last moment, several cyclists who were a) wearing dark clothing and b) had no lights or reflectors.

Yep. It's scary, and they are bloody stupid.

 

[screenman]

I wonder why in the motorcycle world that the look over the shoulder is called the LIFE SAVER! It was banged into me whilst learning and on every consecutive advanced lesson afterwards.

As for no lights needed in London, serious death wish going on there. Anyone who depends on ears alone to know what is behind them either cycles in a totally wind free place at extremely slow speeds and only has V8 growlers behind them.

 

[Red Light]

I wonder why in the motorcycle world that the look over the shoulder is called the LIFE SAVER! It was banged into me whilst learning and on every consecutive advanced lesson afterwards.

Generally that's right but in London its somewhat different because, as said earlier, the life saver looks are more likely to be in front of you and most London drivers have to be very alert to what is going on around them to get anywhere.

As for no lights needed in London, serious death wish going on there.

Don't misunderstand me, I think people should use lights when its dark BUT there is no evidence of an excess death and serious injury rate after dark despite all the unlit cyclists that I could find tending to indicate that, as with other aspects of cycling, the death wish perception is unfounded. In the London cycling accident stats, in the causes attributed to the cyclist, not having lights at night or in poor visibility was recorded 1% of the time versus failed to look properly at 29%

Anyone who depends on ears alone to know what is behind them either cycles in a totally wind free place at extremely slow speeds and only has V8 growlers behind them.

Its quite easy to hear the tyre sounds of even the electric cars in London and the biggest risk - motorcyclists and mopeds - are very definitely audible. My comments are restricted to London cycling exclusively by the way. Elsewhere I use the lifesaver a lot.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

That's interesting. My commute is pretty much all rural A road, between Gloucester and Ross on Wye. While I certainly have a look behind me before making any big manoevres, I'd say I tend to use my hearing far more than I do in an urban environment. Or at least I find it more useful than in town, since any traffic behind me is not masked by a high level of general traffic noise all around.

 

[Red Light]

That's interesting. My commute is pretty much all rural A road, between Gloucester and Ross on Wye. While I certainly have a look behind me before making any big manoevres, I'd say I tend to use my hearing far more than I do in an urban environment. Or at least I find it more useful than in town, since any traffic behind me is not masked by a high level of general traffic noise all around.

On a rural A road I would look behind too but if you look at the manoeuvres that caused serious injury accidents in London, cyclist moving into the path of a car* is 2%. Car turning right across your path is 11%, car door being opened is 9%, car fails to give way at junction 7%, car turns left across cyclist 7%..... the danger is all in front of you, not behind you


*shorthand for motor vehicle