Playing it safe in rush hour jams...

N0bodyOfTheGoat · June 2007

Earlier this week, my usual 25 minute commute took a shocking 45 minutes, which resulted in me being 10 minutes late for work. Upon arrival, the Operations Manager said something to the effect of "You should have used the pavement and/or weave through the cars to get to work on time..."

Personally, I will not mount the pavement unless it is an official cycle path, especially when the car ahead of me is a police car and I can see several others further along the road on my side!

As for weaving through traffic (either squeezing alongside the kerb or inbetween two lanes), I personally don't feel the chance of saving some travelling time is worth the risk of being taken out by a motor, as sadly these boards show. There were certainly a number of drivers in that unusual congestion, all likely to be late for work, getting stressed. I think the sitaution is likely to cause more drivers to not check their blind spots for us riders.

Black Keith · June 2007

ops manager is a plonker.

but you can and should overtake stationary or very slow traffic where/when possible by riding on the right.

__________________________

jakob_s · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by NitrousOxide
[

As for weaving through traffic (either squeezing alongside the kerb or inbetween two lanes), I personally don't feel the chance of saving some travelling time is worth the risk of being taken out by a motor, as sadly these boards show.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Don't believe the hype.

FGG #2384

plusgourmande · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by jakob_s

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by NitrousOxide
[

As for weaving through traffic (either squeezing alongside the kerb or inbetween two lanes), I personally don't feel the chance of saving some travelling time is worth the risk of being taken out by a motor, as sadly these boards show.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Don't believe the hype.

FGG #2384

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Yeah, boyee.

N0bodyOfTheGoat · June 2007

Just re-read that sentence of mine and thought I should clarify/rephrase it...

I am saddened by the number of incidents between motors and riders reported on here (i.e. was not accusing every rider involved in a collision as having tried to squeeze though gaps).

rgisme · June 2007

Noone can tell you to break the law or compromise what you feel to be your own safety on the roads.

That said, the whole point of being on a bike is to be able to use any means available to get through the traffic [;)] Personally my travel times are consistent to within 5 minutes irrespective of weather and traffic conditions generally. The only thing that does hold me up is the occasional puncture!

BentMikey · June 2007

There's no point in riding a bike if you're not going to filter. Besides, from the stats, filtering is not the most dangerous thing for cyclists by a long way, so your care is misplaced. Instead you should be looking at stuff like this:

http://www.londonskaters.com/cycling/sa ... r-zone.htm
http://www.londonskaters.com/cycling/sa ... hicles.htm

Another one is paying attention at junctions. For the most part, the incidents I recall on here involving filtering, were a case more about junctions and drivers not paying sufficient attention. The filtering just confused the issue and reduced what drivers could see.

My bikes
My skates

If I had a baby elephant, I'd teach it to skate.

frogcp · June 2007

Typical of managers. In an old job I had to provide emergency cover for a remote site. The contract specified a response time of 45 minutes. I told my manager that I'd have to do 60 plus all the way to get to a call there to meet the SLA. His reply 'Well, so what?'

I wrote up a statement which ran 'I, (the manager) have given permission for Mr XXX, driver of vehicle reg ZZZ, to exceed the posted speed limits on the following roads: . . . .'

I gave it to him, asked him to sign it, and I'd take it to the local police station so the coppers wouldn't stop me on the way to a call. Never heard anything about it after that . . . .

Vultures circling high in a clear blue sky - must be a traffic jam near by.

Keith Oates · June 2007

If the road is really blocked but the pavement is clear it is perfectly legal to get off the bike and walk with it on the pavement!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ride Daily, Keep Healthy

BentMikey · June 2007

Quality Frog!!!!

Too right Keith, I quite regularly do this, esp. on one bit where there's a no right turn. Perfectly legal, and no doubt perfectly frustrating to car drivers.

My bikes
My skates

If I had a baby elephant, I'd teach it to skate.

snakehips · June 2007

Sometimes it is difficult to remember that safety is the most important thing whatever you are doing , riding a bike , using a sharp knife , or even driving a car.

However, there are few better opportunities for us to demonstrate the inherent superiority of our chosen method of transport than the traffic jam.

It would a pity to let the opportunity go to waste. Who knows , our ability to keep going while all around us others are raging with impotence in their metal boxes might one day persuade somebody to follow suit.

Snake

Eat My Dust · June 2007

If you had been in a car, would your manager have taken the same stance? ie. telling you to drive on the pavement!!

SNAPS

Totalnewbie · June 2007

There rarely seems to be enough space for me to filter, although traffic is rarely so gridlocked that it would be faster to get off and walk on the pavement. The fact that my handlebars are old-fashioned wideish flared ones does not help with small gaps!

And on bits like Grosvenor Place (which was quite busy yesterday) I want to be in the left lane to turn left anyway. I'm not really sure what else to do apart from sit in the queue...another cyclists was trying to filter between the lanes but there was not really enough space for him and he nearly fell off at one point...

Another thing I see is cyclists filtering down a queue of about four cars all signalling left to turn onto Park Lane (they can only go left anyway) and sitting next to the car so they can turn with it. This seems dangerous to me, though in fairness most cars are pulling into the second lane and cyclists are generally going into the first (bus) lane so the cars aren't turning quite as sharply as the cyclist is if you see what I mean. Still, I haven't done it myself yet, preferring to spend a minute in the queue.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/ ... 400572.jpg

domtyler · June 2007

Ignore the manager, just nod and smile while inwardly visualising shagging his daughter (assuming she exists and is of legal age that is!).

Filtering is quite safe if you keep your wits about you and cover the brakes the whole time. You can hardly go by what you read on the commuting section of a cycling forum. Anyone involved in a collision of any kind is going to come on here and tell the world about it. The facts are that 10 people die in the UK every day on our roads and very few of them are cyclists. Once you can call yourself an experienced cyclist your chances of being involved in a collision are very slim.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Porridge not Petrol
________
Mercedes-Benz 420 Specifications

el_presidente · June 2007

Bloke in front of me on a chopper-style motorbike was struggling to filter because of his wide mirrors. "Fold them in!!" I shouted much to the amusement of a WVM to my left

cupofteacp · June 2007

el

Wide motorcycles in London, what is the point? I see Hog bikes which are wide enough with stupid huge mirrors, then there are the vespa boys who once again fit large wing mirrors

I'm all for mirrors, but how big do they need to be? And if you like a large wide bike stop blocking the traffic

Hey Hoo

15 * 2 * 5
* 46 = Happiness

Playing it safe in rush hour jams...

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