"My Week as a Cyclist"

notsoblue

Spotted this, thought it was quite good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXAUHJwRcg4

I think a lot of the "issues" between cyclists and motorists would be lessened if more motorists cycled.

Looks like cycling insurance is a growing market....

Widgey

Lovely bit of Brizzle.

My biggest "issue" would be observance. The guy highlights it brilliantly, its not just cars but everyone else too. Especially if there is a traffic jam, peds can come from any direction.

alidaf

Quite refreshing to see a committed driver giving it a go. More impressed to see him take incidents in his stride rather than ranting about them. I wish I could convince others to do the same.

meanredspider

Widgey wrote:

Lovely bit of Brizzle.

My biggest "issue" would be observance. The guy highlights it brilliantly, its not just cars but everyone else too. Especially if there is a traffic jam, peds can come from any direction.

Probably "observation" rather than "observance" though both could apply to cycling just mean quite different things [/pedant]

davis

meanredspider wrote:

Widgey wrote:

Lovely bit of Brizzle.

My biggest "issue" would be observance. The guy highlights it brilliantly, its not just cars but everyone else too. Especially if there is a traffic jam, peds can come from any direction.

Probably "observation" rather than "observance" though both could apply to cycling just mean quite different things [/pedant]

Good spot.

JackPozzi

Interesting viewing, can't quite work out why the driver gets annoyed when he sees cyclists without helmets though? It's completely legal and nobody's business but the cyclist.

bigmat

JackPozzi wrote:

Interesting viewing, can't quite work out why the driver gets annoyed when he sees cyclists without helmets though? It's completely legal and nobody's business but the cyclist.

He's entitled to an opinion and whether you agree with him or not, I'm sure you know why he thinks cyclists should wear helmets.

meanredspider

JackPozzi wrote:

Interesting viewing, can't quite work out why the driver gets annoyed when he sees cyclists without helmets though? It's completely legal and nobody's business but the cyclist.

I think it's interesting though. Clearly there's a section of the community that believe it's the responsible thing to do.

To the point about observation, I think more broadly it's about awareness - being aware of what might happen (rather than just looking carefully), knowing what's going on around you and being aware of how your actions could impact others. Some of that comes from experience. That driver will now be more aware of cyclists and their needs.

JackPozzi

BigMat wrote:

JackPozzi wrote:

Interesting viewing, can't quite work out why the driver gets annoyed when he sees cyclists without helmets though? It's completely legal and nobody's business but the cyclist.

He's entitled to an opinion and whether you agree with him or not, I'm sure you know why he thinks cyclists should wear helmets.

I recently had an incident where a twat of a driver was so incensed that I wasn't wearing a helmet he decided to drive inches from my rear wheel leaning on the horn before swerving round me and cutting me off, then got out and without any apparent sense of irony started ranting about how dangerous it is to not wear a helmet. So I am perhaps a little sensitive about people forming opinions without having any experience of what they are forming opinions about....

notsoblue

JackPozzi wrote:

BigMat wrote:

JackPozzi wrote:

Interesting viewing, can't quite work out why the driver gets annoyed when he sees cyclists without helmets though? It's completely legal and nobody's business but the cyclist.

He's entitled to an opinion and whether you agree with him or not, I'm sure you know why he thinks cyclists should wear helmets.

I recently had an incident where a fool of a driver was so incensed that I wasn't wearing a helmet he decided to drive inches from my rear wheel leaning on the horn before swerving round me and cutting me off, then got out and without any apparent sense of irony started ranting about how dangerous it is to not wear a helmet. So I am perhaps a little sensitive about people forming opinions without having any experience of what they are forming opinions about....

I can relate to that.

To be honest, I don't think that the lack of helmet or presence of headphones is the real reason why they're upset. I get the feeling they think cycling is a dangerous, pointless activity, and don't like being made to feel responsible for the safety of cyclists when they're out driving. When they see someone riding their bike who isn't doing the utmost to mitigate as much risk as is humanly possible (hi-vis, helmet, riding on the cyclepath, lit up like a christmas tree) then it makes them feel angry and a little bit righteous which is for some people a volatile mixture. Its the small proportion of people who feel this way and are the type to "bully" cyclists with their car or van that cause problems like this. Generally though, I think there is a feeling that cyclists that don't do everything possible to mitigate risk "have it coming" and are somehow deserving of being hurt in accidents, even ones that they didn't cause.

The only way this perception will change is if more people empathise with cyclists by riding bikes themselves. That does seem to be happening more and more, so thats a positive.

Widgey

Do car drivers have any concern for anyone else on the road? How many times have you seen someone do a manoeuvre to "get back" or intimidate someone else. People won't change, but getting drivers better education has got to be the way.. I appreciate there are idiot cyclists who have no lights or are a menace, yet how many Britains worst driver programs or Road Wars are there.

My friend rides a motorbike and says everyone should do a CBT before a driving test.

meanredspider

I get angry if I'm driving and there's a cyclist in the dark with no lights. If I run into them because they are invisible, then I'll be carrying that burden. There are plenty of (I guess, part-time) cyclists who have no appreciation of difficult they are to see without lights - Cambridge was full of them. Helmets I don't care about. Bright/visible clothing is a courtesy in the same way as using lights in some conditions is for car drivers - not mandated by helps other road users.

hubgearfan

meanredspider wrote:

I get angry if I'm driving and there's a cyclist in the dark with no lights. If I run into them because they are invisible, then I'll be carrying that burden. There are plenty of (I guess, part-time) cyclists who have no appreciation of difficult they are to see without lights - Cambridge was full of them. Helmets I don't care about. Bright/visible clothing is a courtesy in the same way as using lights in some conditions is for car drivers - not mandated by helps other road users.

Indeed...have to say, I've seen more cyclists who seem to think their piddly little bike lights are all they need with no bright/visible clothing at night, and sometimes no lights either, than with both, just as I've seen more who think traffic lights don't apply than those who think they do...

dee4life2005

Doesn't always have to be this hi-vis bright yellow clothing either.

Suitably bright front/back lights and any colour of jacket with scotchlite piping would be more than enough to get you noticed in the dark, and from a good distance away too. It doesn't matter what colour your clothes are in the dark, having reflective patches/piping is the crucial bit IMO.

hubgearfan

does anyone remember the "get yourself seen" ad? (shhhhh...must be 30 years ago...)

davmaggs

meanredspider wrote:

I get angry if I'm driving and there's a cyclist in the dark with no lights. If I run into them because they are invisible, then I'll be carrying that burden. There are plenty of (I guess, part-time) cyclists who have no appreciation of difficult they are to see without lights - Cambridge was full of them. Helmets I don't care about. Bright/visible clothing is a courtesy in the same way as using lights in some conditions is for car drivers - not mandated by helps other road users.

+1 to that.

Cycling every day means I put a big emphasis on mirror checks and avoiding manoveres that could easily become a SMIDSY only for some ninja to loom out of the darkness. If I'm getting caught out then I wonder how some of these people are still in one piece.

PS: Can anyone explain me why people (usually wearing black) also have a dim rear light the size of one LED bulb? I can't understand the logic of going through a retailers range of lights only to chose one that is uselessl. What is the point?

pangolin

I think most of them start ok ish but just never get charged / new batteries.

bails87

I was cycling through the uni campus the other week and said "get a light" as I overtook a ninja. She replied that it had been stolen that afternoon while her bike was locked up. I felt so bad I ended up 'chaperoning' her along the unlit road! :oops:

sfichele

bails87 wrote:

I was cycling through the uni campus the other week and said "get a light" as I overtook a ninja. She replied that it had been stolen that afternoon while her bike was locked up. I felt so bad I ended up 'chaperoning' her along the unlit road! :oops:

Well done dude!

I always take my lights off my bike when it's locked up to avoid that very problem

meanredspider

OT but it reminds me of a story from my yoof

I'd locked my bike up at night at Cambridge Tech College (now some Uni) and came out at 9pm to find someone had pinched the batteries out of my EveryReady bike light :roll:

Headed down the road to the late night shop and asked if they had batteries which they didn't. So I asked the guy if he knew where I could get some
"Try the swimming pool" he said
"Oh", said I "Do they sell batteries at the pool"
"No", he said, "But there's plenty of bikes up there" :shock:

Sewinman

The London darkly dressed single dim L.E.D guy is usually on a fixie, with a courier bag, jeans, hoodie and dread locks.

bails87

You are Boris Johnson and I claim my five pounds.