More cyclists: The only real solution to making safer roads.

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  • DonDaddyD
    DonDaddyD Posts: 12,689
    dhope wrote:
    daviesee wrote:
    daviesee wrote:
    What this Country needs is for everyone to slow down, show some patience and have consideration for others.
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    People just have to slow down a bit ;).

    Well. It took 5 pages but agreement! :P :wink:
    I agree with Vermin, this thread has descended into madness. I've always found that if I cycled faster then I'd not be in the place where the accident happened at the time it happened. I applied this logic to car buying too and the quickest car I owned was not involved in a crash. All others before were. The slowest car was even involved in a crash when I was at work and it was parked. This proves how dangerous going slowly is.

    OK hear me out.

    There is something to be said about going faster on a bike or at the very least riding at ambient traffic speed. I find that cars in traffic generally hold about 20 - 25mph. When approaching a parked car if I accelerate past 20mph and to 25mph (assuming my 'natural' commuting speed is around 17mph - 19mph) the car behind is neither losing or gaining ground. I'm able to move out around the parked vehicle and move in while flowing with traffic. I've been in the same situation where I've slowed to 15mph or less the car behind now has the option to slow or not give way and overtake, this usually being the option. The end result is me having to nervously negotiate the vehicle constantly looking over my shouldr to make sure the car behind doesn't try the ole'double overtake. That or stop, wobble, set off or becoming an obsticle to the vehicles behind.

    What I find is that there are occasions where going slow places me in a quandry where I am more susceptible to another persons actions.
    Food Chain number = 4

    A true scalp is not only overtaking someone but leaving them stopped at a set of lights. As you, who have clearly beaten the lights, pummels nothing but the open air ahead. ~ 'DondaddyD'. Player of the Unspoken Game
  • bails87
    bails87 Posts: 12,998
    DDD: agree completely that that is the case now.

    But it shouldn't be. You shouldn't have to be able to pull off a decent sprint to get somewhere by bike. Fine for us macho men trying to assert our alpha-ness on the mean streets, but it's not very good for the young, elderly or meek :wink:
    MTB/CX

    "As I said last time, it won't happen again."
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    Slowing down to the point where you are not racing, or rushing, is not necessarily the same as going slow.

    A generalisation will always be a middle ground where extremities can be used against it.

    Pedestrians, cyclists and car/bus/lorry drivers rarely need to be going the speed that they are (assuming clear path) but choose to do so without questioning why. Is saving 5 seconds really that important? Chill and enjoy the journey.

    Manana man. :wink:
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • vermin
    vermin Posts: 1,739
    bails87 wrote:
    DDD: agree completely that that is the case now.

    But it shouldn't be. You shouldn't have to be able to pull off a decent sprint to get somewhere by bike. Fine for us macho men trying to assert our alpha-ness on the mean streets, but it's not very good for the young, elderly or meek :wink:

    Darwinism, innit.
  • dhope
    dhope Posts: 6,699
    DonDaddyD wrote:
    dhope wrote:
    Faster is better

    Stuff
    Ah, I was just being facetious with my 'go faster so you're not where the accident was in the first place'
    Rose Xeon CW Disc
    CAAD12 Disc
    Condor Tempo

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