What hope is there for cyclists?

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snorri

Legendary Member
NigC said:
Ah forget it. I just thought you guys might be interested in making it a little safer for future cyclists by highlighting the dangers we face. But clearly you're all just interested in bitching about how you've been wronged by motons. That's fine by me, have a safe journey in your own little personal worlds :laugh:

That's a bit rich coming from you.:rofl:

The last line in Post 1 and the last paragraph in Post 26 would suggest to most of us that you are the one not interested in making an effort to improve conditions for cyclists.
 
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NigC

New Member
Location
Surrey
snorri said:
That's a bit rich coming from you.:rofl:

The last line in Post 1 and the last paragraph in Post 26 would suggest to most of us that you are the one not interested in making an effort to improve conditions for cyclists.

I'm not, I thought, just maybe, there'd be some interest from somebody who IS willing to do something and I'd get behind them. Like I said, I'm a backseat driver. Besides, I'm not that experienced a cyclist.

I just didn't realise how self-centred a lot of you people are. This forum is full of expert cyclists who have a vast amount of knowledge and experience when it comes to dealing with everyday situations while commuting. But instead of putting in some effort to help, most of that effort goes towards complaining.

I should have known this would go nowhere when I suggested making some useful tips for would-be cycle-commuters. Only a very small number actually bothered to reply at all, and an even smaller number actually gave something useful.

They say a little knowledge is a wonderful thing (or something like that) and I have mine now. So from now on, I'll just stick to complaining about the incidents I suffer on my journey and offering my sympathies to others.
 

BentMikey

Rider of Seolferwulf
Location
South London
That's surely a little unkind.

What about all the advice sharing done on here?
What about all the positive emails and letters sent to companies on their drivers' excellent behaviour?
What about all the helmet cam incidents where people make the effort to report stuff. It's not like we do this for any benefit to ourselves, as it's only likely to help future cyclists that driver encounters.
 
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OP
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NigC

New Member
Location
Surrey
BentMikey said:
That's surely a little unkind.

What about all the advice sharing done on here?
What about all the positive emails and letters sent to companies on their drivers' excellent behaviour?
What about all the helmet cam incidents where people make the effort to report stuff. It's not like we do this for any benefit to ourselves, as it's only likely to help future cyclists that driver encounters.

I know, there's some good stuff too :laugh:

Sorry, I'm a little grouchy today and comments like "we're all dooooomed" really haven't helped my mood :rofl: Maybe tomorrow will be better :smile:
 

BentMikey

Rider of Seolferwulf
Location
South London
You see, I don't think cycling is particularly dangerous at all, not by the standards of other daily activities. Sure, it can be improved, but London is a cycling paradise, IMO. The huge mass of cyclists is having a big effect on safety for us all.
 

dondare

Über Member
Location
London
NigC said:
I'm not, I thought, just maybe, there'd be some interest from somebody who IS willing to do something and I'd get behind them. Like I said, I'm a backseat driver. Besides, I'm not that experienced a cyclist.

I just didn't realise how self-centred a lot of you people are. This forum is full of expert cyclists who have a vast amount of knowledge and experience when it comes to dealing with everyday situations while commuting. But instead of putting in some effort to help, most of that effort goes towards complaining.

I should have known this would go nowhere when I suggested making some useful tips for would-be cycle-commuters. Only a very small number actually bothered to reply at all, and an even smaller number actually gave something useful.

They say a little knowledge is a wonderful thing (or something like that) and I have mine now. So from now on, I'll just stick to complaining about the incidents I suffer on my journey and offering my sympathies to others.

My advice is to remove all "cycling facilities" and let cyclists be treated like legitimate users of the unmodified roads. The conditions and behaviour that make roads safe for cyclists are by and large those that also make the roads safe for motorists.
Cyclists should not be alone in condemning dangerous driving and badly designed roads nor should motorists be alone in condemning foolish behaviour by cyclists.

When I cycle I stay aware of what is going on around me and what is happening; and might happen; on the road ahead. I know the dynamics of pedestrians, bikes, cars and lorries so I know when it is safe to filter, for instance, and when it would be suicidal. This should make sense. But what works for me is to ride the way a Samurai warrior fights; with an empty mind. I let my experience and instinct guide me through situations which I don't have time to think about. I would not recomend this technique to a novice.
 
Trevrev said:
Anyone over forty years of age.......!!!! Forty isn't old FFS!!!
You might have guessed, i'm in my 40's !!!..hahahahahaha!!!
I still think you're an ageist T**T !!!!:smile:
Well ... ahem ahem ... I've just turned sixty. So I have to take that side of things too, plus 50%!

NigC said:
But clearly you're all just interested in bitching about how you've been wronged by motons. That's fine by me, have a safe journey in your own little personal worlds :smile:
Can't see that we have. Indeed, can't answer for everyone of course, but I make a point, in the few threads I do post on here, in not bitching too much about 'motons' (your choice of word). If you look at the thread which I started, yesterday, you'll see that the party with most reason to feel aggrieved after the accident I described, was a motorist. And, although I did sense a little bit of anti-cyclist hostility at the scene, you will also see that I didn't think it was an issue. I posted my experience because it was an exceptional experience and for that reason I felt it had to be written up.

dondare said:
Britain's biggest killer is heart disease, which regular, moderate exercise protects you from. This far outweighs the dangers of cycling on the road.
Don't I know it! Cue Mayer Hillman and his data on 'life years' (twenty life-years gained for every one lost). Everyone should read his writings. NigC too!

NigC said:
Like I said, I'm a backseat driver.
I thought you said, in an earlier post, that you were an experienced driver of 24 years standing.:biggrin:

NigC said:
Sorry, I'm a little grouchy today and comments like "we're all dooooomed" really haven't helped my mood :smile: Maybe tomorrow will be better :smile:
Come come now, that was a joke!

Myself, OK I'm an 'experienced' cyclist I reckon, with 50 years of cycling behind me I suppose I have to be. But my attitudes to cycling have hardly changed in all those 50 years. And the 'incidents' I've been involved in, like yesterday's little affair, have been very much the exception, not the rule.

I think the main objective for aspiring cyclists is, they've got to really enjoy cycling. To love it in fact. Once they've achieved that, they're sold on cycling for the rest of their lives, come what may. My sense of this is, Nigc, you haven't quite reached that point yet. You haven't given it enough of a chance. Please persevere. Please try to see if you can really love the bike. I don't really want to criticise your thread but it has come across very negative.
 

summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
I guess we cyclists don't like to seen doing something which is considered dangerous as it may put off potential new cyclists who often approach it as "it must be very dangerous" - its certainly the attitude I get from many non cycling friends/family (to be honest, myself too, before I tried it again).

Yes there are dangers ... but there are in many of the things we do in life. The best advice I could give for commuting would be to read Cyclecraft.
 

dondare

Über Member
Location
London
summerdays said:
I guess we cyclists don't like to seen doing something which is considered dangerous as it may put off potential new cyclists who often approach it as "it must be very dangerous" - its certainly the attitude I get from many non cycling friends/family (to be honest, myself too, before I tried it again).

Yes there are dangers ... but there are in many of the things we do in life. The best advice I could give for commuting would be to read Cyclecraft.

Mile for mile, cycling is safer than walking.
Who is too afraid to walk?
 

summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
dondare said:
Mile for mile, cycling is safer than walking.
Who is too afraid to walk?

But ask a pedestrian or car driver that and it won't be their answer... the perception of risk is greater for cycling - presumably so we can continue our love affair with the combustion engine.
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
summerdays said:
But ask a pedestrian or car driver that and it won't be their answer... the perception of risk is greater for cycling - presumably so we can continue our love affair with the combustion engine.

Motons believe cycling is dangerous - quite correctly, as they themselves know exactly how careless or dangerous their driving is. They know they regularly speed, use their phones, laptops, any other electrical device, read newspapers, eat breakfast, lunch and tea, carry out general office work, apply their make up, fiddle with the sat nav and get angry with their kids, all, whilst driving.

Anyway I gave up road riding a couple of weeks ago after 25-30 years. I couldn't take anymore of the constant harrassment and bullying, frequent near death experiences and the breathtaking ignorance and arrogance of drivers as happy to drive over as around you. Often I thought I wouldn't make it home.

I now enjoy pootling along in my car. It's far safer pootling along in a car than on a bicycle. It might be a bit more expensive, but it's cheap in comparison to being dead. I was already knocked off once and hospitalised back in 1999. It was time to give up now before I became a government dead statistic. On a bicycle one is vulnerable, very vulnerable. There is often only going to be one outcome if a vehicle collides with a cyclist.

I read a report some years ago that the mortality rate was 9x higher for cyclists than for car drivers. That seems about right to me. Maybe even a little too conservative an estimate.

The biggest single change that governmemt could make to provide safer roads for cyclists, and all other vulnerable road users, pedestrians, is for the law to be changed that where any vehicle is in collision with a pedestrian, cyclist, horse, milk float, etc. that there is a rebuttable presumption that the driver was negligent. It is a rebuttable presumption so if there was compelling evidence that the driver was not negligent and therefore was not responsible for causing the collision then they would not be punished, fined, etc. This would need to be a heavy burden to over come though. Absolutely no Mr Loophole defences accepted. This would drastically slash the daily carnage that takes place on the roads.

Still, safe cycling to those still doing it.

Ps. I was cycling about 10,000 miles a year.
 
summerdays said:
I guess we cyclists don't like to seen doing something which is considered dangerous as it may put off potential new cyclists who often approach it as "it must be very dangerous" - its certainly the attitude I get from many non cycling friends/family (to be honest, myself too, before I tried it again).

Yes there are dangers ... but there are in many of the things we do in life. The best advice I could give for commuting would be to read Cyclecraft.


Cyclecraft does not fix appaling driving.
 
hackbike 666 said:
Cyclecraft does not fix appaling driving.

Doesn't it? Maybe in some cases it does..

But I found it in the library years back after I was clipped by a stray strap from a curtain-side lorry that was headed along a busy main road to the docks.

I found it and instantly felt that it was totally what I was looking for after thanking my lucky stars that I fell left onto the pavement and not right under 16 wheels

I was 16 then end looking forward to getting my "L" plates and Cyclecraft made a real impact on the only kind of Roadcraft that I was qualified to practice at the time.....and I really do think that regularly cycing and deading Cyclecraft in depth, made me a better driver as well as cyclist.
 
That reminds me...when I first started commuting @ 17 years of age the internet was not around and nor was cyclecraft.

Sheffield_Tiger said:
...and I really do think that regularly cycing and deading Cyclecraft in depth, made me a better driver as well as cyclist.


Yeah and I bet there are a few on here who think they are better than they actually are.

Crankarm said:
Motons believe cycling is dangerous - quite correctly, as they themselves know exactly how careless or dangerous their driving is. They know they regularly speed, use their phones, laptops, any other electrical device, read newspapers, eat breakfast, lunch and tea, carry out general office work, apply their make up, fiddle with the sat nav and get angry with their kids, all, whilst driving.

Definetly...It's got worse with mobile phones....I hate those bloody things so much.

They also can't actually see what they are doing wrong because they like everyone else thinks they are so good at driving/multitasking.

Have you seen how poor their road positioning is when they use a mobile phone...plus the driving deteriorates.

Crankarm as you don't bang on about Cyclecraft every five seconds did you ever read it?
Just out of interest question and not meant as any sort of criticism...
 
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