I'm starting to get p*ssed off.....

redddraggon

I started commuting by bike 8 months ago, took me a few weeks to find a quiet route, one down country roads away from the main roads.

I specifically chose the country roads to keep away from the traffic, and the normal lot of drivers down the stretch are pretty good.

BUT now they have started to do some work on the main road running parallel to my route this week.

My route now has got a lot busier, last week on one of the days I left work at 6 O'Clock and saw only about 3 cars on the whole country stretch. Fast forward to this Tuesday, I work 'til 5 and decide that I'm in no rush to get home, so I wait at work until after 6, get kitted up and leave and there's loads of bloody cars on my route. And to make matters worse they all drive like idiots.

I've only 4 months left of cycling to work before I finish my placement, but the roadworks are going to last for 6 months, meaning I've got to put up with all these idiots for the rest of my time.

This morning I decided if they weren't going to give me reasonable space I'm going to ride in primary for the whole distance and the miserable b*stards can wait.

Sorry for the rant, but I'd found myself a nice quiet route and it's now been spoilt.

hamboman

did they get p1$$ed off with you riding primary then?!

redddraggon

hamboman wrote:

did they get p1$$ed off with you riding primary then?!

Well if they aren't going to give me room when they pass I'm to keep to primary and it's tough luck for them.

The point is that I shouldn't have to keep to primary, but 90% of the traffic pass too close now, I'm not doing it to p*ss them off, I'm doing it because the majority won't give me the room, it's just tough luck if it p*sses them off.

redjedi

I know what you mean.

I got a bit p*ssed off myself last night. A few months a go Brent council started doing some major road works, which involved relaying the road. The only problem with this is that it took them ages to relay the tarmac after stripping off the old layer.
After I hit the edge of the new tarmac and got a p*ncture I decided to find a new way around until the work was finished.

I found a new route which is nice and quiet, no traffic lights and although being a bit further, ia actually quicker. Nice!

Until they decided to rip up the road on that route as well. Not nice when it's dark and you don't see the raised manhole covers in the middle of the road followed by a sharp ridge at the edge of the tarmac, until the last minute. :evil:

Not quite as severe as yours Red D but I feel your pain.

hamboman

redddraggon wrote:

hamboman wrote:

did they get p1$$ed off with you riding primary then?!

Well if they aren't going to give me room when they pass I'm to keep to primary and it's tough luck for them.

The point is that I shouldn't have to keep to primary, but 90% of the traffic pass too close now, I'm not doing it to p*ss them off, I'm doing it because the majority won't give me the room, it's just tough luck if it p*sses them off.

I'm not criticising, I wholeheartedly agree with going primary in situations like that! Just wanted to know if you got any agro from it? I know I often do.

redddraggon

hamboman wrote:

I'm not criticising, I wholeheartedly agree with going primary in situations like that! Just wanted to know if you got any agro from it? I know I often do.

It's not really that bad for them when I'm in primary, as the road isn't "congested", they can just cross over to the other lane. It's just they don't normally bother crossing over into the lane and pass me close at high speed, which annoys me as there are now streams of cars doing it rather than the odd one or two.

I'm probably making it sound worse than it is on the traffic levels, probably most people from London with their traffic would laugh at me if they saw the road and what I'm moaning at, but I'm a country boy and I'm used to quiet roads.

Cheys03

I'd be tempted to have a look at the main road running parallel. Depending on the type of work being done and volume of traffic, it may actually be easier than your normal route right now.

Clever Pun

why don't you take the main road instead now?

chrisinnorfolk

redddraggon wrote:

Well if they aren't going to give me room when they pass I'm to keep to primary and it's tough luck for them.

That sums up my daily commute to a T.

redddraggon

Because of the weather I went on the bus which takes the main road this morning, and no way would I cycle that road.

I had been waiting to cross the main road for awhile after getting off the bus, some idiot in a car pulled alongside me indicating right, to cross in front of me, but I made it clear to him I was going when a gap in the traffic appeared as I had been standing there in the hail and wind for a good while before he'd even got there. A gap appeared and I started to cross, and the kn0b pulled into me. So I gave him some choice hand signals and some verbal warnings.

What's with all the arrogance? Why do they think their journey is more important than everyone elses?

niblue

The commute to my old office was 10 miles each way down some lovely quiet but narrow country roads. The only time they weren't quiet was when there was roadworks on the nearby main road and the traffic was detoured along my route. Once trip with it like that was enough because with lorries, trucks and a lot of cars the route became suicidal - so I stuck to the car until the roadworks were finished.