Your rants here.

elbowloh

To the lady driving across Chelsea Bridge, just because you have indicated, it doesn't mean you can change into my lane when you are literally right next to me. Gradually moving over and pushing me out of the lane in spite of me shouting at you that i was there is not a legitimate move.

pangolin

Zipping down Whiteladies in Bristol, just off the hill and onto the flat as you go past Clifton Down train station. Going about 25mph. Private taxi decides to go from parked on the left of the road to doing a u-turn to go back up the road just as I'm approaching. Slam on the brakes and juuuust avoid hitting the back right hand side of him as he (completely oblivious despite my shouts) happily completes his manoeuvre.

Would have had strong words with him but as the road was clear back up the hill he was off.

The thing that annoys me most about it is he never even noticed how close he came to A) seriously injuring me and writing off my bike and doing some severe damage to the side of his car (which he might have actually cared about, making him look next time)

elbowloh

pangolin wrote:

Zipping down Whiteladies in Bristol, just off the hill and onto the flat as you go past Clifton Down train station. Going about 25mph. Private taxi decides to go from parked on the left of the road to doing a u-turn to go back up the road just as I'm approaching. Slam on the brakes and juuuust avoid hitting the back right hand side of him as he (completely oblivious despite my shouts) happily completes his manoeuvre.

Would have had strong words with him but as the road was clear back up the hill he was off.

The thing that annoys me most about it is he never even noticed how close he came to A) seriously injuring me and writing off my bike and doing some severe damage to the side of his car (which he might have actually cared about, making him look next time)

Come to London, you'll come across this classic manoeuvre from black cabs on almost a daily basis. You see, they see the road as their own private domain. Also their "lock-on" missile mode. Punter puts hand and to hail a cab and taxi sets off like an exocet in direct line to them no matter what might be in their way or what other traffic might be coming.

poweredbyidris

elbowloh wrote:

pangolin wrote:

Zipping down Whiteladies in Bristol, just off the hill and onto the flat as you go past Clifton Down train station. Going about 25mph. Private taxi decides to go from parked on the left of the road to doing a u-turn to go back up the road just as I'm approaching. Slam on the brakes and juuuust avoid hitting the back right hand side of him as he (completely oblivious despite my shouts) happily completes his manoeuvre.

Would have had strong words with him but as the road was clear back up the hill he was off.

The thing that annoys me most about it is he never even noticed how close he came to A) seriously injuring me and writing off my bike and doing some severe damage to the side of his car (which he might have actually cared about, making him look next time)

Come to London, you'll come across this classic manoeuvre from black cabs on almost a daily basis. You see, they see the road as their own private domain. Also their "lock-on" missile mode. Punter puts hand and to hail a cab and taxi sets off like an exocet in direct line to them no matter what might be in their way or what other traffic might be coming.

Cabbie eyesight is very selective

N0bodyOfTheGoat

When you make a beeline for home, even forsaking the usual warmdown loop around the block before ending the ride, thinking you've completed the Gran Fondo monthly challenge... To then discover the ride was <0.4 miles short of completing the challenge! :shock:

Same ride again tomorrow after work, but with the warmdown? :twisted:

pangolin

elbowloh wrote:

pangolin wrote:

Zipping down Whiteladies in Bristol, just off the hill and onto the flat as you go past Clifton Down train station. Going about 25mph. Private taxi decides to go from parked on the left of the road to doing a u-turn to go back up the road just as I'm approaching. Slam on the brakes and juuuust avoid hitting the back right hand side of him as he (completely oblivious despite my shouts) happily completes his manoeuvre.

Would have had strong words with him but as the road was clear back up the hill he was off.

The thing that annoys me most about it is he never even noticed how close he came to A) seriously injuring me and writing off my bike and doing some severe damage to the side of his car (which he might have actually cared about, making him look next time)

Come to London, you'll come across this classic manoeuvre from black cabs on almost a daily basis. You see, they see the road as their own private domain. Also their "lock-on" missile mode. Punter puts hand and to hail a cab and taxi sets off like an exocet in direct line to them no matter what might be in their way or what other traffic might be coming.

My last serious crash was when I lived in London, coming down Embankment past a stationary queue of cars, one decided he'd had enough and pulled a u-turn to go back the other way. He was only a few metres ahead and didn't indicate so I went straight over his bonnet.

Happily he was a black cab so there was plenty of room in the back for my now broken bike and me. He was decent about it to be fair, admitted fault and paid for everything.

elbowloh

pangolin wrote:

elbowloh wrote:

pangolin wrote:

Zipping down Whiteladies in Bristol, just off the hill and onto the flat as you go past Clifton Down train station. Going about 25mph. Private taxi decides to go from parked on the left of the road to doing a u-turn to go back up the road just as I'm approaching. Slam on the brakes and juuuust avoid hitting the back right hand side of him as he (completely oblivious despite my shouts) happily completes his manoeuvre.

Would have had strong words with him but as the road was clear back up the hill he was off.

The thing that annoys me most about it is he never even noticed how close he came to A) seriously injuring me and writing off my bike and doing some severe damage to the side of his car (which he might have actually cared about, making him look next time)

Come to London, you'll come across this classic manoeuvre from black cabs on almost a daily basis. You see, they see the road as their own private domain. Also their "lock-on" missile mode. Punter puts hand and to hail a cab and taxi sets off like an exocet in direct line to them no matter what might be in their way or what other traffic might be coming.

My last serious crash was when I lived in London, coming down Embankment past a stationary queue of cars, one decided he'd had enough and pulled a u-turn to go back the other way. He was only a few metres ahead and didn't indicate so I went straight over his bonnet.

Happily he was a black cab so there was plenty of room in the back for my now broken bike and me. He was decent about it to be fair, admitted fault and paid for everything.

Ah, so you know it all too well.

Glad it turned out well in the end, although I thinking moving to Bristol to avoid a repeat is a bit drastic.

wolfsbane2k

Somehow or other i've let my rear tyre wear through to the thread without realising it. Last had the bike "up" a month ago, and i swear it wasn't showing any blue liner then, but adding another 300 miles and it's complete toast. Still, i suppose 3000 miles for a Durano Plus 25c ain't too bad for a rear tyre, right?

Very, very embarrassing as it was picked up by the plod technician within seconds of turning the bike over to to apply the bike register kit...

And while i'm at ordering some replacement tyres, I thought I'd try and order some replacement mudguards for the snapped front; can i find Tortec Full length reflectives in stock anywhere... ? Nah. Balls.

sgt.pepper

The fad for oversized bars has reached here.

Ridiculous.

jgsi

Cruff wrote:

Sh1thouses in Chelsea tractors are not geographically confined to London & the home counties...

Last night I left work a bit early for a training ride. Living in Altrincham, most of my flat rides take place in Cheshire, round Knutsford, Wilmslow, Alderley Edge, Tatton etc. For the uninitiated, it's the NW Surrey of Manchester - full of pr1cks in sports cars, imbeciles in 4x4s and cockwombles in Audis. Usually when I'm out that way it's after 6, so I don't have to suffer the rush hour - but yesterday I was smack in the middle of it. Going South through Knutsford, I was close passed by a stupid cow in her enormous Porsche 4x4, buzzed by a bloke in a DB9, and left-hooked by a Beemer - within 500 yards of each other.

The crowning glory was a posh old bat coming past Tatton Park, who overtook me in her R8 with about 4 inches between me and her wing mirror despite nothing coming in the opposite direction for half a mile (dead straight road), then pulling in front of me without indicating and slowing down, to the point I overtook her. When we both got caught at the gates to Tatton Park, I stopped, and rolled back to her in the queue of traffic and engaged her in conversation. She was genuinely unaware she'd done anything wrong (not faking it) - at first genuinely shocked that I suggested pulling into the opposite carriageway when passing, then defensive, and finally aggressive about it. What really irked was the fact that she wasn't just being a tw@t - I can handle that (plenty of tw@ts in the world) but totally oblivious to what she was doing. What the actual f**k is going on out there???

The obliviousness of said drivers regarding anything else on the road is well 'disappointing'.
The fact that it might be the end of someone's life if they get it wrong one day is also 'disappointing'.
I can still spell disappoint correctly it being testament to the fact that I am a living breathing sentient being with a desire to keep on living. Cycling can be a disappointment because at the end of the day it is not that we don't belong on their 'patch' aka the road, it is just that we are meaningless in their eyes.
I'll have my GoPro on to record those last seconds of life - 'tis a modern thing.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

http://www.southampton.gov.uk/roads-par ... ategy.aspx

http://www.southampton.gov.uk/roads-par ... /ltp4.aspx

Talk about filling out PDFs with silly amounts of waffle... They supposedly want feedback from the local community on this, or at least they pretend they do! :evil:

wolfsbane2k

NitrousOxide wrote:

http://www.southampton.gov.uk/roads-parking/transport-policy/cycling-strategy.aspx

http://www.southampton.gov.uk/roads-par ... /ltp4.aspx

Talk about filling out PDFs with silly amounts of waffle... They supposedly want feedback from the local community on this, or at least they pretend they do! :evil:

Yeah, do the online survey version and it's very, very car centric.

awavey

closest Ive nearly been hit by a car on the bike today for a while 4x4 chelsea tractor coming out of a village hall car park on my left hand side, not indicating, but I had a feeling he was going to turn right as you could see the driver was focussed looking down the road to their left, so I did move more across away from the kerb to try and change the angle to give me some escape room and hope when he did look right he'd have better chance to see me

problem is he didnt bother looking right at all, and then just pulled out on me as I guess my front wheel was right in front of the bumper but because his turn arc is still towards me it was like even though trying to veer as far away from impending doom as I can,they are still getting closer, then he saw me, and slammed on the brakes skidding to a halt, as Im nearly expecting to become a new bonnet ornament.

if Id hugged the kerb even slightly, he'd have got me,he hadnt a clue I was there, and the scary thing is those cars are so boxy at the front and high up, I wouldnt have gone over the bonnet as it was roughly hip height so Id have gone down on the road and then probably under it because its turbo diesel accelerating those things dont hang around when the turbo spools up.

didnt even get so much as an apology. and I was too shocked to even swear at them, why would you turn right out of there and not even look to the right to see its clear to go.

and probably more than a handful of close passes that were close enough I felt I was sitting in the passenger seat, and they were so unnecessary,there was one, not even the worst one, on a single track road, though its more like 1.5 track really so you cant defend your space and we are no more than 10-15metres away from it doubling up again, and this van still pushes their way through, and then flipping well turned left not more than 50 yards up the road anyway.

think Ill spend the rest of the day off the road if its going to be like that today.

nickice

JGSI wrote:

Cruff wrote:

Sh1thouses in Chelsea tractors are not geographically confined to London & the home counties...

Last night I left work a bit early for a training ride. Living in Altrincham, most of my flat rides take place in Cheshire, round Knutsford, Wilmslow, Alderley Edge, Tatton etc. For the uninitiated, it's the NW Surrey of Manchester - full of pr1cks in sports cars, imbeciles in 4x4s and cockwombles in Audis. Usually when I'm out that way it's after 6, so I don't have to suffer the rush hour - but yesterday I was smack in the middle of it. Going South through Knutsford, I was close passed by a stupid cow in her enormous Porsche 4x4, buzzed by a bloke in a DB9, and left-hooked by a Beemer - within 500 yards of each other.

The crowning glory was a posh old bat coming past Tatton Park, who overtook me in her R8 with about 4 inches between me and her wing mirror despite nothing coming in the opposite direction for half a mile (dead straight road), then pulling in front of me without indicating and slowing down, to the point I overtook her. When we both got caught at the gates to Tatton Park, I stopped, and rolled back to her in the queue of traffic and engaged her in conversation. She was genuinely unaware she'd done anything wrong (not faking it) - at first genuinely shocked that I suggested pulling into the opposite carriageway when passing, then defensive, and finally aggressive about it. What really irked was the fact that she wasn't just being a tw@t - I can handle that (plenty of tw@ts in the world) but totally oblivious to what she was doing. What the actual f**k is going on out there???

The obliviousness of said drivers regarding anything else on the road is well 'disappointing'.
The fact that it might be the end of someone's life if they get it wrong one day is also 'disappointing'.
I can still spell disappoint correctly it being testament to the fact that I am a living breathing sentient being with a desire to keep on living. Cycling can be a disappointment because at the end of the day it is not that we don't belong on their 'patch' aka the road, it is just that we are meaningless in their eyes.
I'll have my GoPro on to record those last seconds of life - 'tis a modern thing.

I can't decide if the oblivious drivers or the ones that know it's dangerous but do it anyway who annoy me more. I always try to avoid rush hour riding (unless it's in the bike lane) for the above reasons though, like you say, it's not always possible.
The most annoying thing is you almost always catch up with the driver who's overtaken you dangerously. I try not to let it ruin my ride but perhaps once or twice a year I'll get into a dispute when someone has done something really egregious. Even then, I try not to be angry from the get-go.

I genuinely think all car drivers should have to ride a bike along some busy roads before being given a driving licence.

elbowloh

nickice wrote:

I can't decide if the oblivious drivers or the ones that know it's dangerous but do it anyway who annoy me more. I always try to avoid rush hour riding (unless it's in the bike lane) for the above reasons though, like you say, it's not always possible.
The most annoying thing is you almost always catch up with the driver who's overtaken you dangerously. I try not to let it ruin my ride but perhaps once or twice a year I'll get into a dispute when someone has done something really egregious. Even then, I try not to be angry from the get-go.

I genuinely think all car drivers should have to ride a bike along some busy roads before being given a driving licence.

I know it's been said a lot, but just spent the weekend cycling to Bruges (via Dunkirk) and back and the difference in driving around cyclists is astounding. Every single car, van and lorry that overtook us went completely into the oncoming lane, leaving huge amounts of room. No tooting of horns, letting us go when it was there right of way etc.

nickice

elbowloh wrote:

nickice wrote:

I can't decide if the oblivious drivers or the ones that know it's dangerous but do it anyway who annoy me more. I always try to avoid rush hour riding (unless it's in the bike lane) for the above reasons though, like you say, it's not always possible.
The most annoying thing is you almost always catch up with the driver who's overtaken you dangerously. I try not to let it ruin my ride but perhaps once or twice a year I'll get into a dispute when someone has done something really egregious. Even then, I try not to be angry from the get-go.

I genuinely think all car drivers should have to ride a bike along some busy roads before being given a driving licence.

I know it's been said a lot, but just spent the weekend cycling to Bruges (via Dunkirk) and back and the difference in driving around cyclists is astounding. Every single car, van and lorry that overtook us went completely into the oncoming lane, leaving huge amounts of room. No tooting of horns, letting us go when it was there right of way etc.

I'm surprised you're saying that because certainly any cycling I've done around Ieper, Ghent and Bruges involves the use of bike lanes (you'd struggle to find a decent-sized road without it). I guess you meant the French part of your trip?

I've had more close passes and disrespect in Northern France than I ever had in Edinburgh.

elbowloh

nickice wrote:

elbowloh wrote:

nickice wrote:

I can't decide if the oblivious drivers or the ones that know it's dangerous but do it anyway who annoy me more. I always try to avoid rush hour riding (unless it's in the bike lane) for the above reasons though, like you say, it's not always possible.
The most annoying thing is you almost always catch up with the driver who's overtaken you dangerously. I try not to let it ruin my ride but perhaps once or twice a year I'll get into a dispute when someone has done something really egregious. Even then, I try not to be angry from the get-go.

I genuinely think all car drivers should have to ride a bike along some busy roads before being given a driving licence.

I know it's been said a lot, but just spent the weekend cycling to Bruges (via Dunkirk) and back and the difference in driving around cyclists is astounding. Every single car, van and lorry that overtook us went completely into the oncoming lane, leaving huge amounts of room. No tooting of horns, letting us go when it was there right of way etc.

I'm surprised you're saying that because certainly any cycling I've done around Ieper, Ghent and Bruges involves the use of bike lanes (you'd struggle to find a decent-sized road without it). I guess you meant the French part of your trip?

I've had more close passes and disrespect in Northern France than I ever had in Edinburgh.

Both the French and the Belgian parts. We did different routes each way to Bruges from Dunkirk, yes there were a lot of cycle lanes, but also lots of roads and the Belgians were great around us. The worst drivers were on the main roads near to Dunkirk Ferry port, but they could have been British!

cruff

nickice wrote:

JGSI wrote:

Cruff wrote:

Sh1thouses in Chelsea tractors are not geographically confined to London & the home counties...

Last night I left work a bit early for a training ride. Living in Altrincham, most of my flat rides take place in Cheshire, round Knutsford, Wilmslow, Alderley Edge, Tatton etc. For the uninitiated, it's the NW Surrey of Manchester - full of pr1cks in sports cars, imbeciles in 4x4s and cockwombles in Audis. Usually when I'm out that way it's after 6, so I don't have to suffer the rush hour - but yesterday I was smack in the middle of it. Going South through Knutsford, I was close passed by a stupid cow in her enormous Porsche 4x4, buzzed by a bloke in a DB9, and left-hooked by a Beemer - within 500 yards of each other.

The crowning glory was a posh old bat coming past Tatton Park, who overtook me in her R8 with about 4 inches between me and her wing mirror despite nothing coming in the opposite direction for half a mile (dead straight road), then pulling in front of me without indicating and slowing down, to the point I overtook her. When we both got caught at the gates to Tatton Park, I stopped, and rolled back to her in the queue of traffic and engaged her in conversation. She was genuinely unaware she'd done anything wrong (not faking it) - at first genuinely shocked that I suggested pulling into the opposite carriageway when passing, then defensive, and finally aggressive about it. What really irked was the fact that she wasn't just being a tw@t - I can handle that (plenty of tw@ts in the world) but totally oblivious to what she was doing. What the actual f**k is going on out there???

The obliviousness of said drivers regarding anything else on the road is well 'disappointing'.
The fact that it might be the end of someone's life if they get it wrong one day is also 'disappointing'.
I can still spell disappoint correctly it being testament to the fact that I am a living breathing sentient being with a desire to keep on living. Cycling can be a disappointment because at the end of the day it is not that we don't belong on their 'patch' aka the road, it is just that we are meaningless in their eyes.
I'll have my GoPro on to record those last seconds of life - 'tis a modern thing.

I can't decide if the oblivious drivers or the ones that know it's dangerous but do it anyway who annoy me more. I always try to avoid rush hour riding (unless it's in the bike lane) for the above reasons though, like you say, it's not always possible.
The most annoying thing is you almost always catch up with the driver who's overtaken you dangerously. I try not to let it ruin my ride but perhaps once or twice a year I'll get into a dispute when someone has done something really egregious. Even then, I try not to be angry from the get-go.

I genuinely think all car drivers should have to ride a bike along some busy roads before being given a driving licence.

It's definitely the oblivious ones that are the worst. I posted above about the pricks who are just being pricks - that's going to happen in every arena in your life - but at least they know what they're doing, so unless they're actively homicidal (pretty rare) you're not going to get killed. The oblivious ones are far more dangerous, because even if you're hyper-aware of what's going on and take all precautions (moving out when someone might pull out on you, not scooting up the inside in case someone isn't paying attention, taking the lane when necessary, passing on the outside where its safer etc etc, there's still the random chance some pillock could do something completely f***ing braindead and kill you. The only worse people on the road are the imbeciles on their phones.

wolfsbane2k

Had my elbow brushed by a driver passing me today.
While I was travelling at 30mph, in a 30mph zone.

Nuff said.

dhope

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Had my elbow brushed by a driver passing me today.
While I was travelling at 30mph, in a 30mph zone.

Nuff said.

But were you wearing a helmet :roll:

drhaggis

dhope wrote:

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Had my elbow brushed by a driver passing me today.
While I was travelling at 30mph, in a 30mph zone.

Nuff said.

But were you wearing a helmet :roll:

And hi-viz? And daytime lights? Surely you thought about jumping a red light...

wolfsbane2k

DrHaggis wrote:

dhope wrote:

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Had my elbow brushed by a driver passing me today.
While I was travelling at 30mph, in a 30mph zone.

Nuff said.

But were you wearing a helmet :roll:

And hi-viz? And daytime lights? Surely you thought about jumping a red light...

That's what I forgot. Hi-vis. Must be my fault and all.
And I was tempted to jump a red... instead, I let the driver blast through it to their effort to get away from me.
Obviously, it's a shame that on top of that helmet I was wearing was a camera.... :twisted:

First ride back after 2 weeks off hasn't done anything for my ability to temper my mood...

drhaggis

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

First ride back after 2 weeks off hasn't done anything for my ability to temper my mood...

My last holiday ride involved being almost clipped by a french driver going way above the 50 km/h speed limit, when there was an empty lane to his left. I shouted at him such a nice set of things that even a nearby lorry driver was embarrassed enough to tell me off...

awavey

but I cant work out if the ones that sure feel like they are out to get me at the moment, are just oblivious or pricks or whats passing for the grey matter in their heads, maybe its a combination of all three, its just regardless of any impending obstacle,theyve got to get ahead of you as quickly as they can.

not sure if I was just more hyper aware on the commute today due to yesterdays close encounters, or everyone went back to work in a post bank holiday mood, but it made the first corner of the Belgian GP look like a sedate Sunday drive,actually its more like trying to ride a bicycle through the middle of a touring car race, just felt crazy like they were willing to hit you just to gain track position on the road, I ranted at least 4 drivers who i felt were putting me in danger, one was even a learner who when theres a car sitting in the middle of the road turning right,sped up to try and thread through this decreasing sized gap

what can you do ?

drhaggis

Write here, for once! To be honest, it's getting more and more difficult to distinguish incompetence and malice, and it doesn't help that what keeps you "safe" is behaving like a macho while thinking everybody is out to get you.

elbowloh

DrHaggis wrote:

Write here, for once! To be honest, it's getting more and more difficult to distinguish incompetence and malice, and it doesn't help that what keeps you "safe" is behaving like a macho while thinking everybody is out to get you.

That is totally the mindset I adopt on the commute. Every car/vehicle is a potential killer and the driver in the vehicle could do something stupid or malicious at any point so be on your toes. I suppose it's quite cynical, but i think it keeps you safer and doesn't stop you from acknowledging when a driver does do something nice, like let you out of a junction.

veronese68

elbowloh wrote:

DrHaggis wrote:

...while thinking everybody is out to get you.

That is totally the mindset I adopt on the commute. Every car/vehicle is a potential killer and the driver in the vehicle could do something stupid or malicious at any point so be on your toes. I suppose it's quite cynical, but i think it keeps you safer and doesn't stop you from acknowledging when a driver does do something nice, like let you out of a junction.

When I started riding on the road my Dad told me to assume all drivers are idiots and are trying to get me. Later, when I started driving he told me to always assume other drivers are idiots.
I have seen it for myself countless times over my 50 years, so why am I still sometimes surprised at how stupid some drivers are?
I must be stupid too.

ricky_h-2

In the 20+ years of commuting on a bike in London, the five times I have been hit by cars were all directly attributable to me assuming the drivers concerned weren't going to behave like dicks or with a total disregard for my safety. Call it lapses in concentration on my part but you absolutely have to always assume car drivers will behave with utter contempt for your safety and that way you will have already taken pre-emptive preventative action.

weezyswiss

elbowloh wrote:

DrHaggis wrote:

Write here, for once! To be honest, it's getting more and more difficult to distinguish incompetence and malice, and it doesn't help that what keeps you "safe" is behaving like a macho while thinking everybody is out to get you.

That is totally the mindset I adopt on the commute. Every car/vehicle is a potential killer and the driver in the vehicle could do something stupid or malicious at any point so be on your toes. I suppose it's quite cynical, but i think it keeps you safer and doesn't stop you from acknowledging when a driver does do something nice, like let you out of a junction.

I ride with the view that I might be in the right, but it's still going to hurt me, so best take the caution. I do, however, ensure I take prime and block stupid manoeuvres at pinch points etc.

DrLex

Stand by for another Charlie Allison-like media trial of cyclists following a North London hit-and-run on a pedestrian.
Daily Hellograph link (but I'm sure there others).