Yet another old git tries to run me off the road

[Crankarm]

Dear Cankers,

If you ride anything like you post I'm not surprised you get into these sorts of situations.

For your information I am a qualified cycling instructor with some 20 years London road experience and I have never held a driving licence or owned a car.

If you can't take honest advice please feel free to simply ignore it.

And it is said that some driving instructors are actually the worst drivers on the roads. I'm sure you are no different.

 

[Crankarm]

What difference would being a petrol head make?

Promoting riding in primary = Petrol Head

Thomas you are indeed correct. Point duly taken.

 

[MacB]

Thomas you are indeed correct. Point duly taken.

Post shock horror.........Cranky was wrong about something

 

[Crankarm]

I'll add to that I've been a regular (as in pretty near every day) cyclist on the roads for my entire adult life and much of the time I was a kid too, and I've also never held a driving license or owned a car. Never had a driving lesson. So I guess thats 30 years of riding on the roads, man and boy, ten of them in Cambridge (same city as you Crankarm). I get hassle on the roads too, but not approaching half of the grief he does.

Armchair cyclist indeed...

Perhaps where your problems lie is never having actually taken a mandatory test to be able to drive a vehicle on the road. I have car and motorcycle licenses. So I have taken 2 more tests than you on using the roads. Cycling down the middle of the road is not only plain dangerous but down right selfish. The Higway Code generally advises all road users to keep to the left. As riding primary is so important to you why aren't you advocating cycle lanes painted down the middle of the road ? We all have to get along together on the roads but some people are just down right dangerous as my OP describes. If you can't see this then you need your head examined.

Btw I don't often cycle in Cambridge I just happen to live in the vicinity of Cambridge and cycle into the City a couple of times a month. The incident I described happened some considerable distance from Cambridge so your assumptions and prejudices are wrong.

As for your assertions and trying to make out I cycle in the gutter, again for the nth time I don't. You either cannot read or you are just intellectually challenged.

So you have been cycling all your life and you haven't taken a single test whether car, motorcycle or truck? You seem to have just got on a bike and ridden onto the roads with no training what so ever. Who knows you might be a liability waiting to happen especially if you are riding around Cambridge at night with no lights !

 

[Crankarm]

Crankarm it’s definitely time to get yourself a little Muvi video camera.

I’m running 2 now, 1 on a small backpack shoulder strap and 1 on the back of the pack. They run whenever I am on the road.

On the two recent occasions when I have had some sort of ‘run-in’ with local impatient petrol heads (and they come old and young and wherever you position yourself on the road)
I’ve simply pointed out that the whole incident is being recorded on video, together with their registration number, that it will all be uploaded on to Youtube later today and that a copy will be sent to the police.

At this point these arrogant ****s usually turn ashen white and disappear as fast as their pretentious gas guzzlers will carry their fat, flabby carcases.

I get the distinct impression that they will think twice next time.

You might be right there Redvers.

Is there much of a problem with dangerous drivers on Guernsey if indeed you are on Guernsey?

 

[tdr1nka]

Oh dear Clankers, you don't half go on.

No one doubts how scarey some of your incidents have been.

All that was proffered was sympathy and some honest advice but you can only resort to petty insults.

You're really the big man ain'tcha.

FWIW I get paid and consulted on cycling instruction, helping to educate and keep cyclists of all ages alert and safe on the roads, what do you actually do bar whining on about how hard done to you are?

You need to lighten the fug up Mister and realise when folk are trying to help.

 

[Crankarm]

True. Some years back I was hooted at by an old chap in a Fiesta, on a little residential road with cars parked down one side, so I was avoiding the door zone. I wasn't as assertive back then so I left the door open for him to squeeze past, which he did, hooting and gesticulating at me. These days, I'd block him - there was room for him to pass safely just a few yards on. I did catch him at the end of the road and had a word and he told me I should be in the gutter (cycling underneath the parked cars presumably). His wife at least had the decency to look embarrassed and try to calm him down.

Despite this, I don't feel the need to refer to 'old gits' and 'coffin dodgers' as often as Crankarm does. I also vary rarely have significant problems with drivers - whereas he does seem to attract them.

If anyone really wants room, I recommend a fluoro orange recumbent trike - all but three of the cars that passed me yesterday were entirely on the other side of the road, and the other three only had their nearside wheels just to the left of the centre line...

It all depends how many miles you ride, where and when you ride, don't you think? If you are like a few posters on here who may well be retired old duffers then cycling a few miles during the day is not going to be as hazardous as cycling in either the morning or evening rush. Having said that the said incident in my OP happened at about 3:15pm on a saturday after noon.

And wrt to old gits and coffin dodgers. They do need to be given extra care as just this afternoon while I was WALKING to the supermarket crossing a small residential street nothing around a youngish old git driving a Ford Focus C Max I think, but not sure, suddenly turned into the road at a great rate of knots, no indication or anything. I was about 1/2 - 2/3 across and had to jump for my life otherwise he would have hit me. I shouted at the fecker to slow down and he just shook his arm at me. The driver I would say was about 60-65 years old, male, white, almost bald and fat.

 

[Crankarm]

Oh dear Clankers, you don't half go on.

No one doubts how scarey some of your incidents have been.

All that was proffered was sympathy and some honest advice but you can only resort to petty insults.

You're really the big man ain'tcha.

FWIW I get paid and consulted on cycling instruction, helping to educate and keep cyclists of all ages alert and safe on the roads, what do you actually do bar whining on about how hard done to you are?

You need to lighten the fug up Mister and realise when folk are trying to help.

Help!!!

 

[Redvers]

Hi Crankarm

Things can be a little easier in Guernsey but we have a lot of very narrow lanes and a high density of traffic.

Inconsiderate drivers are I’m afraid universal and we have our fair share who seem to have acquired driving licences without any knowledge of the highway code.

I'm also cycling regularly in France which can actually be safer than at home.

Seriously get yourself a couple of Muvis.

 

[Crankarm]

Hi Crankarm

Things can be a little easier in Guernsey but we have a lot of very narrow lanes and a high density of traffic.

Inconsiderate drivers are I’m afraid universal and we have our fair share who seem to have acquired driving licences without any knowledge of the highway code.

I'm also cycling regularly in France which can actually be safer than at home.

Seriously get yourself a couple of Muvis.

Thanks for the reply. I'll probably not have a problem for weeks now so will umm and aghh, but I do need to sort something out.

I thought Guernsey had a sedate pace of life where everyone was friendly and relaxed. It was so when I visited in the '80s. Obviously things have since gone down hill. Another of life's illusions shattered .

Thanks again for the tip.

 

[Redvers]

Ahhh the 80s... don't get me started

 

[Cab]

Perhaps where your problems lie is never having actually taken a mandatory test to be able to drive a vehicle on the road. I have car and motorcycle licenses. So I have taken 2 more tests than you on using the roads. Cycling down the middle of the road is not only plain dangerous but down right selfish. The Higway Code generally advises all road users to keep to the left.

Add in cyclecraft (and indeed the lessons you'd get if you were trained as a cyclist) and you'll see that primary position IS on the left; its an assertive position on the left hand lane.

You're now telling us that cyclists should be in the position that appears to be regularly causing you trouble, and that all of the advice on road positioning given for adult cyclists is basically wrong. And even though you're not following that advice, that has nothing to do with your woes on the road.

Do you see where you're going wrong here?

As riding primary is so important to you why aren't you advocating cycle lanes painted down the middle of the road ?

More often I simply advocate not using cycle lanes that are too narrow or dangerous to use at pace. Like alluded to in the highway code and stated clearly in cyclecraft...

(remainder of what was more of a rant than it was part of a civil discussion cut - wasn't worth my time reading it, sure isn't worth my time replying to it)

 

[Speck]

It's been raining here today

 

[bad boy]

Can I ask a question as a new cyclist, ive been commuting for about a year now.

Are you saying that road position should vary depending on the speed you are going ?.

You mention Crankarms speed and his lane position, do you feel it would have been ok in that position going at a much slower pace for instance and can you please explain why lane position should be altered for someone going at a faster pace in your opinion.


Many thanks

Add in cyclecraft (and indeed the lessons you'd get if you were trained as a cyclist) and you'll see that primary position IS on the left; its an assertive position on the left hand lane.

You're now telling us that cyclists should be in the position that appears to be regularly causing you trouble, and that all of the advice on road positioning given for adult cyclists is basically wrong. And even though you're not following that advice, that has nothing to do with your woes on the road.

Do you see where you're going wrong here?



More often I simply advocate not using cycle lanes that are too narrow or dangerous to use at pace. Like alluded to in the highway code and stated clearly in cyclecraft...

(remainder of what was more of a rant than it was part of a civil discussion cut - wasn't worth my time reading it, sure isn't worth my time replying to it)

 

[Cab]

Can I ask a question as a new cyclist, ive been commuting for about a year now.

Are you saying that road position should vary depending on the speed you are going ?.

May do. High speed kerb-skimming has extra dangers, you've got a greater risk of a ped stepping out in your way, of crud out on the road in front of you, etc. You're also not likely to be holding anyone else up so much, hence the balance of judgement is moved more in favour of primary rather than secondary.

If you're moving far more slowly than that then you've got more time to adjust for people stepping out, crud on the road, potholes, etc. The balance of judgement may change then but safe positioning is still a judgement call.

You mention Crankarms speed and his lane position, do you feel it would have been ok in that position going at a much slower pace for instance and can you please explain why lane position should be altered for someone going at a faster pace in your opinion.

The situation Crankarm describes (narrow lanes, no room for a safe overtake, space to overtake safely not far ahead) is textbook primary position territory at pretty nearly any speed. If you're stuck in a lane like that for a longer distance and moving more slowly, then its fair to start looking for space to allow faster vehicles to safely pass you.