Police training and riding primary

[summerdays]

I don't think the risk of being doored is that low... I think it would take all my fingers and most of my toes to count the number of times that someone has been opening a door as I'm about to go past and I've swerved or pulled on the brakes or glared at them. If I cycled closer to the door or my reactions were slower I suspect I would have been doored by now. I am not suggesting that we should cycle in the door zone but that sometimes it is hard to avoid it. And I would recommend cyclists to avoid it.

 

[bigtrike]

If a door is opened there is only chance on your side,
1 are you far enough away to swerve( into oncomming trafic?)
2 not far enough away to react at all , be knocked into road( squashed by following or will they stop in time?)
I'm not much of a gambler so I avoid door zones and undertaking HGV's , but its your life if you want to.

 

[Matthames]

In mind driving they have a model of risk.

Risk=(Speed X Surprise)/Space X (Objects X Impact Speed)

The closer you ride to a parked car the less space you have and the higher chance of surprise you have. To offset that you would then have to adjust your speed. I will only get near car doors if I know I going slow enough to stop instantaneously.

If I am doing 20mph past rows of parked cars, I will be avoiding the door zone and not be worrying about holding up traffic. The road conditions are not favourable for traffic to be going at the speed limit in these circumstances.

 

[Vikeonabike]

Fascinating. Must take some skill handling the recoil. And as for difficulty to get an accurate shot while moving, balancing ... the possible 'collateral' damage would seem frightening!

I think they would be stationary when shooting

Cycle to shoot.

 

[gbb]

Of course there is an important factor in my riding position thats not been stated.
Parked cars to my left, 3 to 4 ft wide cycle lane, traffic to my right. I'm in the door zone normally but usually to the right of the cycle lane. Still in the door zone, but not that close to the parked cars. Usually about 3ft away. That gives you some time to react.
There's riding in the door zone...and there's riding perilously close to parked cars. I dont do that

Still...i prefer to take that infintessimal risk (based on my experiences), rather than ride for mile after mile in the traffic...where 99% of drivers will not understand why i'm there anyway, and you'll get into far more regular problems with the traffic (based on my experiences)

We often have these disagreements. I know my style is not neccessarily the absolutely correct or even one you should encourage, but its my experience, which is as relevent as anyone elses.

52 years old, say 40 years cycling, 12 years or so serious cycling, many thousands of miles covered...not once have i been ever knocked off, had an actual accident or been doored. Although i ride fast I am very observant and therefor must be doing something right.

It'll happen one day perhaps but i consider the risk of my style to be preferable to the risk of mixing it with traffic any more than i have to. ...which i always enjoy anyway

 

[soulful dog]

I think it's complete madness to cycle within the door zone and try to rely on your observation. Just don't ride in the door zone unless you're doing 5mph or less.

You are of course right, but on a busy road when cars can't really safely pass you because the other side of the road is also busy, I can't help but feel a bit guilty as I plod along at 12mph and I find myself edging in closer to the parked cars, but more of a concern is that someone will try to squeeze past you anyway. Someone did that to me last week despite me moving into a primary position when I spotted some cones in the middle of the road, as a result they came pretty close to knocking me off the bike

thomas, post#3, makes a very good point. If PCs and PCSOs practiced primary they would be setting a good example to other riders and drivers alike.

The only time I've really noticed anything about the police on bikes is when I've spotted them riding two abreast along a fairly busy road. I didn't think that was good practice and more likely just to annoy other road users?

 

[BentMikey]

You are of course right, but on a busy road when cars can't really safely pass you because the other side of the road is also busy, I can't help but feel a bit guilty as I plod along at 12mph and I find myself edging in closer to the parked cars, but more of a concern is that someone will try to squeeze past you anyway. Someone did that to me last week despite me moving into a primary position when I spotted some cones in the middle of the road, as a result they came pretty close to knocking me off the bike

Yeah, have to agree with you on the feel guilty bit. A good way to dispell that is to assert your space, but then every now and then when there's a gap in the parked cars and a queue behind, pull in and let them past. The wave of good karma and thankfullness you can feel is awesome!!

Usually when someone pushes past I've not been as assertive as I should have been, not that that excuses the idiot driver.

 

[GFamily]

lol. Surely she should realise that if she rode correctly, more motorists would respect other cyclists for doing so too...she's in Uniform, so anyone who starts beeping or whatever is a muppet.

If only! - A couple of weeks ago I saw a couple of Manchester's 'finest*' do a RLJ, then ride up onto the pavement and off again.

*well, I say finest; they were a couple of their cycle mounted council parking officers.

If they show such disrespect for their uniform, I don't see that we should give any respect in return.

I suppose I could have reported the observation to the council, and I may well do so still.