How much abuse do you get?

Jacomus-rides-Gen

There have been a lot of threads about how abused we are as cyclists recently, and I don't really want to start another "this-happened-to-me" thread, but I've been thinking about how much abuse I get in a normal week.

Physical abuse
- Left hooks: 0
- Dangerous lane changes: 1
- Dangerous overtaking: 4
- Driver pulls out of turning too close: 0
- Dooring (emergency avoid): 0
- Car used as weapon: 0
- Car used to threaten: 0

Verbal abuse
- Beeping: 0
- Shouting: 0
- Hand signs: 0
- Lean out of car screaming: 0
- Get out of car: 0

I don't know if a combo of how I ride and luck come into this result, but that doesn't seem like very much at all compared to what I see on this board a lot. I have had the odd screamed threats and the odd beep, and that woman who tried to ram me (who got a rape alarm chucked into her back seat) but other than that its basically as above. Also had the truck nearly crush me by pulling in too early but I have to go back almost a year to include the truck.

Its not like I ride in quiet places, I spend about 6hrs a week commuting to and from Clapham Junction and the middle of the City, thats 24km a day along some very busy roads.

Taking such a long look at the abuse I've suffered, its really not very much at all. It absolutely shouldn't be there, but unless we specifically train drivers to CALM THE F**K DOWN, we are always going to suffer the moves like overtaking before red lights, left hooks etc etc.

That is the biggest threat to me - drivers who cannot wait 20 seconds behind me for a decent gap to open up. But, thankfully that is still quite low compared to the number of cars who overtake me.

Does anyone else find that actually the abuse they suffer is less than they think, or is it just me being really lucky? (And maybe chucking in a dash of good roadcraft )

lateralus

My numbers stack up pretty similar to yours. Likewise, I've read some of the threads on here and marvelled that I seem to have pretty trouble-free commuting compared to some. I guess there is, on average, one or 2 incidents a week where I feel that there is serious danger.

The one major problem I have is getting squeezed frequently at pinch points along a couple of the roads I use.

Not wanting to sound big-headed, but I do look at the moves that some people pull, going up the left hand side of cars, etc, and wince. I was a motorcyclist for 7 years before taking up cycle commuting, and that taught me a lot about being aware of cars' blindspots and staying out of them, not accelerating into closing gaps, etc etc.

Having tempted fate in this fashion, I will no doubt get left-hooked on the way home and get in a punch up

ddraver

i rarely find i have that much trouble...having said that, i ride along roads that are pretty traffic light heavy so i 'm often separatedfrom cars or they re going slowly, there are also alot of buses (most of whom are pretty good)

I also accept close passes that others have complained about, as long as they don't close in, i'm not bothered

however when i went doen hammersmith bypass i got several nasty beeps and "get off the road type shouts...but then i'm not sure we re allowed on there...?

hoever i do get alot of people pulling out infront, or pulling across the lane and blocking it to turn right

I ve never been directly thretened, the only times i ve fallen off were entirely my fault (rear ended the car in front, slid out on some wet leaves cos some old man was taking an age to get across the road and i politely slowed down

homercles

Jacomus

Interesting that your commute starts in Clappy J and you find your route fairly abuse free. I go from Colliers Wood through Clapham (Common, High St end) and similarly find that my journey is invariably trouble-free. There do seem to be A LOT of cyclists on my route (it's like the Grand Depart outside Stockwell station every morning!) - I wonder if there being so many has helped to educate motorists along the route?

Jacomus-rides-Gen

lateralus
I was a motorcyclist for 7 years before taking up cycle commuting, and that taught me a lot about being aware of cars' blindspots and staying out of them, not accelerating into closing gaps, etc etc.

I am a motorcyclist too, and I think that there are a lot of transferable skills between the two, so maybe that has something to do with it.

I think it might also have something to do with my attitude on the bike too, without being big-headed, I am a fast rider and am happy to mix it up in traffic at and around 30mph, which allows me to behave as if I'm on my motorbike. (I'm also lucky because of the flatness of London)

Having said that I like to cycle fast though, I don't give two hoots about being at the front of a traffic jam, or missing a lights change, or getting in front of other cycle commuters. The biggest change has come since I split with my gf a couple of months ago, I was allways stressed, under pressure to get home before I got yelled at or sent on a guilt trip. Now the stress levels are floating around near zero, and it shows in how I ride my bikes. I used to get wound up easily on my ride, and would freely shout at cars and cyclists if they slowed me down, and on my motorbike I used its speed and handling to push ahead.

Now I just sit back and enjoy the ride, and boy is it more enjoyable! Other road users don't seem to hate me and I take pleasure in little bits of the ride, like a particularly sweet set of gear changes, or smiling at people and having them return it. That kind of thing. It sounds a bit silly laid out like this, but I reckon it does make a difference.

Jacomus-rides-Gen

Homercles - Interesting, and probably very true. I hadn't thought of that.

I do ride on a very popular route - "Clappy J":D , Battersea Park, Embankment, Blackfriars, City and there are a d@mn lot of cyclists, so maybe drivers are more aware (resigned) to there being cyclists everywhere.

lateralus

Jacomus-rides-Gen wrote:

lateralus
Now I just sit back and enjoy the ride, and boy is it more enjoyable! Other road users don't seem to hate me and I take pleasure in little bits of the ride, like a particularly sweet set of gear changes, or smiling at people and having them return it. That kind of thing. It sounds a bit silly laid out like this, but I reckon it does make a difference.

I've seen people on here before taking about the "Zen" thing, and I think there's something in it. I like to go fast, but there are places where you can use the speed, and places where it's more trouble than it's worth.

There's one spot on my commute where I see it illustrated time and again - outside the petrol station on the Lower Richmond Road in Putney. There's a set of lights right beside it, and so many cylists race down the left hand side and then get into trouble when a car turns left out of the queue. That move is worth 10 seconds at best compared to cruising down there slowly, covering the brakes, and that's easily made up on the other side.

Teuchter

lateralus wrote:

I like to go fast, but there are places where you can use the speed, and places where it's more trouble than it's worth.

I found that developing this attitude helped make me a lot safer (and not much slower) as a motorcyclist. I'm now applying the same to cycling. Pity most other road users (using all forms of transport) don't seem to see it the same way - will that 3 seconds saved really make that much difference to you?

My stats seem similar to the above. I get a couple of lane changes or close overtakes in a typical week and occasionally a beep. I'm about to move offices from the edge of Glasgow to the city centre however - I wonder if things will change on the busier roads I'll encounter there.

Shadowduck

I'm a relatively recent convert to cycle commuting, and this was the thing that worried me more than anything else before I started! After reading some forums, I was expecting to be dodging abuse, bricks and maniac motorists at every turn...

I'm delighted to say I haven't felt in danger once and have found the vast majority of motorists are a lot more patient with me on the bike than they ever would be if I was in a car! I've had carfulls of teenagers shouting out the window as they passed on two occasions and a couple of passes close enough to make me jump, and that's been about it - out of the thousands of cars that have shared the road with me that's a pretty good record.

I've about ten years motorcycling experience so maybe there is a connection? Or perhaps I've just been lucky. *knocks on wood*

Jacomus-rides-Gen

It does seem to be a connection, a fair few of us on this thread are reporting next to no problems, and that we are bikers too... I feel a poll coming on!

graham_g

That's pretty much the same for me too, Jaco - perhaps two or three people will pass me too close each day but only a couple will be dangerously close in any week. I find that as long as I'm not going through the traffic like a nutter that I get a good bit of courtesy from queueing cars moving in etc.

villa-ru

Don't forget also that no-one is going to post about an incident-free journey. Although there seem to be many stories of agro/near misses/accidents etc they aren't from the same people everytime...

HIgher numbers of cyclists definitely help awareness - but just wait till the clocks go back & watch the number of incidents leap up...

DavidTQ

Hmm depends on how you define the incidents, certainly I see far more dangerous overtaking manouvres than your numbers, but not ones where I think it was a near death experience, just ones where I think "you twat"

Incidents which are enough to raise my pulse level a bit are thankfully rare.

Will Snow

i ride a mountain bike, and used that to commute, and yeah, i reckon your relaxed attitudes (generally) work wonders!!! I ride aggresive dh and all mountain, and its shows through in my commute, where i get into quite alot of trouble. Doesnt bother me though, its just helps with the training... anyone else ride aggresive comutes???