Are you afraid?

[flicker]

Two years ago I was biking home from work and was stopped by a red light. While I was waiting, a large truck came to stop at the lights behind me. The light changes to green and I'm off pretty fast so it's a while before the truck goes past me. Once past me, he slows right down, so I pass him on the inside of the lane and as I do, he sounds his horn. I reply by waving in an inflammatory, sarcastic kind of a way (no one finger salutes, mind you) and he passes me again, only to slow down again and the same process is repeated (we exhcange our respective greetings as before). He then passes me a third time only to stop at the next sets of lights, which are red. As I approach (I'm about to turn left and have a green light), he's out of his cab and walking towards me and I'm thinking "oh, ****" and looking to see if he's carrying a baseball bat or about to hit me.

Without bothering with any pleasantries (time is money, after all) he tells me he's sick of ****s like me being on the road and holding him up (bear in mind it's a four lane highway and there was virtually no other traffic around at the time, so he could have got past me without any trouble) and why wasn't I using the cycle lane? The cycle lane in question is on the other side of the road, is basically a footpath and is crossed by the driveways of multiple businesses. The road, on the other hand, is not a designated motorway, and therefore perfectly legal to use. I'm already ****ed off with this idiot and his antics so rather than presenting a reasoned argument to the cretin I immediately tell him that he's the **** (even though I hate that word). Our short exchange achieves nothing and he's back in his truck in time to catch the next green light.

Aside from feeling ****ed off that I didn't say what I really thought of him and why, I realised that that ***hole of a truck driver already had it in for me before he'd passed me the first time. And his attitude is not uncommon in this country (New Zealand). Even the mainstream media here are talking about a "war" between motorists and cyclists. And the idiots are not only the motorists.

To answer the OP's questions, no. I don't think about the danger. I make myself as visible as possible, I signal, keep aware of things around me and try to start work as early as possible to avoid the traffic (6:30am this morning on the orange bike in my avatar). And I don't take risks on the downhills. The alternative is walking or taking the bus, neither of which appeals to me.

That is when I pull the cell phone start dialing and announce "I am dialing 911 now" watch those suckers jump and you had better follow through pal, because you have just been threatened with assault" Court system is all over that where I live....

 

[Anonymous]

So, I cut out of work early today to go for a ride. I'm near the end of my ride... about 3 or 4 miles from where I live. I'm on a two lane road that is not heavily traveled. There's a car coming the oppisite direction of me at a very high rate of speed. About one or two seconds before the car goes by a bright yellow corvette swings out into my lane to pass the car in front of him. This A-Hole had to be going 100 mph+, didn't see me, swings out wide...

I thought I was done. I would have had no chance. This guy missed me by maybe 3 or 4 feet. I don't think I'll be riding that road anymore.

 

[flicker]

So, I cut out of work early today to go for a ride. I'm near the end of my ride... about 3 or 4 miles from where I live. I'm on a two lane road that is not heavily traveled. There's a car coming the oppisite direction of me at a very high rate of speed. About one or two seconds before the car goes by a bright yellow corvette swings out into my lane to pass the car in front of him. This A-Hole had to be going 100 mph+, didn't see me, swings out wide...

I thought I was done. I would have had no chance. This guy missed me by maybe 3 or 4 feet. I don't think I'll be riding that road anymore.

Sportif ride june 21, napa valley ca. Group of 20 riding at 32mph. black car, lexus or mercedes passing the other way, blind corner. Missed us by inches. So quick no one in the group but me even saw it. Like a cannon shell in slow motion. Silent but deadly.

 

[bridgeman]

This is some scary **** you guys are discribing, but it is all to familiar. I see this as two distinct groups of drivers. Dumb asses, and dumb asses with criminal intent.

Up on Skyline, I had an oncoming ratty 4 wheeldrive truck drive across to take me out. Drove me into the dirt. I stopped training alone in the mountains after that day.

This is getting so profound people are talking about it on the rides these days, and now we are discussing it in forums to a degree I have never seen before.

A few years ago and after becoming a father the close calls would have me wake up in terror and sit up in bed in the middle of the night. Because of this I ride in big fast groups differently now and have really tried to minimize the risk as best as I can.

I wonder if the ****ers out there know they have us on the ropes. They have our attention.

And one final thing; I have a lot of anger that has built up over the years towards these cowards. One day an idiot chopped me and a buddy so badly that we both yelled at the guy. He stops and gets out of the car and is yelling at us. This was all I wanted. My buddy was feeling the same way. I remember thinking, finally, it's going to happen. It did not take very long for the driver to quickly change his tone and apologize so convincingly that my buddy and I calmed down and parted. As we are turning to ride away the driver called to us and said he hoped we could try not to let this ruin our ride. That was close. Our words convinced him of his errors.

 

[Martin318is]

As I said earlier - the other riders are dangerous too.
After my lunchtime training ride 2 hours ago, I also have recent proof.

Context:
1. Beach Road is the most popular cycling route in Melbourne. It is also the scene of numerous arguments about cyclists and their behaviour in the press. There have been instances of police patrols being required to monitor riders. A long campaign of awareness has got local councils to ban car parking at certain times on the road to free up lanes for cyclists and things are turning the corner towards cyclists.

2. THe papers have had numerous comments in the last few days after the death of a cyclist in Drysdale (as mentioned elsewhere). Alongside the positive comments there have still been a large number calling for bikes to be banned from the roads.

Scenario:

1. Riding solo back from a recovery ride towards the office on a large well known road in Melbourne (Beach Road - near the marina) as I came to a red light I was caught up by two other riders.

2. Light is red, traffic going through
3. Light is red, no more cross traffic - one of the riders decides to roll through the red with about 20 cars watching him do it.
4. His riding partner and I both call out to him that its a stupid thing to do.
5. His response is to look over his shoulder in mid-intersection to scream out that I am a fat ****.
6. He then rolls forwards making bodybuilding style poses between parked cars and traffic.
Then it gets weird.
7. He pulls a U-turn that causes a truck to lock a brake and rides back towards me an his friend
8. As he get near me he swerves in some *** attempt to scare me into thinking he would crash into me (it scared his mate more as HE was on the side with the cars)
9. Then the nutter swings across two lanes of oncoming traffic causing people to brake - hops the median strip and rides off shouting more obscenities.

10. His mate was very apologetic and said he would sort him out.

Anyway, this guy is a perfect example of someone who will ultimately cause a crash that hurts another rider. He is in a fantasy land where he thinks he is fast and competent (his bike handling was pretty terrible and his legs are a lot smaller than he seemed to think they are)

 

[skidmark]

Good thread, I like having threads where we can talk as cyclists instead of just cycling fans.

To the OP: I feel like I can't afford to be afraid. Cautious, yes. Aware, yes. But if I was afraid, it would be nerve wracking to go out on the road every day, and that wouldn't be fun.

I work as a bike messenger, albeit citywide (most work just in the centre), in a small-sized city (15km from centre to perimeter). I've done it for 5 years. As you might imagine, that exposes me to enough instances of danger/clashing with motorists that I can't even pick out a few notable ones at first thought, they happen so often.

My city sucks for bike infrastructure, although as Francois the Postman notes about Scotland, things are changing enough to be noticeably better in the last 5 years (although I'm in Canada).

But I agree with what flicker and a few others have said. You need to hone almost a sixth sense to deal with the unexpected vagaries of the road. This involves a few things, and what I am able to identify as things that have helped me cycle confidently without having ever been hit by a car include:

- knowing lights and intersections: if I can see the volume of traffic, or if I know that there's a 'turning light' coming up, or a delay in lights, I can be more confident going through an intersection if the light is about to turn red, and not feel like I'm going to be killed if I only make it through .75 of a second after it turns red.

- looking in parked car mirrors: this has stopped me from getting 'doored' a number of times, you can see what's going on in a parked car, or at least if there's anybody in it, if you look in the side view mirror.

- looking at oncoming cars about to turn: this is the most dangerous, in my experience, cars turning left (or right, for those of you in England or Australia or Japan or Malaysia or wherever drives on the left) and not anticipating your speed. Eye contact may not stop a person from turning, but it does allow you to anticipate what they're going to do.

- hearing: this has been really key for me, listening to the traffic behind me. I can mostly tell the difference between an impatient driver and a patient driver just by the consistency of their engine sounds, by now. This is key in deciding whether or not to deviate from your line, or even to get off the road. I heard people yelling some stuff from a car as I passed by an intersection today, and heard them turn and accelerate aggressively behind me, so I hopped the curb and rode the sidewalk until they passed by. Not a bad idea, as it turned out.

Anyway, I feel like I have to have confidence in these things or I'd just never feel like it was my road, or I could ride how I wanted to ride. So fear isn't allowed to enter into the equation. Every time I go on the road, someone could squash me with a quick turn of the steering wheel, I just have to hope they don't because I can only do so much to prevent that.

Oh, and Francois, I had the EXACT same experience on the Champs Elysees, and the exact same reaction. Biggest thrill of my biking life.

 

[craig1985]

As I said earlier - the other riders are dangerous too.
After my lunchtime training ride 2 hours ago, I also have recent proof.

Context:
1. Beach Road is the most popular cycling route in Melbourne. It is also the scene of numerous arguments about cyclists and their behaviour in the press. There have been instances of police patrols being required to monitor riders. A long campaign of awareness has got local councils to ban car parking at certain times on the road to free up lanes for cyclists and things are turning the corner towards cyclists.

2. THe papers have had numerous comments in the last few days after the death of a cyclist in Drysdale (as mentioned elsewhere). Alongside the positive comments there have still been a large number calling for bikes to be banned from the roads.

Scenario:

1. Riding solo back from a recovery ride towards the office on a large well known road in Melbourne (Beach Road - near the marina) as I came to a red light I was caught up by two other riders.

2. Light is red, traffic going through
3. Light is red, no more cross traffic - one of the riders decides to roll through the red with about 20 cars watching him do it.
4. His riding partner and I both call out to him that its a stupid thing to do.
5. His response is to look over his shoulder in mid-intersection to scream out that I am a fat ****.
6. He then rolls forwards making bodybuilding style poses between parked cars and traffic.
Then it gets weird.
7. He pulls a U-turn that causes a truck to lock a brake and rides back towards me an his friend
8. As he get near me he swerves in some *** attempt to scare me into thinking he would crash into me (it scared his mate more as HE was on the side with the cars)
9. Then the nutter swings across two lanes of oncoming traffic causing people to brake - hops the median strip and rides off shouting more obscenities.

10. His mate was very apologetic and said he would sort him out.

Anyway, this guy is a perfect example of someone who will ultimately cause a crash that hurts another rider. He is in a fantasy land where he thinks he is fast and competent (his bike handling was pretty terrible and his legs are a lot smaller than he seemed to think they are)

Yeah I agree, there are plenty of nutters on bikes who I worry more then some dude driving his car. One example would be in October 2009 I was riding with a bunch, and another group caught us (or we caught them, I can't remember), and in that group there was a woman cyclist, who I've seen out on the road training and at races, and I'm convinced she has one or two screws loose (or failing that, has very little road sense) and is not as good as she thinks she is, we were traveling at a decent speed and we approached a roundabout with a blind right hand corner, and it is busy roundabout, we have to slow down to see if it is safe to go across, and we did this, and this woman ignored all our shouts to slow down and kept on charging through to the roundabout and at the last second saw a car coming and quickly turned left and somehow avoided an accident and waved her hand as if it was the driver's fault. If the accident had occurred it would of been her fault plain and simple. I'm not picking on female cyclists BTW, I'll always support movements to improve awareness for cyclists, but I sure as hell won't support idiots who ride in a kamikaze manner. We have a 'crazy bunch' ride who even if I had the time to go out with them, I would refuse to ride with them because despite the speed they ride at, basically break a lot of road rules, and if they want to crash and spend the next 3 months off work, well that is not my problem.

As for the OP, I would say that I'm not afraid, but I do pay attention and I'm cautious of my surroundings. I use hand signals, and if I have to change lanes, I will slow down, check behind and make my move if it is safe to do so. And when a driver gives way, I give a thumbs up or a quick wave as a sign of thanks. I also hold no fear when descending, maybe I'm 25 and I'm an arrogant ****, but I never do anything that I'm not capable of doing.

TBH the thing that I'm scared of the most is when leaving a café after a couple cups of coffee with the bunch or the person I'm riding with, is the light headed feeling I get when I start riding and I can't quite follow what is going on, but thankfully this goes away after 15 minutes, still scares the **** out of me though.

 

[JA.Tri]

Random thoughts

scared indeed. This thread raises many issues.

Anticipation is the most valuable skill we can exercise (given that we accurately allow our own skill level).

I don't threaten other road users...karma would probably result in the same or some other idiot hurting me or some other cyclist in an escalating cycle of rage.

I ride with flashing 600lumen headlight and bright flashing taillight.

Riding on the left (Australia), I try (love descending fast) to take it easy on left bends...so I don't slide across the road into oncoming traffic...Equally I do the same on right hand bends to anticipate sliding into me.

We (all road users) can be stupid/make mistakes/fail to observe.

Having said that I have, when scared by a close call, called drivers @$#$#. Not proud of it...just human

 

[Martin318is]

Actually that raises a good point too.

I disagree with the idea that you should get agro and start screaming at drivers. They are probably never going to see YOU again, but they will see many OTHER riders in the following years. If they have a bad experience with a rider then that will stay with them when they next have to decide whether to give good space to the NEXT rider.

The way I deal with this is to react to dodgy driving with a very loud "Oi!" and maybe a point to an obstacle or sign or whatever but that is all. This allows for a friendly explanation if we both come to a stop at the next intersection.

At the other end of the scale I go completely out of my way to very clearly thank a driver who has given me room or conceeded their right of way to me. The objective of this is to really give them a strong "pride" feeling for a good dead well done. That they will hopefully re-use or tell others about.

I guess I try to treat traffic like my kids (or a puppy....) a strong sharp no with no further screaming for bad actions and strong ongoing praise for good ones.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

So, I cut out of work early today to go for a ride. I'm near the end of my ride... about 3 or 4 miles from where I live. I'm on a two lane road that is not heavily traveled. There's a car coming the oppisite direction of me at a very high rate of speed. About one or two seconds before the car goes by a bright yellow corvette swings out into my lane to pass the car in front of him. This A-Hole had to be going 100 mph+, didn't see me, swings out wide...

I thought I was done. I would have had no chance. This guy missed me by maybe 3 or 4 feet. I don't think I'll be riding that road anymore.

Sportif ride june 21, napa valley ca. Group of 20 riding at 32mph. black car, lexus or mercedes passing the other way, blind corner. Missed us by inches. So quick no one in the group but me even saw it. Like a cannon shell in slow motion. Silent but deadly.

Did you have to clean you cycling shorts when you got home?

I'm curious what the speed limit is on that road in SoCals story? Not that
100+ in a 70 is not as bad as 100+ in a 35. It's still no matter what.

 

[JA.Tri]

Actually that raises a good point too.

I disagree with the idea that you should get agro and start screaming at drivers. They are probably never going to see YOU again, but they will see many OTHER riders in the following years. If they have a bad experience with a rider then that will stay with them when they next have to decide whether to give good space to the NEXT rider.

The way I deal with this is to react to dodgy driving with a very loud "Oi!" and maybe a point to an obstacle or sign or whatever but that is all. This allows for a friendly explanation if we both come to a stop at the next intersection.

At the other end of the scale I go completely out of my way to very clearly thank a driver who has given me room or conceeded their right of way to me. The objective of this is to really give them a strong "pride" feeling for a good dead well done. That they will hopefully re-use or tell others about.

I guess I try to treat traffic like my kids (or a puppy....) a strong sharp no with no further screaming for bad actions and strong ongoing praise for good ones.

I agree. I recon complimenting drivers/other road users is probably amongst the best methods of improving road safety/raising a positive profile for cyclists!

 

[slowoldman]

So, I cut out of work early today to go for a ride. I'm near the end of my ride... about 3 or 4 miles from where I live. I'm on a two lane road that is not heavily traveled. There's a car coming the oppisite direction of me at a very high rate of speed. About one or two seconds before the car goes by a bright yellow corvette swings out into my lane to pass the car in front of him. This A-Hole had to be going 100 mph+, didn't see me, swings out wide...

I thought I was done. I would have had no chance. This guy missed me by maybe 3 or 4 feet. I don't think I'll be riding that road anymore.

What road Scott? I have had fly-bys on every road around here. Baseline, Foothill and Arrow Hwy are the worst and I try to avoid riding them if I can but we ride all three to Montrose and during Montrose. I have had so many incidents and close calls with cars I could write a book. (My worst was when I was knocked off of my bike by a full beer bottle thrown at me from a car traveling about 45 mph, it broke two of my ribs and I sprained my wrist while tumbling across the pavement. Not to mention the road rash.) The economy seems to have worsened the hatred people feel toward cyclists. I don't know if it is jealousy of our time to ride or the fitness we have to ride. I am not proud of this fact, but it is a pet peeve of mine and I tend to be the enforcer of our group. I have a short fuse and have confronted numerous drivers for coming too close. My favorite phrase I hear from these idiots is, "I should have hit you." I always respond, "You can still hit me now, get out of your car and see what happens." I have extended that invitation to more drivers than I can count, I have yet to have someone take me up on it. (Don't worry, I can take or give a bu** kicking. I will handle it either way)

 

[Nick777]

I seem to see a cyclist on the deck every 6 weeks or so. I saw one yesterday being loaded into an ambulance near Patterson River (Nepean Highway).
I am a pretty cautious rider, but as my GF says - 'It's the other idiots I am afraid of'...I tell my GF I love her before every ride..

When I am out there, I don't ever think I am going to get hit, but have had a few close calls. I had a guy speed past me today in a 4WD, only to brake quickly & turn into a side street right in front of me. I reckon most cyclists have experienced that sort of thing. Frustrating...

Saw another one on the deck today. A girl, looked like she had been hit by a car turning left into Dendy St, Brighton. She was sitting up, thankfully, and had 3-4 cyclists helping her.

 

[Nick777]

As I said earlier - the other riders are dangerous too.
After my lunchtime training ride 2 hours ago, I also have recent proof.
.......

I hate to say it, but a buddy of mine used to roll through red lights a lot. Doesn't do it any more though.
Beach Road does have its fair share of idiots. The ones that annoy me are the ones that sit two abreast, seperated by about 3 metres.

 

[brianf7]

I was hit deliberatly by a irate motorist later he had a go at a Police inspector who locked him in the cooler and left him there all day in an unmaned police station then released him on bail he is still off the road now no licence.

Frightened No but cautious always make eye contact with the driver and wear bright clothes its a better target so hope they miss. I live in Geelong.

He refused to pay for bike repairs so got judgment and warrant and sherrif impounded his car untill he paid for it plus the exrta court costs the sherrif made him walk to the bank 10 km to get the money he wouldnt take a check.

 

[flyor64]

I notice the danger of city riding more now that I am in my late 30s and have 2 children. When I was in my early 20s I think I was a lot more unbreakable. It also helped that I was selfish and didnt care whether I would leave anyone behind...

That's it for me almost verbatim.^^

Although "city riding" here isn't really too bad. I'm quite comfortable riding into and around Oslo. I can not say that about about the major cities I've lived near in the states. Most of which scared me to even think about riding in.

I've been lucky that my commute has mainly been on back-roads, and here is no exception. It is a truly enjoyable experience...one where I'll see 10 cars or less on the entire route of 30 KMs.

 

[flicker]

The classic frightening drivers are those in prius or towing speedboats. Prius drivers so proud that they are saving the environment that they have no common sense nor respect for traffic laws.

Speedboats towed behind huge trucks= zero visibility, guaranteed to sway into a bike lane, also in a hurry to go water skiing or the post water-sport alcoholic buzz+ and in a rush to get home and watch TV.

 

[Anonymous]

Did you have to clean you cycling shorts when you got home?

I'm curious what the speed limit is on that road in SoCals story? Not that
100+ in a 70 is not as bad as 100+ in a 35. It's still no matter what.

I think the posted speed limit is 45mph. It's rural, but 2-lane nonetheless.

 

[stainlessguy1]

The list of things to beware of is daunting, and when seen on paper makes one wonder why do we do this. 30 years ago, when I started, was a way better time to be cycling, especially here in the SF bay area. Now, times are different.

I decided a while ago to support my kids sporting endevours in things other than cycling, even though I used to imagine riding and training with them.

You must have a good sixth sense on the bike. Now I could be killed tomorrow, but I do have one and it goes very deep. I can hear laterally where a car is behind me most of the time. But you don't want to talk about these abilities to much as it is like talking about good fortune with tire longevity.

There is one dumb **** trait that car divers exhibit that ****es me off to no end, and it's when you are coming up to a side street and inevitably, drivers will always approach this intersection looking to their right, and then without stopping for the stop sign, proceed to drive through without looking to their left! Often times they do this while looking at cell phones, only to look up while running the stop sign to see they are about to hit me as I'm going by. After all these years I see them coming, and always assume that they are going to **** up.

After all these years I love seeing my friends out on the road. I am constantly waving and giving out smiles. It's like everyone is saying; yep, we are still out here, and isn't this just the best!

Take care y'all.

____________________________________________________________

This is so true and happens all the time . Only way to combat this is to assume that the guy will pull out in front of you , do a rolling type of stop that isnt a stop and always not see you , cause you are a bicycle .

Only riders know this because they have been riding seriously for decades ,,,new riders assume that they are visible ... the same complaint is with motorcycles .... they dont see them comming either . The difference with a motorcycle is that the speed of acceleration is so fast that from one stop light to the next the biker is already there in seconds and a car will , pull out in front of him with a serious consequence .
The average motorist has no anticipation of speed , cannot estimate when a vehicle( car , motorcycle or bicycle ) can get there and has no sense of can i make a safe turn or not .
So again ,,, best defense is to declare them all morons and assume they will break every rule in the book .

 

[Anonymous]

What road Scott? I have had fly-bys on every road around here. Baseline, Foothill and Arrow Hwy are the worst and I try to avoid riding them if I can but we ride all three to Montrose and during Montrose. I have had so many incidents and close calls with cars I could write a book. (My worst was when I was knocked off of my bike by a full beer bottle thrown at me from a car traveling about 45 mph, it broke two of my ribs and I sprained my wrist while tumbling across the pavement. Not to mention the road rash.) The economy seems to have worsened the hatred people feel toward cyclists. I don't know if it is jealousy of our time to ride or the fitness we have to ride. I am not proud of this fact, but it is a pet peeve of mine and I tend to be the enforcer of our group. I have a short fuse and have confronted numerous drivers for coming too close. My favorite phrase I hear from these idiots is, "I should have hit you." I always respond, "You can still hit me now, get out of your car and see what happens." I have extended that invitation to more drivers than I can count, I have yet to have someone take me up on it. (Don't worry, I can take or give a bu** kicking. I will handle it either way)

Yep, my favorite retort to "I should have hit you" is "well, if you hit me, you better kill me because if you don't your family will probably miss you."

Or, "when is the last time you got your ass kicked by some dude wearing spandex?"

Had a guy get out of his car with a length of chain once. Of course his passeger door had a couple of cleat marks (dents) on it... probably not my best moment.

 

[stainlessguy1]

That's it for me almost verbatim.^^

Although "city riding" here isn't really too bad. I'm quite comfortable riding into and around Oslo. I can not say that about about the major cities I've lived near in the states. Most of which scared me to even think about riding in.

I've been lucky that my commute has mainly been on back-roads, and here is no exception. It is a truly enjoyable experience...one where I'll see 10 cars or less on the entire route of 30 KMs.

____________________________________________________

smiles ,,, well that sooo doesnt count ,,,, its so nice there , we are all envious . WE havent had that kind of riding since ,,, well since a couple of generations . The last time a remember not seeing any cars all day was when i was 8 , or 12 ,,, in the far northern reaches of Canada .
I mean if we met 3 cars on a stretch of over 100 miles ,, it was a lot .
I bet in your area ,,,, you get to actually ski on the tracks that were made and they are still there to ski on the second lap or on the way home . If we made tracks here ,,, then it wouldnt take more than one hour and a snowmobile would of destroyed them ,,, we start all over again .

oh well ......... smiles .
Psssst , i still have an old bottle of Linie Aquavit ( been saving it , hard to get here ) ......... skol .....

 

[straydog]

Ok. I am going to come out. I belong to possibly the most popular (and second oldest) occupation in london. I am a cycle courier.

So I ride for nine hours a day, anywhere between 60-100 miles, all on the road, all weathers and all in this gleaming neon sh*t pit we all know and love as london.

So here is my tuppence worth: Am I scared? Well, honestly, most days as I pull in to my flat at the end of work, I do say a mini thank you prayer, yes, but I do enjoy riding in london on the whole. There is an undoubted adrenalin rush, fear becomes a fairly fleeting and transitory experience; When an articulated lorry overtakes and cuts in front of you for the third time that morning, your reaction might be dramatic, but it is over fairly quickly.

For those statistically minded, roughly 8 cyclists a year are killed on London's roads. Many more are injured. In the courier community, I would say that every week, at least two messengers are off the road injured.

Yes some of the driving, like in any town, is staggeringly selfish and dangerous, and sometimes actually verges on attempted murder. Drivers cutting you up, overtaking with inches to spare, pulling out in front of you at crossings etc etc, deliberately hitting you with wing mirrors, break "testing" you etc etc. It never ceases to amaze me that if you cut me up in a car, we get in a fight, I punch you and you fall, crack your head and die, I will get prosecuted for manslaughter in the uk. But if you just clip me as you cut me up, I go under your wheels and die, you might get a four hundred pound fine and a ban for causing death by dangerous driving. Think I am exagerating? then just look at the case involving the killer of British TT champion Jason Mcintyre and some other high profile cases.

In central london, pedestrians, or lemmings as we like to call them, pose almost as big a risk. Stepping into the road on their phones etc. The worst thing being that there is no law against jay walkling in the UK, so if a pedestrian knocks you off, and you are off work and not earning as a result of any injuries, unless you can in some way apprehend them, you are f*cked, as you have no legal recourse.

Having said all that, cyclists have to take responsibility for their behaviour as well. There are probably as many idiots on bikes, percentage wise as there are in cars. We do belong on the roads, absolutely, but we share them. The days I really dread are tube strike days, when the roads suddenly become flooded with people who normally only drive or take the tube, and ride a bike as if they were in a car. i.e pulling out without looking, undertaking etc etc.

Please please please don't ride on the pavement. Not just is it unsafe, it also gives the rest of us a bad name and honestly, it's just lazy. It isn't even really riding a bike. If you ride only on pavements or bike lanes, I wonder how far you actually ride on your bike, and that after all is the real joy.

If, as Izzy states, you ride your bike sensibly and assertively, then the roads are fine, and actually fun, even in central london.

Seriously Hitch, You study near Regents Park? (The old polytechnic in Marylebone perchance?) And yet you have never ridden there? With the exception of Richmond Park, it is probably the most popular training area for cyclists in London. There are clubs and indiviuals training at all times. Get along there, get on some wheels and ride.

 

[straydog]

I agree. I recon complimenting drivers/other road users is probably amongst the best methods of improving road safety/raising a positive profile for cyclists!

And I agree with this too. Take the time to thank drivers who do let you in, treat you with respect etc.

That's not to say that those who treat your life as meaningless don't deserve contempt, they do.

Also, they cycle "highways" as Boris likes to term them, are an effing joke. A ridiculously slippery (in the rain) blue section of road that cuts in and out of bus lanes. Honestly, they look like someone with parkinsons painted them.

 

[philcrisp]

true - except when the car is coming the other way around a bend. I was nearly taken out twisce that way in 2007.

True, but, like a lot of the tips other people have been giving out in this thread, it's something that can be allowed for. It is however a serious pain in the backside in a car.

 

[Izzy eviel]

In central london, pedestrians, or lemmings as we like to call them, pose almost as big a risk. Stepping into the road on their phones etc. The worst thing being that there is no law against jay walkling in the UK, so if a pedestrian knocks you off, and you are off work and not earning as a result of any injuries, unless you can in some way apprehend them, you are f*cked, as you have no legal recourse.

I'm sure you could make a claim with the Motor Insurance Bureau if that happened. If you have any accident involving anyone else make sure you report to the police promptly. The police won't be too bothered and just give you a form to fill in. You'll need the CAD number to make a claim.