Tales from today's commute....

[wafter]

Cold and tired leaving work last night so aimed for a shortish ride home; however after a few miles I'd warmed up so pushed the ride out along the usual routes for maybe 16 miles total. No shopping or other exercise though; and plenty of idiots..

I wasn't looking forward to this morning's ride after waking a full 2.5hrs earlier than necessary and spending that time dwelling on various potential catastrophies.. Despite being reluctant to get out of bed I left on time and had a pretty swift journey in - perhaps thanks to last night's carb-tastic baked spud and fruit / yoghurt dessert.

Having spent a good chunk of the early morning dreading the ride in, as usual it felt great to get out - both intrinsically and because of the knowledge I'd managed to push past my apprehensions to do something that's of benefit in many ways.

The forecast said 10 degrees apparently and did OK without gloves, however did don my dickhead hat to keep the wind chill off my slaphead.

Once more it was pretty murky and the sky over the city pretty dark and forboding, but the rain held off.

Sausages were sublime and I'd made such good time that I pushed the ride out a little longer to add a couple of miles; arriving at work just on time

 

[roubaixtuesday]

USE YOUR INDICATORS FFS!!

No danger, just frustration as, particularly but by no means only on roundabouts, motorists either don't indicate, or indicate mid - manoeuvre. In a car you can guess and rely on them to stop before they hit you, but on a bike this means you have to stop on the assumption they've not seen you and will drive through you.

 

[ianrauk]

USE YOUR INDICATORS FFS!!

No danger, just frustration as, particularly but by no means only on roundabouts, motorists either don't indicate, or indicate mid - manoeuvre. In a car you can guess and rely on them to stop before they hit you, but on a bike this means you have to stop on the assumption they've not seen you and will drive through you.

Its becoming all too common these days. Lazy drivers.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Its becoming all too common these days. Lazy drivers.

Am convinced it's getting much worse. Though it could be that I'm just rapidly becoming an old curmudgeon.

 

[wafter]

Am convinced it's getting much worse. Though it could be that I'm just rapidly becoming an old curmudgeon.

I think most aspects of society / humanity are are objectively and measurably getting worse tbh.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

I think most aspects of society / humanity are are objectively and measurably getting worse tbh.

Strong disagree! But for a different thread.

 

[captain nemo1701]

Coming down the Railway Path in the dark this morning, saw three guys changing a road bike tire....two holding torches so the third could see what he's doing. Gawd....just move the blasted thing to under the streetlight which is about 10 yards away. Mysteriously, you may find it a bit easier.....

 

[cyberknight]

Coming down the Railway Path in the dark this morning, saw three guys changing a road bike tire....two holding torches so the third could see what he's doing. Gawd....just move the blasted thing to under the streetlight which is about 10 yards away. Mysteriously, you may find it a bit easier.....

Can't beat changing a flat by bike light at 1am when it's pissing it down

 

[katiewlx]

I'm genuinely sorry you feel that way.
I've been commuting the mean streets of SE London for the past 20 years and yes have had many poor interactions with motorists, even a couple of bad collisions, one of which has had ongoing problems 13 years later. But even including those in the amount of daily cycling commutes, it equates to very little.
But, as they say, everyone is different. One person's close pass may not necessarily be one of mine.

if it was only the one Id be a lot happier with it its just the sheer constancy of it that bugs me most.

I suspect in London now, cyclists, whilst you may still get poor interactions still, are alot more accepted as part of everyday traffic on the roads. Whereas out here in the sticks, it feels like we're still fighting to be recognised as legitimate or valid road users, most of my poor interactions arent necessarily of drivers not seeing me, pulling out on me or stuff like that, its their already in perma road rage mode before they encounter me, and then the way they pass me is almost like punishment passes most of the time for daring to be in the way for a few seconds.

had one tonight and this one is quite a common occurence, Im approaching a roundabout in a cycle lane, which of course disappears and merges into traffic just as you get to the roundabout

theres a car ahead of me slowing,with traffic on the roundabout, which Im aiming to merge behind and then sit in prime through the roundabout as Im going straight on, obviously we're all going to have to stop, and yet I look to my right as Im merging and Ive got a car trying to overtake me, their front wing is getting quite close and personal with my panniers, clearly so they can sit behind that car in front instead and is obviously trying to squeeze me back on to the kerb out of their why

Why for what gain ? theyve got to stop, they clearly can see me, lit up like a christmas tree, I havent just appeared, and I cant suddenly vanish, and all they had to do was ease off the accelerator read the road ahead and we're all good right, why the need not to give me the space there.

I hold my ground refuse to back off and make it into the gap behind the car who was infront to begin with who had now stopped, and we get through the roundabout as the traffic clears after 10secs

but Im already expecting the next bit to come, that driver who I dared refuse to concede road space too is annoyed by the little woman cyclist arent they, so we all know Im getting a close pass back as payback for that, and lo and behold as the cycle lane comes back on the road again and we get into a left curve, they come steaming past with a fairly close pass, but then chop across in front of me, just so I get the message.

and I get treated like that by drivers nearly every day.

 

[Arjimlad]

if it was only the one Id be a lot happier with it its just the sheer constancy of it that bugs me most.

I suspect in London now, cyclists, whilst you may still get poor interactions still, are alot more accepted as part of everyday traffic on the roads. Whereas out here in the sticks, it feels like we're still fighting to be recognised as legitimate or valid road users, most of my poor interactions arent necessarily of drivers not seeing me, pulling out on me or stuff like that, its their already in perma road rage mode before they encounter me, and then the way they pass me is almost like punishment passes most of the time for daring to be in the way for a few seconds.

had one tonight and this one is quite a common occurence, Im approaching a roundabout in a cycle lane, which of course disappears and merges into traffic just as you get to the roundabout

theres a car ahead of me slowing,with traffic on the roundabout, which Im aiming to merge behind and then sit in prime through the roundabout as Im going straight on, obviously we're all going to have to stop, and yet I look to my right as Im merging and Ive got a car trying to overtake me, their front wing is getting quite close and personal with my panniers, clearly so they can sit behind that car in front instead and is obviously trying to squeeze me back on to the kerb out of their why

Why for what gain ? theyve got to stop, they clearly can see me, lit up like a christmas tree, I havent just appeared, and I cant suddenly vanish, and all they had to do was ease off the accelerator read the road ahead and we're all good right, why the need not to give me the space there.

I hold my ground refuse to back off and make it into the gap behind the car who was infront to begin with who had now stopped, and we get through the roundabout as the traffic clears after 10secs

but Im already expecting the next bit to come, that driver who I dared refuse to concede road space too is annoyed by the little woman cyclist arent they, so we all know Im getting a close pass back as payback for that, and lo and behold as the cycle lane comes back on the road again and we get into a left curve, they come steaming past with a fairly close pass, but then chop across in front of me, just so I get the message.

and I get treated like that by drivers nearly every day.

You need cameras, unless you're in Scotland... they do help.

 

[blackrat]

You need cameras, unless you're in Scotland... they do help.

But do they? Do the police always go after the miscreant? And in the meantime cyclists like katie have to put up with the hassle and danger whenever she gets out on the road. Do cameras really stop the sh*ts; if a driver sees a cyclist has a camera will they stop their ignorant behaviour?
A brute will hesitate to attack another bloke of that bloke looks very capable of emptying the other blokes insides, and countries will not attack another if the other country has bigger weapons, so how does a smaller person - or woman - defend herself out on the roads or anywhere else in this society? With a camera?!

 

[Arjimlad]

But do they? Do the police always go after the miscreant? And in the meantime cyclists like katie have to put up with the hassle and danger whenever she gets out on the road. Do cameras really stop the sh*ts; if a driver sees a cyclist has a camera will they stop their ignorant behaviour?
A brute will hesitate to attack another bloke of that bloke looks very capable of emptying the other blokes insides, and countries will not attack another if the other country has bigger weapons, so how does a smaller person - or woman - defend herself out on the roads or anywhere else in this society? With a camera?!

Word gets round. And I do see drivers improve their overtaking after a report. Plus it gives me some satisfaction that their actions have consequences. Avon & Somerset do take action. Worth trying .. maybe a Passpixi to start with.

 

[katiewlx]

You need cameras, unless you're in Scotland... they do help.

Ive not done a ride on a bike in the UK since about 2016 without cameras, because I feel I have to have that backup thesedays, Im actually running out of storage space for all the really bad passes Ive kept since then,as its over 2 terabytes of video in that time, average video size about 500mb which is nearly 4000 videos, which I should just dump, especially as the police arent even interested anymore unless anyone drives into me

also I do use a pass pixi, clearly its too low down on my panniers because it really makes no difference most of the time, at least to those who arent actually looking anyway, so maybe I need to put it on my back as a target or something.

 

[ianrauk]

The mornings are getting darker. At least until the clocks go back at the end of the month.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Ive not done a ride on a bike in the UK since about 2016 without cameras, because I feel I have to have that backup thesedays, Im actually running out of storage space for all the really bad passes Ive kept since then,as its over 2 terabytes of video in that time, average video size about 500mb which is nearly 4000 videos, which I should just dump, especially as the police arent even interested anymore unless anyone drives into me

also I do use a pass pixi, clearly its too low down on my panniers because it really makes no difference most of the time, at least to those who arent actually looking anyway, so maybe I need to put it on my back as a target or something.

Am guessing from your user name you're female? Sadly, women seem to attract a lot more of this than men, alas.

Don't let the bastards grind you down!