Tales from today's commute....

[Mazz]

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.

Sorry to hear this, it's very sad. I get the occasional racist abuse from drivers on top of general anti-cyclist abuse.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I imagine it must be a lot worse if you're a female cyclist, getting bullied because of misogyny and sexism.

 

[Thorn Sherpa]

Fairly warm commute this morning not a drop of the wet stuff. 5 minute shower heading home but was dry by the time I reached the house, happy days!

 

[katiewlx]

Sorry to hear this, it's very sad. I get the occasional racist abuse from drivers on top of general anti-cyclist abuse.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I imagine it must be a lot worse if you're a female cyclist, getting bullied because of misogyny and sexism.

I wouldnt want to lay claim its a better or worse experience than anyone elses experiences, we all encounter varying degrees of prejudice & abuse in our lives to some extent,and Im sure there are others who have it worse than me, I simply look at my bike commuting experiences to be not terribly positive for most of the time, though I must still get something out of it as else I wouldnt still be doing it after all these years. But you know after a week of being put through the meat grinder with it sometimes as I call it, it does take its toll.

obviously most of the abuse, which is fortunately rare but does happen occasionally, is always from the sexist/misogyny angle, but when someones just close passing you like an idiot, I dont think you register to them as anything but just a cyclist, they dont pick on me particularly because they see a middle age woman riding a bike, theyre just not thinking conciously about that aspect, if theyre even thinking at all, youre just something thats in their way and their perma road rage state almost blinds them to the fact youre a human being too. Which is where that more than a cyclist campaign comes from.

 

[katiewlx]

yep that was a wet one, at first it seemed like just a bit of drizzle which is what I thought the forecast had said, but it was full on before I was halfway which is not what Id expected yet probably would have spotted with the revised morning forecast, and my glasses were steaming up due to boil in the bag wet weather jacket, which seems to have shrunk somehow since I last used it as it no longer covers all my lower back, add in a mix of the usual idiots on the road 🙄

then spent most of the day checking the realtime forecast to pick a gap to ride home in, only to find my kit which had been left in the work room with the heater to dry out, actually was still damp for the ride home,so even though I missed most of the rain, still wet.

plus and I havent had this happen for ages,but couple of riders who just wouldnt quit on the re-overtakes, like we were playing some weird cyclist Madison style tag. I was faster on the open sections, but theyd catch me up at junctions or traffic lights or bits on shared paths where I wasnt prepared to bust in front of people walking, and then jump ahead of me, but then Im catching them up again passing them again, and repeat, happened like 3 or 4 times, was beginning to get a bit fed up of it if Im honest, and neither of them had working back lights either, and it was proper dark ride home tonight, and your seeing drivers react at the last second to them.

 

[markharry66]

Back on the bike probably one of the last trips out on the road bike as winter sets in will be flat bar going forward. Nice dark ride in not long before clocks go back at least it will be a bit lighter. Must be half term road works out in full force is this morning, as usual council are doing their best to P*ss everyone off upper wickham lane shut off this morning with crappy diversion down small side road with traffic parked up either side no thanks got off and walked to next junction, glad didnt bring car into work as would have been usual gridlock. Despite it slight rain supringsingly mild next week due to colde.

 

[markharry66]

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

Yeah you can chainging the bas** in the snow with frozen fingers

 

[ianrauk]

Rain for the commute 2 days in a row. Yesterdays was a short, sharp, short, heavy shower for about 10 minutes. Today's was more of a drizzle 10 minutes from work. But wet never the less.
Trains all buggered too this morning so station was rammed. Luckily I hop on the stopping service to Bromley whilst most other commuters get the fast through trains to London, so still managed to get the bike space and seat.

Rainy commute #22 for the year
Same period last year 29 rainy commutes.

 

[ianrauk]

then spent most of the day checking the realtime forecast to pick a gap to ride home in, only to find my kit which had been left in the work room with the heater to dry out, actually was still damp for the ride home,so even though I missed most of the rain, still wet.

I bloody hate that. I have to use an old radiator at work to dry my gear. A while back I but all the gear on to dry, then forgot to turn it on. That was a nice damp ride home.

plus and I havent had this happen for ages,but couple of riders who just wouldnt quit on the re-overtakes, like we were playing some weird cyclist Madison style tag. I was faster on the open sections, but theyd catch me up at junctions or traffic lights or bits on shared paths where I wasnt prepared to bust in front of people walking, and then jump ahead of me, but then Im catching them up again passing them again, and repeat, happened like 3 or 4 times, was beginning to get a bit fed up of it if Im honest, and neither of them had working back lights either, and it was proper dark ride home tonight, and your seeing drivers react at the last second to them.

I come across this a lot. Cyclists jumping past at lights or coming round and sitting in front of you at lights then me having to overtake again and again. I was once called a w@nker by another grumpy cyclist because I kept over taking him after he kept jumping lights. Ho Hum.

 

[wafter]

Yesterday I yielded to the biblical rains, forsaked the sausages, had breakfast at home and took the most direct route to work; arriving manageably damp thanks to the waterproofs. The return leg was short as well as I had to be home for an appointment...

Today saw a return to the norm; feeling great for getting out amongst it on a mild and only slightly drizzly morning

 

[spen666]

A short pleasant ride this morning - short owing to lack of time
Pleasant because of the weather and also the traffic was less aggressive than usual.

i had to laugh as anti cyclist rabble rouser was doing a phone in on LBC on Sunday about how cyclists were the cause of all serious injuries / deaths by going through read lights and encouraging the hatred of cyclists by the listeners ( OK, maybe a slight exaggeration- maybe not).
The number of motorists I saw today going through not changing lights, but long changed to red seems to be ignored by those presenters and the callers. Obviously in their car its justified to go through a red light. Its the highway authorities fault for having red lights there anyway ( ok rant over)

 

[fritz katzenjammer]

Made the run up to the grocer’s early today, I had a choice between early and a cool 5C or later, warmer and pissing rain.

this stupid thing is so nice to ride I got home before I realized I’d never had the motor on.

I guess the important thing is that the car didn’t get its motor turned on either.

 

[blackrat]

I wouldnt want to lay claim its a better or worse experience than anyone elses experiences, we all encounter varying degrees of prejudice & abuse in our lives to some extent,and Im sure there are others who have it worse than me, I simply look at my bike commuting experiences to be not terribly positive for most of the time, though I must still get something out of it as else I wouldnt still be doing it after all these years. But you know after a week of being put through the meat grinder with it sometimes as I call it, it does take its toll.

obviously most of the abuse, which is fortunately rare but does happen occasionally, is always from the sexist/misogyny angle, but when someones just close passing you like an idiot, I dont think you register to them as anything but just a cyclist, they dont pick on me particularly because they see a middle age woman riding a bike, theyre just not thinking conciously about that aspect, if theyre even thinking at all, youre just something thats in their way and their perma road rage state almost blinds them to the fact youre a human being too. Which is where that more than a cyclist campaign comes from.

People are exhibiting a great deal of anger now, the cause of which we are unable to address or rectify - and much of it is related to the political disaster descending on both our countries, and such that people are unable to stop that rot and just want to take their anger out on someone they can see, which on the road, is cyclists. It's probably not personal, but it's not nice anyway. It never cease's to amaze how humans react to stress by seeking out weaker members of society to exhibit that anger.

 

[cyberknight]

As i need to get home asap i come across a farmer cutting the hedgerows , of course i get a spine that was long enough to go through the tyre and touch the rim with the rest of the twig still attached .

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Let's just call that an excellent way to test my new jacket, and move on.

 

[markharry66]

Nice quiet ride in yesterday today a different day full of twonks, turning right at a traffic light car ignored me and attempted to plough through, this was then followed buy idiots over taking at traffic islands. Will have to go yet another route into work as there are width restriction down bottom of the road and god like genius over took before them then proceed to struggle through width restrictions in his shiny new car, All can be summed up as W**Ker Wednesday its a new communing term and seems to sum up the experience to a t.