cyclists (again)

[DannyS]

Bloody cycle clubs!! Why would you think it's ok to ride 4 abreast on a busy road, then have the audasity to have a moan up when some gets a bit close!

 

Horses i have no prolem with but again does annoy me when they are side by side and dont move over when a car comes up behind.

[Penelope]

Well said sir.

 

Everyone should be forced to spend a day on bike on the road!!!

 

Another cycle rant thread...... Given i do 30k miles a year in my car and 2k miles a year on my bike, a few observations:-

You do not need a licence to walk or cycle on a highway, unlike a vehicle.

Most 'lycra clad' cyclists do carry insurance through membership of lical clubs, ctc etc

A cyclist like any other road user is entitled to use the full width of the lane/road and it is at their discretion as to where they position themselves.

Riding abreast shortens overtaking manoeuvres for vehicle drivers.

Pushing past a cyclist with oncoming traffic is not over taking and if seen by police could land driver with dangerous driving charge.

Vehicle drivers are required to overtake safely i.e. use the oncoming lane to overtake whether they are overtaking a cyclist or an artic.

Roads are paid from general taxation, so cyclists do pay for them. ved is now an anti pollution tax, bikes produce no fuel pollution.

Most cyclists are doing 20mph or more on level or downhill, though speeds do drop climbing hills, however there is no minimum road speed except on motorways where cyclists are not allowed.

Most cyclists do not like shared routes as they are either poorly surfaced have hazards,used by others who do not pay attention and often are not the most direct routes.

You should encouage cyclists on the Road as cyclists need a smoother surface than cars to travel in and are often biggest complainers of road hazards to councils as a 1/2 deep pithole for a car is no big deal, it represents a real hazard for cyclists.

Don't forget the order of road use as it developed was foot, horse, bicycle and then lastly motor vehicle.

 

 

ok, that last bit was tongue in cheek and a bit of 'I hate all cyclists' baiting.

 

Anyway, soon be time for 3 1/2 hours of watching cyclists take over the whole road. Vive le Tour!!!

[sportsbob]

Most cyclists are doing 20mph or more on level or downhill, though speeds do drop climbing hills, however there is no minimum road speed except on motorways where cyclists are not allowed.

 

That may be so but in my post I came up with two possible offences which have been verified by Traffic Police.

 

[Zapp]

I commute to London by train and bike from Kings Cross to Westminster and back in rushour traffic every day.

 

As far as I can see, road-related idiocy is spread pretty evenly across cyclists, motorists and pedestrians. The former do sometimes ride aggressively or discourteously, but when this happens it is normally other cyclists who point out the error of their ways. For example, at Ludgate Circus this week a guy decided to cut through pedestrians as they were crossing and got a thorough dressing down from the other cyclists who were behaving correctly and waiting for the traffic signals to change.

 

Most motorist-related issues come down to inattention more than anything else, though I have seen some being deliberately aggressive. A lot of the time this can be because they feel protected in their vehicles and try to bully other more vulnerable road users. I did have to smile though a couple of weeks ago when some obese van driver decided to deliberately shunt a cyclist at some lights and then get out of his van to have a go, forgetting that the person he was squaring up to was an awful lot fitter than he was, so it didnt go very well.

 

Pedestrians can be a nightmare, primarily through either being inattentive (often texting etc) or not knowing how the segregated cycle lanes work, which leads to at least one person blindly stepping out in front of me per week. Generally they are apologetic and I try to hide my irritation, because its not worth the hassle.

 

I dont personally agree with deliberately mixing cycle and pedestrian routes, it just seems like a recipe for disaster, but at the end of the day everyone who is travelling is just trying to get somewhere so it seems a shame that there needs to be so much hostility between road users.

[Penelope]

Amen!!

 

I commute to London by train and bike from Kings Cross to Westminster and back in rushour traffic every day.

 

As far as I can see, road-related idiocy is spread pretty evenly across cyclists, motorists and pedestrians. The former do sometimes ride aggressively or discourteously, but when this happens it is normally other cyclists who point out the error of their ways. For example, at Ludgate Circus this week a guy decided to cut through pedestrians as they were crossing and got a thorough dressing down from the other cyclists who were behaving correctly and waiting for the traffic signals to change.

 

Most motorist-related issues come down to inattention more than anything else, though I have seen some being deliberately aggressive. A lot of the time this can be because they feel protected in their vehicles and try to bully other more vulnerable road users. I did have to smile though a couple of weeks ago when some obese van driver decided to deliberately shunt a cyclist at some lights and then get out of his van to have a go, forgetting that the person he was squaring up to was an awful lot fitter than he was, so it didnt go very well.

 

Pedestrians can be a nightmare, primarily through either being inattentive (often texting etc) or not knowing how the segregated cycle lanes work, which leads to at least one person blindly stepping out in front of me per week. Generally they are apologetic and I try to hide my irritation, because its not worth the hassle.

 

I dont personally agree with deliberately mixing cycle and pedestrian routes, it just seems like a recipe for disaster, but at the end of the day everyone who is travelling is just trying to get somewhere so it seems a shame that there needs to be so much hostility between road users.

[HH1]

It's high time cyclists like other road users, paid road fund licence and were compelled to have insurance!

 

Hold on a sec. that is not fair......

 

I already contribute more than enough to the council and government.

 

I drive roughly 8,000 miles a year in a big 4x4 that does 23 to a gallon of diesel which currently costs £1,735 of which £1,300 is pure TAX.

I pay £515 Road tax, £400 Insurance and £1,200 for my Rail Pass. My Jeep typically sits in the drive most week days apart from one evening at the gun club.

I only cycle roughly ½ a mile each end of my rail commute. I use the bike / train in all weathers and all year round as it is typically much quicker and it saves me an extra £6,500 in diesel and tolls if I were to drive into work each day.

 

I might save money with the bike, but I'm still paying far more in fuel duty / road tax per mile than the average person with an economical small car.

[the enigma]

I commute to London by train and bike from Kings Cross to Westminster and back in rushour traffic every day.

 

As far as I can see, road-related idiocy is spread pretty evenly across cyclists, motorists and pedestrians. The former do sometimes ride aggressively or discourteously, but when this happens it is normally other cyclists who point out the error of their ways. For example, at Ludgate Circus this week a guy decided to cut through pedestrians as they were crossing and got a thorough dressing down from the other cyclists who were behaving correctly and waiting for the traffic signals to change.

 

Most motorist-related issues come down to inattention more than anything else, though I have seen some being deliberately aggressive. A lot of the time this can be because they feel protected in their vehicles and try to bully other more vulnerable road users. I did have to smile though a couple of weeks ago when some obese van driver decided to deliberately shunt a cyclist at some lights and then get out of his van to have a go, forgetting that the person he was squaring up to was an awful lot fitter than he was, so it didnt go very well.

 

Pedestrians can be a nightmare, primarily through either being inattentive (often texting etc) or not knowing how the segregated cycle lanes work, which leads to at least one person blindly stepping out in front of me per week. Generally they are apologetic and I try to hide my irritation, because its not worth the hassle.

 

I dont personally agree with deliberately mixing cycle and pedestrian routes, it just seems like a recipe for disaster, but at the end of the day everyone who is travelling is just trying to get somewhere so it seems a shame that there needs to be so much hostility between road users.

 

+1.

 

A tool is a tool,no matter what mode of transport they're using

[Yellow Bear]

I see the cyclist terrorists are currently lobbying the government for the use of all footpaths, they already ride on urban footpaths with seemingly no deterrent from the enforcers of the law...............now they want to ride on all rural footpaths too! Do they not understand the word "footpath"?

It's high time cyclists like other road users, paid road fund licence and were compelled to have insurance!

This was my original point - with examples of what happens in shared space now.

[Yellow Bear]

Another cycle rant thread...... Given i do 30k miles a year in my car and 2k miles a year on my bike, a few observations:-

 

You do not need a licence to walk or cycle on a highway, unlike a vehicle.

 

Most 'lycra clad' cyclists do carry insurance through membership of lical clubs, ctc etc

 

A cyclist like any other road user is entitled to use the full width of the lane/road and it is at their discretion as to where they position themselves.

 

Riding abreast shortens overtaking manoeuvres for vehicle drivers.

 

Pushing past a cyclist with oncoming traffic is not over taking and if seen by police could land driver with dangerous driving charge.

 

Vehicle drivers are required to overtake safely i.e. use the oncoming lane to overtake whether they are overtaking a cyclist or an artic.

 

Roads are paid from general taxation, so cyclists do pay for them. ved is now an anti pollution tax, bikes produce no fuel pollution.

 

Most cyclists are doing 20mph or more on level or downhill, though speeds do drop climbing hills, however there is no minimum road speed except on motorways where cyclists are not allowed.

 

Most cyclists do not like shared routes as they are either poorly surfaced have hazards,used by others who do not pay attention and often are not the most direct routes.

 

You should encouage cyclists on the Road as cyclists need a smoother surface than cars to travel in and are often biggest complainers of road hazards to councils as a 1/2 deep pithole for a car is no big deal, it represents a real hazard for cyclists.

 

Don't forget the order of road use as it developed was foot, horse, bicycle and then lastly motor vehicle.

you have missed the point - I was talking about the use of rural and semi rural FOOTPATHS

[scotslad]

It was in a local paper about a farmer recently getting done for not pulling in to allow cars to pass, surely bikers could be laible for the same laws?

[bigman]

The thing with cycling is as with alcohol, if it was invented today it would be banned.

The bike would be on the shelf along with segways and hoverboards as being a hazard to other road and path users.

What a stupid thing to come out with

[12gauge82]

I do very little to no cycling, what concerns me with some of the stronger views on here, we are all participants of a minority sport, far smaller than cycling anyway, the general public would like to see nothing more than shooting get banned outright, I say live and let live, the idiots who step out of line should be dealt with and legislation should be kept to a minimum, if we, as the participants of one of the most oppressed sports in the uk can't tolerate someone else's enjoyment, what hope have we got for the future of our sport?

[daveboy]

Rule 163:
Overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so. You should

• not get too close to the vehicle you intend to overtake
• move quickly past the vehicle you are overtaking, once you have started to overtake. Allow plenty of room. Move back to the left as soon as you can but do not cut in
• give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car (see Rules 211-215)

How many of you give a cyclist the same room as a car.

If you did why would it bother you if they are two abreast. ( I cycle,Ride a motorbike and drive a 4x4)

[Velocette]

Another cycle rant thread...... Given i do 30k miles a year in my car and 2k miles a year on my bike, a few observations:-

 

You do not need a licence to walk or cycle on a highway, unlike a vehicle.

 

Most 'lycra clad' cyclists do carry insurance through membership of lical clubs, ctc etc

 

A cyclist like any other road user is entitled to use the full width of the lane/road and it is at their discretion as to where they position themselves.

 

Riding abreast shortens overtaking manoeuvres for vehicle drivers.

 

Pushing past a cyclist with oncoming traffic is not over taking and if seen by police could land driver with dangerous driving charge.

 

Vehicle drivers are required to overtake safely i.e. use the oncoming lane to overtake whether they are overtaking a cyclist or an artic.

 

Roads are paid from general taxation, so cyclists do pay for them. ved is now an anti pollution tax, bikes produce no fuel pollution.

 

Most cyclists are doing 20mph or more on level or downhill, though speeds do drop climbing hills, however there is no minimum road speed except on motorways where cyclists are not allowed.

 

Most cyclists do not like shared routes as they are either poorly surfaced have hazards,used by others who do not pay attention and often are not the most direct routes.

 

You should encouage cyclists on the Road as cyclists need a smoother surface than cars to travel in and are often biggest complainers of road hazards to councils as a 1/2 deep pithole for a car is no big deal, it represents a real hazard for cyclists.

 

Don't forget the order of road use as it developed was foot, horse, bicycle and then lastly motor vehicle.

 

Not a hazard in the courts or councils eyes,,the national agreed intervention depth of a pothole in the carriageway is 40mm

Edited July 8, 2016 by Velocette

[scobydog]

Being from Poynton and using the middlewood way regularly I know that Y B has got it right about the cyclists around here, once the weather improves it is an absolute nightmare with cyclists, the road between Poynton and Woodford @ 2 miles long can be choked with cars that are behind cyclists that are 2 ,3 or 4 abreast. I regularly see cyclists mount the pavement in the shared space just so they can cut corners on it then pull straight back on in front of cars who are travelling quicker than them and causing the cars etc to brake hard, these are not rare occurences but everyday ones.

 

S

[rodp]

Rule 163:

Overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so. You should

• not get too close to the vehicle you intend to overtake
• move quickly past the vehicle you are overtaking, once you have started to overtake. Allow plenty of room. Move back to the left as soon as you can but do not cut in
• give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car (see Rules 211-215)

How many of you give a cyclist the same room as a car.

If you did why would it bother you if they are two abreast. ( I cycle,Ride a motorbike and drive a 4x4)

Think you may find that means as much clearance as you would a car, not the width of a car plus the clearance. if so then 6" clearance should be fine

[daveboy]

Think you may find that means as much clearance as you would a car, not the width of a car plus the clearance. if so then 6" clearance should be fine

So you would pass a bike doing 10mph at up to 60mph and leave 6" clearance, Are you having a Giraffe.

cars overtaking cyclists should be on the other side of the road, just as if they were overtaking a car. It's simple really but it doesn't seem that some motorists know or understand this rule, if they did, there would be far less cars passing extremely close to cyclists and less road rage between the two groups.

 

 

http://ukcyclelaws.blogspot.co.uk/p/overtaking-cyclists.html

Edited July 9, 2016 by daveboy

[rodp]

So you would pass a bike doing 10mph at up to 60mph and leave 6" clearance, Are you having a Giraffe.

cars overtaking cyclists should be on the other side of the road, just as if they were overtaking a car. It's simple really but it doesn't seem that some motorists know or understand this rule, if they did, there would be far less cars passing extremely close to cyclists and less road rage between the two groups.

 

 

http://ukcyclelaws.blogspot.co.uk/p/overtaking-cyclists.html

Is this actually in the highway code, or law ? Link ?

[Davyo]

Its a minority of cyclists that spoil it for the rest so why have a go at all cyclists, or because of the minority would you like cyclists banned.That could be said for SGC/FAC holders out there.Considering there is a small minority that keep giving good certificate holders a bad name lets just ban everyone.

Edited July 9, 2016 by Davyo

[daveboy]

Is this actually in the highway code, or law ? Link ?

I've already quoted the highway code about treating them like a car.

Are you sticking to your 6" theory .?

[CharlieT]

Its a minority of cyclists that spoil it for the rest so why have a go at all cyclists, or because of the minority would you like cyclists banned.That could be said for SGC/FAC holders out there.Considering there is a small minority that keep giving good certificate holders a bad name lets just ban everyone.

 

I always thought exactly this and I have some admiration for sheer determination and guts it must take to cycle up and down the hills round here, more than I could do and because of this one sees very few cyclists round here.

 

However, yesterday I drove across the moor to take my wife into Dulverton, some 20 miles away. It was obviously the same day that some cycling organisation had arranged a race of some sorts. I must have passed well in excess of 100 lycra clad enthusiasts peddling for all their worth, most 2 abreast some 4 abreast. Because our lanes are so narrow it's difficult to pass one bike let alone two. What surprised me most was that only a handful heard me behind and moved over to let me pass, the rest I had to hoot at to attract their attention and despite me waving to say thank you to each and every one, ONLY two of these 100+ cyclists thanked me for my considerate driving.

 

I've never met such a bunch of ignorant, rude people in all of my 70 odd years.

[Davyo]

Rule 163:

Overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so. You should

not get too close to the vehicle you intend to overtakemove quickly past the vehicle you are overtaking, once you have started to overtake. Allow plenty of room. Move back to the left as soon as you can but do not cut ingive motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car (see Rules 211-215)

[islandgun]

 

I always thought exactly this and I have some admiration for sheer determination and guts it must take to cycle up and down the hills round here, more than I could do and because of this one sees very few cyclists round here.

 

However, yesterday I drove across the moor to take my wife into Dulverton, some 20 miles away. It was obviously the same day that some cycling organisation had arranged a race of some sorts. I must have passed well in excess of 100 lycra clad enthusiasts peddling for all their worth, most 2 abreast some 4 abreast. Because our lanes are so narrow it's difficult to pass one bike let alone two. What surprised me most was that only a handful heard me behind and moved over to let me pass, the rest I had to hoot at to attract their attention and despite me waving to say thank you to each and every one, ONLY two of these 100+ cyclists thanked me for my considerate driving.

 

I've never met such a bunch of ignorant, rude people in all of my 70 odd years.

 

jeez I lived near Dulverton for a while some of those hills are too steep to walk up let alone cycle

[malkiserow]

Cyclists do need to be far more considerate - even for their own safety. Yesterday I overtook a group that were taking all the lane between the kerb and the central white line, the pack was about 80 yards long so I was on the other side of the road, a nice long straight stretch, as I was overtaking, a fella decided to overtake his mates by coming over the white line without out looking and I was right up behind him...... staggeringly stupid. Many of them seem to be in "race mode" and forget they are on public roads.

[rodp]

I've already quoted the highway code about treating them like a car.

Are you sticking to your 6" theory . ?

Maybe first you'd like to show me where it says I have to be on the other side of the road?