hit and run lorry

cee

linoue wrote:

The other thing I see is cyclists hurtling down bus lanes two or three abreast when the car lane is completely stationary with traffic.
For me, if the car lane is stationary, I tend to slow down as there is always some idiot who pulls out into the bus lane without indicating. What is the correct way to cycle in this situation?

i would suggest that what you describe...slowing down and expecting a numpty...is the correct way to ride in a circumstance like that....

PinkPedal

I think also there is a thing about inexperienced cyclists (and a lot of experienced cyclists too) thinking that they have to filter to the front at a junction. Often they get caught out when the lights change, with disasterous consequences if they've filtered up the inside of a left turning vehicle. Sitting back, in primary, a couple of cars back would be a lot safer.

Absolutely +1

I often sit in primary in the queue of cars because I don't feel safe enough, or that I have enough road sense to anticipate what the traffic might do. Ok so my journey might take a few minutes longer, but to me it's not worth the stress or the hassle and I just have to pedal a bit faster when I've got a clear road! I do envy those with the confidence to just filter on through though.

OldSkoolKona

PinkPedal wrote:

I often sit in primary in the queue of cars because I don't feel safe enough, or that I have enough road sense to anticipate what the traffic might do. Ok so my journey might take a few minutes longer, but to me it's not worth the stress or the hassle and I just have to pedal a bit faster when I've got a clear road! I do envy those with the confidence to just filter on through though.

I think the key thing is to do what you feel comfortable doing and not feel pressurised into filtering if you don't feel confident or experienced enough to do.

MikeyC

jedster wrote:

I don't understand why it's always women... there must be a reason

My observation is that women cyclists are more like to be found hugging the kerb than male cyclists. I think that makes them more vulnerable.

I think lots of people find the idea that you are safer further away from the kerb totally counterintuitive - it requires a bit of experience and assertiveness to overcome that.

J

I have to agree with the last comment here about riding more defensively. I live in the "Shires" and the problem I have is folks passing me at 60mph 2 feet away!. The advice i got from a experienced cyclist was not to ride near the curb but more to the middle of the road. Then you are visible and drivers have to cross the dividing line to pass you and not squeeze you into the curb. Some are quiet agressive but I've got used to it and feel much safer beacuse they have to slow down to pass you...

Mike

DonDaddyD

A favourite of mine is when people filter past traffic (on either side), completely oblivious to the side-road ahead and BIG GAP someone has left in the otherwise stationary queue. Cyclist suddenly meets right-turning vehicle...

This happened in Clapham (either early this week or at the end of last week). Traffic was extremely dense along Clapham High road. Loads of cyclists filtering around cars. I'm with a guy on a TCR A1 frame and we both hesitate to pull out and filter on the right. As we do we notice a guy, who had been filtering on the right, on the floor having been felled by a car emerging from a side road... He was white as a ghost but all right.

Traffic was hard to read but there was a gap... On that occasion I couldn't really say it was the motorists fault...

DonDaddyD

My thoughts on filtering and making it to the ASL is that doing either is dependant on the immediate situation and the layout of the road you are on.

On my commute there are occasions where filtering to the ASL is the safest option. There are occasions where filtering either the left or right side of traffic is safer than the other and there are occasions where filtering isn't really safe at all.

Its the same with where I stop on the ASL. Right now, by Brixton Town Hall I will pass and stop on the other side of the crossing because the speed at which the lights change means the car's behind will zoom off to manage the divert and get to Coldharbour Lane. If I did this at a different junction (Tooting Broadway for example) it would be suicide. Sometimes the safest option is not to try and make it to the ASL at all.

One general rule I have is not to stop between or beside a HGV/Lorry/Articulated Lorry. If you do go infront of the said vehicles (any vehicles) when stopped at the lights, I try to do my best to make eye contact with the driver so that I've tried to make them conciously aware of my presence.

I think anticipation should be right up there with assertiveness when it comes to cycling (or driving) safely.

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Soul Boy

A few more good points there, looking for gaps in traffic (whats caused that?), taking it at your own pace and not feeling pressured to go for that gap. Anticipation of traffic, you can often guess, indicator or not, which way a driver intends to go. All good advice and you get better at reading whats going on with experience.

Still, there will always be occasions where you get yourself in a bad situation, I know I don't always get it right, but when riding (and this may be a bit London centric) you just can't switch off, theres inevitably a danger somewhere, and its about spotting it and acting appropriately.

Not like the girl yesterday going up the inside of a bunch of cars waiting (and indicating) to turn left onto Talgarth Rd, when she wanted to go straight on. Que the car at the front nearly wiping her out and she wobbles past his front bumper.. (Did vocalise "thats sooo dangerous") :evil:

mrchrispy

a couple of times ive stopped at the back of the HGV and blocked muppets from trying to sneak down the inside, im sure it annoyed them but their wife and kids would probaby thank me.

dilemna

mrchrispy wrote:

a couple of times ive stopped at the back of the HGV and blocked muppets from trying to sneak down the inside, im sure it annoyed them but their wife and kids would probaby thank me.

Plus the HGV driver .

dilemna

MikeyC wrote:

jedster wrote:

I don't understand why it's always women... there must be a reason

My observation is that women cyclists are more like to be found hugging the kerb than male cyclists. I think that makes them more vulnerable.

I think lots of people find the idea that you are safer further away from the kerb totally counterintuitive - it requires a bit of experience and assertiveness to overcome that.

J

I have to agree with the last comment here about riding more defensively. I live in the "Shires" and the problem I have is folks passing me at 60mph 2 feet away!. The advice i got from a experienced cyclist was not to ride near the curb but more to the middle of the road. Then you are visible and drivers have to cross the dividing line to pass you and not squeeze you into the curb. Some are quiet agressive but I've got used to it and feel much safer beacuse they have to slow down to pass you...

Mike

Cycling outside the big smokes or even still in them, I cannot emphasize how important regulalry looking over your shoulder is to avoid/prevent vehicles from making dangerously close passes. Any car that approaches me from either direction infront on the otherside of the road or from behind as I hear them I automatically look behind now, several times if a vehicle is approachhing from behind, I even put a wobble in getting out of the saddle if the vehicle is approaching especially fast from behind and still eyeball them until they slow. IT WORKS TRY IT. It can be a PITA but it works and hopefully has saved my life on many occasions. I seldom need to cycle in the primary smack in the middle of the lane but more often cycle a 1/3 out from the kerb in the nearside tyre track or a tad further out if need be but certainly not in the gutter with all the crap and glass - Jees I'd get a puncture doing that! Drivers are basically cowards. I see so many cyclists cycling along in their own little world in the gutter listening to their I-pods with cars flying by them a foot from their elbows.............I couldn't do it. IMHO it's asking for trouble. Anyway most cars even ones going fast now hit their brakes as they know you have clocked them. Many other drivers are very considerate hanging well back and will give you loads of room by passing on the other side of the road as if over taking a car. It gets a bit repetitive waiving so often now .

moonio

I think us women cyclists need to do some kind of awareness raising campaign.
Maybe a mass topless cycle ride through central london would encourage lorry drivers to keep a better look out for cyclists in general.

lost_in_thought

moonio wrote:

I think us women cyclists need to do some kind of awareness raising campaign.
Maybe a mass topless cycle ride through central london would encourage lorry drivers to keep a better look out for cyclists in general.

You know, that would probably work.

dilemna

moonio wrote:

I think us women cyclists need to do some kind of awareness raising campaign.
Maybe a mass topless cycle ride through central london would encourage lorry drivers to keep a better look out for cyclists in general.

But like a lot of these campaigns it might go tits up.......

moonio

Yes I could imagine loads of women getting thier nipples caught up in the brake cables or something...that wouldn't be pretty...

teulk

Poor lady, i hate riding on roads these days and avoid them at all cost if i can purely for the fact that large vehicles - trucks and buses tend to fly past you leaving you next to no room at all.

prj45

I'm starting to think the link here between HGV deaths and ladies is just plain old misogyny.

I myself have experienced cars cutting close to me to "teach me a lesson" (one guy I challenged about his close pass admitted that's what he'd done, he thought I was riding too far out so purposefully passed me close).

Now I'm not a lady, but are some of these HGV drivers seeing a lady on a bike and thinking "she shouldn't be on a bike on these roads, I'll scare her a bit?" or "I'm not letting a woman slow me down in my big truck" (I'm being serious here).

prj45

linoue wrote:

I see this almost every day too, but I never say anything in case they think of me as some know-it-all.

I regulary issue warnings by saying (or shouting/screaming) "Don't do it!" if it's clear sombody is going to filter down a lorry that's about to move off or turn.

PBo

moonio wrote:

I think us women cyclists need to do some kind of awareness raising campaign.
Maybe a mass topless cycle ride through central london would encourage lorry drivers to keep a better look out for cyclists in general.

kinda depends - it may encourage lorry driver to look out for topless women cyclists in general!!!!

PBo

OldSkoolKona

I've heard on the grapevine two initatives relating to these issues that LCC are rolling out over the next few weeks.

First is an initiative to encourage more women to cycle and a women's specific website that is due to go live this week I think.

Secondly a campaign with the Evening Standard which will involve cycle awareness training for several major HGV companies.

Both can only be a good thing

Stone Glider

IMO the most dangerous place on the road is in the gutter. Sadly, inexperienced road cyclists tend to hang about close to the edge inviting dodgy overtaking manouvres by leaving a glimps of space for following traffic. In general I tend to choose to ride in the inner tyre track of the road. It is usualy smoother and generally requires the overtaking vehicle to move accross the lane marking white line. This means, with sensible drivers, that they have to mirror,signal & manouvre to overtake; a concious and deliberate move that requires some thought and planning. Safer for all of us.

The Rookie

OldSkoolKona wrote:

I see it is an artic, a lot of the commentary on here and elsewhere has been that most problems come from smaller trucks, skip trucks etc.

Nope its a rigid with a Trailer - 0/10 for obs!

Simon