Traffic experiences out of London

rodgers73

In the past I've lived in London (for 4 years or so) and thought it was great. So, no Northern bias going on here, but I wondered what people's experiences of commuting outside of the capital were like?

I hear a lot of tales of people being sworn/spat/shouted at on here but I've not had anything like that yet. I'm based in Doncaster and commute to Wakefield - a mix of quiet rural roads, fast A roads and city centre traffic - and everyone seems fine. One horn beep yesterday due to my erratic weaving when struggling to get clipped in at the lights but so far nothing more.

Is it the tired old cliched that the North is more friendly or is it just that London is a nightmare for cyclists? What about places like Bristol or Norwich for instance??

Cheers

Tom

_Brun_

Clarkson's from Doncaster. Go figure.

rodgers73

He's from Rotherham.

plowmar

and that means?

rodgers73

Not a great deal

bunter

I moved to Blackburn from Bedford and have lived in sarf larnden. Traffic is lighter up here and generally less uptight. Drivers here don't seem to pay much attention to things like traffic lights, parking restrictions etc and you still get a few tw*ts about. On the weekend I can cycle on the road through the Forest of Bowland (area of outstanding natural beauty, just about the most beautiful area I have ever been to) and I tend to see more sheep on the road than cars. Also it rains all the time

CiB

My regular run is from a bit to the west of Milton Keynes to Bicester, and it's an absolute joy. Of three core routes, only one involves the main road into & through Buckingham; the others are cross country through back roads & small villages where I can count the cars & tractors on two hands & a spare foot for the whole 20 miles or so until hitting the metropolis that is Bicester.

Which leaves just the 421 into & out of Buckingham, and it's not an issue. Traffic gives me plenty of space and where it's at walking pace through the middle I take to the centre of the road and pass the whole queue, then note how long it takes for the same cars / vans to pass me a mile up the road. I can't recall the last time I was hooted at (ever?), or had a 'oooh that was close' moment - usually it's the opposite, cars hanging back when I'd rather they just passed me & were on their way. I don't want to big it up into some idyllic rural utopia, but sometimes it is, especially the run from the Finmere bypass to Stratton Audley, or Botolph Claydon to Calvert - surely the world's best bit of road anywhere?

It's a microcosm of what the English countryside should be, and is. It's what commuting should be about. That and hitting 30 on the ring road past Bicester Glider Club with a mile or so to go. It's an overdose of fun; it's why I do it.

vitesse169

! commute up the A38 to Waterwells, Gloucester. It's a decent road, plenty of room for cars and bikes. Often see other cycle commuters going on. Only the very occaisional car that gets a bit close - can't remember tha last time I was shouted at etc....

Paul E

I was sworn at by a motorcyclist going round trafalgar sq this morning merely for being in his way while I let the tour bus in front of me make up it's mind where the hell it was going as I have an aversion to going under the back wheels of buses, oddly.

Charming fellow.

bigflangesmallsprocket

I live in Ipswich. Over the years I've had stones thrown at me by kids; ijits jump out onto the road in front of me or make as if to push me off my cycle; motorists try to run me off the road on numerous occasions purely for the fun of it; verbal and threatening abuse from drivers and passengers doing it for the hell of it, young and surprisingly the not so young; the obvious 'gay' name calling when wearing lycra (one occasion when this happened, some of the occupants were obviously embarrassed by the perpetrator and tried to apologise-so I was stuck in slow traffic witnessing both groups trying to out-do each other, which was actually quite amusing); the occasional wolf whistle and letch, once by two young female runners, more often by ladies of a certain age who should know better. Actually when it's wimin it's not so bad - I don't consider myself any 'great shakes' and being skinny I did used to get the 'weedy' comments, but when I'm on my bike weedy seems to magically transform into athletically svelte :!: . Mind you, I've not ridden regularly for a while and now have a comfy little soft spot where I should have abs, not a good look on a garden rake :oops:

Other than that there's the usual battle through traffic, horn beeps for no reason other than I'm on a bike and taking space that motorists feel they own; being edged into the kerb even on cycle-lanes; the odd driver who thinks he/she is teaching you a lesson and showing off his/er driving skill by driving too close; being cut up by motorists taking a sharp turn through you(!)....just the usual really

Mind you, I see plenty of to55ers on bikes too

shouldbeinbed

rodgers73 wrote:

In the past I've lived in London (for 4 years or so) and thought it was great. So, no Northern bias going on here, but I wondered what people's experiences of commuting outside of the capital were like?

I hear a lot of tales of people being sworn/spat/shouted at on here but I've not had anything like that yet. I'm based in Doncaster and commute to Wakefield - a mix of quiet rural roads, fast A roads and city centre traffic - and everyone seems fine. One horn beep yesterday due to my erratic weaving when struggling to get clipped in at the lights but so far nothing more.

Is it the tired old cliched that the North is more friendly or is it just that London is a nightmare for cyclists? What about places like Bristol or Norwich for instance??

Cheers

Tom

Manchester, primarily North and East are fine, surprisingly so given that it is south of the city centre that is the cycle centric bit of the connurbation.

Oldham Road is mad but not a bad return of insanity for the size of the place

maybe its my lights, high viz, riding primary and considerately

CarlosDSanchez

I live in Norwich and work in Ipswich. Bike and train to get there year round. Other than odd pedestrian not looking where they are going or driver doing the same, I've not had any grief from the general public.

cyberknight

Living in the Midlands maybe 15 miles or so from Derby i commute mostly on unlit country back roads that have light traffic but they are going a good 50-60 mph so i have to keep and eye because by the time i hear them they are generally about to overtake anyway.

Generally i would say 90 % of the cars give you acres of room even to the point of being on the other side of the road if they know me.It is only the occasional idiot who gives you a hard time.An example of this is last Thursday going home after night shift a yellow sporty looking car did a slow overtake maybe 1 foot from my handlebars, woke him up when he got a nice blast of the airzound :shock:

Not all good though, had a guy stop up the road and threaten me with waving fists and swearing because i shouted oi at bum clenchingly close overtake.When i said i would call the cops if he didn't calm down he went into the pub so i did call the cops who gave him a "please behave talk"

hells

In Bristol I have had large broken bits of brick thrown at me from across a dual carriageway by yoofs at a bus stop, I had a car behind me aswell at the time so Im glad I never came off. In Bath I have had a woman hit me and break her left side wingmirror on me as she decided to overtake me whilst I was cycling up hill (widcombe) as I was going past a parked car on my side even though there was an oncoming vehicle, she didnt stop but I caught her up as she was parking near the top of the hill. In London I have been left hooked whilst riding in a bus lane and had another drive into the back of me. \i find the drivers of the kent countryside to be very good drivers who mostly wait patiently behind me until it is clear for them to pass or I wave them pass and pull tight left, they usually give me loads of room or if they can't give alot of room come past slowly and carefully after I have waved them past. I have had one driver pull out of a junction into me there but I did assess the junction afterwards and I genuinely beleive he couldn't see me until I was practically ontop of him, he was very apologetic, it ended up low speed with only a scuff to my bar tape adn a bruise on my arm and he bought me a meal from the pub opposite. Drivers in the Bristol countryside on the other hand are absolutely terrible, they overtake very close at high speed regardless of the hazzards ahead, generally really unpatient and shout as they pass, I recently did a 50 mile ride while visiting my parents and was scared shitless multiple times during the ride.

EKE_38BPM

Theres an outside of London? Who knew?

SimonAH

I was a motorcycle courier in London about twenty years ago and some lessons are never unlearned.

Only issue with sunny South Wales is that there are so few bicycles on the road here that drivers aren't too aware of them.

They are used to motorcycles though - so i ride like I'm on one. Started out being timid cyclist and got left hooked once and pavement crowded several times.

Dominate the road and the problem has gone away (plus I'm usually going at traffic speed or thereabouts anyway).

notsoblue

hells wrote:

In Bristol I have had large broken bits of brick thrown at me from across a dual carriageway by yoofs at a bus stop, I had a car behind me aswell at the time so Im glad I never came off. In Bath I have had a woman hit me and break her left side wingmirror on me as she decided to overtake me whilst I was cycling up hill (widcombe) as I was going past a parked car on my side even though there was an oncoming vehicle, she didnt stop but I caught her up as she was parking near the top of the hill.

Chapeau!

Gussio

Seem to get hooted at more on the weekends when riding outside of London, 2-abreast, than when commuting through town. Gets my goat first thing on a Sunday morning. Guess people are in a hurry to get to church.

plumpy

I'm in Bradford and riding around its leafy boulevards is almost exactly like doing a Tour de France mountain stage:

1. The spectators have been drinking all day by the time I get to them;

2. Young men with no shirts on run alongside shouting encouragement. Often they mistake me for Yoofer Kinwankah, who I believe is a Romanian sprinter;

3. Cars drive by at touching distance with the windows open, dispensing technical advice and sometimes fluids;

4. Fans have painted their favourites' names everywhere, although perhaps more on walls and buildings rather than the road itself. (Mandy Suxcock is obviously a keenly supported local grimpeur);

5. If my chain came off, I'd get thrashed.

HamishD

plumpy wrote:

I'm in Bradford and riding around its leafy boulevards is almost exactly like doing a Tour de France mountain stage:

1. The spectators have been drinking all day by the time I get to them;

2. Young men with no shirts on run alongside shouting encouragement. Often they mistake me for Yoofer Kinwankah, who I believe is a Romanian sprinter;

3. Cars drive by at touching distance with the windows open, dispensing technical advice and sometimes fluids;

4. Fans have painted their favourites' names everywhere, although perhaps more on walls and buildings rather than the road itself. (Mandy Suxcock is obviously a keenly supported local grimpeur);

5. If my chain came off, I'd get thrashed.

Cafewanda

plumpy wrote:

2. Young men with no shirts on run alongside shouting encouragement. Often they mistake me for Yoofer Kinwankah, who I believe is a Romanian sprinter;

I had to read that twice before I got it. Thought it was an actual name :oops: Excellent!

Mr Sworld

plumpy wrote:

I'm in Bradford and riding around its leafy boulevards is almost exactly like doing a Tour de France mountain stage.

I lived for 7 years in Bratford and can confirm this....

I then, stupidly, moved to Hull (Hell). It's exactly the same except there are no downhill's to escape from the 'fanbase' who are intent on mugging you!

Now I'm in Brighton and I think the most I have to contend with is the odd wolf whistle from some nice men in gaily coloured shirts! :roll:

g00se

I commute from Norwich to London (train involved) and haven't really had an troubles in either.

Cycling in Norwich is much more easy-going - though that might be the routes I'm taking through the 'golden triangle' (think Crouch End without the hills) and the centre. Central London is more of a battle but mainly due to the amount of traffic rather than anything else.

Clever Pun

not at commuting time but my recent experience of west country cycling was most pleasant, everyone was patient and no one really pushed by of gave any grief. I was on a brompton and I did get a few odd looks but nothing more.

desweller

I used to love cycle commuting when I lived in Gloucestershire.

Minimum 6.5 mile commute through country lanes, a variety of options up to about 20 miles in length that could take in the river, or a couple of hills, or the chicken farm on my way back for some free-range eggs. At this time of year the plums will be in season - I might get a bag of fresh greengages too. Not a single set of traffic lights. Courteous drivers, horses and foxes and rabbits to look at on the way. I could elect to thrash the bike or just bowl along and daydream if I chose.

Now I'm in London. It smells bad down here - the back of my throat tastes of fuel and exhaust. If it's been raining hard then at some point I will get an unexpected whiff of raw sewage. A moment's inattention could see me under a bus, and all the roundabouts are white-knuckle mad-arse thrashes. I get hooted at, drivers cut me up (no-one's thrown anything at me or shouted at me yet) - it's 'orrible, yet strangely quite exciting.

I think on the whole I prefer not cycling in London.

flateric

Milton Keynes commuter. Well where to start!!

The redways are a cycle network designed to keep cyclists and car traffic apart. A great concept if the cycle paths are going in the right direction. The roads are great but at speeds of 50 mph occupied by drivers who dont expect to see, and therefore dont see bikes! even the hard core road club are rarely seen on the main roads, never after dark!

Some stretches are in very poor condition with pot holes and for added entertainment value, tree roots pushing the tarmac upwards!!!!

Broken glass, debris, bottles and the odd abandoned trolley allow the cyclist to practice slalom technique.

Enter then chavs who think that letting there kids and dogs run free on a cycleway is ok
and of course its the cyclists fault if anything happens adds to the entertainment value.

In the winter, we also face the additional hazard of the local kids turning every slope into a ski run and polishing the ice to a slippery sheet.
There have also been cases of wire being stretched across the cycle path at neck level.

On the whole thought, better than cycling in london!

The Rookie

Commuting in leafy Warwickshire to the south edge of Coventry is nice, most motorists are considerate and give me reasonable space, especialy truck/bus drivers up my slow uphill grind part of the commute who will sit behind until its safe to pass, however I do have the odd car passing to close, been wing mirrored twice (very lightly), most 'too closers' are Badged as BMW's or MINI's (so all BMW driver's then!).

Simon

squired

My commute is in Surrey. In the year I've had this job it has been great. I've had no real issues other than the odd car trying to overtake me on a country lane when there wasn't actually enough room. Having said that, my previous commute into Knightsbridge was fairly pleasurable (albeit with a few close shaves) too. Before that I cycled into the Square Mile, something I'd not want to have to do again.

I don't actually think of my commute as a ride to work because I enjoy it so much. When I cycled into the City it was sometimes hard to find any enjoyment and I found myself disliking cycling at times.

waddlie

Been commuting in Bristol for about a year now.

First six months was a rush-hour ride into the city centre. While it's not for the faint-hearted, I had very few problems indeed, the odd idiot not paying attention was about the worst of it.

Last six months has been through the white-trash hell of Southmead and down a duel-carriageway, often late at night. I have been known to RLJ on occasion because the alternative is being stopped outside a pub full or arseholes.

Glad I don't commute in London, sounds like a nightmare.

CiB

flateric wrote:

Milton Keynes commuter. Well where to start!!

The redways are a cycle network designed to keep cyclists and car traffic apart. A great concept if the cycle paths are going in the right direction. The roads are great but at speeds of 50 mph occupied by drivers who dont expect to see, and therefore dont see bikes! even the hard core road club are rarely seen on the main roads, never after dark!

Some stretches are in very poor condition with pot holes and for added entertainment value, tree roots pushing the tarmac upwards!!!!

Broken glass, debris, bottles and the odd abandoned trolley allow the cyclist to practice slalom technique.

Enter then chavs who think that letting there kids and dogs run free on a cycleway is ok
and of course its the cyclists fault if anything happens adds to the entertainment value.

In the winter, we also face the additional hazard of the local kids turning every slope into a ski run and polishing the ice to a slippery sheet.
There have also been cases of wire being stretched across the cycle path at neck level.

On the whole thought, better than cycling in london!

You forgot to add the other exciting redway obstacles:

* Abandoned domestic white goods
* Settees & other home furniture
* A lamp standard. Really.
* Kids who walk to school in pairs but manage to occupy the whole width of the redway by walking in a slalom.
* Push-chairs with dogs attached on extending leads. Which side to pass? Your guess is as wild as anyone's.
* The need to give way every couple of hundred yards where the redway meets a road, and the need to have the neck muscles of an owl to be able to look all the way round to check that nothing's coming round the corner from over both shoulders.
* Kids walking to school. Did I already mention them? Grrr.

I used to hate it, esp the run up the world's most uneven cycle route past Fishermead & Springfield. Once I got a decent road bike, about 20 years ago now, I took to the roads. Never had a problem on the dual-c/way grid roads, and it was a fair bit quicker A to B as well.

flateric

CiB wrote:

You forgot to add the other exciting redway obstacles:

* Abandoned domestic white goods
* Settees & other home furniture
* A lamp standard. Really.
* Kids who walk to school in pairs but manage to occupy the whole width of the redway by walking in a slalom.
* Push-chairs with dogs attached on extending leads. Which side to pass? Your guess is as wild as anyone's.
* The need to give way every couple of hundred yards where the redway meets a road, and the need to have the neck muscles of an owl to be able to look all the way round to check that nothing's coming round the corner from over both shoulders.
* Kids walking to school. Did I already mention them? Grrr.

.

As yes, forgot those. I stay clear of the grid roads, seen the results when it goes wrong, would rather true my wheels every 8 weeks that be taken out on an RB by a twat.

Speaking of twats, had a run in with someone walking there dog who refused to move out of the way the shouts "you should'nt be riding on the F'ing footpath" and then gets even more irate when told its a cyclepath!!!